Pros and Cons of each thickness

[kganihanova]

I thought we could list off our experiences with our individual thickness to show that the grass is not always greener :)

[Budgie]

My hair looks like I slept on corn dogs if I add a teeny weeny bit too much oil...

[Lydialove]

My hair looks like I slept on corn dogs if I add a teeny weeny bit too much oil...

Ha! Yes, the difference for me between looking glossy and looking dipped in oil is a really very small amount.

[Kaelee]

I still can't do buns at waist that other people can do at APL or BSL, no taper means anything where the instructions include the words "tuck the end" I can just forget about (this is getting better as I get longer without trims), and my hair is HEAVY!

[Marbid]

Muahahaha... Oh the glory of just smack in the middle.. !

[vindo]

Perfect!

I have been through several...thanks to hair loss :brickwall

Way back when my hair was still normal. I had close to 4 inches overall thickness. There was no downside to it. I always had a considerable amount of taper and my hair never felt so heavy it gave me a headache. It was a bit heavy, but I was pretty used to it and skilled at the right styles.

I went down to 2.8 inches with hair loss episodes. There was no downside to the thickness, other than that it wasn't my real thickness and my hair looked thinned out down the lengths.
When my hair thickened up, it did feel very heavy. It was thickening up rapidly...like "omg where does all this hair come from??!" ;). But I did get used to the thickness again.

At the moment I am back at 3.5 inches, but I'm shedding again. Should I descend to new lows, I will post the pros and cons here.

[kganihanova]

I can wait til day 4 and my hair is barely greasy. I love that my thickness lets me stretch washes really easily.

[FallingDarkness]

Yeah, stretching washes is great about having thick hair.
Plus braids look super pretty.
It's a nightmare to S&D though, and to comb after leaving it down... And buns with hair sticks at shorter lengths are just impossible.

I think that thin hair looks really elegant, and thick hair can sometimes just look wild and untamed :P

[Sharysa]

Pros of a 3-4 inch ponytail:
-Awesome braids and half-ups.
-I can stretch washes three or four days.
-Very little taper, even with a fairy-taled U-hem.
-Waves are awesome.
-Boho hair.

Cons of a 3-4 inch ponytail:
-Refuses to cooperate on a moment's notice.
-Buns.
-Combing.
-Frizz means Pyramid Head, and not the one from Silent Hill.
-Can't wear it loose to sleep, in strong winds, during hot days, or in rain.
-Braids suck until a very long mid-back. At the least.
-Split-end trimming.
-Hemline trimming.
-Anything that involves pins.

[Kaelee]

-Anything that involves pins.

Oh yea, totally! :laugh: I all but give up on pins!

[Larki]

In my opinion, thick hair just looks better, even if it is apparently a pain to style. I feel like mine just looks sad when I braid it, and it's supposedly normal thickness. :p

[cole]

Having hair on the thinner side with curls for me means a little less of the "east-west triangle effect," at least!

[melomane]

I've never really had any problems with my hair. Mostly other people who want to fix or play with my hair will be surprised at first when they take the bun down, some have quit right in the middle of styling it:rolleyes:. I have 4 inches of medium/fine hair

[lapushka]

I thought we could list off our experiences with our individual thickness to show that the grass is not always greener :)

Very good idea! :thumbsup:

I'm a iii, which means it *can* get heavy. Stylists in the past always commented on the fact that it's F, but there's so much of it! It's not just once they had to go back to get more bleach or dye because their container was totally empty. And still they were surprised, with about a quarter of my hair to go. It can certainly up the cost of services! My most con of all is updos and length. You need lots of length to even begin to do the most basic of updos (at least waist to hip on me). Hairtoys in stores are usually, most of all, way too small. French barrettes more than once burst on me. So that limits the hairtoys "in the real world". On LHC it's mostly understood that iii's need a slightly bigger hairtoy, thank goodness.

[Kina]

My hair is about ii, might be more when mymbangs grow ong enough to go into the ponytail. Whar I find with my thickness is that if I want to, I can really compact it down. With my taper, if I am in a bind I can put my hair up wrap the ends around the bulk and it will stay up (barring any head bangin) for a couple of hours.

[Beborani]

Have been at both extremes and the middle. Yes, very thick and long can get very heavy and make even sleeping painful--when I cut my really long hair and when I lost the thickness a bit later I was relieved a little but it is a bit like complaining about too much money--oh those taxes. ;) really thin hair as in gaps and bald areas are not fun--your hair just exists and you do your best to hide the thinness and ignore it for the most part. Medium hair is very convenient--really nothing to complain.

[Nadine <3]

I have very thin and fine hair. I don't have a lot of it AND it compresses into almost nothing.

Pro's
My hair is not heavy. I have never gotten a headache from a bun. It's so light that when it's up it's like being bald. :cool:
It's pretty easy to comb through it. I never get horrible tangles like some members here do.
certain styles can look very elegant.
I can do buns at APL that people at waist can't
It only takes an hour or so to dry.

Cons:
My buns are smaller than ping pong balls.
my braids look like pencils.
My scalp shows through when my hair is up. I always have to smooth my hair over with a fine tooth comb.
It's so light that a slight breeze makes it fly all over the place.

That's all I can think of for now.

[Ruzovy]

I still can't do buns at waist that other people can do at APL or BSL, no taper means anything where the instructions include the words "tuck the end" I can just forget about (this is getting better as I get longer without trims), and my hair is HEAVY!

I'm sorry if this sounds nosey Kaelee, but I've seen you around a lot, especially your GORGEOUS pictures on the flexi8 thread, and everytime I see your hair and look at the stats on the left I'm like "how the hell is she only a ii??? o.0" because your hair is just so THICK (and shiny and pretty) so if I may ask, because the curiosity is killing me, is that a mistake and did you actually mean iii and what oh what is your ponytail circumference please? Did I say I think your hair is gorgeous yet?

[Ruzovy]

Well, I have a 9cm circumference, that's about 3.5 inches so I'm right in the middle of a ii I guess. The only complaint I might have being in the middle, is that I will forever sigh for thicker hair, being "so close and yet so far" from it; particularly because I think type iii hair makes the most beautiful braids and you can do so much more with it! Also, I fear how thin my hair may become when I'm older and have had children since my mother's hair has thinned some since she was my age. Other than that, I suppose I have no right to complain. :B

[Kaelee]

I'm sorry if this sounds nosey Kaelee, but I've seen you around a lot, especially your GORGEOUS pictures on the flexi8 thread, and everytime I see your hair and look at the stats on the left I'm like "how the hell is she only a ii??? o.0" because your hair is just so THICK (and shiny and pretty) so if I may ask, because the curiosity is killing me, is that a mistake and did you actually mean iii and what oh what is your ponytail circumference please? Did I say I think your hair is gorgeous yet?

I'm actually not sure. I don't possess a cloth tape measure, so I've had to do the "wrap something around then measure the wrapped around thing" and it's hard to do this with accuracy. I don't recall the exact number I thought I had, but it was in the ii range, I believe. I do know that my hair compacts down pretty well in ponytails, so it can seem like there's less than there is when I do something else like a bun.

And thank you! :D

[chen bao jun]

4.75-5.25 thickness here, depending on--I'm not sure what. How recently since I washed? The weather? the inaccuracy of the measuring system?
I'm a thick and tightly curly and I also have coarse hair, so its like a triple whammy. On top of being really high density, it can pouf out like nobody's business. I can seriously look sometimes as if I have a 7 inch circumference or something, just hair all over. But even when I used to perm it straight, it was just a whole bunch of hair and visually and obviously so, to the point where one of the first things people say to me, your hair is so thick, or things of that nature.

Pros: I'm 57 and a lot of my contemporaries are thinning. If I do thin, people are unlikely to notice--I most likely will just go down to 'normal' hair.
2.It makes great looking braids (although I have damage so have a taper). Big fat, braids.
3. although i can only make buns at this length because I have a taper, my buns are not small. As soon as I could make a bun, it was reasonably sizeable (though not by 'sock bun' standards).
4. My hair pretty much always looking messy is a plus with my husband, he says it looks as if I just got out of bed all the time, which he thinks is funny.

Cons:
1. My hair ALWAYS looks messy, unless its in a braid or bun. The sheer volume makes it impossible for it to look tidy, that's just how it is.
2. I can never manage whatever the stylish haircut or style of the minute is. Even in the 80's, i just simply had too much hair. Hairdresser's first thought with me is, let's thin that and get it under control.
3. whatever it is, I need twice as much of it. When I was perming, jars of the product (which I had to pay extra for).
4. Normal hairtoys are impossible and always were. I never had a pretty hairtoy in my life before LHC.
5. Everything else breaks, too. The last time I was at the hairdresser, all the teeth popped out of her blowdryer attachment, one by one and flew all over. Highly embarassing (plus I felt obliged to pay).
6. Not just combs break,but brushes have snapped in half. I am SO THANKFUL for LHC having taught me that combs and brushes are not necessary.
7. Even when I wasn't curly (straightened my hair) I always had triangle head, because there is too much hair to lie down, so it sticks out sideways perennially. Which looks ridiculous, unless you are Pippi Longstocking.
8. I have a big head to begin with anyway. So hats are impossible. I learned to knit so that I could make super large hats.
9. People are JEALOUS. i kind of understand this now that I have reached the hair-thinning stage of life--better too much than none at all or not as much as you'd like. But its not really something I can do anything about. (No, hair thinning does not work. as soon as my hair grows even a little, the underneath cut off parts stick out and pouf the top out even more, so that it looks like an explosion. And layers, the other 'solution' just makes it impossible to do buns and braids, the only way that I can control it at all. But people can be really, truly nasty about thick hair. And its annoying. One annoying thing they do (I have a friend who is awful like this, but she is not the only one) is to deny your hair is actually thick. there you are, wishing you could buy a hairtoy without paying $30, and they tell you that your hair is not actually thick, it just looks thick because its curly (and they always make curly sound like a bad thing, often they say 'frizzy' instead) and then you get the, 'I bet I could make this fit, or that fit' and often they want to SHOW you , which means they'd be man-handling your hair, and when you refuse, they are like, aha! I knew she was lying about being thick.
and that brings me to
10. Nobody ever thinks they need to be gentle with thick hair. Hairdressers and anyone who wants to do it start out assuming they need to beat it into submission and forget that there is (tender) scalp under there. Or even that its attached to a person at all. OUCH.

But truthfully, over the years, I have got attached to my hair, and LHC has made me more attached, since now I don't try to control it, it behaves much better and even looks nice 90% of the time, which is something I never thought I'd be able to say.

[Sharysa]

Oh dear lord, I forgot about combs and brushes! I have a fine-toothed comb that I used to use when my hair was shoulder-length, and I think having considerably less hair that's the only reason it didn't break. I never broke combs because I was careful, but thank god I found out about finger-combing before I reached my thirties with perpetual frizz.

[Kaelee]

Cons:
1. My hair ALWAYS looks messy, unless its in a braid or bun. The sheer volume makes it impossible for it to look tidy, that's just how it is.
<snip>
8. I have a big head to begin with anyway. So hats are impossible. I learned to knit so that I could make super large hats.

So true on both counts...I can manage a nice looking bun now, but it took a lot of length. A nautilus bun I think resembles a birds nest. :laugh: A look I'm actually fond of, but it's unlikely to be described of as 'tidy' (and makes me want a flexi with three tiny baby birds, or maybe eggs, so I can complete the look.) Thinner hair can look so neat and tidy and elegant. I'm thankful I don't have any real need to look particularly professional, because between my fumble fingers that can't seem to manage the more intricate styles, and hair that wants to stick together when sectioned, and the sheer amount of hair, "professional" looking styles are unlikely to happen. Forget French twist. Just...forget it. Last time I tried to do a French Twist it looked something like this: :taz:

Hats...yea. I can wear a bun so low that it's resting on the nape of my neck and still...hats aren't happening. I can make it work, sort of, if you can ignore the fact that the hat is down over my eyebrows because it's pushed up in the back by my hair. This is especially frustrating when I'm out in the sun and I really want to shade my face.

I love my hair, I really do, but it certainly has challenges.

[Kaelee]

Oh dear lord, I forgot about combs and brushes! I have a fine-toothed comb that I used to use when my hair was shoulder-length, and I think having considerably less hair that's the only reason it didn't break. I never broke combs because I was careful, but thank god I found out about finger-combing before I reached my thirties with perpetual frizz.

I actually have an aluminum comb (I use it on my bangs only)- no way in hell I'm going to break that sucker!

[roseomalley]

I have fine, thin hair (which is thinning more with age). I am 67.
Pros:it air dries in 30 minutes. I can put my shoulder-length hair in a French twist, zippity-zip. It is very silky. I get few knots.
Cons: many barrettes, sticks and other hair toys slip right out. When I wear it up, I have to try and cover the bald spots. I can no longer wear bangs, as my front hairline is too thin. Buns
and braids are miniscule.

[divinedobbie]

My hair is very fine and only 2.5-2.75" in thickness.

Pros:
I can do lots of hairstyles at BSL.
My hair dries in an hour.
It never gets those tangles that I see and hear other people complaining about.

Cons:
Braids, buns and most hairstyles look pitiful
Constantly worried about hiding scalp cleavage or thinner areas
(Often) hair looks flat (and people make nasty comments about it)
Any hair toy or accessory will slip out or skew itself within 2 minutes.

ETA: I've also had hair that was about 5" in thickness with extensions.

Cons: my scalp wasn't used to it and felt heavy and sore with certain hairstyles

Pros: It looked so much better.

[jeanniet]

Takes a long time to dry. When I had it longer (past hip and close to BCL), I realized I needed at least another six inches to do more than the most basic buns. Buns got heavy and kept sliding down.

Pros: Uh...dunno, I'd be OK with a little less thickness. My curly hair does look quite full, though!

[chen bao jun]

I forgot to mention how long it takes to dry. this is complicated by the fact that I have to dry it in at least two braids to avoid massive tangles. They take about 24 hours to dry.
When I used to blowdry, it took something like an hour and a half. But the beautician could do it in about half that time, so probably I lack the skills, too.

[ExpectoPatronum]

My hair is a iii thickness near my roots, but it tapers down like nobody's business at the ends. My circumference is 4+" near the top of my head, but my hair tapers to nearly nothing.

The biggest cons are that my ends look so stringy and thin...because they are. :/ I hate it.

Pros...? Well it's not as heavy as it could be if my thickness was more down my length.

[Sharysa]

My horn and wood comb from Epstone holds up ridiculously well with my hair. If buffalo can ram each other with those horns, a buffalo horn comb can definitely put up with thick and coarse hair like mine.

I also forgot the massive amount of drying time. It takes three-plus hours to a full night to dry, especially since I have to braid it to avoid tangles. And my hair's only hip-length while straight, on someone who's five feet tall, so I can't imagine what people who are taller or have longer hair have to deal with.

[queenovnight]

The best part of thick hair is that half-up do's look great! The worst is that I go through hair products like crazy, I think thick hair can appear shorter, and combing my hair is more like going to war.

[kganihanova]

Pros of a 3.5 inch (Day 3 and 4)/ 4 inch (Day 1 and 2)circumference:
-braids look fab
-hello volume!!
- A bunch of hair
- Some fab(when they work) buns
- nice comments
Cons:
- takes forever to dry
- Buns before BSL/MBL? Lol.
-Can also be flat at the roots, volumey at the length. Cute.
-Fine toothed combs??? Forget about it.
- Neat looking bun? Forget about it.

[Anabell]

Pros and cons for my thickness:
Pros:
-Big buns
-Heavy hair stay in place behind your back when it's loose, and not get in the way for most of the time
-Nice braids (not like super thick, but also not thin).

cons:
-Heaviness, neck pain if I do the wrong bun\position
-A lot of tangles. Takes a lot of time to brush\comb
-Needs more products (not sure if it really significant disadvantage if you stretch washed anyway).

[Singing Bird]

I have iii hair - about 4,3" circumference:

Pros:
- huge buns
- thick braids
- a thick hemline even at classic length
- gorgeous looking half-ups

Cons:
- takes a long time to dry
- only the biggest hairtoys fit


and combing my hair is more like going to war.

I comb my hair only with fingers or a wooden comb and it takes less than a minute to comb my hair.

[Agnes Hannah]

The beauty of fine hair, it is ethereal, floaty and light. Buns easy but a little on the petite side. Only special hairtoys work, otherwise are quickly rejected! Dries quickly and knots are at a minimum. It is shiny and soft.
On the flip side, difficult to wear loose as it flies away and gets everywhere including someones dinner. Braids are thin. Scalp cleavage euck!. Can look flat and limp.

[Isilme]

Pros: thick braids, full hemline, I can section my hair and braid lots of accent braids in complicated styles.
Cons: only at around classic can a single English braid be wrapped around my head in a simplified crown braid.

[LauraLongLocks]

Mine is a 9-9.5 cm circumference, so I guess that puts me on the thick side of ii.

Pros:
It's medium weight.
My braids are medium thickness.
My buns are medium sized.
Hair toys are easy to fit.
It dries within a couple hours if I do not help it with the blowdryer.

Cons:
If I had more thickness, then my accent braids would look so much better.
Scalp cleavage happens.
Being this thickness and with F/M hair, I am paranoid about losing any thickness through rough handling/mechanical damage, so I never let my daughters play with my hair.
Took me a long time to stop listening to stylists who thought the best way to make my hair look thicker was to cut layers (less hair makes it look like you have more hair?).

I would love another centimeter of thickness. Maybe when my bangs grow to reach my ponytail I'll have it if I am lucky.

[rags]

I have baby fine, quite thin hair that compresses (1.75" pony. On washday!)

Pros:

Dries quickly (thought not in an hour now that its around waist. Closer to three hours. Still a lot less than thicker haired folk!
It's soft and silky
I can make buns starting at shoulder, and more intricate ones starting at APL.
I can still wear small Ficcares, and all the toys I started with, probably all the way to terminal (I know I can till TB)
I use little product, and its (relatively!) easy to untangle. (It does still tangle at longer lengths though)
I sometimes can catch deals on smaller hairtoys others can't wear

Cons

Something in common with thick haired folk - most drugstore hairtoys don't work for me either. They are too big!
Braids are the size of a pencil and look ridiculous
Buns are teensy until at least waist, where they become merely small :p
On washday, nothing short of a Ficcare or multi pronged fork is holding my hair up! It will slither right out of elastics and all.
It FLOATS. I kid you not. At longer lengths its impossible to wear down as its constantly reaching out and grabbing things - lights witches, other people's buttons, whatever it can reach.
I have to arrange my scalp hair quite carefully when I out it up to avoid scalp showing through (don't always succeed)
And for the hairtoy addict in me - the large majority of mine are customs. Usually all the "standard" ones are too big. Or else I wouldn't have missed out in the sale on a couple of gorgeous TTs!

[Aderyn]

I still can't do buns at waist that other people can do at APL or BSL, no taper means anything where the instructions include the words "tuck the end" I can just forget about (this is getting better as I get longer without trims), and my hair is HEAVY!

Yes, I have this issue, too. My hair has a lot of taper from my v-cut hemline going into fairytales, but most of the time I need to use a few bobby pins or hair pins in order to hold the ends in - assuming that works. Pretty limited in regards to the buns I can do because of that. Braided buns, though, are a bit easier to tuck the ends in with

[chen bao jun]

The beauty of fine hair, it is ethereal, floaty and light. Buns easy but a little on the petite side. Only special hairtoys work, otherwise are quickly rejected! Dries quickly and knots are at a minimum. It is shiny and soft.
On the flip side, difficult to wear loose as it flies away and gets everywhere including someones dinner. Braids are thin. Scalp cleavage euck!. Can look flat and limp.
So true. (the bolded part)
Also, I am interested in people writing that half-ups look good in thick hair. I am going to try to look at them this way. I have always looked at it like, half-ups are what you have to do because your hair is so out of control when its loose.