Good evening everyone.

[Tea addict]

Good evening everyone,


I'm a 36 year old dutch woman and I've been struggling with my hair ever since it started changing texture after my hair loss started at age 21 (now diagnosed and in treatment).
I still haven't learned what works well for me when it comes to hair care.
My hair confuses me, sometimes it's more wavy, other times more straight. It's always frizzy to some degree.
My hair is thin (individual hairs are thin) and sparse (not many hairs per square cm).
I've got short bits around the hairline in front whilst I didn't have this before age 21, and extra thinning in the mid part.


My goal is to grow my hair to waist length (if that is at all possible) and have healthy hair that is as thick as possible.
My hair is currently a little longer than BSL.
I've just started using a sulfate free shampoo bar so I will just see what happens, take notes and take my time reading the hair care information on the forum.

I will add some pictures.

My frizz halo on freshly washed and air dried hair
https://i.postimg.cc/tCPzQpVn/frizz-halo-anon.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

My hair loss (freshly washed and air dried)
https://i.postimg.cc/CKMCq8rb/hair-loss-edges.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/sXQhY4YG/hair-loss-mid-part.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

After brushing one side on freshly washed and air dried hair(frizz gets worse)
https://i.postimg.cc/pVK9PTqv/after-dry-brushing-anon.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I washed it on a Sunday, this is what happens to the frizz and the texture on the Friday evening after. It seems the natural oils and daily brushing take out most of the wave.
https://i.postimg.cc/MZ9CM0sm/friday-after-sunday-2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I put some digital stickers on the ones where I thought my expression was weird.

Thank you for reading.

[ophelia]

Nice to meet you, Tea addict. Your hair is so beautiful and long!

[Tea addict]

That's very kind of you, thank you.

[lapushka]

Welcome fellow Dutch speaker. :D :flower:

Looks like your hair is quite wavy. Maybe let us hairtype you (you would need a hairtyping picture for that, which means just wash it, but don't comb or brush it and let it dry, yes you can use a towel, but just don't mess with the hair pattern).

[Tea addict]

Welcome fellow Dutch speaker. :D :flower:

Looks like your hair is quite wavy. Maybe let us hairtype you (you would need a hairtyping picture for that, which means just wash it, but don't comb or brush it and let it dry, yes you can use a towel, but just don't mess with the hair pattern).

Thank you.
I think the first 3 pictures I posted were simply washed and airdried. No combing/brushing, I dabbed off the excess water with a towel (no rubbing) and just let it airdry/hang.
I'd like to know my hair type and I'm not sure what all that frizz means. Is there a specific subforum/thread I should post in to be hair typed? I could not find it.
My concern with the pictures is the quality. I have used my phone camera from 2015 and have nothing with better resolution on hand.
I could wait and take new pictures after a fresh wash of course.

[HeidiB]

Welcome ! I really love your hair, looks very silky in the last pic :D

[Tea addict]

Welcome ! I really love your hair, looks very silky in the last pic :D

Thank you, that's so kind of you.
To be honest it's getting pretty greasy in that last picture. When I know I will spend the weekend home alone I will always try to postpone wash day as long as the grease level is still comfortable.

[NicoleLionne]

Hi fellow Dutchie!

Your hair is absolutely beautiful, it looks so silky!

Seconding Lapushka, you may have a bit of wave in your hair. As far as I can tell from the pictures, your texture reminds me a bit of my mothers hair, when hers was around BSL. A lot of her waves dropped out when it was long, but it had a tendency to become frizzy. Right now she has a lot more layers and shorter hair and it is quite curly. The threads for wavy hair could be a big help.

If I'm doing this correctly, this should be the hairtyping thread:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=81905

[Tea addict]

Hi fellow Dutchie!

Your hair is absolutely beautiful, it looks so silky!

Seconding Lapushka, you may have a bit of wave in your hair. As far as I can tell from the pictures, your texture reminds me a bit of my mothers hair, when hers was around BSL. A lot of her waves dropped out when it was long, but it had a tendency to become frizzy. Right now she has a lot more layers and shorter hair and it is quite curly. The threads for wavy hair could be a big help.

If I'm doing this correctly, this should be the hairtyping thread:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=81905

Thank you so much for the kinds words, and for showing me the hairtyping thread. I think I'm going to ask my mother to get a good clear picture of my freshly washed hair from the back for the hairtyping.

[abbie95]

Hello!
Some really nice length you've got going on, the last picture looks silky and shiny :)

[Carrie's hair]

Welcome. I think your hair has a lot of potential :cheer:.
I really like their color :eyebrows:.

[Feral_]

Hello and welcome! I think you could cultivate those lovely waves easily enough.

[Tea addict]

Hello!
Some really nice length you've got going on, the last picture looks silky and shiny :)

Thank you for your kind words. I can't wait to get a better routine figured out.

[Tea addict]

Welcome. I think your hair has a lot of potential :cheer:.
I really like their color :eyebrows:.

Thanks so much for the words of encouragement. Do you have the same color? Mine is between dark blonde and light brown.

[Tea addict]

Hello and welcome! I think you could cultivate those lovely waves easily enough.

Thank you, I hope so too :)

[baanoo]

Welcome! Your color is lovely –*such beautiful warm copper. :) Looking forward to being a part of your haircare journey.

[Carrie's hair]

Thanks so much for the words of encouragement. Do you have the same color? Mine is between dark blonde and light brown.
My color is a light / medium brown. It is getting darker every year. As a child, I was blonde. For several years, I have been using cassia, which adds a golden glow and emphasizes my natural ginger shine. Ha ha, basically no one sees the change in my color.

[TatsuOni]

Welcome! Your hair looks beautiful :)

[Tea addict]

Welcome! Your color is lovely –*such beautiful warm copper. :) Looking forward to being a part of your haircare journey.

Thank you, that's so nice :)

[Tea addict]

My color is a light / medium brown. It is getting darker every year. As a child, I was blonde. For several years, I have been using cassia, which adds a golden glow and emphasizes my natural ginger shine. Ha ha, basically no one sees the change in my color.

Cassia; you mean cinnamon leaf to color tone your hair with? At least you can enjoy the golden glow, even if no-one else notices.
I had almost white hair when I was a kid, then golden blonde until I was around 17, and it got darker in my twenties. I don't mind it getting darker because that can help hide the sparseness of it.

[Tea addict]

Welcome! Your hair looks beautiful :)

Thank you, that's very kind of you.

[Garnetgem]

Welcome! :)

[shelomit]

Howdy, nice to meet you! I think at least some of the frizziness may be caused by your hair being a little wavier than you realize, which is making it poof and frizz when you brush it. You might try a) not brushing your hair at all when it is dry, or b) letting your hair dry in a bun or braid. I find that, if I let my hair dry in a bun (especially one that is not "twisted"), I can comb or brush it later in the week without provoking too much frizz. Many people with wavy hair swear by brushing/combing only when it is wet, and either finger-detangling the rest of the time or just letting the hair be. That is definitely the best way to go if you want to make your hair look curlier, but either method should help control the frizz a little.

[Tea addict]

Welcome! :)

Thank you :)

[Tea addict]

Howdy, nice to meet you! I think at least some of the frizziness may be caused by your hair being a little wavier than you realize, which is making it poof and frizz when you brush it. You might try a) not brushing your hair at all when it is dry, or b) letting your hair dry in a bun or braid. I find that, if I let my hair dry in a bun (especially one that is not "twisted"), I can comb or brush it later in the week without provoking too much frizz. Many people with wavy hair swear by brushing/combing only when it is wet, and either finger-detangling the rest of the time or just letting the hair be. That is definitely the best way to go if you want to make your hair look curlier, but either method should help control the frizz a little.

Thank you for sharing this.
I have always brushed my hair when it's dry and it's been frizzy for years now. I didn't hear about "don't brush when dry" until a short while ago.
One of the reasons I felt like I needed to brush when dry lately was because the process of washing my hair with chickpea flour paste was creating tangles in the shower. And my attempt to brush the tangles out under the shower, even when I was being my most careful, so I could avoid brushing when dry ripped out more hair than I wanted.
I am now in my trial month of a shampoo bar I am trying. Hopefully that doesn't create as many tangles during washing.

What's your strategy to exit the shower tangle free?

[shelomit]

Thank you for sharing this.
I have always brushed my hair when it's dry and it's been frizzy for years now. I didn't hear about "don't brush when dry" until a short while ago.
One of the reasons I felt like I needed to brush when dry lately was because the process of washing my hair with chickpea flour paste was creating tangles in the shower. And my attempt to brush the tangles out under the shower, even when I was being my most careful, so I could avoid brushing when dry ripped out more hair than I wanted.
I am now in my trial month of a shampoo bar I am trying. Hopefully that doesn't create as many tangles during washing.

What's your strategy to exit the shower tangle free?

Well, I haven't used dry shampoos in ages so some of my advice might not be applicable with the chickpea flour method, but should probably apply okay with the shampoo bar. I am mostly a conditioner-only washer these days, with conventional shampoo a few times a year. Many people swear by brushes that are specifically made for wet use, but I just use this kind (https://www.ulta.com/nylon-cushion-brush-set?productId=xlsImpprod18971163&sku=2533170&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&cagpspn=pla&CATCI=pla-295156948500&CAAGID=19364099550&CAWELAID=330000200001495822&CATARGETID=330000200001418768&CADevice=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgZek5J2K7AIVT9bACh033wNxEAYYAyAB EgLe8PD_BwE). I got one at Target probably a decade ago, picked off the balls at the ends of the tines with a tweezer, and it has held up just fine ever since. I don't really try to detangle my hair at all until I put in conditioner. At that point, I get any major tangles out by picking them out with my fingers, then go through slowly with a brush from bottom to top. I don't wash my hair upside-down, which I have never learned how to do without getting tangles. Instead, I just put my hair into two sections--parted down the middle as it usually is, left and right--and try not to do any motions that seem like it could tangle the hair while applying or rinsing out products. After I rinse out the conditioner and turn the water off, I usually squeeze out a little bit of the water with my hands and do one more quick brush-through while the hair is still very wet. Generally I put it up in a bun immediately, or more rarely a braid. I always get tangles in the little "baby hairs" around the hairline and which are too short to be incorporated in the braid or bun, but this method really helps me keep tangles out of the lengths.

[Tea addict]

Well, I haven't used dry shampoos in ages so some of my advice might not be applicable with the chickpea flour method, but should probably apply okay with the shampoo bar. I am mostly a conditioner-only washer these days, with conventional shampoo a few times a year. Many people swear by brushes that are specifically made for wet use, but I just use this kind (https://www.ulta.com/nylon-cushion-brush-set?productId=xlsImpprod18971163&sku=2533170&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&cagpspn=pla&CATCI=pla-295156948500&CAAGID=19364099550&CAWELAID=330000200001495822&CATARGETID=330000200001418768&CADevice=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgZek5J2K7AIVT9bACh033wNxEAYYAyAB EgLe8PD_BwE). I got one at Target probably a decade ago, picked off the balls at the ends of the tines with a tweezer, and it has held up just fine ever since. I don't really try to detangle my hair at all until I put in conditioner. At that point, I get any major tangles out by picking them out with my fingers, then go through slowly with a brush from bottom to top. I don't wash my hair upside-down, which I have never learned how to do without getting tangles. Instead, I just put my hair into two sections--parted down the middle as it usually is, left and right--and try not to do any motions that seem like it could tangle the hair while applying or rinsing out products. After I rinse out the conditioner and turn the water off, I usually squeeze out a little bit of the water with my hands and do one more quick brush-through while the hair is still very wet. Generally I put it up in a bun immediately, or more rarely a braid. I always get tangles in the little "baby hairs" around the hairline and which are too short to be incorporated in the braid or bun, but this method really helps me keep tangles out of the lengths.

The chickpea flour paste is just chick pea flour (untoasted) mixed with water into a paste. Kind of the thickness of a conditioner. Then you apply this to wet hair and really massage it into the scalp, and this process tends to create tangles in my hair with this paste. There's also no slip or slick to the paste so it's hard to work into the scalp.

I can't really view the ulta website (it says access denied, must have something to do with being in the netherlands). But I might try one of those shampoo/wet brushes. They're cheap enough and I've seen some in the local drug stores. Something I want to look into as well is a conditioner that doesn't weigh down my thin hair and doesn't create this film on the hair that makes it attract dust and makes my hair greasier earlier.
Hopefully the shampoo bar I'm using will create enough slick during the shower so I can detangle with the shampoo in my hair during the washing.
I'm looking forward to putting my wet hair in a braid since that always looks beautiful when it's dry.

Thank you for giving me a detailed run though about what you do to keep the tangles away.