Men’s Hair Survey Finds 3 in 5 Men Wish They Had Healthier Hair

The old stereotype that hair care is of concern only to women has long been consigned to the scrapheap, and in fact a new survey shows that when it comes to matters of hairstyle, hair loss and grooming, men are as fastidious about their looks as anyone.

The survey was conducted by skincare brand Dove Men and covers everything related to men's hair, from man buns to pomade, and while respondents were from America, their answers likely reflect the attitudes of men the world over.

Some of the key findings were:

* One in five men have been jealous of a friend’s hair

* Eight out of 10 men think the look of their hair is important and that their hair helps them feel confident

* 44% of men feel negatively about their hair they say it makes them feel insecure, unattractive, embarrassed or sad

* A third of men wish they had hair like their friend. A third also said they wish their hair looked healthier and stronger

Profound relationship with hair

The findings clearly show that men have a profound relationship with their hair (86% say it is a reflection of their personal style), and that anything that gets in the way of what they perceive to be a good hairstyle is their nemesis.

Keeping hair clean is a serious subject for many men, and more than half of all respondents name frequent washing as key to maintaining their hair health. For Caucasian/European and Asian hair types this is certainly true, as experts recommend that hair is washed every day or every other day to keep it looking healthy. Afro hair does not need to be washed quite so often.

Unfortunately, many men reduce how often they wash their hair when they notice their hair thinning due to the genetic condition Male Pattern Baldness. What frequently happens in the panic that ensues is that they avoid washing their hair, or using shampoo, in the mistaken belief that it will cause more hair to fall out. In fact, this is not the case at all - washing hair does not cause hair loss - and when hair is thinning, stopping washing it can mean it looks less voluminous and may also cause scalp problems. Even brushing thinning hair won’t exacerbate things.

If the hair is not falling out but is looking dull or dry, then help can come from within by changing the diet to ensure that essential nutrients for healthy hair are ingested. An additional 'top-up' option - not one to be used to replace a balanced diet - is to take a hair-friendly food supplement such as Hair Vitalics for Men, Belgravia’s exclusively formulated blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and botanical extracts, including biotin, zinc and selenium for the maintenance of normal healthy hair growth and saw palmetto.

'Bad' hair makes men unhappy

The survey found that it was men in the 45 to 55 age bracket who most felt that their hair made them less desirable and less happy. This is likely to be because men of this age have an increased chance of being affected by Male Pattern Baldness. While the condition can begin any time post-puberty and is certainly seen in men in their 20s and 30s, around half of all men will be affected by the time they are 50.

Click to See More Belgravia Male Pattern Hair Loss Treatment Success Stories (Results May Vary and Are Not Guaranteed)

The good news is that non-invasive Male Pattern Hair Loss treatment is widely used around the world helping men to regrow receding hairlines and thinning crowns, whilst preventing baldness.

These tend to utilise either one or both of the only two clinically-proven drugs which are both MHRA-licensed and FDA-approved for the treatment of men's hair loss  finasteride 1mg and minoxidil  as their base. The DHT-blocking tablet finasteride 1mg can be used on its own but is often paired with high strength minoxidil, a topical drug which is applied directly to the scalp and comes in a number of different formulations.

This allows for the inhibition of DHT, the previously mentioned hormone which is largely useless following puberty and causes hair to gradually thin and shed in men who are genetically sensitive to it, via the action of the finasteride 1mg. Additionally, the vasodilating high strength minoxidil solutions proactively encourage hair growth and can be particularly useful when treating stubborn areas of Male Pattern Hair Loss, such as a receding hairline.

Complementary hair growth supporting products  including the aforementioned Hair Vitalics food supplement used alongside these medications can further augment this approach.

One slightly amusing point from the Dove survey is that 70% of men say they wish that the dreaded man bun would go away. Irrespective of the top knot’s apparent drop in popularity, getting rid of it does make sense from a hairloss standpoint as man buns can lead to a condition named Traction Alopecia. This is true of multiple tight hairstyles, including braids and dreadlocks, that place prolonged stress on the scalp which can result in a receding hairline, hair breakage and patchy hair loss around the areas where the styles are fixed. While treatment for Traction Alopecia can be effective, it is obviously preferable to avoid the condition in the first place.