Hope for fine, thin hair?

[EquivalentSong9]

Dear Community,

I am posting looking for hope, inspiration and success stories. I have always had quite fine and thin hair (straight). I never liked my hair and was so envious of those with naturally fast-growing and thick hair.

My negative feelings about my hair led me to begin highlighting it starting at age 13, and using all manner of dry shampoos and volumizing sprays to get a fuller look. At 27, I found a game-changer and begin using tape-in hair extensions. I was so happy I finally had the "permanent" thickness and length I had always dreamed of. Fast forward a few years (now 30) and I noticed the hair at my crown and temples had become unbearably thin!
Even the dry shampoo and thickening powders were no longer helping. I also looked closer and realized it was VERY thin where my extensions were. It was a very tough decision, but I decided to remove the extensions once and for all in case they were contributing to the problem.

I went to a Functional Medicine Doctor and got my blood, urine, and even stool checked.They evaluated my inflammatory markers, vitamin levels and hormone levels. They found some "estrogen dominance," low vitamin D, low ferritin and very small levels of giardia and h.pylori. I begun eating meat regularly and taking supplements for these issues. I also went to a "regular" doctor, an OBGYN and a Dermatologist. They found nothing "wrong" with me.

I began using a LLLT helmet and rosemary oil twice weekly along with light trims I do myself. Fast-forward 6 months and diligent progress pictures, I see some *slight* progress in the barest of areas. My natural hair is now 21" but I am quite tall so it's only just past breast-height.

Furthermore, it is still very fine and very thin.

I am feeling discouraged as I had hoped that doing "everything" possible and fixing underlying deficiencies would finally give me the thick hair of my dreams.

Can any one share a success story of getting thick or even medium thick hair through hard-work and dedication? Any support is greatly appreciated. I know that hair is largely genetic, but I have to believe we can influence to a large degree with lifestyle.

For reference, my current ponytail is just under 2.5" in circumference. Thick to me would be a 4" ponytail and that is my ultimate hair goal!

XoXo
Violet

[EquivalentSong9]

P.s. I no longer highlight or use heat. I also use a silk pillow-case and wooden brush.

[Ylva]

Hi, welcome to the forum!

Your ponytail circumference of ~2.5" is not particularly thin at all. It's in the average range. Unfortunately, it's very unlikely that you'll be able to increase it to 4". Your strand thickness is largely what it is, and the number of hair follicles on your head is what it is. However, a healthy lifestyle will help you maximise your genetic potential, so you're well on the right track there, having had your bloodwork done, etc.

I know this probably isn't the answer you're looking for, but really, it comes down to accepting your hair as it is. It without a doubt has a lot of properties which many thicker-haired people here wish they had. Thickness isn't everything, there's much more to "nice hair" than that.

Low vit. D and ferritin are worth fixing for hair health as well as general health.

[lapushka]

This reminds me... where is the fine hair thread at? Anyone? If you can't get inspiration there, you can't get it anywhere.

[barnet_fair]

I'd like to echo everything Ylva said. Your circumference 2.5" is average thickness, not thin, and it is not possible to increase the thickness of your hair beyond the thickness it will naturally have when you are in good health.

It's very understandable that you would feel discouraged, and perhaps even a bit lost, because you believed that you could change this property of your hair with "hard work and dedication". The good news is that you've proven to yourself that you are capable of hard work and dedication, which is a virtue very valuable well beyond the world of hair!

If someone tells you they dramatically increased the thickness of their hair, that means that either:
1. They naturally have thick hair, and it returned to this state after correcting a nutritional deficiency or other health problem that caused their hair to grow more slowly or fall out more often, or
2. They made a mistake in measurement, or perhaps were biased in the measurements they selected due to wishful thinking.

You should allow yourself to process your feelings and acknowledge the journey you've gone through. One good way of moving past feelings of inferiority is to learn to really appreciate the beauty of others in its great variety and recognise that their beauty doesn't negate yours. So you don't have to pretend you don't like the look of thick hair, but you can look at those women whose thick hair you admire and pay them sincere compliments, mutually admire each other's aesthetic, then it really is win-win!

Think also about what having thick hair means to you. Do you associate it with health and strength - in that case, what else can you do to feel healthy and strong? Is it a feature of your favourite aesthetic or cultural clothing style - why do you like that particular style and what are the elements that you connect with?

Also do visit some of the threads for thin and fine hair here (though note that here we consider thin hair to be below 2" circ). I love to admire the silken and ethereal look of long thin/fine hair. I'm not sure exactly what yours is like, but one thing I've noticed about F/i/ii hair is that it often has beautiful colour variety in the strands with natural highlights and lowlights. Also, the 1a texture is quite rare and very much admired.
Thin/fine hair thread: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=17115
Straight and silky thread: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=22766
Thread for LHCers with ii hair who feel like it is i: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=93592

P.S. There was a similar thread to this one posted recently with some very thoughtful responses: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=154939

[Lady Stardust]

As well as the threads linked above, there are a couple of photo threads that you might like:
Photos of i thickness hair
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148418
Photos of 2-2.5” circumference hair
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=146590

Rectifying the low ferritin and low vitamin D will make a difference. It takes a while for the new growth to make its way down and show in your circumference measurement, so that’s something you can look forward to :)

My hair has a similar circumference to yours. Mine does feel thin to me sometimes, and other times I don’t mind so much. I do find that I need to be very careful with how I treat my hair, but then we’re in the right place for that attitude aren’t we :)

[alewyn]

I would echo what others have said--there is a biological maximum hair density for everyone, but that doesn't mean you can't work to make sure you're hitting that maximum. It sounds like you will likely see some difference in thickness if you are able to grow back the areas that are thinning due to the extensions, but it will probably not end up thicker than it was before you used the extensions.

But! Thin, fine hair can be extremely beautiful. Someone shared this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5GGpYzJW_A) on one of these threads a while back, and while the tips themselves might not work for everybody, there are some really beautiful shots of thinner, finer hair that show just how lovely it can be. Keep in mind that the widespread societal preference for thick hair goes way beyond its significance as a marker of health, nowadays--we are inundated with images of super thick, shiny hair, that are heavily doctored and mostly showing people with extensions, both on social media and in advertising. Those images are often accompanied by half-truths about how the person achieved "thicker, fuller hair" because they're trying to sell you something.

That's not to say you can't play around with making your hair look thicker when you want to, just for fun! You can add parandas, braid-in extensions, and accent braid extensions to a lot of styles without the damage some types of extensions cause.

[lapushka]

Yep; what others have mentioned. We are born with a set number of follicles on the head. That is what you get. Under good healthy circumstances you will probably reach the maximum of what you are given. And that is something to strive for. But you can't increase your follicles. No way, no how.

Welcome!

[embee]

Your hair is medium, according to measurements, I think. I face the same situation and have finally decided I have a choice: Thin/fine short hair or thin/fine long hair. That decision is easy for me. :)

[Allorapisma]

Is your hair currently thinner than it was before extensions? Because if you got hair shedding and your ponytail diameter is still 2.5", that could mean that your hair is naturally thick. Perhaps it just looked thin because it's straight.
For reference I have fine wavy hair and when it's wavy it looks thick, but when I straighten it (and I often do), it looks much thinner, but I do it to combat the frizz.

Maybe you could try some wavy hairstyles but don't use heat 'cause it's very damaging. There are bunch of heatless curls tutorials on Youtube!

[squirrrel]

Unfortunately, if you’re hoping that we can reassure you that your hair can be thicker, you can see that this is something we can’t do. We all have the same information for you: only so many follicles on your head and only so much thickness there. If you lost thickness you can probably grow it back (each head is different but I believe it does tend to thin some as we get older) but it will take time to do this). And if you are measuring above two inches your hair is normal thickness: yes, some people get a lot thicker but there are people who would be thrilled with this as they have half your thickness or less. They are the people with thin hair.

It’s probably healthier if you can begin to consider what you like about your hair’s current thickness. For example, my hair is a little thinner than yours is and I do love the aesthetic of long thick hair where there is minimal taper. It does look amazing. Thin hair can be just as beautiful though. Plus it becomes easier to do hairstyle with (people with thicker hair need to grow longer to have enough hair to be able to achieve some of the buns or other hairstyles so popular here) and it’s nowhere near as heavy: I have seen several people either searching for updo’s their head can tolerate or cutting it short so they don’t have to deal with the headaches that the weight of their hair causes. It is also cooler in the heat of summer. These are generic benefits of average hair that can help you enjoy what you have more rather than hankering after the impossible.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the journey of accepting what you have is just as important to embrace as the journey of growing your hair long. Like many here I have been at this far years: when I joined I was around BSL and there will likely be a few pictures of my hair at this length. Now I have reached a little past classic and am growing towards mid thigh length. It’s wavy and that often changes how long it looks too. The ends thin out a lot but it’s still growing and looks well. My current plan is to grow on to somewhere around mid thigh or even knee and then maintain around there. Maybe the thickness will then grow down some. If not I might just do occasional chops and be in a cycle of growing from one milestone to another for a bit. But the important part of all this is that I take the time to enjoy the hair I have while I have it and see if I can find the least damaging ways of caring for it so it’s in as good a condition as I can get when it reaches each new length.

[dancedance]

Well it is possible that your hair will get thicker with time now that you aren't using extensions, if the extensions caused the thinness. In 6 months your hair would only grow a few inches, maybe less if your hair grows slowly, so it's possible that you just need more time to see a difference.

[paper.wyrm]

I'd be tempted to do some scalp massages to try and encourage regrowth where you had the extensions, maybe with some castor oil. Ultimately it will take time, and it'll be gradual, you may be surprised by the difference in a year.

[xanthochromia]

In case other people with fine/thin hair are seeing this, here's someone else (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqdi4D317vJkxPuo0lHGfuQ) on YouTube with fine, straight, i/ii (5cm/2" ponytail) hair that's about hip-length. Her video on her protective styles shows what a long pigtail braid looks like, which was nice for me to see as I was bemoaning how thin my double braids are. Hers look lovely and that means mine are okay too! I think everything else has already been said.

[Butterfly Blue]

There is hope!! At least to have your fine hair reach its full potential. Healthy hair is beautiful hair, whether it's fine or not.

I have fine hair also. This has led to my constant search for healthy hair tips. After many years, I can finally say I have made a lot of progress.
I strongly believe in hair growth oils. While I have had great results with these, I was getting tired of having to use a strong shampoo to get the oil out.

In comes hair teas! https://i.postimg.cc/qgpmgJ4n/IMG-6479.jpg (https://postimg.cc/qgpmgJ4n)

I learned from others how to make hair teas. Just using rosemary would be fine, but I include a sprig of lavender and a Chamomile tea bag too. Pour hot, but not boiling, water over the herbs and steep for 4 hrs to overnight. Put in a spray bottle and store in the refrigerator. I spray my roots daily with this. This increases hair growth and reduces shedding.

My hair fall has decreased and the shine is great.

Also, my current hair routine: In addition to the daily tea spray, I make my own shampoo with Castile soap, water, jojoba oil, aloe vera juice and liquid lecithin (to emulsify). Then I rinse with an apple cider vinegar rinse, which I leave on for about 1 to 3 minutes, like I would a conditioner. Rinse out.

When I get out of the shower, I wrap my hair in a hair towel. When I take the towel off, I use a spray comprised of half aloe vera juice and half Rose water as my leave-in conditioner (Also kept in the fridge with a spray bottle)

Did you notice there are no oils, except in the shampoo? Fine hair doesn't necessarily need oils. It weighs it down. There are so many other ways to condition our fine hair.

All the hair tips I would read included oils. I was always searching for how to get the same ingredients that help hair, in a form that didn't included oil. It was hard for me to figure it all out. I hope this helps:blossom:

[tuanyiji]

If your hair loss was traction alopecia caused by long-time extensions, and the doctors said you don’t have anything else wrong, then there is still hope. Since you’re using LLLT (I have an iRestore helmet and I know it’s not cheap) and rosemary already, why not start minoxidil? It’s one of the two FDA-approved medications for hair loss (Finasteride is usually for male pattern hair loss). Try ask your doctor about it and show your concern, maybe they would give you a reasonable prescription.

On top of topical treatment and LLLT, a nutritious diet, daily massage, constant hydration, sufficient sleep and lots of sweaty exercise, a positive mindset and stress-free lifestyle will generally boost health all around.

6 months is still too short to see obvious progress from hair loss recovery, it takes time for hair to grow. And it takes longer for it to grow long, well, if you keep trimming it. I am a no-trimmer. It took me about a year and some painful microneedling combined with all the above mentioned strategies (and some quackish fixes that I’d grown out of) to recover to 80% of what I used to be (check out my hair story where I lost over 30,000 hairs in a few months) and now my pony is back to over 10cm. The new growth around my hairline are still mostly baby wispies.

Granted, genetics have gifted me thick hair to begin with, which I am grateful for my parents. But don’t give up just because you have naturally fine and thin hair. You can make it beautiful at whatever amount or length it is at by embracing it first.

[spidermom]

You are doing the right things - optimizing your health and the way you care for your hair. I don't know what thickness you will be able to achieve, but you will see improvement - that is guaranteed. Enjoy!