Question for those of you who have experienced thinning hair

[schweedie]

I noticed yesterday when I wore pigtails for the first time in ages how incredibly thin they were, which made me sad and also made me go look through my album.

These were taken in February and May last year:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/schweedie/Hair/DSCN7658.jpg http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/schweedie/Hair/DSCN8299.jpg

(That was my first ever Dutch braid, so forgive the mess. :p) Not super thick by any means, but not thin. This is now:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/schweedie/Hair/DSCN0608.png http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/schweedie/Hair/SAM_0615.jpg

To my eyes, my current single braid doesn't look much thicker than each of the pigtails from last year. I take decent care of my hair; no heat styling, careful detangling, and it's usually braided or up when I go out. My question is, if you have experienced thinning hair over a relatively short period, were you able to get your thickness back and how? Was there a particular reason for it?

[skyblue]

you've got lovely thick braids, you should my pitiful little braids, they'd make you feel so much better! lol!!

[brelj]

I don't think your hair is thinner, seeing the 2 single braid pictures. I mean the first picture braid is a little messy, like you pulled the strings or made the braid very loose => thicker. And you didn't braid till the end of your hair, like the second one. De ens of a french/dutch braid is always thinner, 'cause it doesn't contain al your hair.
Very nice hair, pretty color!

[Mesmerise]

Well yeah, it does look a little thinner, but you still look like you have lovely thick hair to me!

My hair is like probably half as thin as your braid is now lol... you also have decent thickness in the hemline (at least the bottom of your braid still looks reasonably thick) whereas mine is just sooo teeny.

I wouldn't worry too much! If you keep looking after yourself, your hair will get thicker, and in the meantime it still looks pretty good. when you wear your hair out and the bottom part looks all stringy and see through, that's when you know you've got badly thinning hair!

[Tiina]

I think the dutch braid in the recent picture may seem thinner than in the older picture because it is braided more tightly. Also, there seem to be more sections taken on the scalp, which, I've noticed, can also lead to an illusion of a thinner braid.

Btw, Your twin braids look a lot thicker than most i/ii's.

[Carolyn]

I don't think it's much thinner. I think it looks that way because your first single braid was done loosely. A loose braid always looks thicker. I see in your hair stats you have listed yourself as "i/ii. I don't see you could possibly be anywhere near an i. Do you know your ponytail circumference back then? I think it has to be over 3", if not 4".

[Phexlyn]

I don't think it's much thinner. I think it looks that way because your first single braid was done loosely. A loose braid always looks thicker. I see in your hair stats you have listed yourself as "i/ii. I don't see you could possibly be anywhere near an i. Do you know your ponytail circumference back then? I think it has to be over 3", if not 4".
I agree. My ponytail circumference is only a bit over 2", and my single braid is noticably thinner than each of your twin braids. Maybe go measure your pony circumference and find out which category you're really in. You look like a solid ii to me (or maybe even ii/iii). :)

[pariate]

I think I can see a slight difference, but as another poster has said your hair still looks nice and thick. It seems to me that the most recent photo of your braid shows that you braided much tighter than you did in the February photo. Looser styles will always make hair look thicker, that's why I can only do messy buns in my hair! My hair is pitifully thin these days, but I when I was a child and a teenager I had a braid thick enough to moor an ocean liner... With messy buns, my hair looks thick, but in a tighter bun or braid my hair looks far too small for my head. Trust me, your hair looks lovely!

I don't think you need to worry about it. Like anything else our hair goes through growing cycles. Changes in care routine, products and even the weather can affect the appearance of our hair.

[CarpeDM]

Your hair doesn't look thinner to me, just longer...

[didrash]

Doesn't look thinner to me as well. It may seem so to you because it is longer, and the human brain is influenced by ratio, the same size looks smaller depending on context. And comparing a diameter is even more difficult...

[RadiantNeedle]

Joining the 'not thinner, just longer and tighter' group!
And it looks like you're growing out some layers, too. If you grow them out completely your hair will certainly get thicker!

[crewsemarg]

Am new to this community and am wondering where you go to rate your hair? Am having a lot of trouble finding my way around. Would like to find out how thick my hair really is. Or is this something you can do only after you have been here a while?

I think like the rest of you that the braiding is just tighter on the second picture.

[Anje]

Yeah, there's absolutely no way you're a i/ii. I'm a ii, and you've got way more hair than me in that last pic. Your hair is not thin, and those pigtails are amazingly fat. Want!

[Lippytoes]

You know, I've also been worrying a bit about my hair getting slightly thinner. :/ It might just be paranoia. But I don't know if meds can also affect these things? However, I do agree with what the others say: the longer your hair, the thinner it may seem. And rest assured, it definitely doesn't look like there's any significant thinnage going on!

[paleogirl]

My hair has definately thinned from 10 years ago. I am now eating healthier and being nice to it with how I care for it.

Does anyone know how to incourage more strands to grow?

Also I have wispies around my scalp. Does that mean new growth or broken hair? How do I tell? Thx.

[schweedie]

Thank you for all the replies, guys!


I see in your hair stats you have listed yourself as "i/ii. I don't see you could possibly be anywhere near an i. Do you know your ponytail circumference back then? I think it has to be over 3", if not 4".
When I first joined here my circumference was 3 inches; the last time I measured it (a while ago) I think was between 2.4 and 2.6. (I'm too afraid to measure again, to be honest.) So back then I joined I was indeed solidly in the middle of the ii range!


Your hair is not thin, and those pigtails are amazingly fat. Want!
Those pigtails did actually look fat, didn't they? Why didn't I appreciate that at the time? I want them back, too! *yearns* I'll take a picture tomorrow of what they look like now.

I did think about the length/thickness ratio thing, that it might be a visual trick. And crewsemarg - Fia's hairtyping system is here (http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/Personal27.html). :)

Again, thank all of you for the reassurance. It's been a stressful year, healthwise, which I'm sure has affected my hair. Hopefully it'll turn around.

[pariate]

You know, I've also been worrying a bit about my hair getting slightly thinner. :/ It might just be paranoia. But I don't know if meds can also affect these things? However, I do agree with what the others say: the longer your hair, the thinner it may seem. And rest assured, it definitely doesn't look like there's any significant thinnage going on!

It's quite possible that medication could cause it, but you'd have to do a little digging around for information specific to the medication you're taking. Try a Google search, see what turns up. :)

[NordicPandi]

You have lovely hair :) I hope to get to your thickness some day!

From my own experience, some possible culprits of thinning hair are medications, hormonal imbalance, stress, and thyroid function.

After I got in a car accident I was stressed for months and saw a lot of thinning happening :( I think things like a new job, moving, etc. could do it as well. I didn't used to believe that stress could cause my hair to fall out. I think i just didn't pay attention to it before.

I've started taking liquid colloidal iodine and I'm seeing a lot of new hairs starting to grow :) I've also heard others say that it encourages new hairs to grow in if it's applied topically. I use a clear colored kind that's mean for internal consumption, not the type that people use to clean wounds.

Research first though, there is a lot of conflicting information out there about Iodine. Some things I've read suggest that Americans consume much lower amounts of iodine than other countries and that iodine has the potential to detox things like bromide.


I've read some other wonderful tips for encouraging thicker hair growth on here, like using castor oil on the scalp, either straight or mixed with lighter oils so it's not so sticky.

I've also heard of diatomaceous earth for faster growth, but I don't know if it helps the thickness. There's a great thread on here about it.

sorry about your stressful year :( Hoping your hair comes back as thick as ever :blossom:

[supernatural]

i think the recent picture just has tighter braid... it doesnt look thin to me - at all! :)
when the hair really thins, you would know from the amount of hairfall... if that part is normal for you - then in my opinion its just an illusion due to tightness of braids and increased length of hair.

You have lovely hair, btw...

[Phexlyn]

When I first joined here my circumference was 3 inches; the last time I measured it (a while ago) I think was between 2.4 and 2.6. (I'm too afraid to measure again, to be honest.) So back then I joined I was indeed solidly in the middle of the ii range!
Just a thought, but measuring ponytail circumference accurately is really hard. If you decide to measure, don't just do it once, but do it several times (note down the results) in a row AND re-measure on a different day of your washing routine. Make sure your ponytail is in the same place every time and of the same tightness.
My circumference is bigger/smaller depending on how oily/poofy/smooth my hair is and I've taken measurements from a solid 2" up to 2.75".

[schweedie]

Joining the 'not thinner, just longer and tighter' group!
And it looks like you're growing out some layers, too. If you grow them out completely your hair will certainly get thicker!
Heh, surprisingly I think what layers I used to have are actually pretty much grown out (http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/schweedie/Hair/SAM_0517.jpg), but I have a vaguely U-shaped hemline and a side parting which makes my braid tassel look really weird!

NordicPandi, thank you for your suggestions! I'll definitely have a look into iodine deficiency.


Just a thought, but measuring ponytail circumference accurately is really hard. If you decide to measure, don't just do it once, but do it several times (note down the results) in a row AND re-measure on a different day of your washing routine. Make sure your ponytail is in the same place every time and of the same tightness.
My circumference is bigger/smaller depending on how oily/poofy/smooth my hair is and I've taken measurements from a solid 2" up to 2.75".
That is good advice - I definitely notice a difference in how thick my single braid is depending on where I am in my washing routine. I measured quite a few times when I joined and it was always pretty much exactly 3", but maybe I should do it a couple more times now.

Also, these are my current pigtails. Not as fat anymore. *sigh*

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/schweedie/Hair/SAM_0615.jpg

Again, thank you, everyone. :flower:

[milagro]

Joining the 'not thinner, just longer and tighter' group!

I concur. Nothing to worry.

[Issmene]

To me it seems you braided tighter and because the braids are longer they look thinner maybe? :P But to answer your question, I do seem to lose hair (not lot though) when my scalp is in bad condition, so either dry, or build-up/clogged-up. You hair look very nice and healthy by the way :)

[x0h_bother]

In my opinion you need to compare apples with apples. I compared your single braid to single braid and double braids to double braids. I do see a small difference in thickness, but not extreme. I'm not an expert on why this could be, so I'll let others make suggestions. But I know what it's like to lose thickness, even if it is slight :blossom: Hang in there.

[Anje]

They do look a little less thick, but also might be tighter. You do have that longer-looks-skinnier phenomenon working against you.

Your two braids are still each at least as thick as my single braid.

[renarok]

I think that your hair is lovely!!!! Congratulations on the spectacular growth.

[jojo]

I think long hair in general makes us think its thinner the longer it gets, but overall its just an illusion as the hair is more stretched. If that makes sense!

I have a thinning problem due to hypothyroidism and have lost an inch in thickness, the only way to tell is to measure the circumference. Photographs can lie sometimes and simple things like lighting can make us see whats not really there. Your hair looks very thick to me and quite lovely.

[crewsemarg]

schweedie--THANK YOU for pointing me in the right direction for that page.

[ratgirldjh]

I think your hair is not as frizzy in the last pics and maybe in better condition. And like others have said the braids are tighter. You have beautiful hair! I wish my braids were this thick! If I put all my hair in one braid is is as thin as one of your pigtails! :D

[schweedie]

I think your hair is not as frizzy in the last pics and maybe in better condition. And like others have said the braids are tighter. You have beautiful hair! I wish my braids were this thick! If I put all my hair in one braid is is as thin as one of your pigtails! :D
Ooh, I like that explanation! :D And thank you. :flower:

I just put my hair in a pony to measure the circumference, and it's currently at 2.5". At least it hasn't gotten any thinner since the last time I measured. But oh, I miss that half inch.

(I think one of my problems might also be that all of my friends have incredibly thick hair, which I guess has misadjusted my view of what normal thickness is supposed to be. :p)

You guys are the best!

[torrilin]

2.5" is a solid ii, not a i/ii. You have to be under 2" to be a i, and I'd tend to say someone who fluctuated on either side of 2" would be a i/ii.

So yeah... you're imagining your hair to be MUCH thinner than it really is.

FWIW, my hair fluctuates between 2.5" and 3", depending on my routine.

[Lippytoes]

Also, these are my current pigtails. Not as fat anymore. *sigh*

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t262/schweedie/Hair/SAM_0615.jpg



Not as fat, perhaps, but ooooh how long and pretty. :)

[Mesmerise]

Oh, I have to agree your hair is definitely not i/ii!! I call myself i/ii and even I'm somewhat over 2" (not much though... which is why I have the i as well...) If you were to see my plait... well geez it looks about as thick as one of your pigtail ones, and the end is really skinny!

Honestly, I don't think you have much to worry about with thinning, your hair looks lovely!