Where's the volume control on this thing? :p

[MandaMom2Three]

Ok, I am very happily attaining the length I want, and while it's doing it's thing I would like to focus on the volume. My hair always looked like it had volume before, but it was due to the frizz. Now that I've lost the frizz, I can really see the lack of volume (to give you an idea, all my hair pulled together is only the diameter of my finger, and I have very small hands!). Since I saw in another thread the recommendation to work on volume, I'm assuming there are things I can do to help this. I am still a hair care newb :o so ANY advice on how to increase thickness is welcome! :)

[MandaMom2Three]

*BUMP*

Quit holding out on me! You have tips, I KNOW you do!!! ;)

[kschr2004]

I have thicker hair than you but it's very straight and therefore I have issues with volume as well. I find that volumizing shampoos and conditioners work the best for me. Also, I try to wash only about every three days - day 3 gives me my best volume.

[spidermom]

To maintain volume, trimming is essential. It gives slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up to faster growing hairs. You have to find the balance, though. Keep records and make sure you only trim half or less of your growth every 2-3 months. Untrimmed hair can thin out fast.

[MandaMom2Three]

Hmmmmm, I see. Well, I guess I'll focus on the length for now and wait on the volume until I reach my target. I've tried volumizing products and never really saw any noticeable difference. I'm also still tossing the idea of henna around. Haven't made up my mind on that one yet.

[kschr2004]

What volumizing products have you tried? Some of the ones that I tried were better than others. I actually find that Avalon Organics volumizing shampoo and conditioner work really well for me.

Another thing that works is wearing it up in a ponytail on top of my head at night, or a bun or braid during the day if I want to wear it down at night for more volume.

Oh, and depending on whether you could put up with it, when I use wrap snap and go curlers at night, I have been told I have supermodel hair the next day. The big problem with these is that they are kind of hard to sleep on.

Kimberly

[Anje]

Scalp massage, good nutrition, and possibly supplements and Monistat can encourage your hair to grow to its thickest potential. That isn't to say you (or I) will ever manage to have thickness like Dianyla, but if you take care of your health and your scalp, as well as caring for the hair you have so that it doesn't break, your thickness can probably be improved at least a bit. My hair is nowhere as thick as I'd like it to be either, especially in the longer portions, but I'm hoping that trims and good care will have it thickened yet!

[lizzyjo]

I have fine, straight hair, and I find that blowdrying with my head upside down creates a lot of volume. I'll also sleep with my hair in braids to create full, wavy hair the next day.

[SylphideNoir]

The quick methods are: blowdrying, volumizing styling products, washing with stronger substances, etc.
All of these cover the problem fast and fix nothing. The way each of these things make hair feel and look thicker is they raise the cuticle scales on each strand of hair thus making each strand feel like it has increased in girth. In actuallity each strand is wider because the protective layer is frayed out in all directions. There is a fabulous article on this site about damaged hair and the care of it, with pictures of hair strands up-close. It has a ton of very useful information on kicking the damaging habits.
You mentioned you had frizz. Frizzy hair is often hair that is multi layered, meaning strands that are all different lengths and stand away from each other in different directions. Like SpiderMom said, trimming will slowly get all of those hairs grown to the same length. The more hair strands you have at a given length the more density there is. Continuing with healthy hair care techniques such as gentle cleaning and conditioning for your hair type and damage level, regular trims, a focus on scalp health and reduction of breakage down the length should give you the best results. It is a long process but worth it.
ETA: Here's the article (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=79)

[Vivien']

Hi !
I see on your avatar that you have bangs. Maybe you could just grow these bangs ? In order to increase the number of strands, so the overall volume will increase.
And I think trimming will just thicken the ends.
And if your hair was damaged (or unhealthy) some times ago, maybe you could just wait for the thickness :)

[GlassEyes]

If it was damaged pre-LHC, you may have to wait for volume and thickness.

Some use unrefined shea butter for lift at the roots, I believe. There have been other threads in the Mane Forum on it that you can find if you search for them.

[MandaMom2Three]

Yes I have layers and bangs right now, but all my hair was finger width when I had no layers and no bangs :( . But I never took care of my hair then either.

(My avatar pic was taken just after I got back from the salon early this past spring. That morning I had waist length medium brown hair :( .)

Thank you all for the tips! I am just going to focus on the hair TLC and give my hair some time :o). Thanks everyone!

[Sherri]

I have been thinking of using a root lifter to get volume, but I am to scared to try because you have to use blowfryer with it. I am tring to stay away from heat tools the best I can. I seen a girl who does use it and talk about some big hair. She says she uses that instead of hairspray. But I think she ends up getting alot cut of from time to time because of damage IMO.

[MandaMom2Three]

Sherri I just have to say I LOVE your siggy pic SO MUCH!! Great hair and ADORABLE child!!!!!

[Lady Godiva]

My hair always looked like it had volume before, but it was due to the frizz. Now that I've lost the frizz, I can really see the lack of volume (to give you an idea, all my hair pulled together is only the diameter of my finger, and I have very small hands!). Since I saw in another thread the recommendation to work on volume, I'm assuming there are things I can do to help this. I am still a hair care newb :o so ANY advice on how to increase thickness is welcome! :)
The first thing is to realize is that your hair really has not lost volume. What you saw before with the fuzz was just the perception of volume, which included a lot of air. Air doesn't count when taking volume measurements (at the nape), so you haven't lost any hair by going from old haircare habits to new habits. That's good news!

Another thing is to realize that people's genetics are different. Some have genes for thick hair, some for medium volume, and some for thin volume. There's only so much we can do, as we can't change our biology.

That said, there are things that you can do, all of which concern types of hair care, meaning how you trim it, handle it, cleanse it, and the like.

Having layers in hair thins hair. It's simple mathematics, as what isn't there cannot add to volume. Likewise, bangs, which are a short type of layers at the forehead area, also don't contribute to length volume. Bangs simply don't exist in the length. Hence, one way to add volume to long hair is to grow out layers and bangs, and eventually that hair can grow long enough to be added into the length volume calculation.

Handling makes a big difference. Quickly brushing hair to detangle drags the bristles through hair. This is less of a problem for Coarse hair than for Medium hair (yours), and it's more of a problem for Fine hair (I haven't brushed my hair for a decade, for instance). Usually using a comb forces people to slow down when detangling, as they are stopped at the tangles and wind up more carefully picking through them to undo them, which saves hair length. Or they can just rip through them, too, but either way, if just swiftly running a brush or comb through hair and hearing the tearing, ripping sounds, that causes breakage and hair loss, too. Careless brushing or combing thins hair's potential volume measurement.

Frequent shampooing and putting all the hair on top of the head to scrub away causes lots of unnecessary tangles, which of course have to be detangled. That's a whole lot of work that can be avoided by detangling carefully prior to shampooing and keeping the hair down while cleansing just the scalp, letting the suds flow through the ends, if one wants. Hair length doesn't require heavy shampooing, if any. Often conditioning more than suffices to keep hair length clean.

Also, restraining hair while busy with activities like yard/house work or outdoor sports can make a difference for hair volume. Not only does high activity contribute to tangles (that have to be detangled), but the chance of catching long hair in shrubs or drawer pulls or equipment/fellow players does nothing to help your hair remain healthy and at its maximum volume potential. Ask anyone who's cooked at a stove with her hair down or who's come close to catching her hair in a holiday candle what the value of updos mean to her. :waving:

These are some ways that people can affect actual, not perceived, hair volume. Volumizing shampoos might work for a short while (they don't work on my hair), and the same goes for other temporary methods. If, however, you're looking for long-term increase in actual hair volume, perhaps give some thoughts to the ideas above. :)

[Ohio Sky]

The only suggestion I may have is to try shampoo bars, if you never have. They didn't work that well for me for some reason, and I couldn't force a comb in there to save my life but man was my hair feeling thick! I know many others have experienced this as well.
Some also swear by ACV rinses for volume.

[harpgal]

To maintain volume, trimming is essential. It gives slower-growing hairs a chance to catch up to faster growing hairs. You have to find the balance, though. Keep records and make sure you only trim half or less of your growth every 2-3 months. Untrimmed hair can thin out fast.
Yes, I agree with this. If you want a fuller hemline, trimming is essential. There are those who do not have to do this but most of us do have to trim to keep our hemlines full.

As far as gaining thickness in your ponytail....well, I don't know about that. Good genes, nutrition, balanced hormones, and care help in that area.

[Sherri]

Sherri I just have to say I LOVE your siggy pic SO MUCH!! Great hair and ADORABLE child!!!!!
Thanks, I giggled so much when I saw this pic I had to use it. lol

[Wind Dragon]

Great points and pointers from Lady Godiva.

I'm afraid I have nothing helpful to add. I just like puns. :lol:

[MandaMom2Three]

Well, if hubby gives the go ahead (he's paying :D ) I'm going to get some henna and a shampoo bar from mehandi.com :). I'm also going to start scalp massage to help encourage healthier growth. Once I reach my target length (likely in about a year and a half) I'll start trimming too, but even if it's thin, I want to get the length first. But I'll be giving my hair lots of attention and we'll see if it doesn't start thickening up a little.

[ladyloo]

I have EXTREMELY thin hair, i find spraying Batiste Dry Shampoo then plating my hair before bed works for me, It also means i'm not washing as often. I swear by it now, i have no choice!
Hope that helps.

[heidi w.]

I would like to second all of what Lady Godiva wrote.

I see from your avatar, assuming this is the O.P.'s image, that your hair would definitely increase in volume if you chose to allow the bangs to grow out and contribute to your overall length.

ETA: I know several people who did this and were very pleased with the results. I too once had bangs and allowed them to grow out and haven't looked back. I am a very fine hair type (just lots of it!!), stick straight.

I am one who did NOT trim in any regular way over the years, and my hair really thinned out at the ends in terms of volume. I somewhat recently had a very good trim conducted, and it has made a big difference to the thickness of the ends, for sure, and improved immensely the look of my overall hair.

I also went through a phase where my hair pretty much stopped growing for almost 2 years, perhaps micro-inching along. I also detected what's known as a "weak spot" on one extreme side of my length. SO, I chose for almost 2 years to keep my hair trimmed at 55 inches, which is right around kneecaps for me, to allow time for it to catch up. While the weak spot persists in some measure, it did help.

Layers do detract from volume since the way layers are achieved is not only cutting into the volume of hair, various lengths to create a perception of volume, or lift, even; but often those ends of those wisps are razor edged down, meaning the cuticle is sheared off. This will therefore incite more damage in time, allow for easier breakage, and definitely thins off volume.

Volume is about hairs per square inch that you receive genetically, and it's about diameter of the hair strands. IF the strands are shaved down, such as in the scenario of creating layers, then the volume of individual strands is sized down (diameter).

Like Lady Godiva, a brush probably hasn't touched my hair in about 6-7 years with the exception of my occasional boar bristle brushing -- which I ONLY DO with DETANGLED HAIR, and I switch to a comb to detangle any tangles I might encounter when BBBing.

I strongly believe that a huge part of having as much volume as you can have per one's hair type and genetics is absolutely connected to a clean and healthy scalp skin. Therefore, don't wash too often NOR TOO INfrequently. Why?

If you wait too long, the ever-present bacteria that's on the scalp skin to help with the balance of the acid mantle goes into some effort to break down sebum when sebum loads up too much. When waiting too long, as in more than 5-7 days, for a hair wash (I recommend every 3-4 days, wash; scalp skin issues, may need to up every other day. Some more severe conditions may require every day washing.), then this bacteria becomes quite active and voluminous (note the skanky smell of the hair/skin scalp) and can get into hair follicles and cause the early release of an otherwise healthy hair strand.

Finally, make sure your diet is very good, especially as it concerns iron and protein. Women with even borderline anemia (lack of sufficient iron) can have a kind of low-grade, yet high and chronic hair loss cycle, and in time this can affect overall volume. A simple blood screen will tell you what you need to know. In prep for your mensus, eat food rich in iron to offset the spike in usage of iron, or loss thereof through the bleeding. Do NOT take an iron pill. A simple multi-vitamin a day with a little bit of iron will help.

I find zinc helps, magnesium, for example.

I scritch my scalp skin before every single hair wash, AND I wash my hair tools every single hair wash to ensure I don't re-introduce any skank from my overly oily hair back into clean hair. Change the pillowcase.

Take care when putting hair in ponytails, braids. Don't pull hair tightly and don't tie off at the same point all the time. This can cause a line of demarcation via thinning.

Take updos down in reverse order you put them up.

Hair ornaments need to be safe for hair. This includes sticks and bobbypins.

Sleep on a slippery pillowcase, wear hair up as often as you can to protect it and the ends, too! from windy weather, seatbelts, jewelry clasps, zippers and mostly, now that winter's coming, sweaters and jackets that are rougher textures that hair cannot slide against.

Use a humidifer, especially during winter, in your bedroom. (Tip for less dry hair in winter from Lady Grace. Helps skin too!)

Condition the hair every single hair wash. Don't skip this.

heidi w.

[heidi w.]

Do know that we do NOT maintain the volume of hair over our entire life. Probably in the age of 20-25 or so is when we experience our thickest volume. By 35 it's likely come to a statis of something a bit less than the 20s, and by 60, for most, it begins to be noticed. This is all in response to the onset of hormones and the waning of hormones over the cycle of our life.

heidi w.

[MandaMom2Three]

Just want to throw in there that my hair was finger width BEFORE I cut my bangs (so not the brightest thing to cut bangs but at least I only used the VERY "frontest" (my new word of the day :D ) hair to make bangs to at least minimize the volume loss a little :p (oh and I got them cut in April I believe and I have been growing them out ever since ;) )

[heidi w.]

AH! Ooo, I do like the look of your bangs, though.
heidi w.

[spidermom]

Frizzy hair is often hair that is multi layered, meaning strands that are all different lengths and stand away from each other in different directions. Like SpiderMom said, trimming will slowly get all of those hairs grown to the same length.

Of course you'll never get ALL of your hairs to the same length because you shed and regrow hairs every single day. So you're always going to have hairs at every length. What trimming does is hold back the fastest growing hairs so that some of the slower growing hairs can catch up, which makes the overall volume thicker.

Blow-drying upside down will give volume, especially with a little product used at the roots. You don't have to get all your hair dry, just the stuff touching your scalp. When you straighten back up, you should have some lift.

[MandaMom2Three]

Heidi- I liked them too at first, then I regretted cutting them. Then they were a REAL pain growing out, only now are they starting to hang DOWN more than stick out sideways :D