Help with very thin, fine hair

[Tichad3]

My hair has gone to heck and back. I started dying it at age 18 and just stopped doing it a couple of months ago. I am now 32. I started to use Henna because everything I read about it was great.

My hair is bra strap length right now and once a month I've been trimming about an inch off. I'm trying to get the damaged hair gone, but don't want to chop it all at once.

My mother and maternal grandmother both have very thin hair. Am I destined to be the same?

My problem is hair styles. My very thin and fine hair looks ridiculous when I try to braid it or put it in a bun. I end up relying on a pony tail all the time. Once in a great while I will leave it down, but that's not convenient as I live and work on a farm.

Is there anyone here that can help me?

[JamieLeigh]

Genetics does seem to have the biggest hand in what kind of hair you have...so odds are, if your mom and grandma both had really fine hair, you will as well. Same in my family. You can see my mom's scalp through her hair, and my grandma had long hair when she died...but it was a really thin string of a braid. :(

However, the way you care for your hair can make a lot of difference. My mom still blow-fries her hair every morning and colors it like crazy to conceal her greys. I know for a fact that she brushes it when it's wet, and she scrubs her towel over her head to dry her hair. Stuff like that just makes me cringe. So I'm not really surprised that she doesn't have a thick head of hair.

It sounds like you're making the right steps towards improving your condition overall. Trimming off the damage a little at a time will still leave you with thinner, more frazzled ends for awhile, but over time, once you reach the newly grown hair, you should see a significant difference in your overall appearance.

As far as hairstyles go, one thing that looks very cute on my mother is a banana clip. It's still a ponytail, but not having it all stuck into a tiny circular band makes it look a lot fluffier, and it's less prone to breakage from the elastic thing. Also, if you have a good hair clip, you could try twisting your hair around and clipping it against your head, so that your ends fan out over the top of it. Sometimes that looks good on fine hair. You might also be a good candidate for the French twist, or a French braid, with the end tucked in. :)

Welcome to LHC, and happy growing! Don't EVER be afraid to ask questions...that's how we all learn together. :flower:

[rags]

Hello, hair twin! Umm...I hate to tell you, but thin hair may be genetic in your family. It is in mine. (The boys got Dad's thick hair, I got Mom's and Granny's thin, baby, baby fine hair. Unfair!)

I put mine up in buns even though it's tiny. I do NOT put it in an English braid, but French braids look good. I(double the tail under the hair and pin it if your tail is puny like mine). If you can pull it off, double French braids look really cute in fine hair.

When my hair used to be waist length, I could do plently of buns with it. At BSL, you should be able to do a lazy wrap bun, and that makes your hair look "bigger" than a plain cinnabun. (I can't do links, but there is an article I think with directions)

I also like French twists - though the only way I have found to hold them is with lots and lots and pins...sigh.

When I really want my hair to look thicker, I wash my hair at night and braid it while damp. Then the next day, I have beautiful braid waves I can either leave down or put up and it will have more texture.

Good luck!

[Tichad3]

Thank you for the replies. I wish I had gotten my fathers hair. He's a Puerto Rican with thick, luxurious, wavy hair. I guess I'll have to be happy with what I have.;)

I hadn't even thought of a banana clip in years. I'll have to go get me some. My daughter and I do the twisty ponytail thing sometimes. We call it a chicken wing. Luckily, she got my fathers hair.

It's nice to have a hair twin. That way we can trade ideas:). I'm so glad I found this site. Everyone seems wonderful here.

[MsBubbles]

I just wanted to throw this out there: are you up to date on all your doctor appointments, and do you get yearly check ups for things like anemia and thyroid? I'm succeptible to anemia and I have to take daily thyroid meds as my thyroid gland is underproductive. These things help me get a (ii) hair rather than (i).

Also, browse around the articles and note what people say about what typically causes damage to hair (heat treatments, blow frying, flat-ironing, yanking on knots, some ponytail holders etc.). Long, thin hair in great condition can still look beautiful!

[Rebelkat]

It is probably genetic, but it can also be caused by other factors as well. Hormone imbalance and thyroid problems can also cause thin hair, as well as how you care for it. Now, I'm not entirely sure about this one, but I think that anemia can cause hair to be thinner than its genetic potential. The best thing you can do for it is be gentle with it and keep up to date on all your doctor visits (get regular check ups, etc). I wish I could be more help than that, but that's the best I can do.

[SimplyLonghair]

The only thing that I have learned in searching about thin hair that will actually thicken the hair shaft is the adding of gelatin in fairly large doses per day, as a supplement. About a gram a dose, twice a day. And this takes about three months before it really shows.

I have seen studies on this say that it works well and we are in the process of testing it for ourselves.

I figure that something so simple can't hurt. My nails look better already. So that is good. My DD has fine hair that never got a thicker hair shaft as she grew so her hair is baby fine. She is the one that really wants thinker hair, but since we both went through a major shed due to health and other issues we both just want more hair.

As far as styles fine hair looks lovely in many updos. I love that you don't deal with the headaches and such that some other longhairs deal with. A gibson girl or gibson tuck looks great on fine hair.

Good luck and welcome to LHC and your long hair journey! :cheese:

[Honey39]

My mum has very fine hair, and a few years ago it was thinning badly. Then, for health reasons, she started eating a selection of nuts every day (pecan, walnut, almond etc - a small bowl of natural, organic mixed nuts); when I saw her after a few months, her hair was transformed. It was silver, very short, but it had thickened up and was the silkiest, softest, loveliest thing I had ever touched. She hadn't done anything else different, so I think it was down to all those healthy, good-for-you, nut oils that she had been eating daily (for her joints, I think). Really was remarkable, the transformation, and it's lasted for the last two years (she's still been eating the nuts, lol).

I think diet does make a bit of a difference, and can give you more lustrous shiny hair - the good oils etc. Just a thought - usual stuff, loads of water, fish oils, nuts!! Now, all I have to do is actually do that MYSELF....!!!

[jera]

I'd never give up, throw my hands up in the air and say it's all genetic. :( There are lots of healthy habits you can adopt that will help your fine thin hair to thicken up.

You've already started quitting some of the bad habits. Perhaps you should give your hair and scalp some time to recover. Remeber, you've spent almost half of your lifetime torturing your hair. I think you need to be more patient. :)

[ratgirldjh]

have you tried poo bars? my mom and grandma both had thin fine hair and mine is similar but maybe a little less fine.
i have pictures of me with BSL length hair when i was still using SLS shampoo - it looked very thin and straight... henna also made my hair lose its wave...

since i started using poo bars i am amazed at the difference in my hair now that it is arm pit length. it has waves! when i take my hair out of my sleep bun - it actually has curls! these last for hours! before my hair - even when taken out of my sleep bun would just go straight

i think the reason my mom's hair is so thin and fine looking is genetic and also because she still uses SLS shampoo and conditioner. when i use conditioner my hair looks very thin too.
all i use now after my poo bar is 1 teaspoon of ACV in 32 ounces (liter) of water - then i rinse it out and finish with very cold water.

it is so nice to have waves after a lifetime of straight thin hair!!!

[Deborah]

My hair is not thin, but it sure is ultra-fine textured (think baby or toddler hair, just lots more of it.)

A month or so ago I began to notice that my ends were looking thinner than normal. At first I thought, 'Well, I'm 56 now, maybe this is just what I'll have from now on.' About a week later it occurred to me that I had been following some LHC advice that is simply not good for my hair. I had begun braiding my hair at night, and fastening it off with those new silicone, stretch bands that are supposed to be totally harmless to hair. Well, I beg to differ.

I had alway just tossed my hair up over my pillow before, but thought maybe I should be braiding it. Others claim it helped their hair avoid tangles, etc. So I made one braid down my back, and slept with it that way. What apparently was happening was that some hairs were being broken by the band, and I did not even notice it.

So, I stopped the braiding and banding, and voilà! My ends are thickening right back up! Yay!

I just toss this in as a cautionary tale for fine-haired ladies. I don't intend to band my hair with anything any more, aside from the loose, fat, velvet scrunchies I wear around the house.

Hope this helps someone. :)

[SpecialKitty]

I agree with Deborah - in my experience, just about the worst thing you can do with your fine thin hair is wear it in a ponytail most of the time. It sounds like your hair grows fast, if you can cut off an inch a month and not lose any length. If that is the case, practicing some simple habits will help your hair a lot I bet. I know many fine hairs cover the inside of their barrettes in felt, never brush their hair, and never use a towel on their hair. You'll fine lots of good advice here. Welcome to LHC! :flower:

[Tichad3]

Thank you everyone for the welcome.

I have recently start taking thyroid medications. My doctor found my thyroid underproductive a few months ago. So far, he has upped my dose 3 times. I go back next month for more bloodwork.

The henna I have been using has been wonderful. I have had much more growth than I did before. I wish I had the courage to cut off all the damaged hair and start over. But I'm too chicken.

Back in the 80s my sister use to make up some gelatin and drink it. Her hair and nails grew so much. It also helped her Rheumatoid Arthritis that she was born with. Maybe I'll start doing that.

My diet is also a factor I believe. Fried foods galore...it's a Puerto Rican thing. I am trying to eat healthier all away around. I do believe that healthiness starts on the inside.

I tried a banana clip and got so many compliments. My husband definitely likes it better.;)

[Tichad3]

I forgot to add that I recently ordered a poo bar from the same place I get my henna. I'm very excited to try it out now that I've done some research on it.

Patience is not one of my virtues, but I'm learning that with hair it takes a lot of patience to see results.:)

[ShaSha]

I agree with Deborah - in my experience, just about the worst thing you can do with your fine thin hair is wear it in a ponytail most of the time.

Exactly what I used to do. For many years. :o

My family has thin hair, so no matter what I do I do not expect it to be anything other. So I live with it, and try to look at positive sides. Like with the recent cutting my hair is only to shoulders, but since it's thin I can do some buns that would not be possible with thick hair. Every cloud has a silver lining and so on ;)

[Juneii]

partially genetic and partially on your diet.
just because your mom and grandma have thin hair doesn't exactly mean you do. My mother's side of the family has relatively thin hair, but my dad has really thick hair - which I got. Your thin hair might be from all the things you did to it and hasn't been able to grow back yet. My mom blow dries and dyes her hair a lot so now it's even thinner than before.

[jivete]

Most of my family has fine, thin hair, including me. One of the most important thing I discovered is that this type of hair really cannot handle much stress at all. My cousin is able to dye her hair, but she also keeps it about APL. My sister regularly colors blond and heat styles and hers breaks around shoulder. I thought I couldn't grow mine either, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to, as long as I don't do anything harmful to it. It's still not very long, but once the old damage is gone, I'm confident my virgin hair will be much stronger.

But, as far as really thickening it up, mine went from about 2" to 2.25". If I use Cassia, I get 2.5" and I might get closer to 2.5" when the baby hairs I got when I quit dye/shampoo are long enough to get into my ponytail, but I doubt it'll ever be more.

I'm going to have to try the poo bars. Our water is so hard, I didn't want to mess with them, but maybe I'll try for a little bit.

[Anje]

It's probably mostly genetic, but you can still maximize your thickness by finding the most effective washing methods, eating well, treating it gently (so it tapers less), and for some people by scalp massage and applying various treatments (certain oils and oil blends, miconazole, etc). My hair is fine and not very thick, either (2.5 inch circumference, and it doesn't look like it's going to increase, since it hasn't in my more than 2 years on LHC). That said, lots of folks do get a thickness increase when they start trying things on LHC, so you might be able to look forward to that.

Just keep growing it, and don't be afraid to put it into buns. Yes, they look tiny right now (they usually do at your length), but as it grows longer, your buns will slowly get bigger. They may never eat the back of your head, but they'll almost certainly become more substantial as your hair gets longer. Also be aware that some folks have "compactable hair" -- it looks like you have plenty when you wear it down, but it squishes into a tiny space when you put it up. That's life, but the upside is that you can startle people with it, who will exclaim that they had no idea you had so much hair hidden in that bun!

[Anshul585]

My hair has gone to heck and back. I started dying it at age 18 and just stopped doing it a couple of months ago. I am now 32. I started to use Henna because everything I read about it was great.

My hair is bra strap length right now and once a month I've been trimming about an inch off. I'm trying to get the damaged hair gone, but don't want to chop it all at once.

My mother and maternal grandmother both have very thin hair. Am I destined to be the same?

My problem is hair styles. My very thin and fine hair looks ridiculous when I try to braid it or put it in a bun. I end up relying on a pony tail all the time. Once in a great while I will leave it down, but that's not convenient as I live and work on a farm.

Is there anyone here that can help me?

A pulled dutch braid works for me and pull french braid as well. I just simply dutch braid my hair and pull it gently before tying with an elastic. This gives an illusion of thick hair.