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freznow
February 14th, 2009, 07:12 PM
Not sure if the answer to this question is more obvious than I think it is, but I've heard many people saying that their grey hair is more coarse than their pre-grey hair. Does this mean that the overall thickness of the hair would increase, or does the change not really matter with the general thickness?

AutumnLeaves
February 14th, 2009, 07:35 PM
I would think if the hair is coarser, thickness would increase. Coarser hair is thicker hair than fine hair...

But then I don't know what I'm talking about half the time, so maybe someone else will weigh in! Good question!

Silverlox
February 14th, 2009, 07:36 PM
I don't know the "ultimate" reply to your question, but having been there, I can tell you about my experience..

The first few grey did seem somewhat more wiry and "stiffer" than my usual baby hairs. However, in retrospect I think it could have just been the big contrast between the silvers and the background of brownish-black. Or perhaps because the grey hairs needed more moisture and were simply dry. ETA I didn't oil back then, but I do now.

Now that almost all my hair is in different stages of greyness, I don't feel like they're coarser at all. My hair is still baby fine and very soft. As previously, some strands are finer than others, so much so, that I can only feel them and have a hard time seeing them, even with good light.

The overall amount of my hair is less, rather than more. The last time I had long hair, I was in my mid-20's and when I parted it down the middle and made two braids, each was about the thickness of my one braid, containing all my hair, now. Although my hair was longer then than it is now, I had a nice and thick hemline. Now I have fairytails.

However, I wouldn't call this scientifically significant, as there are many factors to weigh in, not just the natural colour of the hair.
One factor is age, of course. Most people seem to get somewhat thinner hair as they age, although I'm not sure at what age that's supposed to start.
Another factor is health. I've had some health related problems the past few years and have had periods of massive shedding. And when I say massive, I mean like being able to knit a new sweater every week.. :rolleyes:

Not sure how helpful this is, as basically my reply could be boiled down to a definite it depends.. :o

Elenna
February 14th, 2009, 07:42 PM
Grey hair can become more wirey (the politically correct term) or not change in texture at all. For example, I have fine brown and grey hair. As Silverlox says, hair does get thinner though.

spidermom
February 14th, 2009, 07:45 PM
I have read that the percentage of hair follicles that are actively growing hair goes down as you age, so even if the hairs are more coarse, there will be fewer of them, so the thickness could end up being about the same. I've seen a lot of older women with thin hair as well. Mine is a mix. The silvery-blonde hairs are as fine as my hairs ever were, but the white ones are wirey. I can't tell if my hair has thinned out at all, so it probably hasn't.

MeMyselfandI
February 14th, 2009, 07:47 PM
I don't know the "ultimate" reply to your question, but having been there, I can tell you about my experience..

The first few grey did seem somewhat more wiry and "stiffer" than my usual baby hairs. However, in retrospect I think it could have just been the big contrast between the silvers and the background of brownish-black. Or perhaps because the grey hairs needed more moisture and were simply dry. ETA I didn't oil back then, but I do now.

...


Silverlox, I do not think it was the big contrast at all.

I remember when the first greys started showing up, I was blown away at the texture. I remember holding a strand of hair, some my natural colour (no black just the light brown) the rest of the strand was grey. The grey part felt like a piece of frayed polyester cord. I remember thinking how can this happen, this is not just the lost of pigmentation.

Now many years later, almost all my greys look and feel like the rest of my non grey hair, just a different colour.

Linda K
February 14th, 2009, 10:38 PM
Not sure if the answer to this question is more obvious than I think it is, but I've heard many people saying that their grey hair is more coarse than their pre-grey hair. Does this mean that the overall thickness of the hair would increase, or does the change not really matter with the general thickness?

Well, if Diana Jewell (Going Gray Looking Great) knows what she's talking about, the answer is "Yes!". She states: This pigment free hair is different from your 'normal' hair. Some women don't notice any difference, others do (coarser, drier or frizzier). Even if you don't notice textural changes, deep down inside, it has changed. A gray hair has a different composition than non-gray. It's cuticle is usually thicker. A little further into the chapter, a hairdresser states gray hair has multiple textures; it isn't always coarse. It simply fits into one of the 27 different types of hair you can have.
HTH :)

(I borrowed the book from the library first to decide if I want to buy it. The jury is still out.)

frizzinator
February 15th, 2009, 03:05 AM
I think I have less hair than before it started turning white, therefore, even if individual hairs are more coarse, overall the circumference of my ponytail is less. It's difficult to tell if a white hair is more coarse since it's practically invisible.

Denebi
February 15th, 2009, 07:19 AM
I have a strand of white hair since the age of sixteen. The white hairs are very fine and soft. I guess, they even break easier than the rest of my (also very fine) hair. A single white hair is nearly non-existent. You can only see them because it's a bunch of them in one spot.

So for me, getting gray hair does not increase my overall thickness of hair. Unfortunately ;)

Caldonia Sun
February 15th, 2009, 07:21 AM
Mine is no different than before it turned silver.

Rhea
February 15th, 2009, 08:24 AM
My silver hairs arenīt thicker then the normal hairs , they are also fine like the "normalos" .

harpgal
February 15th, 2009, 10:06 AM
My whites are much coarser and wavier. Also, I have noticed no thinning as I have stepped through the door, into the age of grace. The next ten years are going to be very interesting. ;)

Pixna
February 15th, 2009, 11:00 AM
My white-gray-silver hairs seem a bit finer, softer, and more delicate than my other hairs. A few of them have a mind of their own and stick straight out no matter what I do. They are definitely not thicker, though. If anything, they are the same as my other hairs, but more fragile. They are also almost impossible to see when they shed.

teela1978
February 15th, 2009, 11:12 AM
My silvers seem to start out very odd, with a lot of wave to them (like a really tight S-wave) so they seem quite different... but once they grow out a bit, although the ends are still strange and like a sine-wave, the newer part of the hair is very similar to the rest of my hair, just lacking a lot of pigment :)

rags
February 15th, 2009, 01:25 PM
My silvers seem to start out very odd, with a lot of wave to them (like a really tight S-wave) so they seem quite different... but once they grow out a bit, although the ends are still strange and like a sine-wave, the newer part of the hair is very similar to the rest of my hair, just lacking a lot of pigment :)

This seems to be what is happening with some of mine; but some stay more wiry and coarser. And they are all much drier than my other hair.

Kimberly
February 15th, 2009, 01:27 PM
I have stepped through the door, into the age of grace.

What an absolutely beautiful way of saying this.

Linda K
February 17th, 2009, 05:31 PM
I think I have less hair than before it started turning white, therefore, even if individual hairs are more coarse, overall the circumference of my ponytail is less. It's difficult to tell if a white hair is more coarse since it's practically invisible.


My white-gray-silver hairs seem a bit finer, softer, and more delicate than my other hairs. A few of them have a mind of their own and stick straight out no matter what I do. They are definitely not thicker, though. If anything, they are the same as my other hairs, but more fragile. They are also almost impossible to see when they shed.

Funny - I want to say "Girls" but let's face we are not girls - so - Ladies
Those lovely silver threads need lots of TLC - the more wirey, frizzy anything but smooth the more delicate and fragile they are. Silver can be any texture. You can purchase Diana Jewells book at her website for the best price $25. On ebay they are asking up to $50!
Moisture and protein is the word for silver - the more silver the more you want to pay attention to the moisture and weekly strengthening treatments - gentler handling - mininal appliances. Yes, you may find thinning in the 30's and up. I may just buy her book. Still reading thru the library copy. Paula Begoun (Don't go shopping for Hair-care) gives all smiley faces to Ouidad because she lists all ingredients on the website (products recommended in Go Gray). The only neg Paula has is: "Though all styling products are great formulations, they do not contain superior ingredients that justify their above-average prices." If nothing else, I'm thinking an ingredient comparison to find something similar at a better price point is in order. I'm still reading in this book too! :D HTH

MemSahib
February 17th, 2009, 07:51 PM
My greys are all over the board in thickness/wireyness. Some are as fine as my very fine browns, some are coarse and wirey and some are in between. I have several times thought that with menopause and the diffuse hair-thinning most women experience then the coarser greys might be the Lord's way to compensate to us a little. I know many, many older ladies who still have what I consider thick hair, but practically to a woman they all say their hair used to be thicker.

punky
February 21st, 2009, 05:57 PM
I have noticed that since I let my gray/silver shine, my hair is a little coarser than it use to be. I use conditioner to help with the frizz and static. I have noticed also that it is getting softer the longer it gets. I bought the book Going Gray and Looking Great. It has some interesting articles and pictures in it.

ratgirldjh
February 21st, 2009, 05:59 PM
my silver hairs certainly seem to be more wiry than my other hair - but as more grow in and i am only using shampoo bars the difference seems to be less marked.

wonder why?

WaimeaWahine
February 21st, 2009, 10:46 PM
Perhaps a good time to ask...

What effect does menopause have on hair? Supposedly the hormonal changes that come with age make hair thin and brittle? :confused:

Pixna
February 22nd, 2009, 07:57 AM
Hmmm, WaimeaWahine, you'll probably get different answers from all of us. From my own experience, my hair is not that different from what it was before menopause. It's a little thinner, a little straighter, and maybe a little softer. I don't think it's more brittle.

Almost everyone's hair thins somewhat with age, but a lot depends on ethnicity and genetics, too. My father-in-law had a thick shock of white hair up until his death at 83. My husband, on the other hand, has one of those "monk rings" where he is balding/thinning at the top of the crown. His brother (who is in his sixties), though, has a full head of gray hair, like his father. Of course, none of them have experienced menopause -- at least not directly. :smirk: