How to Cut Thinning Hair

When your hair is fine or thinning, the cut makes a big difference in the way it looks. You can fool the eye into seeing more hair if you have it cut carefully and styled right. Your hair might thin from the top down, or be thinner on the sides than it is at the crown, but you and your hairstylist should be able to find a haircut that makes the most of the hair you have.

two pairs of hairdressers scissors on a grey background. (Image: Timur Arbaev/iStock/Getty Images)

Step 1

Try a short-cropped style. The shorter the hair, the less its thinning is apparent. Long styles can highlight the areas where your hair is sparse. Try a short bob. If you're feeling daring and have smaller features, try a pixie cut that keeps your hair close to your head so it looks like you have more. Short cuts also tend to make the hair look healthier and shinier, taking the focus off of the thinning areas.

Step 2

Ask your hairstylist to use a razor comb to cut your hair. A razor comb has a small razor at the base, and cuts out small wisps of hair instead of cutting the entire hair shaft. This can give you a trendier shape or keep up a hairstyle without actually cutting the hair and losing some of the bulk. It can also make it easier to maintain your style at home between visits to the stylist.

Step 3

Try a thin row of wispy bangs across your forehead. Bangs give the illusion of more hair, and the emphasis on the hair across your forehead may camouflage the thinning hair closer to your scalp. A few wispy, diagonally cut bangs are a good addition to any hairstyle.

Step 4

Keep your hair cut just long enough that you can tuck it behind your ears. This is a well-known stylist trick to make thinning hair look thicker. Pinning it behind your ears gathers the thinner spots together, giving the illusion of thicker hair. When you get a haircut, ask your stylist to leave some longer pieces near the front so you can fake thick hair by tucking the pieces back.

Step 5

Ask for a heavily layered cut. Your stylist can mask the portions of your hair that are thinning with portions that are still fairly thick. For instance, if the hair on the top of your head is thinning, have it layered short on the top and graduated into longer layers farther down. A blunt, non-layered cut will showcase areas where your hair is thinning, while a layered cut makes the most of the hair you have.