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Pixna
January 5th, 2010, 08:34 AM
Let me state up front that I am math challenged. Well, although this isn't math per se, anything having to do with numbers seems to confound me. So, for all the years I've been a member of LHC, I've been figuring out my hair volume by measuring the DIAMETER of my ponytail, not the CIRCUMFERENCE! :brains:

I also thought that since my hair was feeling thinner on the top of my head, that it must be thinner all over and that there was less of it. In addition, trying to wear my hair wurly (with gel and scrunching) only made it seem even thinner (and flatter).

Flash forward to today...

So, I switched shampoo and conditioner/detangler, and have only been using Kimberlily's Defrizz Spray as a leave-in. I've gone back to combing (with my Madora and Speert combs) and even brushing (with my Denman). And I remeasured by ponytail today using the CIRCUMFERENCE (rather than the diameter -- smacks forehead), and guess what??!! My hair ISN'T thin after all!!! I'm NORMAL (well, ya know, so to speak) -- even on the thick side of normal (right around 4 inches).

I realize this isn't a revelation to the vast majority of you who actually know how to interpret measurements correctly (unlike yours truly), but for me, it's almost as though I grew a brand new head. I'm ecstatic. And for the first time in many months, I'm actually loving my hair, just the way it is. :happydance:

Sara Smile
January 5th, 2010, 08:41 AM
Great! :) I'm glad you're loving your hair. And isn't it nice to have a nice circumference?

marikamt
January 5th, 2010, 08:46 AM
haha..... the exact same thing happened to me! I was sooo shocked!!!!!

ETA- let me rephrase... I did not measure at all and just assumed I was fine... then I measured and was shocked!

It helps to read the WHOLE post before I respond :lol:

Pixna
January 5th, 2010, 08:46 AM
Yes, indeedy, Sara! I never thought I'd be so happy about being "fat," but this is one part of my body I'm thrilled has gained weight!!! :gabigrin:

embee
January 5th, 2010, 08:47 AM
I think many people have done this - measuring the diameter. I see people saying Fine/Thin and they have pictures that look quite thick to me.

Glad you're happy with your hair, that's what matters. :)

Pixna
January 5th, 2010, 08:47 AM
Marikamt, I'd so glad to know I'm not the only one who got it wrong (and was delighted about it)! I agree, it was a shocker (and a good one at that)!!! :smirk:

Thanks, Embee! I felt like such a fool when I re-read how to measure. And to think I've been on LHC since 2003 and it took me only about 7 years to get it right! :o

Madame J
January 5th, 2010, 09:08 AM
Oh man, now I'm imagining a 4" diameter ponytail...

You probably thought all of us with iii thickness had scary hair!

rags
January 5th, 2010, 09:11 AM
Well Pixna, I was wondering how your hair looked so thick in your photos!:p I truly have i hair (measured circumference, yes indeedy) and I knew you looked like you had a LOT more hair! I'm glad you're happy with it now!

Pixna
January 5th, 2010, 09:13 AM
Oh man, now I'm imagining a 4" diameter ponytail...

You probably thought all of us with iii thickness had scary hair!

LOL!!! Actually, I was pea green with envy. I couldn't imagine hair that thick, especially when I thought my hair was about one-quarter of that thickness. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I was cursed with such a "tiny" ponytail. I envisioned those with iii hair to have HUGELY THICK (picture a tree trunk) ponies and braids. Now I feel like such a dork! :p

Pixna
January 5th, 2010, 09:16 AM
Rags, thank you!! I feel so bad (and embarrassed) that I thought my hair was as thin as those of you who truly are in the i category. I'm sure you thought I must have had a few screws loose, or that I had lost a lot of hair since my last photo update. :blueeek: I've been smacking my forehead all morning!

rags
January 5th, 2010, 09:23 AM
Oh goodness, no need to feel bad about it! I'm happy for you! I just thought you did like I do (don't tell anyone, ok? :p) and used very flattering photos!

Pixna
January 5th, 2010, 09:25 AM
Oh goodness, no need to feel bad about it! I'm happy for you! I just thought you did like I do (don't tell anyone, ok? :p) and used very flattering photos!

Don't worry -- I won't tell a soul!!! :laugh:

Babyfine
January 6th, 2010, 09:02 AM
That's great! That must make you feel happy!:)

girlcat36
January 6th, 2010, 09:10 AM
Congratulations! I am envious!

Pixna
January 6th, 2010, 09:23 AM
Thanks so much Babyfine and Girlcat. I think this is the first big mistake I've ever made that resulted in my being deliriously happy. I appreciate your understanding and vicarious joy for my odd discovery.

Isa-belle
January 6th, 2010, 09:27 AM
This story is both funny, and lovely :) Thanks for sharing! Your hair does look fabulously thick in your avatar :flower:

GlassEyes
January 6th, 2010, 09:27 AM
Offering up my congrats as well.

I wish I could discover that my pony measurements were a mistake and I were a iii. *grumble* Ah well.

marobader
January 6th, 2010, 09:33 AM
congratolation it looks very thick in the photo

Pixna
January 6th, 2010, 09:45 AM
Isa-belle, GlassEyes, and Marobader, thank you! I'm really glad it's something I can laugh about. I would have been devastated if I had gotten it backwards the other way (that is, if I had thought my hair was really thick but it actually wasn't).

Last night I told my husband about my goof. He said, "You've got a lot of hair going on--it's definitely not thin." That was a joy to hear. I've been so depressed over this the past few months, as I really believed my hair was getting thinner and my volume was far below average. It's amazing what a boo-boo like this can do to boost one's spirits! Now and then, there's something to be said for not being too bright! ;)

Little_Bird
January 6th, 2010, 12:31 PM
He! Welcome to the ii/iii club!!! That must have felt so great for you :flower: Your hair sure looks lovely, full and thick!

Keep growing :D

aililiú
January 6th, 2010, 12:34 PM
HAHAHA
wow. we'll you're not the only one *face palm*
this is very exciting
*goes to measure ponytail again*

:p

aililiú
January 6th, 2010, 12:42 PM
is there a good chart somewhere about this?
im a total noob at trying to figure out my hairtype
*sheepish*

Pixna
January 6th, 2010, 01:51 PM
Little Bird, thank you SO much! I am incredibly happy to be a member of the ii/iii club (thanks for letting me join!). :redgrin: Your hair is so gorgeous -- it is a great inspiration for me to aspire to!!

Aililiú, you can find the information about hair typing here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=5). (Just click on the word "here" in the previous sentence.) Just be sure to measure your ponytail's CIRCUMFERENCE (not the diameter) to get your true classifier for your volume.

Elenna
January 6th, 2010, 01:54 PM
A four inch ponytail circumference is actually pretty thick hair!!!!

walterSCAN
January 6th, 2010, 01:59 PM
Offering up my congrats as well.

I wish I could discover that my pony measurements were a mistake and I were a iii. *grumble* Ah well.

Me too! ><

I was a iii when I was a lot younger (1 to about 7) but it started thinning a bit and hasn't come back... :cry:

Congrats Pixna! I'm really jealous... ;)

MotherConfessor
January 6th, 2010, 02:05 PM
I believe Huzzahs are in order...

Huzzah!!!!

Pixna
January 6th, 2010, 02:06 PM
Thanks, Elenna! I know -- and I was shocked! Here I was thinking my hair was so thin and paltry compared to the average person, and it was actually on the thick side all along. Who woulda thunk?! Obviously, not me! :o

Thank you, WalterSCAN! I hope your thicker hair returns, too!! Who knows, though -- if you measure incorrectly, like I did, maybe it already has and you just don't know it yet! :smirk:

Pixna
January 6th, 2010, 02:08 PM
Oooo, thank you MotherConfessor!! I've never been the recipient of a Huzzah, and I'm delighted to be! :bluebiggr

walterSCAN
January 6th, 2010, 02:12 PM
Thank you, WalterSCAN! I hope your thicker hair returns, too!! Who knows, though -- if you measure incorrectly, like I did, maybe it already has and you just don't know it yet! :smirk:

:/ I wish I had... Unfortunately, my measure is accurate... I checked twice! :laugh: I'm hoping with henna and baby-ing it will thicken up though!

teela1978
January 6th, 2010, 02:12 PM
Isn't it odd how a label makes all the difference? Same hair, but now that you can call it 'thick' instead of 'average' you like it more :)

Pixna
January 6th, 2010, 02:59 PM
I know, Teela -- weird, isn't it?!! I guess it just goes to show how meaningless labels are, and how much faith we put in them anyway! :shrug:

Naamah
January 6th, 2010, 03:03 PM
Your hair looks very thick to me. :) My circumference was about 3.5" last time I checked a few months ago...I would love for it to be a bit more.

Pixna
January 6th, 2010, 03:09 PM
Hi, Naamah! Thank you! Well, if your measuring technique is off a bit (like mine was!), your hair could suddenly be a lot thicker than you realize! :laugh:

MissManda
January 6th, 2010, 04:30 PM
Ha ha, I am also very happy for you. :cheese:

I actually used to think the same thing. And the fact that I have straight hair didn't help. I remember being in total confusion when my mother always commented about how thick my hair is (she used to do my hair every day when I was a child), same with hairdressers. Then my grandma and my MIL come along and they told me that I had thin hair. I was totally confused. So then I got a perm to "fix" the problem. And when I started growing out my hair, I was depressed because my hair was so damaged and because it wanted to separate into pieces/separate locks (which it hasn't done much of since It got around BSL length). I was so confused as to why my MIL called DBF's hair "thick" when his ponytail is about half an inch or so bigger than mine.

So I measured and I was pleasantly surprised!

I always wondered why your hair looked so thick in your avatar when it was labeled as i/ii. So I theorized that it had a natural fluffiness/poofiness to it, of which I was a little envious (again, it's the whole straight hair thing). Hee hee. My sister's hair is probably an i/ii in hair volume, but her hair is "fluffy," so she can make her hair look a lot thicker than it actually is.

Sara Smile
January 6th, 2010, 04:37 PM
I always wondered why your hair looked so thick in your avatar when it was labeled as i/ii. So I theorized that it had a natural fluffiness/poofiness to it, of which I was a little envious (again, it's the whole straight hair thing). Hee hee. My sister's hair is probably an i/ii in hair volume, but her hair is "fluffy," so she can make her hair look a lot thicker than it actually is.

I agree with that. I have a good circumference, 3", but my stick straight fine hair looks thin when I wear it down. I've had several people say to me, "Oh, your hair is long but so thin!" :( It is thick, it just doesn't look it. (And no, that is not a compliment!)

Sammich
January 6th, 2010, 04:40 PM
I almost, almost almost.. had that exact same problem! :D Hehe... but it's lovely you know now! Must be a really great feeling.

Quixii
January 6th, 2010, 04:57 PM
Ah, that explains it! Every time you posted I would see your avatar and think, "That's really i/ii?" :D

Lamb
January 6th, 2010, 05:34 PM
Tee-hee! :D A happy mistake to make. I was wondering why you put your hair down as i/ii, it looked so thick to me. :)

aililiú
January 6th, 2010, 05:53 PM
wow--
i just went from 1b to 1c, from F to F/M, and from i to ii/iii !!!
i sure had that system figured out wrong.
hahaha.

&its true, even though my hair is exactly the same,
i feel so much more satisfied with it.
haha!

Pixna
January 7th, 2010, 07:13 AM
MissManda, Quixii, Lamb, thank you!! Gosh, I wish someone would have straightened me out sooner -- you must have thought I was rather discombobulated (which, in retrospect, I was!!). The funny thing is that I DO have fluffy hair -- I just thought I had thin but fluffy hair. It's fluffier right after I shampoo and then tends to get flatter and straighter in the subsequent days, but the actual volume stays about the same. I guess you all saw something in my avatar that I was blind to (or deluded about) -- I'm glad I can see it now, too! :bluebiggr

Sara Smile, Sammich, and Aililiú, I'm relieved to know I'm not the only who had this "issue." It really is great to suddenly be bumped up to a thicker category -- almost like winning the lottery! :smirk:

And Aililiú, congratulations to you!! I can truthfully say I know just how you feel! :cheer: