Thin, fine hair?!.... :/

**RileyJane** · January 13th, 2015, 05:19 PM

Ok so I've gotten my hair a good solid waist length, but at this point in my journey I am realizing that my hair just isn't getting thicker, and now along with having fine hair, it is also thin. So thin and fine that, when all of it is pulled over to one side, it is barely the same thickness as any other persons hair would be on just ONE side. Which, has made me feel slightly upset. Yes, I can get ultra volume with my hair but I wonder if that is pointless if my pony tail is the saddest tiniest thing ever. Now ik most everyone on this site is biased towards long hair (who isnt) but I wonder if I should just cut my hair to shoulder length and just be happy with it being "long" with my extensions that I clip in from time to time. I have to honestly say my hair now with the extensions look beautiful and full, but without it just seems sad and even though healthy, so small. So, should I make the cut ?! Or keep on truckin and hope my hair thickens back up? My hair has always been fine but It has always been pretty full up until I had it blonde about 5 years ago. I just feel so conflicted because I've always preferred it long, but I only seem to be truely in love with it when I'm cheating with extensions!😰

**Sarahlabyrinth** · January 13th, 2015, 05:27 PM

Maybe it's the dyeing and bleaching your hair to get it blonde which has caused damage and thinning. You say it was thicker before you went blonde. Also, wearing extensions can also damage your hair and cause hair loss.

Do you have a pic of your hair we could see? It may not be as bad as you think.

Sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your hair.

**Sarahlabyrinth** · January 13th, 2015, 05:28 PM

Oopsie, double post

**Annalouise** · January 13th, 2015, 05:31 PM

Welcome to having fine thin hair!

You're going to have to make that decision for yourself because you have to love yourself and don't do things because other people tell you do to it. It's all up to you and what you want. I have the same hair and its very thin. I've cut it back to shoulder length several times. But, I still want long hair. So I'm growing it. You have to decide what you want and then you have to IGNORE all the bleeps who tell you thin hair is ugly!

It's NOT ugly. Don't buy into the hate. If you love your hair and it's healthy then that is all that matters. If you want shorter hair then that is fine too, its up to YOU! It's YOUR hair girl.

**RapunzelKat** · January 14th, 2015, 07:34 AM

Originally Posted by Annalouise

Welcome to having fine thin hair!

You're going to have to make that decision for yourself because you have to love yourself and don't do things because other people tell you do to it. It's all up to you and what you want. I have the same hair and its very thin. I've cut it back to shoulder length several times. But, I still want long hair. So I'm growing it. You have to decide what you want and then you have to IGNORE all the bleeps who tell you thin hair is ugly!

It's NOT ugly. Don't buy into the hate. If you love your hair and it's healthy then that is all that matters. If you want shorter hair then that is fine too, its up to YOU! It's YOUR hair girl.

Yep, this. I have thin fine hair too. I wear it long because I want to, and most of the time I'm pretty happy with it. Thick hair is not necessarily "better," it's just different.

However, you may also have some damage from bleach and extensions as Sarahlabyrinth mentioned. If you pamper your hair and grow some of that out, you might be happier with your hair.

In the end though, just pick what you personally like best - that's all that really matters.

**Dona** · January 14th, 2015, 08:40 AM

What the others are saying - it's about what you like best. There will always be a person who likes your hair shorter. Or longer. Or a different colour.

About the thin/fine hair: doing too much to your hair could cause the damage... I used to have fine, i hair and although I've never dyed it, I did have a perm a few times in high school and I used to blow dry and curl/straighten a lot and I've worn extensions. The last perm is now almost 8 years ago and I've stopped using any heat or extensions 2 years ago. I've also changed my diet and try to eat as healthy as possible. My hair has improved, it is now of medium thickness

So indeed, pamper your hair and see if the condition of the hair improves! Also, even if your hair is fine and thin, if it looks shiny and healthy it will probably look pretty!

**silvurgrin** · January 14th, 2015, 10:18 AM

I have fine thin hair as well. I highlighted it 1.5 years ago, and have been regretting it. I could make the chop, but I love my length, so instead I'm microtrimming once a month. This also makes sure I have an even hemline, and gives the appearance that my hair is thicker. Also, microtrimming takes care of any split ends, so now it looks shiny and healthy. I still have a ways to go before all the damage is gone, but at least I can still have my length!

You could try the same. There are lots of tutorials of how to self trim, depending on your desired hemline. Also if you learn more about various hair products, both natural and commercial, maybe you can find a few things that can help you. You don't say what colour of hair you have, but some people have used cassia or henna to "thicken" their hair temporarily. Maybe this would help? I would look into it more before you do, of course. But there are options out there. You don't have to resort to cutting it if you don't want to!

**Zebra Fish** · January 14th, 2015, 10:32 AM

If you have really fine hair, than dying/bleaching/perming might easily coz lots of damage. You just don't see it from the start, especially if you are satisfied with it, and before you end up on LHC

If you still have some damage, you will have to grow it ALL out and wait for some more time for the thickness to get to the length. It is a slow process. I'm having the same problem, on already dyed/dry/damaged hair, a hairdresser did a very deep V layered cut made with a razor. I ended up in almost 5 strands going to the last layer. I'm maintaining (as I didn't want to lose all the length) and it goes slowly! I gained length, but with fine and thin, thickness comes back slowly. Thus maintaining.

So, if YOU want long hair, be patient, pamper it a little bit, wear up and don't look at it every day closely. Seconding what Dona said - that with fine hair doing too much might have negative effect. Play with you hair - try different treatments and methods, learn what it likes and what dislikes. Learn new styles. If you had the thickness, it should, slowly, come back.

**Panth** · January 14th, 2015, 03:59 PM

I would definitely attempt a change in routine to see if that helps. Fine hair generally needs to be treated gently and that is especially true as it gets longer. Things you could do include:
- stop bleaching or, at the very least, only touch up your roots and do not "pull down" the bleach through the length
- stop using dye (with an exception for deposit-only dyes, henna, hendigo, etc. which are non-damaging)
- stop chemical treatments that change texture (perms, relaxers, Brazilian blowouts, etc.)
- stop using straighteners, curling tongs and other heat-based tools (including blow drying - though you can do it on cool or warm and it's ok - anything that you wouldn't mind aiming at your skin at the same distance)
- stop wearing extensions (these damage the existing hair)
- stop detangling with inappropriate tools - start using a seamless, wide-toothed comb (or, maybe, depending on hairtype, a tangle teaser or (for curlies) a Denman brush)
- try wearing your hair up in protective styles (to reduce wear and tear and to prevent tangles)
- try a silk pillowcase or a silk sleep cap to reduce wear when sleeping
- try less frequent washing (slowly increase the time between your washes - people often find their scalp produces less sebum once it becomes accustomed to less frequent washes, though don't push it if it's really not working or if you actually get your hair dirty (e.g. work on a farm, in a factory, etc.))
- try gentler washing (again, this is highly variable and won't work for everyone; potential methods include diluting your shampoo with water, choosing shampoos with more gentle cleansers (e.g. cocoamidopropyl betaine instead of sulphates, or if using sulphates choosing SLES, ALS and ALES rather than SLS), doing conditioner-only washing, doing herbal washes such as soap nuts)
- improve your diet, drink water, exercise in moderation - healthy you = your body has spare resources to spend on less vital things like hair
- consider going to the doctor to get your blood tested for deficiencies, especially if you have other symptoms, have illnesses that may cause deficiencies and/or are consuming a poor or restricted diet (you particularly want to check your levels of iron, B12, vitamin D, thyroid hormones and sex hormones)
- consider (as a fine haired person) using conditioners and/or leave-ins with ingredients that help detangling, slip and tangle-prevention (i.e. 'cones - water-soluble or otherwise) and ingredients that patch-repair and/or enter the hair shaft ('cones, protein, coconut oil, panthenol, etc.)

Of course, you do not need to do all of these things. Equally, if you e.g. prefer bleached hair to longer hair, then it's perfectly ok for you to make that choice and keep bleaching. However, to maximise your growth (especially as you have fine, and thus easily damaged hair) you should probably do no more than one of the "stop" points and at least try the "try" / "consider" points. And remember, it's about choosing a look, and thus a routine, that makes you happy. If that's long, great. If that's bleached with fashionable hairstyles, then that's great too. Just don't expect you can do both of those and have undamaged looking hair (unless, maybe, if you were a C/iii...).

**AmberJewel** · January 14th, 2015, 06:53 PM

I was going to post advice, then I read through the comments. They pretty much covered everything I was going to say.

So a little sympathy:

If you want long hair, you have to take care of it. Believe me, fine hair takes a little extra TLC, but it can also be beautiful and silky-looking like no other type. If you prefer short hair and extensions, that's your choice; but if you want long hair, learn to love your hair-type and work with it.