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View Full Version : Frustrated with my fine, limp hair



wendylai
November 25th, 2012, 03:57 AM
Ouch.. Winter is coming, and for some reason my hair feels limper than for ages! I managed to strech washed during summer, but now even on day 2 after wash my mane seems greasy and.. limp. This results to a constant urge to bleach ( yes!!) my hair, although I have at the moment 28.3 inches (72 cm) lenght of virgin hair. I bleached my hair maybe 6 years ago, (not done by a professional..) but I can remember it made my fine hair damaged and fragile and it was a pain in the butt to grow out. Yet I feel I could use some drastic measures to get over this depressing situation.

And for the record, this is not something I imagine. Yesterday I visited my parents, the night before that having washed with clarifying BC shampoo (first time for maybe over a month) and my mom told me I should wash my hair more often :cool:

Anyone else experiencing this right now? I live up north, have scandinavian hair texture and could at the moment KILL for more structured locks. Anyone has found a way to overcome this? Even my updos seem miserable, as the limpness makes my hair pack so small. I just measured my circumfence at 3.0, as during the summer it was 3.3 or so :rolleyes:

Billycourty
November 25th, 2012, 04:10 AM
Hi, sorry to here you are having a bad hair day/s.

I have suffered the same limp syndrome that you are discribing, and honestly, I have found that more is less with my hair. I wash every third day and have switched to head and shoulders shampoo and am really liking the texture and body it gives my hair.

I only ever leave conditioners on for a few seconds as I find, even when well rinsed they make my hair limp. At the moment I am experimenting with clarifying my hair due to hard water issues.

I think you would regret blenching your hair, rather, why not put it up in a bun and forget about it for a while? Even if the bun itsn't big and makes your hair look shorter than it is, it will give you a break from negative hair thoughts.

My hair also looks tiny in a bun I think, but at least it allows me to foget about my hair until I am ( or it is) in a better mood.

Good luck!

wendylai
November 25th, 2012, 04:56 AM
Bonjour Billy - and thank you for your kind words :) Maybe I was being overly dramatic, but anyone with a perioid of bad hair moments knows what I'm talking about! Especially, as I try to use as few products as I can on my hair, as the quality is pretty good at the moment and I try to protect my ends towards trying out - and then going for a visit and see all these people with shorter hair pumped up to the notch with products.. argh !

Maybe it will became my life long quest to devenlope a mist or a product that coats you hair, protects it and gives it more volume without drying it out. I kind of like Tigi's salt spray, but it devenlopes tangles so I try to steer away from it. I also wish we had those japanese geisha/ egyptian pharao wigs one could just pull on when we're having miserable hair days :)

bunzfan
November 25th, 2012, 05:44 AM
I have an idea that may help you it certainly stopped my problem and i had the same issue as you. I stopped sleeping with a satin pillow case it was just making my hair to soft to even put up:rolleyes: and this is the major part i do a modified CWC i put loads of conditioner on my hair from below the ears but, put shampoo on roots and rinse it all out but on the second shampoo i dont add any conditioner at all this means its still soft and getting conditioned but its not to soft and limp and has plenty of body, please try it i find it really works for my hair type fine but with plenty of hair.

wendylai
November 25th, 2012, 07:06 AM
That's good point, bunzfan ! Maybe I will try it next time, I use Body Shop's Nettle Balancing sls-free poo, so it shouldnt be too drying even if I dont condition after washing. Although I already only use the conditioner on ears down. I also tried co wash at some point but it made my hair.. you guessed it! .. limp. I'm sure you both know what I mean when I say the hair it just so slippery and "even" on the surface that it sort of drowns itself. Maybe I'll just bun up and see next spring how I feel about it :/

Another question.. if any fine haired growers are reading this.. Dying / highlights is actually an option to my, but preferable once I have reached my goal which at the moment is hip/waist (they are not very far from each other on my body type). Has anyone got experience how it works out to color virgin hair that is so long? Has it turned out to be disastrous?

Ocelan
November 25th, 2012, 08:41 AM
I have quite the same problem since recently, but I've read that shampoo bars might help giving the hair some volyme and body. I think I'm going to try that soon. I've been CO'ing since February and I know that's what makes my hair most smooth and sadly limp aswell.

Katze
November 26th, 2012, 09:23 AM
I find if I wash with sulfate shampoo I have far too MUCH volume these days. Bleach will dry out your hair, thus making it SEEM bigger or more voluminous (it did with me) but that doesn't sound like what you want.

This is probably not very helpful, but one thing I learned from LHC is that my hair with natural care feels quite different than how I was used to before. I was used to volume, but better care can make it limp if I don't clarify or shampoo often enough. I wash WO and CO and those seem to get my hair clear most of the time, but I find I do need a sulfate wash once a month or so just to get rid of the lankness. Then my hair looks really good! Maybe something like this is going on with you? I also find I get compliments when my hair has been shampoo-washed. :/

3 inches is perfectly normal if you are gathering all your hair in a ponytail...! Not thin at all, but 'condensing' it makes it seem so, which is one reason I don't like tight buns, or braids worn down, on me...

spidermom
November 26th, 2012, 09:29 AM
My hair has been demanding a wash every other day lately - oily scalp, itchy; it's been a real pain! I tried a new shampoo this morning; I hope the fix is that simple.

Blow-drying (on warm or cool) while leaning forward, your hair falling toward the floor, can really bump up the volme, especially if you use a little mousse at the roots.

capnjackfan
November 26th, 2012, 09:33 AM
I wash with LUSH products, if you go into a LUSH store the ladies bombard you (just kidding) and set you down in a chair. They try out all different types of products (on your arms) and you decide which seems the best. They give you information about anything you may need help with and have products for every hair type.

https://www.lush.co.uk/

wendylai
November 26th, 2012, 10:22 AM
Good advice, folks!

This is very strange.. Lately I've been spraying my hair after washing /in the morning with mist containing coconut oil, glyserine, water and aromatic oil. Yesterday evening I watered my ends, oiled them with castor oil mixed with olive oil, left on overnight and washed in the morning twice with my regular shampoo followed with non-silicone condish. Miracle..My hair felt great and volumous! I had to measure (with normal tightness) and circum was 3.5 (??) Maybe it was the coconut oil after all. I tried it before for a while and got strange results then too. Maybe better to steer away from it for good now.

My very reassuring that others are battling with the weather as well! Maybe coconut oils protein and dry climate was what made my ends velcro and roots sloppy and oily.. I'm putting this for the record should some one else experience same ordeal...

Katze
November 27th, 2012, 03:48 AM
Good advice, folks!

This is very strange.. Lately I've been spraying my hair after washing /in the morning with mist containing coconut oil, glyserine, water and aromatic oil. Yesterday evening I watered my ends, oiled them with castor oil mixed with olive oil, left on overnight and washed in the morning twice with my regular shampoo followed with non-silicone condish. Miracle..My hair felt great and volumous! I had to measure (with normal tightness) and circum was 3.5 (??) Maybe it was the coconut oil after all. I tried it before for a while and got strange results then too. Maybe better to steer away from it for good now.

My very reassuring that others are battling with the weather as well! Maybe coconut oils protein and dry climate was what made my ends velcro and roots sloppy and oily.. I'm putting this for the record should some one else experience same ordeal...
I'm curious about the glycerin - would never consider putting this on hair. Also, could you have been (prior to the good oiling experience) just oiling too much? Fine hair gets weighed down very easily, and I find oil is a very tricky thing...

wendylai
November 27th, 2012, 05:55 AM
I think lots of hair recipes contain glycerin. It's humectant, so it should absorb moisture from air thus keeping your hair moisturized. Lots of "regular" hair products contain that too. I'm more and more convinced it's the coconut that's behind all of this. Castor keeps my ends from tangling, keeps them moist and although I applied it a great deal more that I did my mister-bottle mix, it sort of gave my hair body without weighting it down.

Now I'm contemplating mixing castor oil with the glycering to see how that would work as a leave in mist. I live in cold and dry climate, so my plan A is to try to protect my hair with moisturizing products through the winter this year and see if I get any results in the spring time. With the reservation these experiments dont drive me nuts and push for a cut or anything like that ;)

wendylai
November 27th, 2012, 05:56 AM
doubleposting

Lilli
November 27th, 2012, 06:26 AM
I have very fine hair, too, and I cannot use coconut oil. It is too greasy and never soaks in and doesn't wash out. After much trial and error, I have learned that my hair likes sulfate shampoos to keep it clean and light, plus rich conditioners on the length. In the winter here, the air is very dry, too, and this makes my hair very flat and straight. (In the summer humidity, my hair is wavy and fuller.) Rather than fight this, I use a coney leave-in on the ends and style it smooth and shiny to maximize what it wants to do anyway. I used to get annoyed in the winter and cut my hair off because of the flatness, but this was a mistake because flat short hair looks even worse than flat long hair. Anyway, that's a good rule for hair all the time: maximize your hair's talents, and don't try to get it to be something it's not. My hair is not going to be doing full, "beachy" waves at this time of year, so shiny and sleek it is!

Amorice
November 27th, 2012, 07:33 AM
If you're going to bleach/color that much virgin hair, its probably going to take a LOT of product. If you're doing it at home, get 2 (maybe even 3, just in case) kits. If you plan to have it done at a salon, be prepared for them to charge a bit of a premium for having to use so much product on your length.

Though, from personal experience, I'd stay away from bleach if you aren't happy with your fine hair. Right after a bleach, my hair has no weight, no body, nothin. Its like baby hair for a few days, until I get enough moisture back into it.

Amorice
November 27th, 2012, 07:41 AM
I have very fine hair, too, and I cannot use coconut oil. It is too greasy and never soaks in and doesn't wash out. After much trial and error, I have learned that my hair likes sulfate shampoos to keep it clean and light, plus rich conditioners on the length. In the winter here, the air is very dry, too, and this makes my hair very flat and straight. (In the summer humidity, my hair is wavy and fuller.) Rather than fight this, I use a coney leave-in on the ends and style it smooth and shiny to maximize what it wants to do anyway.

Coconut oil works for my fine hair so long as I don't over-do it. Before every other shampoo, I slather it on the bottom 9" and let it soak in overnight. I used to use a coney leave-in ("Ego Boost" by Tigi/Bead Head), but it left my hair.... sticky, and a little crunchy if I didn't brush it out really well. Coconut oil is working much better for me. But my hair is strait year-round, so a little different from your's. Just sayin' that coconut oil isn't terrible for all fine hair ever.

WaitingSoLong
November 27th, 2012, 10:22 AM
Ok there is something we used to do back in high school to make fine hair full and thick feeling. We washed it with liquid ivory soap. It completely changes the texture and is probably NOT good for your hair but it works. LOL.

I like my hair to lay "limp" but I wouldn't call my hair thin or fine (don't think you mentioned thin). But my hair doesn't seem to like oils very much if at all. It's just grease and nothing more.

I did have luck with mixing coconut oil and shampoo 50/50 but my shower gets too cold and it solidifies too much in winter. I suppose I could microwave it a bit but I am too lazy LOL.

lunalocks
November 27th, 2012, 06:16 PM
I have noticed that my hair feels thicker after castor oil. I massage it into my scalp (feels gooey and good) and wrap in a twoel and sleep on it. Then wash the next day , first with a lot of conditioner (VO5 clarifying condish) then shampoo, and condition ears down and let air dry, and finger comb.

HadessThera
December 6th, 2012, 03:48 PM
I don't know if this has been mentioned but I find that in winter my hair lies limper because it's more static, the static makes it stick to my face and neck and can give it a slick, drowned rat appearance which can look unwashed or greasy even if it's freshly washed just because of how it sits but so long as I keep the static in check (more conditioner/leave-in conditioner/mineral oil/whatever works) it looks better and has a lot more movement which in turn makes it look cleaner and healthier, I don't know if this problem applies to you but I find that this is the main reason my hair looks "dirtier" in winter

WaitingSoLong
December 6th, 2012, 04:06 PM
Static cure: blow dry it a bit (on cool if you like) with an ionic hair dryer. Walla. Static gone. I have also sprayed my hair with anti-static spray. LOL

lapushka
December 6th, 2012, 04:30 PM
Static cure: blow dry it a bit (on cool if you like) with an ionic hair dryer. Walla. Static gone. I have also sprayed my hair with anti-static spray. LOL

Hmm. It may be strange to some, but ever since I got an ionic blow dryer, I no longer have static hair. Don't know if it's the hair dryer for sure, but hey well, I'm just glad I no longer have static hair.

WaitingSoLong
December 6th, 2012, 04:31 PM
That is what the ionic dryers are for :)

Sillage
December 6th, 2012, 04:40 PM
Even my updos seem miserable, as the limpness makes my hair pack so small.

I've been using a leave in (L'oreal EverStyle Smooth and Shine Creme) and that has given my hair some volume and body. I'm a big bun lover but like yours, mine compact down to nothing, so lately I've been using hair rats. Right now I'm using a net rat that's been cut in half to give more volume to my buns and it's working very well.

WaitingSoLong
December 6th, 2012, 07:39 PM
I've been using a leave in (L'oreal EverStyle Smooth and Shine Creme) and that has given my hair some volume and body. I'm a big bun lover but like yours, mine compact down to nothing, so lately I've been using hair rats. Right now I'm using a net rat that's been cut in half to give more volume to my buns and it's working very well.

My buns are small, too. (chuckle).
Seriously, I see these girls with these huge looking buns sometimes and to find out later they have BSL hair compared to my Classic? Depressing. Yet I am not sure I would want thicker hair. I have considered rats, too, or something similar. I need to look up "volumizing buns" or something. I cannot do messy buns at this length. My dd manages them at MBL (she is half between BSL and waist). But I am not sure how much longer she could pull it off. I used to love those.

Amorice
December 7th, 2012, 05:32 PM
I don't know if this has been mentioned but I find that in winter my hair lies limper because it's more static, the static makes it stick to my face and neck and can give it a slick, drowned rat appearance which can look unwashed or greasy even if it's freshly washed just because of how it sits but so long as I keep the static in check (more conditioner/leave-in conditioner/mineral oil/whatever works) it looks better and has a lot more movement which in turn makes it look cleaner and healthier, I don't know if this problem applies to you but I find that this is the main reason my hair looks "dirtier" in winter

This will sound downright silly, but my mom swears by it: Rub a used dryer sheet on your hair. Boom, no more static!

metricfuture
December 7th, 2012, 05:53 PM
I wash with LUSH products, if you go into a LUSH store the ladies bombard you (just kidding) and set you down in a chair. They try out all different types of products (on your arms) and you decide which seems the best. They give you information about anything you may need help with and have products for every hair type.

https://www.lush.co.uk/

I'll second this, and if you want volume, try LUSH Big shampoo. It's not for every day because it can be drying, but holy cow, the FLOOF!

tambalina
December 7th, 2012, 07:25 PM
Fine hair tends to love protein. I know I need to hit my hair with protein treatments at least twice a month. If I didn't, my hair has no structure to it at all. Neutral Protein Filler (Sally's) is my favorite!!

HadessThera
December 19th, 2012, 02:42 PM
This will sound downright silly, but my mom swears by it: Rub a used dryer sheet on your hair. Boom, no more static!

Haha this actually doesn't sound silly to me at all because my gran and mom have been telling me the exact same thing recently, I'll have to give it a go :)