Too self judgemental or genetics? (lots of pics)

[parkmikii]

So, here we are. My ends always end up thin, no matter what I do, so here are some pictures:

Here is my hair in 11 Oct. 2014:
http://s30.postimg.org/jx7udsni9/DSC_0003.jpg

As you can see, the ends are quite frizzy and dry, but really see through as well, I didn't mind it and though it's just a lot of bad hair days and moved on.
Then here's how it looked in 28 Feb 2015:
http://s11.postimg.org/a2ncuvj2b/DSC_0553.jpg

As you can see, the ends have gotten even thinner and look as if there is just a strand of hair there.

30 Apr. 2015, still really thin ends:
http://s10.postimg.org/yw2adglah/DSC_0295.jpg

That summer I decided to trim the thin part away and the hemline became pretty decent when I did.
http://s23.postimg.org/ka6pyi3uj/2015_07_09_21_20_23_deco.jpg

This (July) is also when I started to trim 0.5 cm off monthly to maintain the ends a bit and I started to only keep my hair up in protective buns (most worn are hypno bun with ficcare, nautilus bun with a hairstick and regular braided bun with U pins). And it grew like this until 24 Dec. 2015:
http://s12.postimg.org/w2x84p98t/15_12_24_14_04_50_254_photo.jpg

As you can see ends are still a bit see through, though not as much a they were in the first half of 2015.

And here is a February 2015 picture:
http://s8.postimg.org/y8aj7w25x/DSC_0441.jpg

Here it got too thin for my taste again. So what I am asking and the point of this thread is: Do I have any chance to grow decent thickness hair that is not as see through as you can see here? Or my genetics don't really make it possible?
I am eating pretty healthy, I exercise 5 times a week (this is to get in better shape, not necessarily for hair), I tried micotrimming, no trimming, moisturizing, wearing hair only up and what not but nothing really seems to help.

My hair care routine is CWC once a week, sometimes with a tea rinse added in, other times without, I use henna once a month on my roots (I actually got lazy lately and last time I used it was in December) and I sleep with a satin bonnet always, with hair either in a loose braid inside it or in a bun with a single U pin). And I use a seamless travel comb by EiA, the wide toothed kind gently, once a week before washing the hair, I detangle it in sections.
Lately I've been quite at my wit's end with my hair and I'm actually considering cutting it short for the first time since 5th grade.

[Nique1202]

The oldest ends of your hair right now started growing probably before you even joined the LHC. Depending on when your good habits started, it can take years for the healthiest part to catch up and get trimmed out. Your ends in the last photo are MUCH thicker than they were in the first few photos, so you ARE making progress. It doesn't feel like much but it's happening. :grouphug:

[Duchess Fuzzy Buns]

I really don't think your ends look thin. :confused: I don't think it's unusual at all for hair to be "see through" towards the ends like that. It kind of just looks like the way your waves clump together to me. If you braid it is it really tapered or just a little bit?

[gossamer]

Hush, your hair, especially in that second picture, is nothing short of perfect. If you were looking for terminal, I expect you could get to classic or beyond with some fine ends. As it is now, it's gorgeous at hip.

[Wildcat Diva]

I can get similarly freaked out about my ends. I think your hair looks great, I do see the taper, it's just that I think it's very pretty and that I see progress. I think you could keep going with your good habits and see results. I don't think chopping will instantly help. If you want to, you should, but I think there is hope to improve with time.

[Deborah]

Oh, don't cut it short. If it were my hair I would trim back to waist and leave it there for a while. I think you would find thicker, more blunt ends at waist length, and I bet you would be happy with your hair at that length.

Good luck with whatever you do! :flower:

[lapushka]

I'd say you can see it has thickened up already judging from the first & last pictures. The thing is... it takes a lot of time to thicken up a hemline if the thickness has to travel down. So maybe maintain for another year, and see what it does.

I'd keep the routine as basic as possible and see what that does for you.

I think it looks really pretty!

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

I have the same issue with the tapered ends but I don't think it looks bad on you at all. It looks like part of your texture if anything. Absolutely beautiful and not 'too thin' at all! I'm going to echo what some other people have said that your hair looks significantly thicker at the ends nowadays and I agree with Nique that it's entirely possible that your ends are still leftover hair from before your LHC days and will eventually get trimmed out into a blunter hemline.

[jazzhands]

Your hair's stunning! It looks so smooth and fairy-like.
Echoing everyone else here, I don't think there's anything to be worried about. Be proud of your hair!

[parkmikii]

The oldest ends of your hair right now started growing probably before you even joined the LHC. Depending on when your good habits started, it can take years for the healthiest part to catch up and get trimmed out. Your ends in the last photo are MUCH thicker than they were in the first few photos, so you ARE making progress. It doesn't feel like much but it's happening. :grouphug:


I have the same issue with the tapered ends but I don't think it looks bad on you at all. It looks like part of your texture if anything. Absolutely beautiful and not 'too thin' at all! I'm going to echo what some other people have said that your hair looks significantly thicker at the ends nowadays and I agree with Nique that it's entirely possible that your ends are still leftover hair from before your LHC days and will eventually get trimmed out into a blunter hemline.

Thank you for the feedback, I am actually a long time lurker on TLHC..I started visiting the forums in 2010 and since then I started to actually take care of my hair but I was too shy to join :couch:

[Carolyn]

What good would cutting it short do? Nothing. I see a big improvement in your last 3 pictures over the first 2. Growing hair is a long slow process. I think you are doing everything right to grow and preserve your hair. Would it be so terrible if you had to maintain at your current length? I think it's lovely.

[parkmikii]

Hush, your hair, especially in that second picture, is nothing short of perfect. If you were looking for terminal, I expect you could get to classic or beyond with some fine ends. As it is now, it's gorgeous at hip.


I can get similarly freaked out about my ends. I think your hair looks great, I do see the taper, it's just that I think it's very pretty and that I see progress. I think you could keep going with your good habits and see results. I don't think chopping will instantly help. If you want to, you should, but I think there is hope to improve with time.


Oh, don't cut it short. If it were my hair I would trim back to waist and leave it there for a while. I think you would find thicker, more blunt ends at waist length, and I bet you would be happy with your hair at that length.

Good luck with whatever you do! :flower:


Your hair's stunning! It looks so smooth and fairy-like.
Echoing everyone else here, I don't think there's anything to be worried about. Be proud of your hair!


I'd say you can see it has thickened up already judging from the first & last pictures. The thing is... it takes a lot of time to thicken up a hemline if the thickness has to travel down. So maybe maintain for another year, and see what it does.

I'd keep the routine as basic as possible and see what that does for you.

I think it looks really pretty!

Thank you all! I might start microtrimming before cutting more off and see how it goes after a few months, thank you for the idea.

And Gossamer, I would love to reach a length like yours in the future 5-7 years, though I am not too sure if the terminal genes allow me to and I guess I'll be left with just a tiny hair strand at the ends, meanwhile yours are not very invisible even at past floor length.

Lapushka, I will try a more basic routine and see if it helps in time, indeed.

Thank you again, everyone who gave tips!

[parkmikii]

What good would cutting it short do? Nothing. I see a big improvement in your last 3 pictures over the first 2. Growing hair is a long slow process. I think you are doing everything right to grow and preserve your hair. Would it be so terrible if you had to maintain at your current length? I think it's lovely.

It wouldn't be terrible at all indeed, I'll keep going with having it up every day and maintain it for a while :)

[maborosi]

I see a lot of improvement from you pictures- your hemline is definitely thickening up. It takes A LONG TIME to get a neat, even, thick hemline with little taper. I've sacrificed a lot of hair to get mine to be straight, for example. The struggle is real.

I've noticed that some people in the 2's and low 3's have ends that look thin because of their waves/curls clumping a certain way at the end.

That all being said, however:



As you can see, the ends are quite frizzy and dry, but really see through as well, I didn't mind it and though it's just a lot of bad hair days and moved on.
Then here's how it looked in 28 Feb 2015:
http://s11.postimg.org/a2ncuvj2b/DSC_0553.jpg

Holy crap those are enviable fairytale ends you've got there!
Your hair looks so ethereal.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Your hair is so pretty! If I were you and wanted thicker ends I would protect them as much as I could by wearing protective updos, micro trimming, and plenty of patience. Hir growing is such a slow business, and it could possibly take you another couple of years before your ends are as thick as you would like them to be. You have to allow years, not just months, to get that kind of thing sorted.

I am doing the same with my hair and have had a good improvement to my ends but still a long way to go, of course. My ends are thinner because of a stress related shed in 2013. It could take me another 2 or 3 years to thicken them and have the new growth move down. Oh well, not much I can do but be patient.

So I just wanted to say don't give up, and you need to be patient :)

[henné]

I know folks get upset about these things, but I see no point anymore.

I have hair that is very similar to yours, only it's less wavy and no matter what or how I do it, my ends are always much thinner and beyond waist length. For me, it's all about acceptance at this point. We all are different - we have different bodies, skin, hair ... I'll never get that perfect straight thick hemline and that's fine ... just like I will never ever have long gazelle like legs that go on for days ... unless someone comes up with an overnight leg-stretching device that will be 100% safe ... :rollin:

So either you keep on 'struggling' or you just accept that it is what it is and just start enjoying the hair you have.

Your hair is beautiful and healthy, by the way. And yes, your hemline seems to have thickened a bit over time.

How does that one go?

Dear Manitou, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

I'm not religious, the 'Manitou' in it is all mine :D

[cosmic crusader]

Your hair is soooo pretty, in every photo and I'm sure it's even better in real life. It seems like you're being really hard on yourself, which I really understand. I'm constantly kicking myself mentally for my ends, which are like yours but straighter. Only yours seem beautiful while mine are bleh! And that's my point...I think it's hard to fully appreciate how lovely your hair is when it's on your own head.

[Anje]

It's definitely thickening, but mine is very much like that. It tapers and to some extent I've just come to accept that that's how it will be. There's nothing wrong with it.

The funny thing is that when I finally gave up trying to thicken the ends by maintaining at tailbone for years and years, and just let it continue growing, my thickness has started moving further down my hair. Some hair seems to want the ends to taper, as though those tapered ends protect the hair 8 inches up. It's frustrating when you want thick dense ends, but it's still a pretty look.

[calmyogi]

My first thought when I started looking at your pictures was that it was part of your texture. My guess is that it's probably your texture mixed with the lack of care from before joining LHC because you can see that it has gotten a little bit thicker since 2014.

And it's beautiful! I have always been a bit envious of red hair.

[Silverbrumby]

As a BSL length terminal (might change) I'd say keep growing! I am. Let's both prove ourselves wrong ��

I love my hair more at the moment. It's softer, curly, people thing it looks nice out as well as in my buns. Your hair is beautiful. Buy more hair toys. Good luck there.

[antler_tines]

I think it's beautiful :) I love your fairy tailed ends!

[Darkhorse1]

Your hair is STUNNING! What you don't realize is that with curls, your hair is not going to seem as thick to the naked eye because it's likely kinking up in different locations. So, the spring of the curl from the center pieces to the outer pieces will coil differently, and thus hike up your ends in an uneven fashion. Also, hair is not all uniformly one length. We lose hair daily and hair also snaps shorter. Those pieces take away over all thickness and take time to 'catch up' to the other longer hair. Between all these issues, it may be difficult for you to visibly see thicker ends. Have you looked at your hair when wet? Before it starts to curl up? Straightening won't work because it will remove the natural body of your hair. After rinsing your hair, seeing if you can comb it with a wide tooth comb before the curls set in to see what the ends look like. or even go by feel. Do the ends feel thin? I mean, really thin. To me, your hair looks stunning---I see no issue with them at all--but I know how you feel--I see some people here and feel I have anorexic hair ;)

[RitaCeleste]

My hair type is similar and oiling helped my hair a lot as did henna instead of chemicals. My big chop to bra-strap turned into big chop to shoulder. My growth was slow for years to make it thick at the bottom and it was gaining length ever so slowly. But it was improving and gaining, the old hair I was trimming out had been over color processed. I wore my hair down all the time so I had wear an tear on the outer layer too. I don't miss my hair as much as I thought. I have gained a patience about hair growth. Hair is always growing out no matter what style we shape it into during that process. Then every inch mattered more than looking like a shampoo commercial, now just having good hair at any length pleases me. My hair is short but it is so soft right now, healthy. Its the good start I haven't had in a awhile. The future sneaked up on me more times than I care to admit. Its personal if you take out some of the old or take it slower on the trimming. Its about how we each feel about the idea of it even. Only you know that.

[Ellethwyn]

parkmikii, your hair is absolutely beautiful! Your ends look like they are thickening up. I wouldn't cut it! I feel the same about my ends. Last year I chopped a couple inches off and that thickened up my hemline a lot. Since then, it has grown a few inches and is starting to look thin at the ends again, due to "racer" hairs. I'm so excited to reach tailbone, so I am holding off on trimming.

[Beborani]

There will be day to day variations not to mention second to second while taking pictures with curly hair. Don't be too hard on yourself or make any assumptions looking at pictures. Your hair looks fine to me and is very pretty in all the pictures.

[RitaCeleste]

Looks like in buns you can thicken your hemline, down looks like its going to suffer wear and tear. There are special pillowcases and things. Deep conditioning treatments, good oils that might keep those ends from getting brittle but gains may be slow if you slack off. I only thought 4 inches off in the first photo. It looks healthy even with the fairy-tale ends.

[parkmikii]

parkmikii, your hair is absolutely beautiful! Your ends look like they are thickening up. I wouldn't cut it! I feel the same about my ends. Last year I chopped a couple inches off and that thickened up my hemline a lot. Since then, it has grown a few inches and is starting to look thin at the ends again, due to "racer" hairs. I'm so excited to reach tailbone, so I am holding off on trimming.


As a BSL length terminal (might change) I'd say keep growing! I am. Let's both prove ourselves wrong ��

I love my hair more at the moment. It's softer, curly, people thing it looks nice out as well as in my buns. Your hair is beautiful. Buy more hair toys. Good luck there.


It's definitely thickening, but mine is very much like that. It tapers and to some extent I've just come to accept that that's how it will be. There's nothing wrong with it.

The funny thing is that when I finally gave up trying to thicken the ends by maintaining at tailbone for years and years, and just let it continue growing, my thickness has started moving further down my hair. Some hair seems to want the ends to taper, as though those tapered ends protect the hair 8 inches up. It's frustrating when you want thick dense ends, but it's still a pretty look.

Well this seems a rather interesting thing. Perhaps I should just let it grow more and trim 0.3-0.5 cm every month or every couple of months and see if the thickness will move forward.
This seems the most tempting method for me as I've stayed in the 80-90 cm range for quite a while, say about 3 years.

[parkmikii]

parkmikii, your hair is absolutely beautiful! Your ends look like they are thickening up. I wouldn't cut it! I feel the same about my ends. Last year I chopped a couple inches off and that thickened up my hemline a lot. Since then, it has grown a few inches and is starting to look thin at the ends again, due to "racer" hairs. I'm so excited to reach tailbone, so I am holding off on trimming.


As a BSL length terminal (might change) I'd say keep growing! I am. Let's both prove ourselves wrong ��

I love my hair more at the moment. It's softer, curly, people thing it looks nice out as well as in my buns. Your hair is beautiful. Buy more hair toys. Good luck there.


My first thought when I started looking at your pictures was that it was part of your texture. My guess is that it's probably your texture mixed with the lack of care from before joining LHC because you can see that it has gotten a little bit thicker since 2014.

And it's beautiful! I have always been a bit envious of red hair.

I've actually been here without an account since 2010, so I've quite experimented with most routines and oils since then :)

[Silverbrumby]

I started on the boards 4 years ago at 27 inches. Today in just barely managing 28 inches. Hehe. But i and 80% happier with the hair i have compared to 4 years ago.

[Arctic]

I join the chorus, and say that your photos are absolutely beautiful! If some fairytailing is your destiny, then you have the perfect hair type for it. :flowers:

[chen bao jun]

Your ends are not too see through and your hair looks beautiful.
I think that what happens to everybody (somewhat thinner ends)is noticeable on you because your hair clumps, but your hair clumping looks so lovely and the thin ends do not detract, quite the opposite.

[spirals]

I see a lot of improvement from you pictures- your hemline is definitely thickening up. It takes A LONG TIME to get a neat, even, thick hemline with little taper. I've sacrificed a lot of hair to get mine to be straight, for example. The struggle is real.

I've noticed that some people in the 2's and low 3's have ends that look thin because of their waves/curls clumping a certain way at the end.

That all being said, however:



Holy crap those are enviable fairytale ends you've got there!
Your hair looks so ethereal.
I agree with this wholeheartedly and pretty much everything everyone else has said. Your curls are going to clump and make beautiful fairytale ends. You have gorgeous hair!