Thin Tassels

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

So one of the things I really do not like about braiding my hair is my tassle. By the time the braid gets to BSL the tassel is only a few CM thick.
Its so small and thin, it makes me want to avoid braids because it looks so.. sad.
Is this something that eventually trimming regularly again will rid me of?
The last 2" of my hair are just so sad.

Does anyone else here have this issue or dealt with this issue and fixed it?

[lithostoic]

Ja. Trims fix/ed it. Mine gets thicker with each trim despite my hair growing longer. If you have damaged hair it's entirely possible and likely that your tassle will get thicker with proper care and trims

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Ja. Trims fix/ed it. Mine gets thicker with each trim despite my hair growing longer. If you have damaged hair it's entirely possible and likely that your tassle will get thicker with proper care and trims

Im in that "no trims for 6 months" challenge thread, so I figure my ends look so sad because of that. They seemed nicer when I was monthly dusting, however my tassel was still thin and sad. However my hair is also fine. So I cant tell if this is a damage thing or just my hairs natural way. I have one more layer to grow out still too.

[lithostoic]

You'd be surprised how much of a difference bleach/dye damage makes. My bleached bits are less than half the thickness my virgin hair. I've tried to get photos of that but they never turn out.

[EbonyCurls]

It's not a fix, but it's a trick. I tie a loose knot at the end and bobbypin it to make it stay. It gives it a nice, thick, neat appearance, and it is protective of the ends as I don't have to tie it. You can also wrap it with cloth a similar color to your hair, which also helps to add bulk and protect the end.

Or you can just embrace it and incorporate it as intentional. Braids that are pulled apart at the top to look bigger, and braided tightly down to the ends with layers to make them even thinner, are big now.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

You'd be surprised how much of a difference bleach/dye damage makes. My bleached bits are less than half the thickness my virgin hair. I've tried to get photos of that but they never turn out.

I haven't touched bleach in 3 years, and the last cut I did was a major chop to chin,.. there is no bleach in my hair anymore.

[spidermom]

Trimming might help. It isn't guaranteed, however. My problem with braids was that they irritated me by swinging around, so I always pinned them up. You could do that.

[Chromis]

I had a large shed a few years ago and have found that microtrims really do help. I can see the new growth slowly making its way down, but it will take it a long time to reach me knees!

[school of fish]

This flies completely in the face of protective styling, but... I tie off my tassel way high - like my hair is TBL but I tie off my braid somewhere above or around APL. It gives the illusion that thickness is uniform all the way down ;)

I have unreal braid shred and crazy slippy hair, so there's no way I can make a sleek braid stay and look good unless shellac is involved. Actually, a tight braid all the way to the ends ends up being a tanglefest for me with the slippy/shreddy action, and it just looks unkempt and unappealing. I've decided a deliberate boho look is a better one on me than an accidental one :p

Pretty much the only braid I do is a side braid with this exaggerated tassel - it's the path of least resistance ;)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I had a large shed a few years ago and have found that microtrims really do help. I can see the new growth slowly making its way down, but it will take it a long time to reach me knees!

This, exactly. In the meantime you can use parandas :)

[Stormynights]

My hair was past tail bone and I cut a little over 4 inches because the ends were so thin and wimpy. Now I miss those wimpy ends because my buns are not holding as well. Next time I may keep those wimpy ends.

[SunnyRose]

I can't stand my thin ends either. The whispy ends create an illusion and make the rest of my hair look thin as well. Right now I have horrible layers in my hair that make my ends very thin. I can't wait to cut my hair into a blunt cut once it grows a bit longer.

[wispe]

My braid tassel (last few inches) is like, a half cm wide. Too small for even the tiny clear elastics (which I don't like, because they give me breakage anyway). I have delicate hair, residual layers, and of course cumulative damage from pre-lhc, so my braid starts tapering drastically after about APL. I've found thinner ends extremely helpful when it comes to securing bunned styles, but I'm leaning towards some sort of regular trimming to thicken them some once I'm done with no-trim. Just haven't decided when that is. If I need to tie a braid off near the end I'll braid in just one or a few pieces of yarn/ribbon/thread and use that to tie it off in a wrap knot sort of thing. If I'm using my nylon bands I tie it off higher up. If I'm tucking the ends of my braid in (like in a crown braid or any braided bun) I just braid it as far as it'll go and I don't secure the ends at all - wrap/pin and tuck the ends under, ideally before they unravel on me.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I can't stand my thin ends either. The whispy ends create an illusion and make the rest of my hair look thin as well. Right now I have horrible layers in my hair that make my ends very thin. I can't wait to cut my hair into a blunt cut once it grows a bit longer.

i have thought about doing that but if i cut all my length to the same length and got rid of the layers and cut back id lose like 3"-4", and i want waist so bad :( Honestly if my hair was already at waist i would just maintain there but its taking a heck of a long time to get there!idk why but whenever i trim like that the ends always grow back the same anyway.... so im at a loss, i want my hair to look amazing but maybe its just not for my hair type

[parkmikii]

I have the same problem as well. My braid is only thick to about APL or a bit after and it just thins to nothingness up to TBL. I don't bleach or dye so it might be breakage or terminal I guess. I just dont wear the braid down because it makes me sad and use it for a braided bun instead.

[Aredhel]

My pony circ is a little over 3" but my braid tassel is 1"... My ends are bleached though and my hair has been heavily layered before. I'm hoping micro trims eventually will fix the issue for me too. On the plus side, a thin tassel is waaaay easier to tuck into buns, but the downside is that my hair looks absolutely terrible in a braid...it's a very sad braid.

[Arctic]

How about leaving a longer tassel and curling it? A cute little ringlet would be read more like "ooh how pretty" than "thin tassel".

[Arete]

I have the same issue. I tie it off a little higher than I could actually braid. Also finger combing out your tassel so the hairs aren't waved around each other helps spread them out more and make it look thicker.

[JillRenee]

I do that too, comb the tassel after I fasten the braid. I also use hair ties made for baby girls to fasten the end of the braid, they are fun neon colors and incorporate glitter. They are made of soft material and look like tiny doughnuts.

[ReadingRenee]

I have that problem too, but my ends are dyed, bleached and layered. What I do is tie it off higher than I can braid, I leave about two to three inches of tassel and then I smooth an anti frizz serum on it. That immediately makes it curl up into a not quite a ringlet shape and it looks a lot better. I can also encourage it by winding it around my finger. I like to fasten my braids with those ribbon hair ties that have become popular lately because I can kind of spread them out a bit and it looks like I tied ribbon on the end of my braid. Also draws the eye upward away from the tassel. :)

[lapushka]

So one of the things I really do not like about braiding my hair is my tassle. By the time the braid gets to BSL the tassel is only a few CM thick.
Its so small and thin, it makes me want to avoid braids because it looks so.. sad.
Is this something that eventually trimming regularly again will rid me of?
The last 2" of my hair are just so sad.

Does anyone else here have this issue or dealt with this issue and fixed it?

That's the reason I always leave a big tassel, like 3/4 inches. It makes quite the difference in the look of the overall braid.

[Anje]

Yeah, even with trims and maintaining, my tassel was always somewhat thin, especially at longer lengths. I eventually accepted that for me, a measure of taper was just going to be a fact of life if I was going to have hair to or past my butt. At the moment, I'm taking a break from long hair, but I expect I'll have a tapered braid with a smaller tassel when I grow it back.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Guess I need to leave a larger tassel.

[lucid]

I like small tassels, and usually braid all the way down to the end. My braid tassle is about a pencil thick, and 1.5" long. I think it looks nice.

If you don't like that look you could leave a larger tassle, but you don't have to for it to look good :)

[draysmir]

I also have one more layer to grow out, and I always make sure to tie off my braid before my last layer is in the braid, so the tassel looks a lot thicker. For me, this is about three inches. My last layer tapers somewhat significantly, so tying off my braid right where my layers end (2"), still looks quite thin. I have found trimming to be quite helpful, I haven't noticed my tassel get thicker than it used to be at shorter lengths, but the thickness of my tassel has been pretty much maintained since about BSL I'd say. I imagine if I were to maintain at a certain length, my tassel would get thicker. What type of hemline do you have (I think I remember you mentioning before it naturally grows into a V shape)? I've been cutting mine into a straight across hemline, and this might help with the thickness of your tassel since more hair is at the longest length. I'm not sure if you can do anything else to make your tassel thicker currently, other than what has been already mentioned, but long term wise I think maintaining will help thicken your hemline and tassel. :)

[BraidFreak]

I always leave a longer tassel, I think it makes the braid look a little more relaxed.

[moon_witch]

This flies completely in the face of protective styling, but... I tie off my tassel way high - like my hair is TBL but I tie off my braid somewhere above or around APL. It gives the illusion that thickness is uniform all the way down ;)

I usually do the same. I just noticed that I tend to tie it off at or a little below apl :D

[Hairkay]

I don't have a tassel because my tight curls allow me to plait/braid all the way down. Yes there is a taper. Without the taper my plaits would easily start to unravel. I'm all for the tapering.

[lizardspots]

I leave a 3 inch long tassel and comb it after tying it off, that way the hair is spread out a bit and doesn't look as thin and sad. I still like braids, even though mine is skinny. Messy side braid is my go-to casual do.

[lucid]

This is my tassle, I think it looks fine even though it's small and thin (pencil thickness). If my hair was super curly, I would have braided it all the way down to the end :)

https://s26.postimg.org/3zt2ggavd/20170520_191137.jpg

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

This is my tassle, I think it looks fine even though it's small and thin (pencil thickness). If my hair was super curly, I would have braided it all the way down to the end :)

https://s26.postimg.org/3zt2ggavd/20170520_191137.jpg

Your hair is much longer and your tassel is twice as thick as mine :( haha

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I also have one more layer to grow out, and I always make sure to tie off my braid before my last layer is in the braid, so the tassel looks a lot thicker. For me, this is about three inches. My last layer tapers somewhat significantly, so tying off my braid right where my layers end (2"), still looks quite thin. I have found trimming to be quite helpful, I haven't noticed my tassel get thicker than it used to be at shorter lengths, but the thickness of my tassel has been pretty much maintained since about BSL I'd say. I imagine if I were to maintain at a certain length, my tassel would get thicker. What type of hemline do you have (I think I remember you mentioning before it naturally grows into a V shape)? I've been cutting mine into a straight across hemline, and this might help with the thickness of your tassel since more hair is at the longest length. I'm not sure if you can do anything else to make your tassel thicker currently, other than what has been already mentioned, but long term wise I think maintaining will help thicken your hemline and tassel. :)

I'm not sure anymore! My sides are starting to grow more, and my hair is beginning to grow into a U shape. My sides are slow growing.

[lucid]

Your hair is much longer and your tassel is twice as thick as mine :( haha

I would have braided it to the very end if my hair allowed it. My braid looks thicker at the end because I pancake it (it happens automatically actually :p ), I don't know if that could work for you as well to give the apperance of a thicker braid?

[nekosan]

A very short tassel on me is 3 to 4 inches long, with hair diameter of a bit bigger than a pencil lead. A long tassel is around 12" long, and has a diameter a bit less than a pencil. I don't like having tassels longer than 15" long. (Keep in mind that my ends are heavily fairytailed.)

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I would have braided it to the very end if my hair allowed it. My braid looks thicker at the end because I pancake it (it happens automatically actually :p ), I don't know if that could work for you as well to give the apperance of a thicker braid?
I've tried pancaking braids and my braids just pull apart and you can see through them.

[wispe]

http://i.imgur.com/Q5MA6vw.jpg?1

Thought I'd pop back in with pictures of my tiny tassel. I usually braid all the way down these days, tiny ends or not. If a teeny tassel is a sad sight, nobody has ever called me on it. Usually the opposite - I get the most compliments when my hair is braided. I think it's cute, and I won't be changing it for awhile. I figure that since I've figured out how to braid to the ends with a ribbon, and I can tuck that tiny tassel into any sort of updo easily enough, that I can just continue on indefinitely until I reach a length I feel comfortable enough at to maintain and thicken the ends up. If I want thickness (and color) I throw in a thin paranda or just a couple individual pieces of yarn/ribbon as I'm braiding. I've found thicker parandas just frustrate me as they're too heavy for my scalp and don't taper evenly with my hair, and I don't like the look.

I personally like the fairytailed look, and soft u/v hems, and sleek thinner braids. If I preferred blunter hems or braids without taper, I would probably switch to a more frequent trim schedule, or microtrim. As it is I currently prefer to grow past a milestone and then cut back to it later for my preferred hem rather than aggressively maintaining my hem over length.

[bparnell75]

Wispe, My tiny tassels look just like yours. I am with you on growing past goal and then do some micro trimming. There are a couple of buns I cannot do if I trim more than 2 inches from my hair so for now except for color we are hair twins. Did you see the tutorial for the Spock bun that Sarah made?

[wispe]

Wispe, My tiny tassels look just like yours. I am with you on growing past goal and then do some micro trimming. There are a couple of buns I cannot do if I trim more than 2 inches from my hair so for now except for color we are hair twins. Did you see the tutorial for the Spock bun that Sarah made?

Yes, I have a couple buns I definitely need those last 2-3 wispy inches to secure (orchid buns and the palmier, for example), and I also love how easy it is to tuck them into updos. I use a small topsy tail tool and literally weave the end through and under other braids, or under buns, etc.

Also, yes I have! Just typing a reply in the bun thread right now. :)

[Arctic]

I saw most beautiful braid today IRL: it was a side braid, maybe BCL braided. It was very thick near scalp, and had a considerable, even taper all the way down. It was very natural looking and it did NOT take away from the beauty. It was an impressive braid, thin ends or not. Without LHC I probably wouldn't even pay attention if someone has taper or not, and I've never seen it undesirable, just natural.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

My tassel should stop bothering me, may be something I need to live with I guess.

[Aredhel]

How about leaving a longer tassel and curling it? A cute little ringlet would be read more like "ooh how pretty" than "thin tassel".

Tried this yesterday actually; left a 6-inch tassle and I was much happier with the appearance of my braid.:D

[lucid]

http://i.imgur.com/Q5MA6vw.jpg?1

Thought I'd pop back in with pictures of my tiny tassel. I usually braid all the way down these days, tiny ends or not. If a teeny tassel is a sad sight, nobody has ever called me on it. Usually the opposite - I get the most compliments when my hair is braided. I think it's cute, and I won't be changing it for awhile. I figure that since I've figured out how to braid to the ends with a ribbon, and I can tuck that tiny tassel into any sort of updo easily enough, that I can just continue on indefinitely until I reach a length I feel comfortable enough at to maintain and thicken the ends up. If I want thickness (and color) I throw in a thin paranda or just a couple individual pieces of yarn/ribbon as I'm braiding. I've found thicker parandas just frustrate me as they're too heavy for my scalp and don't taper evenly with my hair, and I don't like the look.

I personally like the fairytailed look, and soft u/v hems, and sleek thinner braids. If I preferred blunter hems or braids without taper, I would probably switch to a more frequent trim schedule, or microtrim. As it is I currently prefer to grow past a milestone and then cut back to it later for my preferred hem rather than aggressively maintaining my hem over length.

That looks great, and I love the way you have tied it off with a ribbon! My tassel looked like that before I cut my hair, and I like that look a lot. I will probably get that look again in a year or so, since I plan on not trimming. :) I don't get why so many seems to dislike thin tassels.

[Aredhel]

That looks great, and I love the way you have tied it off with a ribbon! My tassel looked like that before I cut my hair, and I like that look a lot. I will probably get that look again in a year or so, since I plan on not trimming. :) I don't get why so many seems to dislike thin tassels.
Personal preference.:) I actually like the look on a lot of people, but I don't think the thin tassel works for me. I think it's also because my hair is dark, it makes my hair look extra thin.

[wispe]

That looks great, and I love the way you have tied it off with a ribbon! My tassel looked like that before I cut my hair, and I like that look a lot. I will probably get that look again in a year or so, since I plan on not trimming. :) I don't get why so many seems to dislike thin tassels.


Personal preference.:) I actually like the look on a lot of people, but I don't think the thin tassel works for me. I think it's also because my hair is dark, it makes my hair look extra thin.

Even mini silicone bands slide right out of my ends right now, I can't get them tight enough around without snapping either them, or my hair. So ribbons it is for the moment! I've got layered hair to begin with and I'm not trimming at the moment/for awhile yet so my fairytailing is only going to get more pronounced, and I'm kind of excited about it, not gonna lie. It also looks good with a ringletted tassel like is being suggested upthread.

Aredhel Oh yes, I definitely feel you on it being a personal preference/preferred style thing. It's not that one or the other is better, just which type of ends one prefers to have.