Would my hair look thicker if I cut it shorter?

[Maganda]

My hair is so thin, it looks ridiculous. I watch a lot of hair tutorials that tell you to divide your hair in sections and I think to myself, "My entire head of hair is barely as thick as one of those 3 sections you just made!" If I try to put my hair in a braid or do a half-up/half-down, it looks like I have 20 strands of hair. I usually wear my hair down for this reason, but even then it's obvious how thin it is - doesn't even cover my back. No matter how I try to rearrange it, there are still gaps in there. I want to be able to style it.

I remember being told that I had really thick hair when I was younger, so I don't know if it's just been damaged and it will grow back one day. I found out that I had hypothyroidism 2 years ago, and since getting treated my hair has been shedding considerably less. It used to be so bad I avoided combing my hair because I would have to clean out the comb in between each stroke because each time it would get too clogged with shed hairs to do a second stroke. I'm still pulling out handfuls of hair when I detangle it every morning, but I'm probably losing a normal amount now.


I'm very gentle with my hair and I follow the CG method. My hair loves products with protein. I used to flat iron my hair every day for about 5 years, but I stopped that 4 years ago and now I air dry and don't use heat at all. Never colored or used chemical treatments. I had my hair cut in layers because I was told it would make it look a little thicker, but I feel like it only makes it look worse when you see how tiny the layers are with scraggly ends. I hate giving up length, but I would be willing to go as short as shoulder-length if it meant my hair would look like a normal person's. If I cut it to shoulder-length, would I be able to grow it back out and keep it thick since my hair is healthier now? Or would it still look like this if I grew it out again?

http://i.imgur.com/fUfcACp.jpg

[luluj]

Hello, Maganda, so nice to meet you! :waving:

I am not so sure I should advise anyone on wether or not they should cut their hair, I am in the process of growing my own hair to APL. However, there is a thread here that you should check into, it is full of wonderful information for those with fine hair...

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=17115

[Maganda]

Thanks! I'm sorry if I didn't post in the right place - if this breaks any rules you can close this thread and I'll post on that one. I read through some of that thread (not all of it; it's so long..) but didn't see much about optimal length for thin hair. I'm wondering if maybe I just can't keep my hair at my true terminal length so I have to cut it shorter.

[luluj]

Oh no, please don't feel that you posted in the wrong place, I only felt that you might find some similar questions and therefore some useful information in the thread that I linked. :flowers:

Your hair in the photo that you posted is really very pretty!

[PraiseCheeses]

Your hairtype is one that works really really well with fairytale ends like you have here.... :crush: Personally, I think it looks lovely. But I also know that when I trim off my thinner ends, I'm a lot happier with my hemline and with the ends of braids. If you were to cut a U-shape just above your bra band, it would look much thicker on the ends. You really don't need to cut it to shoulder!! I think every person has to find their personal preference of balancing their hemline thickness with their length.

Layers? On thin hair? Nope!!! :p I don't know why people suggest this. It can give more movement and free up the curl so volume increases higher up, but it'll just make the hemline thinner. If you need some movement, volume, and shape around your face, maybe try just some face-framing strands using the hair that you'd section off to cut bangs. That's helped me and others immensely, and we can leave the length at maximum thickness.

Your hair as it is, is lovely. I am so envious of your curl pattern! It'll be very interesting to see how your hair changes over time at LHC. :flower:

[kganihanova]

Maybe temporarily. Embrace what you got! Its a lot easier.

[Pamala513]

I do like the fairy tale ends! It's pretty, and I would never tell anyone to cut their hair. what's important is how you feel about your hair, not anyone else!

[spidermom]

Interesting! You have hair similar to another member here, and she has the same problem.

If you don't like the thin ends, you can certainly thicken them by cutting. PraiseCheeses had a good suggestion. Or you could try tiny trims, maintaining where your length is now, to see if the thickness moves down over time.

Hair that is allowed to grow without trims will almost always develop very thin ends. This is because some the ends get old and dry and break off, also because hairs have different rates of growth. Your longest hairs represent your fastest-growing hairs. By trimming them on a regular basis, you give your slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up. You can trim back as much or as little as you like. Maybe you would be happy by cutting half of your growth - about 1/2 inch - every other month. Or maybe you'd prefer to cut back 1/2 inch every 3rd or 4th month. There are a lot of options, so don't suffer being unhappy with your hair. Try something new!

[roseomalley]

My hair is very fine and also thin. I do not have your beautiful your curls. Only you can decide about trimming. My advice would be to think on it for a bit, and then decide. No rush. You might enjoy the fine hair thread that
Luluj posted above.

[roseomalley]

I wanted to add that your hair is truly lovely. There is no normal hair, but lots of wonderful diversity.

[Kherome]

I think you would see a substantially thicker hemline with a trim to APL. Then you can grow it out now that you've gotten your thyroid treated.

[Beborani]

Are you doing Curly Girl or is this your natural curls without products. If so you can make them curlier, bouncier and shorter without cutting.

[Maganda]

Thanks so much for the compliments! You're all sweet. My curly hair has always been a struggle and my straight-haired family doesn't get it!


Are you doing Curly Girl or is this your natural curls without products. If so you can make them curlier, bouncier and shorter without cutting.

This picture is from January so it's a little longer now, still the same shape. I took it right after getting a Diva cut so it has Diva products in it. I get better definition with Curl Junkie products.

I actually really like the way it looks down, but my concern is I can't seem to come up with an updo that looks decent. I feel like it doesn't lay the same way when I put it up so it just looks like a jumbled mess instead of curls, and the frizzy flyaways stick out more too. I feel like it looks just as messy as if I had rolled out of bed and put it up or if I spent an hour styling it curly and then put it up. So that's frustrating. I'm loving the curly buns thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=122526); I'll have to experiment with some of those styles.

[eadwine]

Maganda: I think your hair looks awesome! :D


Have you tried the hypno bun, it looks like you could pull it off at that length. No idea what your curls are going to do, but it's a suggestion in any case. Glad to read you got your thyroid checked and hopefully that shedding will reduce even further!

[lapushka]

I don't think it's thin; I think it looks lovely! :D :flower:

[Scarlet_Heart]

I think it would look thicker if you trimmed a few inches off, but that's really true of everyone, not just you. That said, I think it looks lovely the way it is. :) It's your hair, darlin'. Do what makes you happy.

[Chromis]

Ugh, layers! Before I learned to self-trim, stylists always wanted to put layers in my hair too. Those layers automatically mean even less hair at the hemline which makes thin hair look even thinner, especially when long. And they make hair stick out of buns and braids.

I think the fairytail ends look great, but I understand your frustration! I'd likely do microtrims to grow out the layers and help the hemline thicken rather than cutting short. If you cut short you will just have thin short hair instead.

Messier bun styles can be great for adding some volume, especially if you use a hair fork. One with four or five tines will let you make the bun a little looser and still give a good hold. I've found the lazy wrap bun is great for making it look like I have even more hair as well. My hair is a lot thinner than it used to be, so the only thing that is making most of my updos look reasonably full is just having a lot of it. Even so, at knee, my hair compacts a lot!

[ErinLeigh]

If I cut it to shoulder-length, would I be able to grow it back out and keep it thick since my hair is healthier now? Or would it still look like this if I grew it out again?

To answer this part..if your thyroid is being treated and the reduction in thickness came from a major shed plus layering...then yes, you will start to see the thickness move down, whether you choose to cut or just microtrim the layers off, as long as there is not damage or breakage causing the ends to fairy tail. It seems you take good care of you hair so I would not predict that issue..especially since you have not offered that as a reason you feel the ends thinned.

I have thin hair and have sported layers my whole life. I am finally realizing they are not the way to go for me so I am growing them out. I think a U shaped cut with long bangs angled into the cut will give me plenty of "movement" instead of having my thickness reduced by layers. I am tired of my own layer induced wispy ends. The good thing is there is a fix for it. We just grow them out :)

[Hootenanny]

Out of curiosity, do you CO-wash? When I first went CG, I CO-washed for some months, and as time went on I noticed that my shedding was increasing. When I switched to sulfate-free diluted shampoo, the shedding slowly went back to normal. I know I'm not alone in this, so if you are CO-washing, you might want to try switching things up and see if it further reduces you shedding. Just a thought. :)

[Beborani]

You like your hair down, that's all that matter. i know from experience that curly hair down looks fuller and flattering from the front--length pictures like this do no justice. I agree with Chromis, if want to do buns then you should keep your length as it adds to the bulk. Cut, only if you want shorter hair, not to reach some ideal length for 'thin hair'.

[dulce]

I love your curls ,very,very pretty! But my suggestion is avoid layers[hairdressers love them ,it seems] ,they make hair look thinner if it isn't thick..Go for a blunt cut with no layers.Best of luck,now that the thyroid has been treated it should improve.

[Schneckschjen]

The only thing which is important is, that YOU feel good and you love yourself. I like fairytails and face layers can be a good methode to have softer fallen hair around the face. I hope you understand my english.

[jeanniet]

Deva cuts are designed to cut each curl according to its pattern to give curls/waves lift and avoid the triangle head look, so by definition it creates layers. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, but a problem for hair that's less dense. Your hair is long enough that you wouldn't get that triangle effect anyway, and it's usually more a problem for denser hair. Hair grows about 1/2" a month, so if it's been two years since you started thyroid treatment, much of the thinness of your ends is probably the old pre-treatment growth. If it really bothers you, cut back. However, I think you'll achieve the same thing by maintaining the length you have now and trimming back over time--maybe an inch every couple of months, or two inches every four, until your hemline thickens up. I think it looks fine now, but what really matter is how you feel about it.

[IGIT]

What a beautiful head of hair!