Please tell me that this is normal!!

[CastaDiva]

Hi, I have very thin, fine and straight hair. When I have washed my hair and it is air drying, I notice quite a few shorter hairs that stick out from the top of my scalp down to the ends. I baby my hair like crazy and brush or comb it very gently so I don`t think (or hope) it is caused by damage. When the lighting is "right" it is espescially noticeable. The day after washing these crazy hairs find their place with the rest and it looks much better. Is it normal to have a lot of shorter strands? I really hope so because this really worries me:(

[RadiantNeedle]

Yup! It's normal. It's likely those are new hairs that are growing. You lose hair and grow it all the time, so you have hair at all different lengths. Have a look at some of those hairs up close. Do they have ends that get gradually thinner? If they do, they're new hairs!
I have this problem too. Because the hairs aren't long and weighted down by the length they go 'Hello! Here I am!' and stick out all over the place!
You can smooth them back and keep them down with a little bit of aloe vera, or maybe a light kind of oil, if your hair copes well with those.

Have you had a big shed at some point in the last year or two? These might be hairs that all started growing around the same time to replace ones you lost. It's not unusual to have 'natural layers', so to speak, because of a significant number of new hairs growing in.

If the hairs AREN'T tapered, but blunt or broken, then you might have mechanical damage. Do you wear your hair up regularly in the same way, such as a ponytail or bun? Try switching it up a little and using more hair friendly hair ties or hair sticks, if you don't already.

[Kherome]

Well of course it's normal! You shed constantly, and if those sheds weren't replaced you'd be bald in short order. So, if you are good to your hair, more likely than not those little lovelies are just your replacements growing in. The reason why you see your "halo" after a wash is that you've removed the oil that was holding them down. After a day the oil is back enough to lay them down. Just keep being good to your hair and enjoy knowing the halo is proof that your hair is still growing!

[RadiantNeedle]

Embrace the halo!

[Kherome]

Embrace the halo!


Hehe, we posted at the same time! Yep, that's my motto "Viva la Halo!" :cheese:

[luxepiggy]

Totally normal (^(oo)^) I do find that mine are a lot less noticeable now that I've settled comfortably into a new routine that includes some of the tips I learned on LHC.

Left: August 2010, when I first joined / Right: December 2010
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6020&pictureid=90381

[CastaDiva]

Totally normal (^(oo)^) I do find that mine are a lot less noticeable now that I've settled comfortably into a new routine that includes some of the tips I learned on LHC.

Left: August 2010, when I first joined / Right: December 2010
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6020&pictureid=90381
Thanks, luxepiggy for your reply and for posting those pictures:):) When just washed and dried my hair looks a lot like yours in the picture to the left. I have learned a lot from you guys here on TLHC since I discovered the site last year and I am constantly trying to improve my hair care routine. Would you mind sharing some of the things you do in in your new hair care routine now to get such smooth looking hair as shown in the picture to the right, because that is quite a dramatic difference. Your hair looks so healthy with incredible smoothness and shine and just like I would like my hair to look like:)

[CastaDiva]

Thank you so much, RadiantNeedle, I feel a lot better and relieved now after your kind and really helpful reply:):) I have looked at the shorter hairs and they don`t seem to be blunt or broken so I hope they are new hairs.

[craftybunn]

Totally normal (^(oo)^) I do find that mine are a lot less noticeable now that I've settled comfortably into a new routine that includes some of the tips I learned on LHC.

Left: August 2010, when I first joined / Right: December 2010
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6020&pictureid=90381

:thud: WOWWOW.WOW! Your hair is soooooo shiny!! Absolutely gorgeous!

[turquoisebud]

Oh, everybody has them! :) I think some of them on my head are breakage from the times I have been mean to my hair but most are little hairs growing! :D

[RadiantNeedle]

Thank you so much, RadiantNeedle, I feel a lot better and relieved now after your kind and really helpful reply:):) I have looked at the shorter hairs and they don`t seem to be blunt or broken so I hope they are new hairs.

You are very welcome! To be honest my silly, floofy halo makes me happy because it means my hair IS still growing and replacing itself. I've got a problem with shedding and have noticeably thin areas, so baby hairs make me squee. ^-^

[CastaDiva]

Hi, Kherome. I know that we shed hairs and have regrowth all the time, but I guess I didn`t expect the new growth to be so... noticeable and obvious. I know commercials can be fake but on hair commercials I have seen, the models have picture perfect hair, every strand is equally long, even on the close ups and I honestly thought that hair really looked like that:o I have also seen a lot of hair pictures here on TLHC, but I have never noticed short strands or "halos" on any of them so I thought I would just ask. I guess I`m a bit gullible or downright stupid:o;)

[CastaDiva]

You are very welcome! To be honest my silly, floofy halo makes me happy because it means my hair IS still growing and replacing itself. I've got a problem with shedding and have noticeably thin areas, so baby hairs make me squee. ^-^
I`m happy about my shorter hairs as well now, knowing that they are most likely regrowth:cheese: I`m so glad I finally asked the question, because this has really been bothering me for months.

[CastaDiva]

Thanks for your reply, turquoisebud:)

[Anywhere]

As others have said, yes its normal. I used to be concerned about these too, as I noticed people with super damaged hair had a lot of these. But it's normal.

[Kherome]

Hi, Kherome. I know that we shed hairs and have regrowth all the time, but I guess I didn`t expect the new growth to be so... noticeable and obvious. I know commercials can be fake but on hair commercials I have seen, the models have picture perfect hair, every strand is equally long, even on the close ups and I honestly thought that hair really looked like that:o I have also seen a lot of hair pictures here on TLHC, but I have never noticed short strands or "halos" on any of them so I thought I would just ask. I guess I`m a bit gullible or downright stupid:o;)


You are not stupid! We all have questions and learn new stuff all the time. I ask questions here that people are probably rolling their eyes over all the time LOL

[CastaDiva]

As others have said, yes its normal. I used to be concerned about these too, as I noticed people with super damaged hair had a lot of these. But it's normal.
Thanks, Anywhere:)

[jojo]

I used to worry about these too, but look after these baby hairs they are future long hairs!

[CastaDiva]

You are not stupid! We all have questions and learn new stuff all the time. I ask questions here that people are probably rolling their eyes over all the time LOL
Kherome, it was the rolling of the eyes part I was a bit concerend about. I was picturing people just sighing and shaking their heads in disbelief because someone could ask, in their opinion, such a silly question:o Anyway, thanks for telling me that it wasn`t a too silly question to ask and that I`m not stupid;)

[CastaDiva]

I used to worry about these too, but look after these baby hairs they are future long hairs!
Thanks for your reply, jojo:) I sure will give the baby hairs special attention from now on so that they can grow old and long with the rest of their hair buddies:):)

[artiste]

Thank you for asking this! I have been dealing with the same thing lately, and was scared that it was damage :) Good to know that its most likely just baby hairs!

[CastaDiva]

Hi, artiste:) I`m glad you too got an answer to this question. Now we can both relax knowing that those short hairs are probably just new ones and something to be happy about. We are growing hair:)