damp bunning and thinning hemlines

[jojo]

Please can you all share your experiences with damp bunning. Did any of you find your hemline got better and in what way?

My hemline is thinning which i am beginning to suspect is due to my thyroid issues. It really is the bane of my hair growing. I trimmed constantly all last year, my camera battery is dead at the moment but this was taken last September and although I trimmed quite a bit off throughout 2011, its near enough back to its raggity ends.

My plan is to grow as much as i can this year but trim 1/2" twice at 6 monthly intervals, does this seem realistic to you all? or should i just trim back to bsl and start again....so fed up!
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/lengthblack.jpg
please be honest, my hair is in good condition its just the hemline. I feel like im never going to have proper long hair and its important to me to have a nice hemline.

[akuamoonmaui]

I don't think your hemline looks too thin at all. If you really feel you need to trim, my opinion would be just a of couple inches.

[mulletesque]

I don't think you'd need to go back to BSL; looks like cutting about 3 inches in a U would give you a very lush hemline.

I've been waffling too, about how necessary trims (or chops) are. I prefer a blunt hemline as well, but knowing that more trimming equals less length, I've decided to abstain from trimming in 2012.

If I were where you are, I'd forget trimming and keep growing. (Unless your ends have damage issues, which doesn't look like the case.)

[jojo]

Thanks its probably an inch less of raggity hair due to a hair trim after this photo, its the ends which really bug me. the only way they look presentable is if i straighten but i refuse to put my hair through that. Yes maybe a inch or so may be what i need. My hairs a lot lighter now, more my siggi photo as id put a semi dye on here so the thinness looks bad, i suppose where our own worse critics!

[mulletesque]

Your hair looks great in your sig photo (although the ends aren't visible). I bet a one-inch trim might be more satisfying for you than 2 half-inch trims. Maybe cut off one inch, and then not trim for a year.

[jojo]

I don't think you'd need to go back to BSL; looks like cutting about 3 inches in a U would give you a very lush hemline.

I've been waffling too, about how necessary trims (or chops) are. I prefer a blunt hemline as well, but knowing that more trimming equals less length, I've decided to abstain from trimming in 2012.

If I were where you are, I'd forget trimming and keep growing. (Unless your ends have damage issues, which doesn't look like the case.)

3" would take me back to bsl! its hard, I really want to gain more length but my hemline is important to me. Maybe i should just let it fairy tale, its what is seems to do naturally. My ends have a few splits but nothing major, which i begrudgingly s&ded the other day, man do I hate s&ding!!! I couldnt go a full year, my hairs fine and breaks when i dont trim, but i think i could manage every 6 months and evaluate it from there....oh its hard, my hearts telling me to grow and my eyes are teeling me to trim! 2 week rule in progress!

[Carolyn]

I don't think you need to trim much if you are unhappy with your ends. You certainly don't need to cut to bsl to get a thick hemline.

I think damp bunning does 2 things for me. It keeps the ends moist throughout the day and it protects the ends from rough clothing and seat backs.

One thing to consider is how often do you want to wear your hair down? If it's something like once every month or two, then why not use a little heat for those special days? If you wear it down twice a week then that is probably too much heat styling for almost everybody's hair.

[mulletesque]

2 week rule in progress!
That sounds like a safe bet. :)

You must wear your bra lower than I do. :confused:

[jojo]

I don't think you need to trim much if you are unhappy with your ends. You certainly don't need to cut to bsl to get a thick hemline.

I think damp bunning does 2 things for me. It keeps the ends moist throughout the day and it protects the ends from rough clothing and seat backs.

One thing to consider is how often do you want to wear your hair down? If it's something like once every month or two, then why not use a little heat for those special days? If you wear it down twice a week then that is probably too much heat styling for almost everybody's hair.

thats it i never wear it down, apart from sometimes round the house. My Dr has just upped my thyroxine from 50mcg to 100mcg and i am thinking either I was on too low a dose and its caused this and hopefully will see some improvement or the 100mcg is too much and is causing this. I oil and put it up and forget it but been thinking about starting damp bunning to see if i see any improvement. Started today at 12 midday and its 11:30pm and its still wet! I seem to get this issue at all lengths, i do very rarely blow dry on medium if im in a rush, as its very cold where i live and wet hair + cold weather gives me headaches. i think i will give the meds a chance to work or not! and start damp bunning!

Thank you all for your replies

[sun-kissed]

That sounds like a safe bet. :)

You must wear your bra lower than I do. :confused:

Judging by the photo, it looks as though OP's waist is very close to her bra-strap. It's closer than mine, at least..

I like damp bunning because it makes my hair soft and shiny later when I take it down. I have no idea what kind of health benefits it has.. perhaps it helps moisture to stay in the hair? All I know is that my hair likes it. :p

As for your hem, it looks as though a good 1" trim would thicken it up enough for you to go a long time without having to trim again.

[Maktub]

I think you have very beautiful hair !

Trimming is very subjective, this is only what I would personnaly do :

Trimm around here :

http://www.dayza.com/v2/photo_4f13662d67e51Sans-titre-1.jpg (http://www.dayza.com/)

http://www.dayza.com/v2/photo_4f136640c6db0Sans-titre-2.jpg (http://www.dayza.com/)


And then maybe a 1/3 trimm every 3-4 months for a while (maintain the blunt or U first trimm), and keeping it up most of the time, in soft hair protective styles. I think this would improve the hemline radically.


Hope you get the perfect hemmline of your dreams :flower:

[shikara]

Hey jojo! Sorry to hear you are having problems..Im guessing those are bun waves in your hair pic, and its a little difficult to see exactly how your hemline is. Damp bunning really worked to keep my hair moisturized but the styles I wear dont really work for that. The best thing I do for my ends, is wet them and let them dry without touching them - i do this always at nite in two braids and wet about a four to five inch tassle. I either leave it alone or out it in a large roller so the ends can bask in moisture. Ive really noticed over the last year how much progress you have made. Im having a similar dilemma, but since its always up, Im going to get a few more inches, then cut back. It can be a difficult decision to make, cant it?,

[jacqueline101]

I wore a damp bun half this fall and my hair hasn't thinned any. Your hair looks lovely and I don't think you need a trim.

[silverjen]

50 mcg to 100 mcg is a big jump! My doc increased my thyroxine no more than 12 mcg at a time. Do you know what your most recent TSH is?

And hugs, and I think your hair is lovely.

[blondie9912]

I definitely don't think you need to trim all the way up to BSL. 2 inches would probably give you a perfectly full hemline :flower:

[Melisande]

If I was you, I wouldn't trim at all, I'd keep the hemline as kind of "guardian" for the rest of the hair. As it grows down, the hemline always suffers, and if you want length, why sacrifice a new hemline? But I'm not very ambitious about my hemline, I keep my hair up at nearly all times and don't care if it's a bit ragged.

I find damp bunning very beneficial. I use a mixture of rose water, oil (at the moment avocado oil but that keeps changing) and in summer aloe vera gel. I want to experiment with honey, too. I simply love the feeling damp bunning gives (where I live, we have very hot long dry summers and damp bunning has been a life saver).

I really like the colour and structure of your hair. I really wouldn't do a thing.

[jojo]

Hey jojo! Sorry to hear you are having problems..Im guessing those are bun waves in your hair pic, and its a little difficult to see exactly how your hemline is. Damp bunning really worked to keep my hair moisturized but the styles I wear dont really work for that. The best thing I do for my ends, is wet them and let them dry without touching them - i do this always at nite in two braids and wet about a four to five inch tassle. I either leave it alone or out it in a large roller so the ends can bask in moisture. Ive really noticed over the last year how much progress you have made. Im having a similar dilemma, but since its always up, Im going to get a few more inches, then cut back. It can be a difficult decision to make, cant it?,

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb328/lmarie29/th_2a283f57.jpg (http://s1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb328/lmarie29/?action=view&current=2a283f57.jpg) no thats my natural air dried hair! my hair is naturally wavy but the ends well last inch dry straight, maybe this is why im unhappy with it!

My bsl is 27" and my waist is 30" so yeah not a great distance between!

I have a plan, I am going to continue with the baby oil which has softened my hair so much and see if this along with damp bunning helps. In May I shall trim an inch off and get rid of those ends and then re-evaluate in november and if it needs a trim I shall do the same again, it will still give me 4" of growth, which will put me at hip!

[jojo]

I think you have very beautiful hair !

Trimming is very subjective, this is only what I would personnaly do :

Trimm around here :

http://www.dayza.com/v2/photo_4f13662d67e51Sans-titre-1.jpg (http://www.dayza.com/)

http://www.dayza.com/v2/photo_4f136640c6db0Sans-titre-2.jpg (http://www.dayza.com/)


And then maybe a 1/3 trimm every 3-4 months for a while (maintain the blunt or U first trimm), and keeping it up most of the time, in soft hair protective styles. I think this would improve the hemline radically.


Hope you get the perfect hemmline of your dreams :flower: oh you sweet heart thank you for going to the trouble of this, i do like the U one, maybe in May. It does seem I have a natrual U anyway, time to go with nature! thanks

[nellreno]

I have thinning hair due to thyroid issues too. If you look at my picture from a few month ago (when I was at waist) you can see that my ends are pretty thin. Granted some of that back then was layers and so I've been able to thicken up my ends just from trimming off the rest of the layers. But my hemline is still noticeably thinner than the rest of my hair.

I can't speak for damp bunning vs regular bunning as I do both pretty often, but I think bunning in general and just keeping your hair up and protected will help a lot. If I keep my hair up I get less tangles which in turn means less breakage and unnecessary lost hairs from detangling.

[jojo]

If I was you, I wouldn't trim at all, I'd keep the hemline as kind of "guardian" for the rest of the hair. As it grows down, the hemline always suffers, and if you want length, why sacrifice a new hemline? But I'm not very ambitious about my hemline, I keep my hair up at nearly all times and don't care if it's a bit ragged.

I find damp bunning very beneficial. I use a mixture of rose water, oil (at the moment avocado oil but that keeps changing) and in summer aloe vera gel. I want to experiment with honey, too. I simply love the feeling damp bunning gives (where I live, we have very hot long dry summers and damp bunning has been a life saver).

I really like the colour and structure of your hair. I really wouldn't do a thing. thank you, yes i think this is what i shall do!


I have thinning hair due to thyroid issues too. If you look at my picture from a few month ago (when I was at waist) you can see that my ends are pretty thin. Granted some of that back then was layers and so I've been able to thicken up my ends just from trimming off the rest of the layers. But my hemline is still noticeably thinner than the rest of my hair.

I can't speak for damp bunning vs regular bunning as I do both pretty often, but I think bunning in general and just keeping your hair up and protected will help a lot. If I keep my hair up I get less tangles which in turn means less breakage and unnecessary lost hairs from detangling.
yes indeed my hair is up 100% of the time and i really do think it would be worse if i didnt!

I am not sure what my TSH is but the reason he doubled it was due to my cholesterol shooting up, when the thyroid level is down it can cause this to raise and ive been having pains in my left lower leg for past 2 months so he was worried about peripheral vascular disease which runs in my family, so im thinking that was the rationale behind the big increase.

[jojo]

As I said ive been using baby oil as a serum and ive just taken a photo, my hair had been damp bunned and then combed but i do see a difference in my ends, more full? or is it wishful thinking. Don't know why my hair looks so dark and red on here it isnt in real life and plases excuse the adult baby grow, its cold here and its cosy!!!
My hand shows where hip length is on me, not long to go!
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/babyoil1-1.jpg

[mulletesque]

As I said ive been using baby oil as a serum and ive just taken a photo, my hair had been damp bunned and then combed but i do see a difference in my ends, more full? or is it wishful thinking. Don't know why my hair looks so dark and red on here it isnt in real life and plases excuse the adult baby grow, its cold here and its cosy!!!
My hand shows where hip length is on me, not long to go!
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/babyoil1-1.jpg
It's not wishful thinking, your tips do somehow look more full here. Maybe that damp-bunning is worth trying for awhile.

I like Maktub's U-shaped diagram for a trim, if you want to try to maximize the thickness of your hemline, but I don't think a trim is really needed right now.

It's interesting how the different "standard" lengths fall at different places on different people. My BSL is maybe 8" from my waist... but my hip and tailbone are dead even with each other!

[irishlady]

I don't think you need to cut, your hair is lovely! I'm envious.

[MsBubbles]

Jojo, I wouldn't base any major chop decisions on one photo taken on one day in one top :). That is, I don't see a raggedy hemline at all. I see a curl pattern and hemline that perhaps isn't hanging evenly. If you bun it with a tiny amount of oil & aloe (in humid weather), take it down over a silky, more fitted top, fingercomb it at most, and take a pic, your hair will probably look entirely different.

[Maktub]

Jojo, I wouldn't base any major chop decisions on one photo taken on one day in one top :). That is, I don't see a raggedy hemline at all. I see a curl pattern and hemline that perhaps isn't hanging evenly. If you bun it with a tiny amount of oil & aloe (in humid weather), take it down over a silky, more fitted top, fingercomb it at most, and take a pic, your hair will probably look entirely different.

I think this is wise.

or maybe even clarify and do a hair-type kind of picture with completely air-drying and no touching. I'd be really curious to see how that turns out. Any amount of oil, for me, gives the illusion of having much thinner hair.

[heidi w.]

You do not need to return to BSL length, or need to take off much, if any at all.

I see you have a very strong u-shaped hemline.

IF you are on medication for your thyroid, in time, all things may settle down a bit. It's my understanding that it can take a bit to find the right dosage for thyroid issues -- a little trial and error -- but once the right dosage is discovered, within a few months, perhaps around 3 months, things should start improving. Hair reacts later to the cause. It's not an immediate reaction. It takes a few months for the reaction to be realized, and this can also contribute to thinking the wrong thing is the cause.

It's just the way hair is.

I would NOT recommend a straight across trim for you, either. You need a u-shaped hemline because that is how your hair is growing.

heidi w.

[MonaLisa]

Your hair is just lovely and long, especially on the 2nd pic :)
Think if you trim to thicken up the ends...you should keep U shape and cut max 1 inch..
Or trim 1/2 inch twice in next 2-3 months..

[torrilin]

oh you sweet heart thank you for going to the trouble of this, i do like the U one, maybe in May. It does seem I have a natrual U anyway, time to go with nature! thanks

Definitely wait til May, or even June if you can stand it. And before you trim, take a new picture, to make sure you've got a clear idea of whether the shape has changed. It looks to me like one section of hair had been growing a bit less than the rest, and if it catches up, what Maktub drew would be far too much cut off.

It also looks to me like the wispy ends might be very pretty with your natural wave pattern showing. I know as my (very wimpy) waves started showing up, fairytail ends started looking much better when I wore my hair down.

[joliherb]

Your hair is beautiful! I damp bunned today and my hair is nice and soft!

[jojo]

It's not wishful thinking, your tips do somehow look more full here. Maybe that damp-bunning is worth trying for awhile.

I like Maktub's U-shaped diagram for a trim, if you want to try to maximize the thickness of your hemline, but I don't think a trim is really needed right now.

It's interesting how the different "standard" lengths fall at different places on different people. My BSL is maybe 8" from my waist... but my hip and tailbone are dead even with each other! yes the damp bunning used with baby oil has really helped


I don't think you need to cut, your hair is lovely! I'm envious. aww your so kind


Jojo, I wouldn't base any major chop decisions on one photo taken on one day in one top :). That is, I don't see a raggedy hemline at all. I see a curl pattern and hemline that perhaps isn't hanging evenly. If you bun it with a tiny amount of oil & aloe (in humid weather), take it down over a silky, more fitted top, fingercomb it at most, and take a pic, your hair will probably look entirely different. no im impressed with how damp bunning and baby oil has made my hair, no chop!


I think this is wise.

or maybe even clarify and do a hair-type kind of picture with completely air-drying and no touching. I'd be really curious to see how that turns out. Any amount of oil, for me, gives the illusion of having much thinner hair. I clarify regualry, this wasnt build up, it was dry ends and a different texture, thanks anyway


You do not need to return to BSL length, or need to take off much, if any at all.

I see you have a very strong u-shaped hemline.

IF you are on medication for your thyroid, in time, all things may settle down a bit. It's my understanding that it can take a bit to find the right dosage for thyroid issues -- a little trial and error -- but once the right dosage is discovered, within a few months, perhaps around 3 months, things should start improving. Hair reacts later to the cause. It's not an immediate reaction. It takes a few months for the reaction to be realized, and this can also contribute to thinking the wrong thing is the cause.

It's just the way hair is.

I would NOT recommend a straight across trim for you, either. You need a u-shaped hemline because that is how your hair is growing.

heidi w. thank you Heidi, yes i agree my hair wants to U. Yes this thyroid issue is taking time, doesn't help that ive been waiting to start a new job and my stress levels are high, it just messes everything up, thanks for your input


Your hair is just lovely and long, especially on the 2nd pic :)
Think if you trim to thicken up the ends...you should keep U shape and cut max 1 inch..
Or trim 1/2 inch twice in next 2-3 months.. yes gonna trim into a U as Heidi says it is what it does naturally!


Definitely wait til May, or even June if you can stand it. And before you trim, take a new picture, to make sure you've got a clear idea of whether the shape has changed. It looks to me like one section of hair had been growing a bit less than the rest, and if it catches up, what Maktub drew would be far too much cut off.

It also looks to me like the wispy ends might be very pretty with your natural wave pattern showing. I know as my (very wimpy) waves started showing up, fairytail ends started looking much better when I wore my hair down. aww thank you, I keep thinking hold on to June


Your hair is beautiful! I damp bunned today and my hair is nice and soft!

aw thank you so much your making me blush here! its makes a huge difference keeping those ends nice and conditioned. Ive always air dried but let it dry down, only downside but no biggie, my hairs takes a good day to dry proper in a bun!

[Katze]

Seconding (thirding?) the idea of a very minor trim to tidy up your U-shaped hemline.

I had not looked at your hair for a while and was actually really shocked to see how lovely, and how LONG, it's looking. For me, whose hair looks like that at APL, your hair is REALLY long. Yes, I KNOW this is LHC, ;) , but for the 'real world' your hair is actually really very long! And it's pretty, and the ends are actually nothing that a MINOR trim wouldn't fix.

And your original question - does damp bunning help thin ends? I wonder, because I always bun my hair when damp, and my ends are seethrough and straggly - MUCH worse than yours, AND shorter, trust me! :D I usually use leave-in since I have never had the time and energy to figure out oil...but my hair is 'special' - as you know. :)

[theresajensen]

I love your hair, and dont think u need to trim much, maybe about an inch at the most.. Cant really see that its thinning to much in the picture compared to how long your hair is, I would say its in very good condition :)

[jojo]

Seconding (thirding?) the idea of a very minor trim to tidy up your U-shaped hemline.

I had not looked at your hair for a while and was actually really shocked to see how lovely, and how LONG, it's looking. For me, whose hair looks like that at APL, your hair is REALLY long. Yes, I KNOW this is LHC, ;) , but for the 'real world' your hair is actually really very long! And it's pretty, and the ends are actually nothing that a MINOR trim wouldn't fix.

And your original question - does damp bunning help thin ends? I wonder, because I always bun my hair when damp, and my ends are seethrough and straggly - MUCH worse than yours, AND shorter, trust me! :D I usually use leave-in since I have never had the time and energy to figure out oil...but my hair is 'special' - as you know. :)

thank you Katze, you have shared my woes with my hem and been of great support to me. I am going to continue with the baby oil as it sorts the ends out; sort of plumps them out and gives my normally poker straight ends, there wave back it really strange how it works. Ive always just left my hair down to dry and only really damp bunned when I am in a rush, but I really do see a big difference.

I am going to put off a trim until May/June and then cut a U in, my hairs doing that anyway.

Hope you are at peace with your hair now Katze.

[jojo]

I love your hair, and dont think u need to trim much, maybe about an inch at the most.. Cant really see that its thinning to much in the picture compared to how long your hair is, I would say its in very good condition :)

thanks yes i think i will put it off until may/june:)