Has my hair thickened?

[ancilla]

My hair has been quite thin for a while, but it only appears so when it is straightened

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/Syndhrod/hair1.jpg
this was in early 2011

I was almost always trying to get my hair to lie straight for years, heatfree if possible (use flat iron on my bangs only). Usually I would sit in front of a fan and dry my wet hair by very gently pulling and finger combing it straight. I'd end up with this

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/Syndhrod/006-1.jpg

my hair has been appearing thinner and thinner, especially at the ends. Although this is an older picture, I don't have any recent ones, but this is the exact thinness problem I'm trying to describe
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/Syndhrod/user16704_pic74016_1275954779.jpg

So today I decided to try an experiment. I CO washed my hair with VO5 Kiwi Lime Squeeze (never tried that kind before) and then used aloe vera gel once my hair had dried a little. No straightening of any kind. These are the results fully dry:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/Syndhrod/008-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/Syndhrod/009-1.jpg

could I possibly have gone from a low end ii to a low to mid iii just by letting my hair do its natural thing?

[akilina]

It definitely does look thicker! But you did mention that when you straighten it it appears thinner. Maybe the curlies you have are filling in a little bit visually.
But still...it really looks thicker :]

[winship2]

Wouldn 't you have to ponytail test it to be sure? But whatever the objective measurement, it looks healthy and pretty, so enjoy it!

[red-again]

I found that effect a nice suppose when CO too. Though it was short lived and between needing to CO daily to maintain a non greasy look, I noticed though my length hair looked full still it clung like a cap to my head. It was thicker but heavier at the same time if you see what I mean and that look does not suit me! It was a gradual thing tho, at first my hair was just slightly less bouncy but thicker which was ideal but the fullness upped and the flatness increased, three weeks-ish in I gave up. I now heavily dilute shampoo and the condish and all is good again.
To me your hair looks just like mine did, thicker and for now no flatness on your head, hope it continues that way

I just went over yesterday to the.curly girl site and the method for CO over there is a dime size amount rubbed well into your wet scalp then rinsed and then condish applied as you would normally. I WAS just putting huge globs all over my head, rubbing my scalp yes but I think I was prob just after time redistributing the sebum throughout my hair, I may try CO in a while again with the CG method just to see.



And I think your hair is lovely, suits you before and after CO - wouldn't have said it was.thin at all, lovely!

[BlazingHeart]

I sincerely doubt you've actually changed your thickness - for that to happen, you'd have to have significantly less breakage or hair loss. It usually takes 12-18 months to have that sort of change; it's very slow, because it's dependent on new hair growing in.

What's more likely is that you've got your hair spreading in a way that gives the visual effect of thicker hair - there aren't actually more hairs, but the hairs are spreading out so they kind of take up more room when they aren't bound together.

Which is to say, a ponytail test, if done with correct tightness, should be the same as it was, but just eyeballing your hair loose may look different. Am I making sense?

~Blaze

[Venefica]

Your hair do look thicker, and it is very pretty. I do think your curls fill out a bit and give it more volume, but I also think that if you do not style it as much then you do less damage to your hair which might make it thicker as well. Also I like your curly hair better than straight. What where your ponytail circumference before and what is it now?

[Mesmerise]

Wouldn 't you have to ponytail test it to be sure? But whatever the objective measurement, it looks healthy and pretty, so enjoy it!

Yes, this! Your thickness is determined by your ponytail circumference. Some people with the same circs have hair that looks thicker than others because of natural body. The other day my very thin hair was looking positively boofy because of the way I was wearing it (I had it loose and because of natural waves... and rain... it was quite thick looking)! When I pull it back though, there's no doubt it's on the thinner side of ii.

So yeah, the way you do your hair can have a significant impact on your hair's appearance, but it won't generally have any real impact on it's actual thickness.

[lapushka]

Wouldn 't you have to ponytail test it to be sure?


I sincerely doubt you've actually changed your thickness - for that to happen, you'd have to have significantly less breakage or hair loss. It usually takes 12-18 months to have that sort of change; it's very slow, because it's dependent on new hair growing in.

Both these. ^^

It takes lots of growth time indeed to be able to make a change in ponytail circumference.

Your hair appears thicker in its natural state, though, that's for sure.

[onlyforhim]

It looks thicker for sure

[catamonica]

Your hair looks really thick. Its beautiful.

[evieisocoolike]

VO5 Kiwi Lime Squeeze made my already too thick hair thicker. Also, you are absolutely beautiful if you don't mind me saying! Very classic-looking! :)

[patienceneeded]

It sure looks thicker! Also, we may just be hair twins! My hair looks an awful lot like that when I let it "do its thing." Love the length!

[henné]

How long have you let your hair 'do its natural thing'? If you've been at it for about a year, then it is absolutely possible it has gotten thicker, but if you've been at it for only a couple of months, that's pretty much impossible. What would definitely give you the answer is pony-tail circumference comparison between what it was to what it is now. But I guess you didn't measure your circumference before, did you?

In any case, it doesn't matter if it did get thicker or not. Thickness is not everything and in many cases it might even be a annoyance ... As long as your hair is healthy, that is really all that matters :) And your hair looks lovely :)