Does Hair Grow Thicker On One Side Of The Head (Yes, But Why?)

Have you ever wondered if your hair grows thicker on one side of your head? You’re not the only one! Lately, me and my friends go on regular Zoom meetings (due to Covid-19 and all) and we talk about all sorts of things. But since we are all beauty “addicts”, we mostly talk about beauty topics.

So, here we are, talking to each other with Zoom when someone said that she got a weird question the other day. She said, someone, asked me if my hair grows thicker on one side of the head!

Luckily she knew the answers and told the woman what she needed to know, but I found it an extremely fun topic to write about and so I did! Below you’ll find all your questions answered.

So, does hair grow thicker on one side of the head?

Yes, it does. Your hair grows thicker and possibly longer and stronger on one side of your head. The more important question to answer is why your hair grows thicker on one side. 

Most people completely ignore the fact that all individual things on our body grow at their own pace and grow all independent from each other. The hair on your head is not an exception to that. All the individual hairs on your hair grow independently from each other.

Each of the hair follicles on your hair produces hair that is based on the specific genetic code that that hair got. Isn’t that fantastic!? It even can be affected by oil build-up and other things that can irritate your hair.

Let me give you some more interesting things you probably didn’t know. You just read that each hair follicle grows with its own specific genetic code… That also means that some follicles may produce hair that is of a different texture than your other hair. Most of the time the variances you see are slightly noticeable (you have to look really carefully) but they are there. That’s also why some of your hairs are a bit lighter than other hairs. It is just specific to the genetic code.

So, why does your hair grow thicker on one side of the head?

What most people don’t realize is the fact that almost anything you do affects your hair. So, if you notice that one of your sides grows faster, is longer or thicker (or anything like that). It can be so that this is pure because each hair follicle is different and behaves in its own way. But, some other things can explain why this happens (or at least contributes to the fact).

Below I’ll give a few examples of why your hair grows thicker on one side of your head.

The sleeping indicator
Everyone sleeps differently… If you have a preference to lay your hair to the right (or left) you may be noticing some erosion on the hair that you’re laying on. This is because you’re rubbing your hair against your pillow. 

Driving in a car
If you drive your car often and with the window down (in some parts of the world it is always sunny!), you may notice that the wind always blows on one side of your hair… Of course, this is logical… But this can also cause your hair to be roughed up. When it is roughed up, it might be less strong than the other side and even prone to breakage.

Right-handed or left-handed
Whether you’re right-handed or left-handed can also contribute to your hair not growing evenly on your head. Think about it… Being left or right-handed affects how you brush your hair and how you shave (for men). This means that your hands hold different positions when you brush and this can mean that one side of your hair gets more exercise and circulation than the other.

Habits
When you have a habit of playing with your hair, you probably have that habit with just one hand and on one side of your hair. This means that if you have a habit of pulling out hair on the left side, your hair on the right side gets a way better treatment!

What you just read or just 5 of the possible things that can contribute to your hair growing thicker on one side of your head. But what should you do about it?

What is the key?
The key to keeping this phenomenon to a minimum is to keep your hair clean. It also helps hugely when you keep your hair conditioned and as healthy as can be. Keep your hair in great condition to overcome all the factors that can harm your hair from the outside. If you can have your hair grow to its maximum potential, you at least know that your hair is the best it’s going to be! And for the fact that some hair follicles behave differently than others… Try to enjoy it a bit. It is amazing what your hair can do!

What should you do if your hair is thinner (or not as great) than the other side of your head?

Okay, you just read that there are at least a couple of reasons why it is normal to have thinner hair on one side of your head. But what can you do about it? I just gave a bit away when talking about conditioning but there are more things that you can do. I’ll lay them out for you below.

#1 – It’s normal, just accept it
I said this earlier, but the simplest (not the easiest) thing you can do is to accept that this is true. One side of your hair is thicker and stronger than the other one. We always think that the right and left sides of our bodies are the same, but they just are different and there’s very little we can do about that. So if your entire body isn’t the same left and right, why should your hair be? Accept diversity and enjoy it!

I know that this doesn’t make it any less true and maybe annoying for you… But, I hope that it eases the pain now you know that you’re not the only one this happens to.

#2 – Don’t “entertain” the thinner side as much
What I mean by this is that if you always play with your hair on the left side of your head, the hair on that side will become weaker and thinner (think about playing with it or for some people even to pull it out). If you always style your hair the same way (say that you always have your hair tilted one way), or combine it to one side every day, will make your hair on that side weaker due to the constant friction you put on it. This can make your hair damaged over time.

It might be a great idea to change hairstyles for a bit or try a different hairstyle routine. This gives your hair a much-needed break. That way you can give your hair follicles on the weaker side, time to heal, and to strengthen.

#3 – Don’t always sleep in the same position
I know this is hard. I’m someone who can only sleep if I lay in one particular position. It just feels comfortable to me and it is not an easy thing to change. But, as you already know, sleeping on one side of your hair can make your hair thinner and less strong due to the friction with your pillows. If you sleep 7 to 8 hours a night and you always do this on the same side of your hair, you can imagine that your hair is less strong on that side. 

That side of your hair is being compressed during those 7 to 8 hours and that means that there’s less blood flow to your hair and scalp on that side. This in turn can lead to the fact that your hair isn’t getting the proper nutrients to become strong and stay strong. 

If you’re serious about this, you can try a different sleeping position so that you give your hair a little bit of rest (pun intended) from all those nights.

#4 – Massage your hair
Did you know that massaging your scalp can help with reducing emotional tension, decreasing headaches, and increasing the quality of your sleep? No? Then you’re in for a treat! But that is not the only thing a scalp massage does. It also increases the blood flow in your scalp. This in turn helps with strengthening the roots of your hair. Not getting the proper nutrients (by sleeping on one side of your head) is something that can contribute to having thinner hair on one side of your head.

That is why this is something you must try when you can’t find another sleeping position to use. If you’re dead set on the position you use now, using scalp massages is a great way to increase the blood flow. 

#5 – Baby the thinner side of your hair
Now, this is important for all of your hair, but for the thinner side, it is especially important. Make it your mission to keep the thinner side of your hair as healthy as possible. Do this by using a great conditioner, great shampoos, and even a hair mask once or twice a week (this is my favorite hair mask)

Make it as healthy as possible and give it time. Time is the most important part. Getting great haircuts, so that everything stays healthy and keeping it healthy in other ways too is great. But, it also just needs time to heal. 

Recap on what you can do if your hair grows uneven

Now you know why your hair can grow thinner and uneven on one side of your head. It’s largely dependent on the genetic code that is distributed to your hair follicles, but there are other things that play a role as well.

There is the environment, how you sleep, you cut style your hair, and with what technique you style your hair, and even your habits play a role.

Make sure that you try a new sleeping position. If you don’t want to try that you can always go for a scalp massage. Make sure you keep your hair in optimal condition and make it a priority for you to keep it healthy and strong!

Final thoughts

By now I hope that you know that it is normal that your hair grows thinner on one side of your head. It has to do with a lot of factors and some of which you can put the effort in to change for the better.

Do you have other tips that can help people as well? Let me know so we can make this a great resource for everyone who wants to know why their hair grows thicker on one side of the head and what to do about it.

Reading material

If you found the above interesting, below are some other articles that you might find fun to read!

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Is Silicon Mix bad for your hair? (not if you use it the right way)