So you’ve found yourself spending a little longer looking in the mirror, checking your hair and it’s got you debating; whether or not you are actually starting to bald. This was the exact same scenario for myself. I would find myself tilting my head right to left and back and forth using my fingers to pull back my hair. Checking in-between strands of hair to see what is really going on there.

You start double guessing yourself and think did my barber cut my hair uneven this time? No, maybe it’s just the lighting in the bathroom. Well, I can easily say this is a question I’ve seen so many men ask; in order to gain clarification on just what is going on with their hair. It’s a very serious question because if we are being honest with ourselves, it’s the last thing you want to see. If you would like to know the reason why your hair is starting to fall out, then check our article on what causes hair loss in men. It goes into great depth on all the possible reasons on why your hair is slowly disappearing.

This article will provide you with all the signs to look out along with my own personal experience, because I was once asking this exact question to myself. It’s important to look out for the early signs because being proactive is much better than being reactive if you want to save your hair.

Hair is Receding in a Specific Pattern

The Norwood Scale

The most common reason men lose their hair is down to MPB (Male Pattern Baldness). This is down to an inherited trait where cells in the scalp convert testosterone into a hormone called DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) that causes the hair follicles to shrink down and eventually fall out.

Men usually lose their hair in a typical set of patterns over the course of 15–25 years. The Norwood scale is the prominent classification scale used to measure the severity of hair loss in men. This can provide you with a metric to follow to figure out if you are balding. Your hair loss will following these set of patterns.

Usually, in the beginning the hair begins to recede on the sides of your temples. Whilst this is ongoing or at a slightly later time, the hair on the top of the head (crown) thins out and a small bald spot develops gradually over time in the middle of the scalp.

Eventually the two receding side on the temple get further pushed back and the bald patch on the top of the head (crown) enlarges as they join each other, leaving a compete patch at the front. Furthermore, the patch at the front also thins out.

What is left is the back and sides of the scalp. In some men, the hair at the top of the scalp continues to thin out all over further leaving almost a completely bald scalp. The extent of hair loss in all men varies but if your hair loss follows this set of pattern, chances are it’s down to MPB.

For other types of hair loss, it might not follow this sort of progress. As this essentially follows the general hair loss for male pattern baldness.

Seeing Hair Strands Everywhere

If you’ve started to see little hair strands around your house such as hair strands latching on to your comb, then this might be cause for concern. Yet it’s important to recognize that on average a normal person can lose from 50-100 hair strands a day and that is perfectly normal.

However, if you start seeing your hair everywhere, from on pillows, in showers, clinging to your clothes and even in your food – yuck, I know but it does happen and especially on a regular basis then this should sound the alarm bells.

At first you just flick them off and don’t think about it twice but then you start seeing it frequently. I use to see little hair strands everywhere, when I would have a shower and scrub my scalp I would see several hair strands in my palm. This is when you need to start considering that you might be losing your hair. Particularly, when it’s occuring regularly.

Suffering from Miniaturization

Bernstein Medical- The process of Miniaturization on the hair follicles

If you find that you are suffering from miniaturization then it’s a key indicator that you are losing your hair. Miniaturization is the biological process where hairs shrink gradually over time. Miniaturization is the main process of male pattern baldness. Usually, hairs grow in follicular units that consist of one to four full thickness hairs.

Depending on the sensitivity of your follicles that are vulnerable to DHT, those will be in a position of varying different stages of miniaturization. Over time we find that the hairs shrink and clear thinning of the area that has been affected. While gradually more hairs in each follicular unit get miniaturizated, the scale of baldness is increased. In turn, if your hairs are in the miniaturization stage, then you are very much in the process of balding.

If you have inherited the ‘baldness gene’ from your family. Then usually you are accepted to lose your hair anytime after puberty. I found that my hair started balding from as young as 19 years old. Many men would argue that even if their family members are bald now, they didn’t lose their hair until their later years. This might very well be true, but it can still occur to you at a younger age. If this is the case for you, it looks like you might have pulled the short straw unfortunately.

Noticing a Visible Difference

If you start noticing changes to your hair line, temple, crown or allover thinning then it’s a clear indicator that you are losing your hair. I started to notice my hair loss when it began receding the hair on the sides next to my temples. I started pushing my hair around to negate for the lack of hair around my temples and my bald spot. The glare from the bathroom light would also intensify my bald spot and made me very self conscious of my thinning hair.

You start noticing other men’s hair and finding yourself panicking about about whether it’s stayed at the same place that you styled it. Any opportunity to view a mirror and you immediately move your eyes towards your hair. Comparisons with older pictures can also be a good indicator in seeing just how different your hair looks compared to previous years -as they say pictures don’t lie.

Also your hairs health can often provide a clue on whether you are currently balding. Hair that is weak, dull and brittle, patchy, extremely dry or excessively greasy are all signs of an damaged hair follice. This could be done to several reasons, whether it’s the use of products or deficient of the valuable nutrition that have caused it short term issues or the DHT that has shrinked the hair follicle so much to the point it’s starting to to thin out. I was fearful of using a comb or to rub my hair with the towel too harshly as it pull out my hair follicles with complete ease.

Suffering from Recent Drastic Changes

If you’ve recently lost or gained a significant amount of weight and are noticing your hair is not as thick as before, you might be experiencing balding.

Any major changes caused by a strict or drastic diet can cause hair loss due to nutritional deficiencies after cutting off essential foods to lose or gain weight. This leaves you vulnerable to losing your hair.

There are also various drugs and medications that can come with the side effects of causing hair loss. If you’ve been taking any of these medications and have been seen your follicles numbers falling, this could be the reason. It’s important to read up on any side effects to understand the potential issues it can cause to your hair.

Luckily, this is usually a short term form of hair loss and once you get the right levels of nutrients and vitamins in your diet it should start regrowing. Ensure you are dieting to adjust your weight the right way and not sacrificing your hairs health to achieve the look and consult with your doctor if you concerned about any potential side effects from medications.

Your Barber Notices a Difference

When I started thinning, my regular barber who has been cutting my hair for months, suddenly dropped the bomb on me that my hair is starting to thin out. Until then no close friends or families had made any comments on my hair. Whether this was down to them not wanting to embarrass me or just not noticing, I’m not quite sure. Nevertheless, your barber will give you a genuine opinion. Not only because he wants to be honest with you as his client, but also because he needs to do his job and come with to an agreement with you on what sort of style options he can carry out for you.

On the plus side your barber / hairdresser will be able to suggest certain hair styles that can disguise thinning hair and give off the impression of a full thick hair. Whether this is by cutting the back and sides shorter in order to make the front look thicker. This along with various other techniques can really help your cause.

When I was told this, I myself didn’t fully realise the severity of my hair loss. With our busy day to day schedule we can sometimes overlook our hair and only when you’re made to face the realisation can you then start treating your hair.

For those of you who cut their own hair and don’t visit the barber. A good sign to figure out if you balding, is when going for your usual look you find yourself using a higher hair clipper size than the usual, e.g a number 2 rather than the usual number 1. Mainly due to the fact that using the same comb size leaves your scalp too threadbare.

Conclusion

Analysing whether you are balding can be a difficult task, but there are some clear tell tale signs that can help indicate if you are going through the process of losing your hair. If you notice any of these symptoms and are worried, I would strongly recommend that you speak with your doctor or dermatologist. It’s also important to understand that different types of hairloss will be displayed by different symptoms.

Self diagnosing yourself is never the appropriate way to figure out if you are balding. Doing your own research and looking out for the signs that have been outlined here will educate you greatly on the matter. However, it’s best you carry out some tests with a doctor to eliminate any doubts and be certain if you are balding or not. The sooner you figure out the cold facts the better you can combat the hair loss.

Do you think you are going through hair loss? What signs are you experiencing? Let us know down below in the comments.