introducing myself and request for fine hair advice

[brunetka]

Hi everyone :)

I've been lurking here for a couple months and have decided to join and ask some questions about hair care.

I have fine hair that is naturally 1b/1c when air dried unbrushed and brushes out to nearly 1a It may be a little on the thin side, though I'm not sure. I had BSL hair as a teenager but did not know how to care for it so it always looked flat, stringy, a bit oily and had a lot of splits. When I was 18 I went to get layers cut into it and instead the stylist cut it to ear-lobe length telling me very bluntly that I had "bad hair" and there was no point in saving any of the length. I grew it that cut out to about chin length and wore my hair at around that length for the next 10 years.

I have recently decided to try growing my hair out to a longer length. I know how to care for it better now and I am bored with the short length and want to have some updo options. I had my last haircut in mid-October of last year ( a little bellow chin) and had a 1/4-1/2 inch trim around April. Bellow are some photos of my current length and the condition of my ends. My hair has some razor-cut layers in it with the shorter ones about 2-3 inches from the longest ones.

This is my hair air dried and brushed
http://images54.fotki.com/v543/photos/4/455427/3844602/IMG_0743vi-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1192/photos/4/455427/3844602/IMG_0735-vi.jpg

http://images56.fotki.com/v1602/photos/4/455427/3844602/IMG_0728-vi.jpg

Flash photo that shows (and exaggerates) the natural red tones in my hair. These show up very well in the sun.

http://images116.fotki.com/v1595/photos/4/455427/3844602/IMG_0719-vi.jpg


My hair has never been dyed or chemically treated, never heat straightened and has seen a curling iron maybe 10 times in the last 10 years. I currently use Biotera brand (Sally knock-off of Biolage) shampoo and conditioner. I shampoo daily, otherwise I feel that my hair gets oily and goes flat. I have been using the Garnier Triple Nutrition 3-minute Undo conditioner a couple times a week in the shower and MegaTek as an overnight scalp treatment 2-3 times per week. I have also recently discovered coconut oil and have been oiling my hair overnight. My hair seems to really like the oil. My vices - I blow dry almost daily to give my hair volume and I brush countless times per day.

I would really appreciate any advice at all on treating fine hair and especially advice on getting away from the blow dryer without looking limp. Also, I have been thinking a bit about henna but don't know how fine hair would handle it. Could it be damaging in any way? Is it a permanent dye or does it fade out over time? And how hard are root touch-ups to do? (I've never dyed before).

[HairColoredHair]

I can't help with the fine hair questions, but I can answer some about henna.

Henna can be damaging for certain people's hair (so strand test before putting it on your head) though the jury's somewhat out on why. Many people with fine hair find it thickens the strand slightly. For most people henna is permanent. And by permanent I mean bleach and dye won't make the red go away permanent. Some people's hair sheds the color better than others. Roots can be done with a bottle to reach the roots, generally cut with a larger opening. Henna is messy and can be hard to apply (I find diluting it a bit with conditioner really helps) and there is no way to avoid red. If you don't want your hair to be more red/orange, then henna is not for you. And henna cannot lighten your hair, it can only add to what's already there.

[Night_Kitten]

I don't have any advice, just wanted to say Welcome :D

[James M]

Helllloooo :waving:

We have the same hair I think!

My hair is shorter than yours... But I have some razor cut layers as well, and I also experience a lot of the same issues with hair washing. For instance, it must be washed everyday or my hair will get to oily!

I've been doing a CWC. Condition, wash, condition. There is an article on here about it, I couldn't find it right away, but I'll keep looking and throw you a link! Anyways, I condition my hair, and then apply shampoo to the roots, then wash it all out, and then condition one time. It's made my hair way healthier, softer, and shinier. As well as eliminating any scalp oily issues I had with just using shampoo, no conditioner (i just started using!).

As far as making the hair not look limp... I experimented a little with Garnier medium strength mousse. I would apply like a golfball size amount to the roots, and blow dry, and it would add a lot of volume to my hair. But I had to quit doing it because my boys would give the hardest time in the world hahahahahaaha

So currently, I'm not using any products, BUT! With the other couple mousse's I tired while experimenting Garnier was hands down the best, did not make my hair stiff, was easy to work with, smelled amazing, and you couldn't tell there was mousse in there. haha Because I'm telling you, my friends love to bust balls :p

[Angeletti]

when I don't feel like having my normal stick straight hair and want volume I find that throwing damp hair up in a dutch braid overnight helps out and gives me lots of volume for the next day, you could try doing something like that or even bun curls if you want don't want to blow dry for the day

[brunetka]

I can't help with the fine hair questions, but I can answer some about henna.

Henna can be damaging for certain people's hair (so strand test before putting it on your head) though the jury's somewhat out on why. Many people with fine hair find it thickens the strand slightly. For most people henna is permanent. And by permanent I mean bleach and dye won't make the red go away permanent. Some people's hair sheds the color better than others. Roots can be done with a bottle to reach the roots, generally cut with a larger opening. Henna is messy and can be hard to apply (I find diluting it a bit with conditioner really helps) and there is no way to avoid red. If you don't want your hair to be more red/orange, then henna is not for you. And henna cannot lighten your hair, it can only add to what's already there.

Thank you for your help! I'd be ok with more red, as long as it's not screaming RED from miles away :) I like the color my hair has in the sun when the red undertones show. The potential strand thickening effect is what's tempting me, but since I've never dyed my hair before I'm not sure if I can handle the upkeep/touchup routine.

[brunetka]

Helllloooo :waving:

We have the same hair I think!

My hair is shorter than yours... But I have some razor cut layers as well, and I also experience a lot of the same issues with hair washing. For instance, it must be washed everyday or my hair will get to oily!

I've been doing a CWC. Condition, wash, condition. There is an article on here about it, I couldn't find it right away, but I'll keep looking and throw you a link! Anyways, I condition my hair, and then apply shampoo to the roots, then wash it all out, and then condition one time. It's made my hair way healthier, softer, and shinier. As well as eliminating any scalp oily issues I had with just using shampoo, no conditioner (i just started using!).

As far as making the hair not look limp... I experimented a little with Garnier medium strength mousse. I would apply like a golfball size amount to the roots, and blow dry, and it would add a lot of volume to my hair. But I had to quit doing it because my boys would give the hardest time in the world hahahahahaaha

So currently, I'm not using any products, BUT! With the other couple mousse's I tired while experimenting Garnier was hands down the best, did not make my hair stiff, was easy to work with, smelled amazing, and you couldn't tell there was mousse in there. haha Because I'm telling you, my friends love to bust balls :p


I haven't tried the Garnier mouse but I did use to use the Enjoy brand mouse with decent results. It was a little bit heavier than I would have liked. I might try the Garnier :)

[brunetka]

when I don't feel like having my normal stick straight hair and want volume I find that throwing damp hair up in a dutch braid overnight helps out and gives me lots of volume for the next day, you could try doing something like that or even bun curls if you want don't want to blow dry for the day

When I had longer hair in high school, I made one or two regular braids overnight for a bit of wave/volume the next day. I'd have to learn to dutch braid. The issue I had with the braids back then is that after undoing them, the hair would be in limp strands and after brushing those out, it would frizz. Maybe it's just a matter of adding something for frizz-control. My hair doesn't hold the wave very long though, but I'll try braiding again. Right now I'm just putting it up in double peacock twists or a pony tail on the no blow dry days and stocking up on cute hair clips so I'm motivated to air dry and wear it up more often.