Lewis Hamilton Blames Lack of Hair Care Knowledge for Hair Loss
Sports star Lewis Hamilton has spoken about his apparent hair loss, claiming the thinning hair he was previously photographed with, particularly around his hairline, was caused by not knowing how to look after his Afro hair.
The 34 year old said that, undoubtedly from wearing a sweaty racing helmet so often, he had been washing his hair three times per day with soap or hotel products, which are largely acknowledged to be of poor quality for all hair types but particularly Afro hair which requires more moisture.
Hamilton's hair is now looking much thicker and longer, which had led to rumours the racing driver had a hair transplant, which he denies. He puts it down to simply being shown how to care for his hair properly.
Importance of knowing how to care for your hair type
On 24th July 2019 Lewis Hamilton posted a video to his official Instagram account showing him blow-drying his hair, which you can see below.
This made clear his receding hairline and thinning were behind him, showing off a solid hairline and what appeared to be far healthier hair than we have been used to seeing him with recently.
The caption read, "I’ve been growing my hair for a minute now. I used to wash my hair with bath soap and genuinely anything I had at the time. Would wash it 3 times a day, morning, after training and at night. so it was always dry. If in hotels, would use their bad products but never shampooed and conditioned. My hair started to deteriorate and thin out. I went to see a specialist who told me that If didn’t start looking after it properly I would start losing it in short amount of time. Now, with the right advice I use good products, it’s a priority to keep my hair healthy and Finally I love having long crazy hair. I don’t even want to cut it. Being educated about it was really something that I’d been missing my whole life so parents, be sure to help your kids know how to take care of their hair. A lot of the products out there are actually terrible so do some research as to which ones are best. #healthyhair#afro"
Whether or not the new, good quality hair care products Hamilton is using include hair loss treatments such as topical applications of high strength minoxidil is unclear - this would certainly explain his hair regrowth in areas usually associated with Male Pattern Baldness, or Traction Alopecia - a condition often caused by repeatedly wearing the tightly braided hairstyles the F1 racer is fond of.
Regardless, his message is an important one given it is extremely important to know the best way to care for your hair in order to make sure it looks its healthiest best.
An issue which has become increasingly necessary to address in recent years is where mixed race children have Afro hair but the parent who shows them how to look after their hair does not, or where black children are adopted by families with a different hair type to their own.
This can result in the parents not knowing the proper way to treat Afro hair to keep it healthy and strong, and people missing out on this crucial piece of education that is usually passed down through families, from a young age - potentially unwittingly storing up problems for their hair later on in life.
Caring for your child's Afro hair and knowing the best way to style and care for it was even the subject of an episode of the popular TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Armenian-American Kim Kardashian-West was seen taking lessons in how best to look after her African-American daughter, North West's hair.
In general, Afro hair is naturally more brittle than Asian and Caucasian hair types so it requires more moisturising products including oils to be used, it is washed less frequently than other hair types and wearing natural curls, or protective hairstyles for only short periods at a time, is advised to prevent hair loss from Traction Alopecia or breakage.
To ensure the hair is at its healthiest, use of heated styling tools and chemicals such as relaxers should be minimised and a balanced diet accompanied by optimal hydration levels should be maintained.
Additional supplementation can be useful for some, with many Belgravia clients taking our specifically-formulated, one-a-day food supplements for healthy hair growth, Hair Vitalics which contain a highly-targeted blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and botanicals including biotin, selenium, zinc and copper.
Admitted having "insecurities"
Hamilton's latest candid admission comes almost a month after the Formula One legend opened up about having "insecurities" about the way he looks.
In an unusually vulnerable 30th June 2019 Instagram post shown above, he posted a photo of himself in his bathroom. The caption encouraged people to "learn to love [themselves] for who you are because you are really special" and explained he had been doubting himself.
"Posting this because this is me, unfiltered and basic. In today's society, everyone is using so many apps and filters to make themselves look perfect and I think we need to start encouraging ourselves and others to love themselves just the way they are... I too have insecurities and for whatever reason have questioned the way I look because of the pressures in society and Ive come to realise that, I am who I am and I'm not changing for nobody," he wrote.
The inspirational message obviously hit home with many, receiving almost 850,000 likes.
Hair loss is something many men - and women - feel self-conscious about, but it is also an issue that is generally highly manageable, with the use of clinically-proven hairloss solutions, and, where appropriate, additional hair growth supporting products.
Anyone worried about thinning hair, a drop in volume, sudden shedding or just general concerns about losing their hair, can have a consultation with a professional hair loss specialist to help identify both the problem and the best solution, based on their condition and medical profile. Taking this simple, proactive step can often make people feel understood and relieved that they are not alone and there are both treatments and support available.
The Belgravia Centre
The Belgravia Centre is a world-renowned group of a hair loss clinic in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation from anywhere in the world for home-use treatment.
View our Hair Loss Success Stories, which includes the world's largest gallery of hair growth photos and demonstrates the level of success that so many of Belgravia's patients achieve.
