Regrowing hair on a bald spot is often possible. You may need to try more than one type of treatment to get the results you want. Be patient and consider all your options as you approach this very common concern.
Minoxidil (Rogaine).
Products with minoxidil help many people regrow their hair or slow the rate of hair loss or both. It'll take at least six months of treatment to prevent further hair loss and to start hair regrowth. It may take a few more months to tell whether the treatment is working for you.
Also known as camouflaging products, topical concealers are cosmetic ways of hiding the bald spot without actually growing hair. The most commonly used camouflages include hair building fibers (a keratin based product in a shaker jar) which increase density when applied to the scalp near bald spots.
Cover Up Powder
Much like root cover up spray, root cover up powders are meant to lengthen the time between salon appointments but are great at masking bald spots. Simply brush the pigment onto the spot the same way you brush on your makeup, and voila—bald spots are no more.
Essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, rosemary, cedarwood, lemongrass, thyme, clary sage, tea tree, ylang ylang and horsetail plant oil have already been proven in various degrees to improve hair regrowth and slow down hair loss.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. This means it's caused by the body's immune system attacking its own tissues. The immune system attacks the hair follicles. It causes hair to stop growing, and then break off and fall out.
After hair stops shedding, the hair will slowly grow back. This can take 6 to 8 months for all the hair to grow back. The whole cycle takes about 12 months. This type of hair loss is called telogen effluvium.
Bald spots of the scalp, brow, or beard are commonly caused by a medical condition called alopecia areata. It is also commonly called spot baldness, and it is believed to be an autoimmune disorder that causes the body's immune system to mistake hair follicles for foreign invaders, and then, attack them as such.
There are a variety of methods available for the regrowth of hair follicles, from using medication to massaging your scalp to stimulate your hair directly. Currently, the most effective way to reactivate your hair follicles is by using medication, such as finasteride and minoxidil.
The patches of hair loss can grow larger. Sometimes, the patches grow larger and become one large bald spot.
While there is scientific proof that coconut oil can reduce protein loss in hair, there's no scientific evidence to show that coconut oil has any effect on preventing male pattern baldness caused by DHT. However, this hasn't stopped people from making claims about coconut oil's “ability” to prevent hair loss.
“No matter what you do with it, ACV will not cure or treat hair loss. The reason it is often linked with hair care is because it is an ancient remedy for making hair shine and treating dandruff that is said to have been favoured by the Romans.
“Vitamins are essential for healthy hair growth and may help in preventing hair shedding and thinning,” says Michele Green, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York. “The best vitamins for hair growth include B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, biotin and iron.
Those high in protein, the building blocks of hair, including meats and other sources. "Try increasing your protein intake with foods like fish, beans, nuts and whole grains," she recommends. Even if you're not a meat lover, you should still aim to maintain a diet high in protein for hair growth.
Extra virgin olive oil in hair does encourage hair growth and health: it reduces hair loss by preventing the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, from binding to the scalp, and olive oil contains antifungal properties and moisturizer that stimulate hair production, too.
"ACV unblocks follicles in the scalp so that strands have freedom to thrive," Ruggeri says. (Note: If you do use dry shampoo, Ruggeri advises spraying it on the mid-lengths of hair, rather than the roots, to prevent clogging the follicle).
For most people, the most obvious sign of hair follicle damage is hair loss. As your follicles become damaged, they may stop growing new hairs, resulting in a receding hairline, bald spot at your crown (the area at the top of your head) or diffuse thinning.
There is currently no cure for alopecia areata, although there are some forms of treatment that can be suggested by doctors to help hair re-grow more quickly. The most common form of alopecia areata treatment is the use of corticosteroids, powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that can suppress the immune system.
“It's all to do with the menthol and eucalyptus which can be found in Vicks,” she says. “These ingredients won't cause hair that has been lost to traction alopecia or female pattern hair loss to regrow, but they may help existing hair to grow in length although we wouldn't recommend putting Vicks onto scalps.