Thicker hair successes.

[Pandora.]

Have you been successful in getting your hair thicker?

If so; what did you use, how often did you use it, and how long did it take for you to start noticing the differences?

I've heard certain vitamins are not very effective, but aloe vera shampoo's have been - for instance.

[JenniferNoel]

Scalp massages every day worked well for me. I like this one. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=172

Vitamins, reducing stress, and general babying of hair always work for nearly everyone. And avoid tight ponytails and tight hats, which can put unnecessary strain on the scalp.
Sometimes, thick hair is only achievable via genetics. But good luck!

Also, don't forget oil treatments, and anything to keep your scalp healthy and moisturized. The best vitamins that stimulate hair growth for me personally are B vitamins.

[florenonite]

I've never attempted to thicken my hair (it's plenty thick as is!) but anything you attempt is going to take a long time to show any progress, because only your new growth will be thicker.

The exception is henna, which makes the individual strands coarser and therefore makes your hair appear thicker overall. It also, however, makes your hair very permanently red, so don't do it just for the thickening ;)

[MsBubbles]

I didn't achieve thicker individual strands, if that's what you're asking. But I did achieve a thicker hemline by reducing damage from frequent wet-combing. I have fine, thin hair so it gets greasy very quickly and no amount of wash-stretching helped. I had to wash every other day. So I started doing scalp washes with a full wash once or twice every 2 weeks. This has stopped me shedding so much, so I keep more hair, so my overall hair looks somewhat thicker as a whole. :)

[Cleopatra18]

I think castor oil helps,but it will thicken your new growth so it'll take time to eventually see results.i know i had thick hair as a kid,and thats what im trying to achieve now since my hair got alot thinner by heat damage.
if you think your hair was already thick at some point,then you might want to try castor oil to help bring it back,i think it's working for me (havent been using it for long).good thread btw :)

[FrannyG]

This tip is only for people who colour their hair, really. About 20 months ago, I began applying coconut oil to the length of my hair before colouring. I had read about it in ktani's thread about possible ways to prevent peroxide damage. I thought I'd give it a try, and now, 20 months later I have a 3 inch nape circumference as opposed to a 2 1/4 in circumference.

While this is only anecdotal evidence, there is a definite difference between the condition of my new growth since September of '08 and the older hair. The only big change I made since then was using coconut oil before dying my roots.

I really feel that my new growth is less prone to breakage from dye damage.

[Rapunzal2Be]

It's too soon to tell for sure, but I've reduced my shedding a great deal by not putting conditioner anywhere near my scalp. It took me almost a year to pin that down as the major cause of my shedding, and the crazy thing is that I have always shed a LOT, so I thought it was just normal for me, but since I've stopped using conditioner on my scalp, the shedding is *noticeably reduced* and has been for a few weeks straight now.

Like I said, I'm not sure long term, but if this keeps up, my overall thickness and amount of hair that I have (and keep) on my head should increase.

Also what works for me is vitamins (specifically a multi, MSM, folic acid, and Bs, as well as Diatomaceous Earth), a sulfur/coconut oil concoction as a scalp treatment (once every week or so), Monistat as a scalp treatment (every three days), Nizoral shampoo, ACV spritzes before washes, and daily scalp brushing.

[Rapunzal2Be]

I think castor oil helps,but it will thicken your new growth so it'll take time to eventually see results.i know i had thick hair as a kid,and thats what im trying to achieve now since my hair got alot thinner by heat damage.
if you think your hair was already thick at some point,then you might want to try castor oil to help bring it back,i think it's working for me (havent been using it for long).good thread btw :)

How do you use castor oil? As a scalp treatment? What is your method?

[Cleopatra18]

yes i use it on my scalp,i apply it atleast 3-4 times perweek on my scalp while massaging it in.i tried it on my eye brows and it really thickened them up too,so im pretty sure it works.maybe we should start a challenge :P

[ArienEllariel]

I stopped using my mixed boar bristle and nylon ball tip brush and switched over to a synthetic "boar bristle" brush. I added about 1/4 in. in thickness to my ponytail. :)

[jera]

I think castor oil helps,but it will thicken your new growth so it'll take time to eventually see results.i know i had thick hair as a kid,and thats what im trying to achieve now since my hair got alot thinner by heat damage.
if you think your hair was already thick at some point,then you might want to try castor oil to help bring it back,i think it's working for me (havent been using it for long).good thread btw :)

Another vote for Castor oil here and NO blow drying. Air drying has kept my hair healthier, and healthier hair becomes thicker over time because you don't lose as much.

I apply a little Castor oil with a tiny bit of liquid Vitamin E to wet hair, comb through, and leave in.:) You can massage a bit of this onto your scalp as well.

[lastnite]

internally biotin and the herb fo-ti are supposed to help hair grow thicker. externally, alot of the Indian herbs say they help hair grow thicker.

I'm taking biotin now (along with some other vitamins) and using some Indian herbal oils and they seem to help a bit. I'm going to try the Indian herbal powders and making my own stronger infused hair oils and see if they help more.

and of course the regular taking care of your hair to minimize breakage and shedding.

[frizzinator]

My fine hair breaks easily and I used to wear my hair down all the time, which contributed to my frizzy hair problem. I started wearing my hair up all the time in August 2007, which protects my hair and it has less opportunity to break. I also drastically reduced the amount of brushing, from daily to whenever I see flakes which is approximately once every couple of months. The circumference of my pony tail has increased by an inch.

[fashionaddict]

Great thread!:D
I have the same problem - I've always had a thickness to my hair I used to call normal. This year I have been under a lot of stress and noticed that I was shedding a lot. I thought that it was just "a lot" by my standards because who else notices it, right? Well, wrong! My DBF said something along the lines of "why is your hair everywhere ?" once or twice. The last time I went to get a trim, my hairdresser said that my hair has really gotten thin compared to what it used to be and asked me if I had been frying (read: straightening or blow drying) it more. Well, I had not. This is, what basically brought me to LHC - I realized that doing what I was doing so far was obviously bad in ways I could not imagine. And if I wanted long hair one could call hair, changes would have to be made.
I will try these tips and hope they work.:)

[Melisande]

Essential oil massages for my scalp. I've been doing them for three years now and although the individual hair has not gone thicker (I doubt you can change the texture of your hair, it is genetical, like curliness) but my hairgrowth is optimized and hairfall minimized. I noticed great results with biotin and other vitamins, too.

[jivete]

Quitting dye and daily shampoos thickened my hair. The dye did the most good. A few months after I quit I had tons of baby hairs popping up all over the place. After a year, I had gained over 0.5" of circumference.

[Pandora.]

Thanks for replies. :)

So, generally, everyone has different hair and will see different results.

My plans:
-The last time I bleached my hair was 30th March 2010. After that, I quit. I will only lighten my roots with NO BLEACH when it desperately needs doing, though.
-It's been two days since I've decided to stop heat styling (flat ironing), and I intend to keep it that way. I shall flat iron my hair for special occasions only (perhaps once every 3 weeks to start off with).
-I've been taking Cod Liver Oil supplements for just over a week now.
-I'm planning on buying MSM, Biotin and a multivitamin very soon...maybe.
-Last night, I did my first CO wash, and so far so good, I had absolutely no frizz like I would get after a normal shampoo & conditioner wash. I'm just hoping my hair doesn't begin to get super greasy and dirty!!
-I'm trying to be cone-free.
-I'm going to give myself scalp massages every other day.
-I'll probably think of more on my journey to thicker hair! :D

[dragonfrog]

I guess I have something to suggest that I did not see mentioned here: a silk pillowcase. I got mine (from Dharma Trading Co.) almost a year ago. I noticed immediate improvements in the "fuzziness" of my hair in the morning. I also noticed that my "baby hairs" around my hairline at the forehead have gotten significantly longer since switching pillowcases. They used to be mostly around eyebrow level, now they are almost to my chin. I imagine when (if?) they get long enough to be included in my ponytail, they will boost my circumference somewhat.
This may have helped me (a very restless sleeper) more than it would help someone who doesn't toss and turn all night.

[GoddesJourney]

For me it has been mostly what I didn't do. I found what was making me shed and got rid of it. The first thing is sulfate shampoos. I think that makes me shed the most. No more or that. Cones went at the same time, they were killing me. Colder water in the shower and not letting me hair be wet in the shower for too long contributes definately. Playing with it too much (making hairstyles) and over brushing also pulls quite a bit out. Most of the time, I really don't shed that much anymore and I was a serious shedder my whole life. I went from a 3.5" ponytail to a 4" ponytail. I'm pretty sure that's as far as it's going to go, but I'm happy with that. If I can get some more, even better. Honestly, it's not about special products, it's about not shedding too much and not damaging your hair so that it thins out by breaking off.

[Cholera]

I think the number one contributor to my hair thickening up was changing the water temperature when I shampoo and condition it. I love super hot showers, and before I learned that it can be damaging to your hair, my fingers would be covered in hair after I shampooed. Nowadays, I'll have maybe 3 after scrubbing my scalp with shampoo, and maybe 5 or so when I comb the conditioner into my hair.

Other than that, I think protective styles, biotin, and my silk pillowcase did wonders for me. :D

[pineconejg]

I don't know if there is any research on this, but I found my hair thicker after taking multivitamins, flax oil capsules, iron and vitamin C. I also exercise more and make sure I get plenty of protein and vegetables. Who knows if my hair will stay thick as it gets longer? Its pretty thick now, anyway.

JG

[teela1978]

Wasn't exactly intentional, but after I quit dying my hair and grew it all out I gained almost an inch of circumferunce.

[Liss]

Nothing has made my individual strands thicker, they are and have always been fine. I did get a thicker ponytail circumference (from under 2" to about 2.5") over the winter which I think was from Biotin supplements. Now with the Spring and also running out of biotin, I'm shedding and back to about 2".

[Pandora.]

I used to have boiling hot showers, but I stopped doing them a while ago. Furthermore, I also find that my hair has always felt thinner in the Spring and Summer seasons.

[Fairlight63]

I had dyed my hair for a long time & since not coloring it for several yr. I think that the strands are getting thicker. When I look at a strand the colored part is real thin but closer to the scalp area the strand gets thicker. I hope that someday I can say that my hair is Med. instead of thin.
I also have been taking gelatin tablets (8 a day, I think that they help with my arthritis pain in my hip) so that may be helping with making the strands thicker also.

[EtherealOde]

Wasn't exactly intentional, but after I quit dying my hair and grew it all out I gained almost an inch of circumferunce.
I am hoping that will be the case for me too. I quit bleaching my hair almost 10 months ago, and the regrowth is visibly much thicker than the bleach-thinned ends.

[Lysette]

Well, after years of *wishing* for thicker hair, I've decided to actually start looking around and seeing if there are some things I can actually do to gain a little thickness! Really enjoying this thread and it reminds me I need to pull out my silky pillowcase and start doing cold water rinses again...

Now while obviously trimming back to a thicker section of the length is going to add thickness at the hem, have those who have gone a step to two shorter noticed a cut making it easier to achieve or maintain *overall* thickness? I tend to shed out so much hair during washing and brushing (fingers crossed I am finally coming to the end of my summer shed), and I just wonder if having a few less inches on the end would help avoid enough of the damage from tangles/life to make any sort of difference in my pony tail circumference. I've fluctuated between waist and classic over the years, but never really kept track of how/if the length correlated to circumference.

Right now I am at tailbone length, which is getting close to as long as I am typically able to comfortably manage it. So I've been planning a "waist-ish" trim in my future. But I have found myself looking in the mirror a bit lately and wondering about (gulp) going an inch or two above the waist if it would help me progress in thickness.

[Begemot]

Hmm my hair thickened up a bit when I stopped using heat. I actually could grow my nape hair long again, no weird short mini mullet sticking out back there. I also gained some thickness when I got an autoimmune disorder under control. So I have no experience nor success with topical treatments or supplements. I don't think you can make your hair grow thicker if you have no health issues etc. but you can reach your full potential with healthy diet and good hair care.

[gin]

I'll keep an eye on this thread, since I'm curious about reducing regular shedding. I shed a lot - 80-100 hairs/day, but this seems to be normal for me as it doesn't seem like my hair is thinning or anything. But I've always wondered if I could decrease the shedding on average. It's annoying to have so much hair everywhere and deal with it all coming out when I wash it, especially now that it's longer. I haven't tried anything for a long period of time, but in the 6-7 months since I've started to pay attention to my hair, it doesn't seem like various topical treatments make any difference (scalp oils, serums, shampoos). Right now I'm spending most of my "hair energy" figuring out what my scalp likes/needs to be happy - assuming I figure anything out with that, then I'll see if that translates to reduced shedding (happy scalp === happy hair).