A receding hairline is the most searched hair-loss problem in Canada, and the advice online is mostly written by people selling one answer. This is the whole menu, with what each option actually does, so you can pick based on where you are and what you want.
Stage one: the temples have started to move
At this stage the goal is usually to keep what you have. Minoxidil and finasteride are the two treatments with real evidence behind them, and both are conversations for a doctor or pharmacist, not a website. They slow loss and can regrow some hair at the hairline, but they work only while you keep using them.
Haircut choice does a lot of work here too. Shorter sides and a slightly longer top make a receding hairline far less visible than hair worn long and flat.
Stage two: the hairline is clearly back and the top is thinning
Hair fibres and concealers such as Toppik cling to existing hair and hide the scalp for a day. They work well for photos and events, wash out, and need hair to cling to.
Scalp micropigmentation density adds permanent shadow between the hairs you still have, so the scalp stops showing through under light. It does not need daily application and it does not wash out. It is the step most people in this stage have not heard of.
A hair transplant moves follicles from the back of your head to the front. It is the only option that puts real growing hair back on the hairline. It is also surgery, it is the most expensive option, it needs enough donor hair, and the result takes a year to show.
Stage three: you are shaving it, or close to it
Once the hairline has gone far enough that you crop it close or shave, the question changes from how to hide loss to how to make the shaved look read as a choice.
A hair system, meaning a modern hairpiece bonded to the scalp, gives a full head of hair and needs refitting every few weeks.
Scalp micropigmentation rebuilds the hairline and fills the scalp with follicle-sized dots so a shaved head looks like a deliberate close crop with a full hairline. It takes two to three sessions, lasts four to six years before a touch-up, and needs no daily routine. For most people at this stage it is the lowest-maintenance option that still changes how the head looks.
Choosing
Want to keep and regrow what you have: see a doctor about minoxidil and finasteride. Want real hair back on the hairline and can accept surgery and a year of waiting: transplant. Want the scalp to stop showing through without changing your routine: SMP density. Shaving anyway and want it to look full and intentional: SMP hairline and full scalp. These are not exclusive. Many people combine a transplant with SMP, or medication with density work.