Where do I start to fix my hair?

[raingirl]

Newbie here!! Still learning all the terminologies and reading lots of posts. Lots of awesome info here!

I want to make my hair better which is why I joined. I want to grow it out long and try and improbe the thickness/fullness if I can.

My hair isn't horrible so far. I've been growing it out for about a year now. I'm a 100% natural light light blonde. No colouring, no bleaching, nothing. I don't own a tape measure so I haven't measured my hair yet, but it's at the level of my bra strap approximately now.

Here are some of the problems I want to fix:

1) In the last 5 years the volume/thickness of my hair has gone way down. I'm noticing lots of thinning at my crown and forehead and when I pull it back, the pony tail is so thin (I would have to say 1/2 as thin as it was when I was in highschool at least).

2) I have insane oily skin/hair. I can't go a day without washing it. I recently switched to the OCM for my face and it's helped a little there (only been a week though). I've heard of castor oil for the hair as well? I wonder if it's the same as the face and it will help unclog pores therefore making hair grow back more?) What treatments can I use for oily hair? When I run out of my current shampoos/conditioners - recommendations for what to try next? I was thinking a natural SLS free shampoo?

Thanks!

[raingirl]

Where is the edit button? Improbe?? LOL I meant improve!

[BelleBot]

You could try CO (conditioner only) I found that helped with cutting down on the greasies, it took a week or so for my scalp to adjust but now I only need to wash twice a week. I do still use shampoo from time to time, but conditioning my scalp has made a huge difference.
I also use OCM for my face :) Never tried oil on my scalp except in deep treatments. I've heard that castor oil can make hair darker, just a warning, perhaps try a different oil like EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) or coconut oil if you're thinking of using it on your hair/scalp.

As for the loss of volume, do you do a lot of tight hair dos? That can sometimes put unnecessary strain on the hair and cause it to fall out prematurely.
It could be all sorts of things from diet to stress causing your hair to thin, or it could just be hormones as I'm sure they'll be very different to when you were in high school, perhaps your hair is naturally meant to be thinner.

Good luck on your hair journey :blossom:

[spidermom]

A lot of people pull their ponytail tight, which could cause traction alopecia. A good start, I think, would be to find a different style or two.

You can start with the products you have now. Conditioner to length, shampoo scalp area, rinse, conditioner to length again, rinse.

I almost always dilute my shampoo. Most of it is quite concentrated stuff, and you can get away with using way less than the directions on the bottle would indicate. I don't measure, but I guess I use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of warm water in an empty conditioner bottle with perhaps 1 teaspoon to 1/2 tablespoon of shampoo added; shake well; squirt all over scalp and even down the length every once in awhile, but not usually. I find the suds that run through my hair when I rinse washes the length well enough, plus the conditioner helps remove the oil I apply to the length.

[BerryFlap]

Different techniques work for different people; I myself am very oily and I've found that shampoos in bar form work best for me. Watch out for sulphates, they coat the hair to make it look shiny which can effect the sheen of oiliness immensely. Blonde is the worst for looking oily :(

For loss of volume, try searching the forums for hair growth or thickening remedies. Since I started spraying Roobios tea on my scalp my hair has thickened (and grown!) like crazy!

As it's been said, don't pull it too hard, don't be too rough, don't use anything but a wide toothed seamless comb when it's wet, and the latter or a bristle brush when it's dry. Brushing is probably one of the most misunderstood haircare mistakes... And don't brush too often! The less shedding the better :)

Try doing a new thing and continuing it for 2 weeks or so, if it doesn't work, move on to a new technique and so on and so forth to find what works best for you. Good luck :)

[KwaveT]

Where is the edit button? Improbe?? LOL I meant improve!

You don't have enough board privileges to edit your posts yet. When you reach 25 posts then you can edit your posts like to add information, but you can't use this function to delete your posts at least without being modded.

[MrsGuther]

The thinning of your hair may be caused by genetics, unfortunately. Or it could be from traction alopecia. Try not to put your ponytail too tight, and don't wear the same hairstyle every day, as that could cause breakage and thinning.
When I switched from ponytail holders (which snapped my hair off easily if pulled too tight) to soft scrunchies my hair started to react nicely, and has regained some fullness. I would also recommend stretching washes, and only using shampoo on your scalp, and conditioner on your length. I've noticed less shedding since I only shampoo my scalp area, and not my length usually.
Good luck, and happy growing!

[Sundial]

1) another cause of hair thinning could be low levels of iron. You can get yours checked and add a supplement to your diet if that is the cause of your thinning.

2) strong shampoos can strip hair of oil and cause hair to react by overproducing sebum. You can switch to a milder shampoo, dilute shampoo, or switch to a milder washing method like CWC or even CO

[raingirl]

Thanks everyone.

Recommendations for shampoos/conditioners? I already do the wash scalp only (with a small amount of shampoo on really wet hair) and conditional on the length only (been doing that for over a year and don't really see a difference). I have a few bottles I'm going to finish off first before buying anything new so I have some time to choose the right product.

I do have severly low iron so maybe that's why? I've been on iron supplements for 10 years and it never gets up to the normal range. The docs have no idea why. I'm on a new liquid supplement now though which is bringing back up my ferritin levels which were getting too low. The docs think that eventually my levels will go back up on this new supplement if my ferritin gets back to normal levels.

It could also be genetics. My mom has very thin almost non-existant hair. Funny - my sisters are fine though! Darn genetics.

I've never used a comb on my hair as I find they pull/hurt. Should I use some kind of leave-in treatment to detangle better first?

Air drying - right now I blow dry as my hair gets too frizzy to style if I let it air dry. I prefer to keep it down but to do so, I must blow dry. Any suggestions for that? I have these "cow-lick" things at my forehead hairline that if I don't blow dry, my hair will look stupid all day. Then all I can do is pull my hair back into a pony tail or something. I can't do headbands as they cause issues with my ears/glasses. I can't do a bun as my hair is so thin that when I try, it's too small (literally, my bun will be the size of a mushroom cap - tiny!!) and I can't fasten it back in any way.

[Alaia]

I've never used a comb on my hair as I find they pull/hurt. Should I use some kind of leave-in treatment to detangle better first?


Combs, if you use wide-toothed ones, are usually much better than brushes in avoiding damage. If you comb from the bottom of your hair up, that helps. Also if you hit a massive knot then you can stop and get it out with your fingers.

Leave-in treatments don't usually hurt either ;)

Having said that, I do get lazy and use my Kent paddle brush. Just make sure to go from the bottom up and don't just rip the brush through your hair.

[raingirl]

Being a blonde...I'm afraid of dye. I've been reading around that cassia and henna can help with thickness and shine. I don't mind changing the colour of my hair if it's something natural and will also make it look or feel thicker (I think Henna coats the hair, doesn't it?)

Could that be worth trying? If I go that route (I've had my eye on henna for years), do I have to wait to grow out the colour or will it fade eventually?

[Loviatar]

Watch out for sulphates, they coat the hair to make it look shiny which can effect the sheen of oiliness immensely.

No offence to you BerryFlap, but sulphates do not coat the hair. Sulphates are the detergent agents in shampoo. They strip rather than coat. You may be thinking of silicones, which are present in some shampoos and conditioners. Hope that helps. :)

[Alaia]

Being a blonde...I'm afraid of dye. I've been reading around that cassia and henna can help with thickness and shine. I don't mind changing the colour of my hair if it's something natural and will also make it look or feel thicker (I think Henna coats the hair, doesn't it?)

Could that be worth trying? If I go that route (I've had my eye on henna for years), do I have to wait to grow out the colour or will it fade eventually?

Cassia isn't supposed to deposit colour, though since your hair is light blonde it may make it yellower (I think some people have mentioned this on their light hair).

Henna... it might fade, but it won't fade completely. The only way to get rid of henna is to cut it out. :)