Tips to increase ponytail circumference? Am I losing hair?

[WhimsicalWillow]

I just measured my ponytail circumference. It is just under a 3. I have very fine strands of hair too... I heard this is abnormal for people with fine hair because we usually have fine hair but " a lot of it".... Could this be a sign of hair loss? Also, what are some tips I could be doing to increase ponytail circumference?

[lilin]

Nope. A 3-inch ponytail circumference is exactly average. So apparently, if your hair is fine, you do in fact have plenty of it.

Your hair thickness pretty much is what it is. And it doesn't sound like there's anything unusual about yours. Don't worry about it!

[Lindenare]

Is this the first time you've measured your ponytail? If it is and you don't have other signs of hair loss, it may simply be normal for you. Also, what do you mean by "just under a 3"? If it's 3 inches, that is right in the middle of the ii range, which is average thickness. You would need more than the average number of hairs to have that thickness with very fine hair, so I wouldn't worry about it unless you have excessive shedding or your hair seems thinner than previously. If you mean that your hair is just under iii thickness, then the circumference would be close to 4 inches, which is above average and likely means your hair is quite dense. If it's 3 centimeters, that would be in the i range and may mean that you have a normal amount of hair that compresses because of its fineness.

[Wusel]

No... There are also people with fine strands and not so much of hair...

We can only give you tips when you tell us how you take care of your hair so we can see if you can improve or change something you do wrong.

[LeMimi13]

Hum, O heard the inversion method stimulatws the follicles and causes new growth.. I don't know for sure.

[WhimsicalWillow]

Is this the first time you've measured your ponytail? If it is and you don't have other signs of hair loss, it may simply be normal for you. Also, what do you mean by "just under a 3"? If it's 3 inches, that is right in the middle of the ii range, which is average thickness. You would need more than the average number of hairs to have that thickness with very fine hair, so I wouldn't worry about it unless you have excessive shedding or your hair seems thinner than previously. If you mean that your hair is just under iii thickness, then the circumference would be close to 4 inches, which is above average and likely means your hair is quite dense. If it's 3 centimeters, that would be in the i range and may mean that you have a normal amount of hair that compresses because of its fineness.
Sorry! I meant just under 3 inches. How can I tell if my hair is shedding excessively? I read about looking for more hair than normal on brushes and combs and when I put my fingers through my hair 2-3 hairs comes out. In my last thread a lot of wonderful ladies on here calmed me down about it and told me that was normal. I don't know if it's shedding or if it's normal and I'm just focusing on it more, making it appear abnormal for me.

[WhimsicalWillow]

No... There are also people with fine strands and not so much of hair...

We can only give you tips when you tell us how you take care of your hair so we can see if you can improve or change something you do wrong.

I used to using a 1 inch curling iron on my hair once a week. After reading the forums, I know now to lay off the heat all together. I am going to start using sponge curlers since I like how waves and curls make my hair look thicker. I use folicure shampoo and I shampoo about every 2 days. My hair gets really really greasy easily, it even gets oily just by the end of the day in the summer time regardless if I washed it or not. I use a Suave dry shampoo spray. I'm just starting a new conditioner by Suave. Most conditioners make my hair really weighed down, stringy, and oily. I've been cutting down on oiling my hair with coconut oil since it gets so greasy. Argan oil is too heavy for me. I sometimes put volumizing mousse and hairspray in my hair (but now I've learned that hairspray can cause breakage so I'm going to stop using it). I also take a lot of vitamins. I've been taking 10,000 mcg Biotin each day but I heard that could be too much for me.

[endlessly]

No, I don't think you need to worry about hair loss, your circumference sounds completely normal. If you start tracking your measurements and notice you suddenly lose an inch or more very suddenly, that might then be a sign of hair loss, but it's completely normal to fluctuate small amounts since you can lose an average of 100 strands per day.

[WhimsicalWillow]

Nope. A 3-inch ponytail circumference is exactly average. So apparently, if your hair is fine, you do in fact have plenty of it.

Your hair thickness pretty much is what it is. And it doesn't sound like there's anything unusual about yours. Don't worry about it!

Thanks! I always love your posts. They are so encouraging. You are right I do worry too much about my hair. It's hard to stop though! lol.

[maborosi]

I used to color my hair conventionally and a long time ago, right before I joined LHC, I used heat and styling aids, and my circumference was 3.25". I figured that was it. Gentle handling, switching to henna, and just taking better care of my hair has resulted in my finding out that my circumference is actually closer to 3.75". It took a while to grow out all of what I used to do to my hair. I also have a lot of fine hair that 'condenses' down and looks much thinner than it actually is. That's normal for fineys. Our hair is just compact!

Additionally, shedding. So I don't wash daily- but when I do wash- either every other or every third day, I shed a LOT. But that's also normal. The shed hairs get loosened up by the washes and they fall out- it freaked me out, but then I realized that they just get trapped in my hair when I'm not washing very often. Same story with clarifying.

[Arctic]

I think the oft' repeated "fine hair but lot of it" implies to the denseness of the hair, not necessarily to the pony thickness.

[Ephemia]

That sounds perfectly normal to me. :) I was very worried myself before I came here; I've got medium strands, but not a huge amount of them, so I consider my hair thin even though it's of average thickness. I was convinced it wasn't normal.

Hugs, and stop worrying! :D *waggles finger sternly*

[lilin]

That sounds perfectly normal to me. :) I was very worried myself before I came here; I've got medium strands, but not a huge amount of them, so I consider my hair thin even though it's of average thickness. I was convinced it wasn't normal.

Hugs, and stop worrying! :D *waggles finger sternly*

I did too. I didn't necessarily think I was balding, but I thought my hair was thinner than usual. I only realized I have average thickness (and probably higher than average hair count, since mine is quite fine) once I got onto LHC and ordered a Flexi. I got a size medium when my hair was heavily layered with the longest hairs at BSL, thinking it might be too big. Turns out it was actually too small.

I think the media gives us a really unrealistic idea of what "average" hair thickness is. We have to keep in mind a lot of those celebrities and models are wearing extensions and weaves!

[longhairvixen]

I just measured my ponytail circumference. It is just under a 3. I have very fine strands of hair too... I heard this is abnormal for people with fine hair because we usually have fine hair but " a lot of it".... Could this be a sign of hair loss? Also, what are some tips I could be doing to increase ponytail circumference?

What is your natural hair color? Blondes have the most hair on their head, then its brunettes, then its redheads

Maybe grow out all your bangs and layers around your face.

[WhimsicalWillow]

What is your natural hair color? Blondes have the most hair on their head, then its brunettes, then its redheads

Maybe grow out all your bangs and layers around your face.

I'm a brunette. Also, I don't have any bangs or layers.

[lapushka]

It's perfectly fine. You can lose up to 100 strands a day, and that's still fine!

Do watch out with the Biotin, though. Might want to read this:
http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.be/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html

[RSunny]

It's perfectly fine. You can lose up to 100 strands a day, and that's still fine!

Do watch out with the Biotin, though. Might want to read this:
http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.be/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html


Yikes that's kind of scary about the biotin. I started taking a biotin supplement recently. It was one of the lower dosages on the shelf and I only take 1 per day.

[RSunny]

I started growing my hair from a pixie cut March 2014. At the point that I could finally put it in a ponytail I measured it and it was 3". I was happy because due to my residency I had a lot of stress and I dyed my hair, both of which caused a drama fe hair fall out (didn't measure at that time before I cut my hair to pixie). I decided to cut it all off and grow it back healthy. Well, as luck would have it my job after completing my residency has been super stressful and this past winter I went through a dramatic hair fall out also. My ponytail is now 2.5". I have been so distressed by this and worried about more falling out. I'm about to leave that stressful job and will be starting a new one in November, which hopefully will reduce my stress.

The biggest things I am doing are...no dying, no heat (except blow drying my bangs straight - since u have curlier hair this is necessary), eating healthy, taking grass fed gelatin in my morning tea, getting b-vitamins/vitamin d/omega 3. I have also started using a mini scrunchie so I don't pull out my hair, try to put it in protective styles (still slightly too short), and wash my hair with sulfate free shampoo only twice per week. And I've been giving myself head massages without oil, which seems to accelerate my daily shedding (eg an entire day's shedding happens at once then I barely shed the rest of the day)- but like the inversion method I'm doing it one week a month - I heard this can help strengthen new hair follicles and bring more nutrients to the scalp for growth/follicle thickness.

I'm hoping my 3" ponytail will come back. As much as I'd like a 4" ponytail, I just don't think my genes have it in them :(

I'm still growing as I regrow and it becomes frustrating at times. A thread like this for support is great :)

[lapushka]

If you're that worried about that half an inch, I'd go to a doctor and have some bloodwork done to see if you're not deficient in anything. I have it done once a year (I have a medical condition), and it's no luxury.

[Arctic]

Your hair is not too short for protecttive styles at collarbone length :flower:

Also, try not to try too many new things at once, otherwise you'll have no way really knowing which helps and of which any possible problems might be from.

[RSunny]

T
Your hair is not too short for protecttive styles at collarbone length :flower:

Also, try not to try too many new things at once, otherwise you'll have no way really knowing which helps and of which any possible problems might be from.


My hair is pretty silky and comes out of a braid while I sleep, can't get it into a Cinnabon yet.