Hair getting finer?

[Nixia]

Hey all.

My hair is somewhere between tailbone and mid-thigh length. My hair is very thick, but also very fine. I currently henna it which makes a difference.

When I was 16 my hair was very thick and slight wavy. I am now 23 and for the last 5 years my hair has been very fine, dead straight and looks flat. I love it long, but I cant get it to wave/curl or add volume.

I havent been losing hair and it at takes 4-5 hours to dry, so it is fine rather than thin.

Any idea if this is a result of it getting longer or of me getting older? I have quite a long face and a high forehead, so I doesn't look great fine. Any ideas what I can do? I never though I would end up with fine hair considering that I could never tame it at school!

Thanks!

[lapushka]

Henna can relax the wave or the curl you have, making the hair more straight.

[Silverbrumby]

Henna does relax the hair. I'd also think it might be the length straightening it if you don't have a strong curl pattern.

[Nixia]

Thanks a lot for the replies. Its not just the wave I have lost (I don't mind it being straight), my 'band width/pony tail width' is much smaller?

I noticed the texture change before I started using henna. As silver said I was wondering if the length was making the hair heaver and hence finer? I cant tie it up without it giving me a headache anymore :P.

I am worried that even if I cut it or added layers it would stay just as fine... my bangs are much finer than they used to me.

I get lots of complements on my hair, I just would like it to frame my face better, and I know how thick it used to be at mid-back.

[meteor]

Hey all.

My hair is somewhere between tailbone and mid-thigh length. My hair is very thick, but also very fine. I currently henna it which makes a difference.

When I was 16 my hair was very thick and slight wavy. I am now 23 and for the last 5 years my hair has been very fine, dead straight and looks flat. I love it long, but I cant get it to wave/curl or add volume.

I havent been losing hair and it at takes 4-5 hours to dry, so it is fine rather than thin.

Any idea if this is a result of it getting longer or of me getting older? I have quite a long face and a high forehead, so I doesn't look great fine. Any ideas what I can do? I never though I would end up with fine hair considering that I could never tame it at school!

Thanks!

It might help if we really break down the issues (fineness vs. thinness) a bit, to understand what's going on :)

1) Is your hair getting straighter in texture? (If so, yes, it can happen due to henna or hormonal changes or things like new humidity/climate in new location or new hair routines, and yes, it can feel "thinner" just by virtue of being straighter.) In this case, new products or a new routine, e.g. wet-setting or the Curly Girl method, might help bring some of the texture back or make the most out of the wave that's still there.

2) Is your thickness going down? As in, the number of hairs, the density. (If so, you may want to see your doctor for a regular check-up, it could be some underlying nutritional deficiency or any other health issue).

3) Are your individual hair strands getting finer? As in, diameter of individual hair strands falling. For example, if you look at your shed hair and run your fingers up the hair shaft of individual hair strands is the strand getting thinner in diameter closer to root? (If so, I wonder if it's also hormonal or maybe nutritional - I've seen reports of it happening with age, or sometimes the opposite - hairs getting coarser with age... :hmm: I don't know about the mechanism behind this, but I would want to see a doctor to do a health check-up in this case).
(For example, with serious malnutrition hair can not only fall but also "turn lighter, thinner, and more brittle. Dark hair may turn reddish or blondish due to the decreased production of melanin". - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_hair_color#Medical_conditions - but I think that's pretty extreme and rare)

[Nixia]

Thanks a lot, great post.

I was suggesting that the diameter of each hair was smaller than it used to be (but only compared to when I was younger - It doesn't get smaller on my head now). My younger sister has exactly the same hair texture I used to have, and it is the diameter I think is thicker in old photos. It only had a slight wave back then as well.

Of course I could be wrong.

I should point out that my hair has zero curl/wave now. I am terrible at giving it any either as some of it always looks too straight, it falls out too fast, and spends far to long drying. If I washed it with the intention of braiding it I would have to wash it 6 hours before so it was completely dry every time. And I do have to wash every day - I tried for ages to make it last longer without washing.

I am also vegan (as I am allergic to so many foods anyway) and on medication that 'may cause hair loss'. But I would notice if I was losing that many hairs?

[meteor]

^ Hmm, so you are vegan and avoid many foods due to allergies? :hmm: How is your ferritin? I would definitely mention the diet to the doctor during the check-up, and try to make sure the blood tests include everything related to iron and B vitamins and, of course, TSH and other thyroid function tests among other things. Those are pretty common reasons...
I'd talk to the doctor about the medication, too... If you figure out that it's the medication that causes this, then maybe there are some other alternatives that the doctor can suggest? :flower:

[Nixia]

^ Hmm, so you are vegan and avoid many foods due to allergies? :hmm: How is your ferritin? I would definitely mention the diet to the doctor during the check-up, and try to make sure the blood tests include everything related to iron and B vitamins and, of course, TSH and other thyroid function tests among other things. Those are pretty common reasons...
I'd talk to the doctor about the medication, too... If you figure out that it's the medication that causes this, then maybe there are some other alternatives that the doctor can suggest? :flower:

Thanks so much, I will definitely try this :). This might sound odd, but in the UK how willing are doctors to do complete blood tests like this on the NHS? I always get told 'oh, I'm sure your fine!'.

In any case I will try my best to improve my diet, including more iron, B vitamins etc. Lots of research to do!

[meteor]

^ I don't know about the NHS, unfortunately, but checking hemoglobin and ferritin is pretty standard, and *many* women (esp. of child-bearing age) develop iron deficiencies in their lifetime, and if you have any weakness/dizziness issues plus being on a pretty restrictive diet... - all that should be enough reason to check for that during next check-up, I would think. :flower:

[flickm]

^ I don't know about the NHS, unfortunately, but checking hemoglobin and ferritin is pretty standard, and *many* women (esp. of child-bearing age) develop iron deficiencies in their lifetime, and if you have any weakness/dizziness issues plus being on a pretty restrictive diet... - all that should be enough reason to check for that during next check-up, I would think. :flower:

Vegan diet need not be restrictive. You can get every single thing you need without meat and dairy, and I've known many meat eaters to have deficiencies. But you do need to make sure your diet includes plenty of green leafy veg, nuts, seeds, flax seed for omega 3 and so on. Vegan and vegetarian diets do not mean ill health, quite the opposite, unless you eat nothing but junk food.

[lunasea]

Another vegan here. A vegan diet can be very healthy but it's always good to be sure that you are supplementing with B12 and checking that you have enough zinc (greens can block absorption) and taurine. Can't really relate to the thickness question because my hair has always been thin. That didn't change at all when I went vegan.

[sweetlily]

1. Castor oil helps in thickening each strand, growth of new hairs and provides strength to existing hair roots so that hair fall is minimal. Add vitamin E to it for extra shine to avoid dead hair look.
2. Add vitamin B12 especially to your diet and zinc.
3. Massage your head with finger tips to grow new hair.
4. For instant volume for any of your hairstyles, use arrow root powder on your hair. It is like dry shampoo, adds texture and holds the tease. If your hair is dark brown, use cocoa powder and arrow root powder combination. Possibly, your hair is weighed down due to oils from the scalp. some people get their hair oily naturally.
5. Avoid sulphur products on the hair.

[Blade]

sulfur is also the missed link, so consume MSM can be a good solution and also consumme nettle powder (the whole plant, not the root).

[Nixia]

1. Castor oil helps in thickening each strand, growth of new hairs and provides strength to existing hair roots so that hair fall is minimal. Add vitamin E to it for extra shine to avoid dead hair look.
2. Add vitamin B12 especially to your diet and zinc.
3. Massage your head with finger tips to grow new hair.
4. For instant volume for any of your hairstyles, use arrow root powder on your hair. It is like dry shampoo, adds texture and holds the tease. If your hair is dark brown, use cocoa powder and arrow root powder combination. Possibly, your hair is weighed down due to oils from the scalp. some people get their hair oily naturally.
5. Avoid sulphur products on the hair.

Great, Thanks :)

I always thought my Vegan diet was quite complete but as people have said, it seems important to supplement with B12 (I just read also suggested by the Vegan Soc). My hair and skin have also always been prone to being naturally oily.

I found oils in the past pretty disastrous, but I will definitely try them again (a Castor oil mix sounds fantastic).

I guess my journey will be to thicker hair rather than longer as I am getting sick of sitting on it! :P