Thin, fine, wurlies . . . are you out there?

[Pixna]

My grandmother got thinning hair about your age too, and the same thing happened to my mother a couple of years ago (she is about 5 years younger than you). The good news is, that their hair god thicker again - perhaps something hormonal.

And even if it stays the way it is right now, thinner and finer hair can look gorgeous too! The wind can play with too thick and heavy hair. And it will never look light and flowing the way finer hair types do. Some people get migraines from long and thick hair too - a problem that us fine haired people won't ever get, no matter how long we grow our hair.

And to be honest, your hair looks a lot better than what the average 55-year-old head of hair looks like where I live. If it wasn't for the grays, you could easily be mistaken for someone a lot younger, when being seen from the back

Clarisse, your comments really lifted my spirits (and hopefully my follicles, too!). It's VERY encouraging to know that your mother's and grandmother's hair got thicker again!!! Wow, I am going to be hopeful that my hair will follow that course. My mother's hair (she's in her eighties) looks pretty good, considering that she has colored it for almost her whole life and goes the beauty parlor route. She is not bald (thank heavens!). And my grandmother's hair was similar to hers, so I'm going to try to stay optimistic.

And, you make some good points about the weight of thick hair. At least there are some positives in all this! And, well, how could I NOT love your comment about my looking younger (at least from the back) than a lot of other women my age. Thank you!!!

Lamb, that's an excellent suggestion about the hybrid wash. It's so great to see you posting in this thread. I adore your hair, by the way -- it really is beautiful, Lamb. Good point about the leave-ins! Thank you for the tips!

[Boudicca]

Hi, Boudicca! Thanks for the reply. I've got the same issue -- fine hair that wants to be wurly (or wurly-ish), but finding the right products and the right amount to use is a challenge. Thank you for the roller suggestion! I probably won't try them, mainly because I'm too lazy and impatient to hunt them down and put something like that in my hair, but you never know -- I might get so fed up with my hair that I'll give it a go.

I really appreciate your response. Your hair looks nice and curly from your siggy pic. Have you typed it yet?

They're pretty easy to use. I've massively impatient and clumsy when it comes to updos and things, but I managed these. The only difficulty was the length (hip when dry and braid waves, but mid thigh when wet).

I havn't got round to typing yet. I think I'm a 2C. The signature pic is pretty old now.

I think the key for fine curly hair is to give the curl a structure. Airdrying and scrunching doesn't work for me, because the hair is to lightweight and won't hold a curl. Bun waves, braid waves and ringlets, on the other hand, all work much better.

[Babyfine]

Oh yes, thin, fine and wavy-wurly. And tends to look messy, unkempt,ect. My ends tend to separate and get stringy looking when I wear it down.
Bun waves help my hair look better, (though not as thick and nice as Clarisse's!)
I totally know what you mean when you say you've suddenly started looking your age.
People used to think I was younger, too, when I was 35 they thought I was 23, and when I was 40 they thought I was 27, and even in my 40's they thought I was younger-but no more-now people seem to have no problem believing I'm in my 50's. Oh well, I AM in my 50's, I guess.
I'm getting a bit greyer and gotten a few lines, so I look my age.

My hair gets weighed down very easily even though it also needs lots of moisture.

[Pixna]

Thanks, Boudicca! Wow, I didn't know your hair was that long. Rolling it MUST be easy to do if you can do it with your magnificent length!

Babyfine, so nice to see you here. Sounds like we're a lot alike! My hair is SL now, too, and I am SO not used to the messy look, and, like you, my hair gets weighed down so easily these days. It's hard to have this strange, unmanageable hair type that defies being categorized. It's also a relief to know I'm not the only one who seems to have aged overnight, despite looking so youthful previously. Yep, no one mistakes me for anything under 50 these days (darn it!). If only glue and duct tape could hold me together, I'd be in great shape!

[Tinose]

I should probably keep an eye at this thread for advice! To be honest, a large part of why I always wear updos is that my hair's pretty much presentable down only when I wet my hair once a day, which I hate doing more than absolutely necessary during winter. Does anyone have any ways around that?

[InTheCity]

Yes! I'm so totally in limbo land as well.
I have hair that waves and curls (curls on the right side only) when wet and just dries like a pouf. A few hours later, the waves fall out, but not enough to look good "straight."
I have no idea how to encourage waves because when I try to just let my hair dry in a non "plastered-to-dry-straight" way, I end up with clumpy, stringy looking hair that isn't really waved.

Last night after I washed, I scrunched a little to encourage the waves and had DBF snap a pic from behind. It looked like my hair ended and a few little ropes hung down 3 more inches or so. It was horrendous!

Good to know I'm not the only one in limbo land. (And for some adventure, my hair tosses in ringlets behind my right ear. Random.)

[Pixna]

Hi, Tinose and InTheCity. Tinose, I don't have any tips for you of my own, but it looks like others here might.

InTheCity, it sounds like you have the very same issues I do. We're not straight, we're not curly, and our hair "ropes" or gets stringy when we try to encourage our wurls. My husband is actually liking this "ropey" look on me, so I'm trying to adjust to it. From my perspective, it just looks messy and unkempt, but maybe it's more my mindset and perception than what others actually see. When I use product in my wet hair and scrunch, the wurls look fantastic, but they don't stay in -- they "drop," droop, and go flat and stringy once my hair dries.

Hopefully, we'll obtain some good tips from those who have found some workable solutions (like the roller idea from Boudicca!). If not, we can just enjoy a comforting group hug!

[pelicano]

I should probably keep an eye at this thread for advice! To be honest, a large part of why I always wear updos is that my hair's pretty much presentable down only when I wet my hair once a day, which I hate doing more than absolutely necessary during winter. Does anyone have any ways around that?

Mine is better when it has been wet too. When I don't have time to get it dry, I spray it with water with some glycerine added to it, which seems to help a bit regenerating some curls and reducing the frizz a bit. It dries pretty quickly, as it isn't drenched.

[hennared]

How did I miss this thread?? I belong here! I'm a wavy by nature; my hair, especially the underlayer in the back of my head, has gotten more wavy with age. My hair had gone through several months of thinning when I took my avatar picture; after 19 months of continuous shed, it is a good bit thinner than that, now. (and shorter... I got so mad at my pathetic thin fairytail ends - shed hair catchers! - that I chopped off about 6 inches a few months ago).

I have sworn to myself that unless my hair gets noticeably thinner, I am not cutting it again!

I find if I do the 'plopping' technique, it enhances my waves - and what thickness I have left - nicely. I have major problems with hair washing/conditioning products, though - my hair texture seems to change dramatically from day to day, week to week, with the same products! I really am at a loss to figure it out. So, some days it looks nice, other days, it looks like floaty cobwebs, especially in the front, where it is quite thin

Thanks for starting this thread.

Hennared

[Pixna]

Hi there, Hennared! I'm glad you found this thread. You know, I am having the same exact problem. One week certain products will work well on my hair, and the next time I use them, they don't. I am totally baffled, too! I haven't quite figured out the plopping technique. Oh, I know what to do, but I just can't get it to work for me. Plus, I don't like having a towel on my head for very long. Guess I'm a tough customer. The thing is, I never used to be -- my hair and I got along just fine (before the big chop two and a half years ago). Now, it's like we're strangers -- it refuses to talk to me anymore.