Thin/Fine Support Thread

How many natural heads are in this thread? We need to talk. bonjour

My hair gives the illusion of being being very thick in the photos but to me because the strands are fine textured, I feel kind of "[picktyheaded]" like it is thin or something. However, I have got it as thick as I think I can. I henna and indigo, deep condition, use homemade BT and HM Afro detangler. I have no shedding or breakage, but it is not gaining any length that I can see. The thicker it gets the shorter it seems. Could be hair anoerexia or the truth. So I am going to go and pull the covers over my head and forget about my hair for awhile. bonjour

No! Don't! Hang in there Mahalialee! We have a sticky now and we can all come here and get tips and solutions! We fine/thin ladies have special needs and once we embrace that we can have healthy, beautiful hair. I am pretty positive it's not hair anorexia :nono:! Just keep it simple, baby and love your hair, focus on your other fabulous traits you possess and BAM! One day you'll look in the mirror, look at your and you will be happily amazed!
 
This thread is a wealth of information, and after reading it from beginning to end i have absolutely nothing to add! :grin: Ya'all ladies covered all the essentials of dealing with fine/thin hair from A to Z!!!! Love this!!!!!!!

We are definitely in a class of our own..... and it's so, so, so important that we learn to handle and treat our hair as though it's a rare piece of imported, antique silk. There are really no ifs, ands, or buts about it. :drunk:

Im so glad this has been made a sticky!!!!!

Hi KiniKakes! Glad to see you. You are one of my inspirations with your pretty self! :yep:.
I couldn't have articulated it better!

I think I recall a post of yours that you shared about how you put your hair up when going to bed. Could you share that with us again? I recall thinking it was great advice.
 
:perplexed I'm still learning so I don't know what is a good commandment right now. I think the ladies who have healthy regimens and have achieved great lengths should write the commandments. :rolleyes::grin:

I agree! However, we can all contribute in other ways. Maybe we could all post 3 "Fine" Tips or something like that regarding things we personally do that might be beneficial each time we post here including product. I'll start with these.

3 "Fine" Tips
  1. I sleep on a silk pillowcase everynight. I take one with me even when I travel or keep them over my boyfriends house. There are times I don't want to sleep with a nightcap (trying to get my sexy on with my lover!)
  2. I sleep in a silk nightcap (turned inside out) INSTEAD of a scarf when I want to smooth my hair. I think the scarf was rubbing my hairline and causing breakage. Turning the nightcap inside-out keeps the elastic from rubbing against my hairline.
  3. I keep my henna/indigo mixe simple and rinse out my henna treatments with moisturizing and always deep condition after that using a moisturizing condition (currently using Nexxus Humectin)
 
I wore the ugliest of the ugly hairstyles while I was tryna get past the shoulders. The back was parted down the middle and then I would twist each side into 2 strand twists and secure that in the middle of my head with a hair pin. (not a bobby pin)

Then the front was brushed back and pinned over top of the 2 twists. I absolutely know this is what got me past the shoulder. I am sure it could be made cuter with someone who is creative.


This exactly what I do. I part my hair down the middle and wear it in to braids or I do 2 french braids,, Plain but it works
 
You ladies are awesome, I am so happy I came into this thread. I deal w/most of the exact same issues you all do and I thought it was just me! most of the ladies on the board use these methods to gain and maintain length and I was wondering why I would grow to a nice length and then run right back into the same problems.

Conditioner wash is no good for me
air drying leaves my tresses dry and shedding
baggie method eventually led to shedding
washing in the shower = mucho hair in the drain. we had to call the plumber twice already :perplexed I am going to revamp my whole routine. Thanks!!
 
I agree! However, we can all contribute in other ways. Maybe we could all post 3 "Fine" Tips or something like that regarding things we personally do that might be beneficial each time we post here including product.

My 3 Fine tips

  1. No chemical dyes or relaxers. Being natural has allowed me to maintain some thickness and obtain lenght.
  2. Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize twice daily
  3. Tie hair down with silk/satin scarf at night.
 
3 "Fine" Tips
  1. Don't wash too frequently
    This may shock some, but washing my hair once every week to two weeks is best for reducing the amount of manipulation and detangling when my hair is at its most vulnerable, i.e. wet.


    [*]Don't use direct heat
    I use my hood dryer for deep conditioning and roller sets and that is it.


    [*]Do eat a healthy, balanced diet
    The body prefers to look out for vital organs first and hair gets what's left over, so deficiences in iron and other minerals and vitamins can lead to weakened hair. I make sure there are enough nutrients for all of me.
 
Conditioner wash is no good for me
air drying leaves my tresses dry and shedding
baggie method eventually led to shedding
washing in the shower = mucho hair in the drain. we had to call the plumber twice already :perplexed I am going to revamp my whole routine. Thanks!!

Hello Divyoki! We should start a "No No" List too! You've just started one!

"No No's" for me are:
:nono: Crown & Glory (the part where you wash your hair in braids)
:nono: Heat (except when conditioning and the occasional trip to my hairstylist who will blow dry my hair for a particular look)
:nono: SURGE (the spray) - didn't do Jack! - Went through 2 bottles before I got the message.
 
3 "Fine" Tips
  1. Don't wash too frequently
  1. This may shock some, but washing my hair once every week to two weeks is best for reducing the amount of manipulation and detangling when my hair is at its most vulnerable, i.e. wet.


    [*]Don't use direct heat
    I use my hood dryer for deep conditioning and roller sets and that is it.


    [*]Do eat a healthy, balanced diet
    The body prefers to look out for vital organs first and hair gets what's left over, so deficiences in iron and other minerals and vitamins can lead to weakened hair. I make sure there are enough nutrients for all of me.


I had to learn the hard way but you are right. I had to cut back to just once a week.

My big sister recomends diluting the shampoo since my once a week wash will be a clarifying wash.
 
I am convinced that these fine-haired tips are working for me. Today I wore my hair down after my rollerset last night. At least 3 ladies have come up to me to comment on how much thicker/healthier my hair has become. Therefore, I know that I'm doing something right. Here are my tips:

1. WATCH YOUR PRODUCT: my hair broke and shed the most when I was putting too much product in my hair. My advice is to choose a product line (:love:AVEDA:love:) and stick to it!

2. MOISTURE AND PROTEIN: my fine tresses tend to HATE harsh proteins, but love moisture. However, techniques like baggying tends to over-moisturize my hair and cause matting and tangles, especially at the roots. You'll have to experiment and find the best combination/balance for your hair. One size does not fit all.

3. PURSUE THICKENING AGENTS: I'm using Castor Oil, but not too much. I've also been taking Super Biotin, B-Complex, and Pantothenic Acid. I would recommend taking all of these with LOTS of water and a multivitamin. Ladies who have breakouts should be taking a multivitamin and drinking as much water as possible.

4. DIET RICH IN PROTEIN AND VEGGIES: I've noticed a change for the better for my hair when I started to change my diet, focusing on protein, specifically fish which has lots of nice fatty acids.

5. STAY AWAY FROM HEAT: yes, blow-outs make you look sexy and hot, but they wreck havoc on fine hair. I know there are some ladies who cannot airdry for whatever reason. The next best thing is rollersets ONCE a week only.

6. LEAVE YOUR HAIR ALONE!! I've discovered that braids aren't for me. Rolling my hair every night just creates more breakage. Protective styles are the TRUTH!! Keep unnecessary combing and brushing to a minimum. The less you manipulate these fine, beautiful strands, the better off those strands will be.

7. EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!! Not only does it do the body good, the hair thrives as well. Something about getting the blood flow circulating and keeping things moving is greatly beneficial for overall health and well being.

8. DID I SAY WATER, WATER, WATER!!!??!! Yes, drink as much as you can. You should be drinking at least 1/2 your body weight to reap the full benefits.

That's all I got at the moment...

Good luck, ladies and happy thickening! ;)
 
I am convinced that these fine-haired tips are working for me. Today I wore my hair down after my rollerset last night. At least 3 ladies have come up to me to comment on how much thicker/healthier my hair has become. Therefore, I know that I'm doing something right. Here are my tips:

1. WATCH YOUR PRODUCT: my hair broke and shed the most when I was putting too much product in my hair. My advice is to choose a product line (:love:AVEDA:love:) and stick to it!

2. MOISTURE AND PROTEIN: my fine tresses tend to HATE harsh proteins, but love moisture. However, techniques like baggying tends to over-moisturize my hair and cause matting and tangles, especially at the roots. You'll have to experiment and find the best combination/balance for your hair. One size does not fit all.

3. PURSUE THICKENING AGENTS: I'm using Castor Oil, but not too much. I've also been taking Super Biotin, B-Complex, and Pantothenic Acid. I would recommend taking all of these with LOTS of water and a multivitamin. Ladies who have breakouts should be taking a multivitamin and drinking as much water as possible.

4. DIET RICH IN PROTEIN AND VEGGIES: I've noticed a change for the better for my hair when I started to change my diet, focusing on protein, specifically fish which has lots of nice fatty acids.

5. STAY AWAY FROM HEAT: yes, blow-outs make you look sexy and hot, but they wreck havoc on fine hair. I know there are some ladies who cannot airdry for whatever reason. The next best thing is rollersets ONCE a week only.

6. LEAVE YOUR HAIR ALONE!! I've discovered that braids aren't for me. Rolling my hair every night just creates more breakage. Protective styles are the TRUTH!! Keep unnecessary combing and brushing to a minimum. The less you manipulate these fine, beautiful strands, the better off those strands will be.

7. EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!! Not only does it do the body good, the hair thrives as well. Something about getting the blood flow circulating and keeping things moving is greatly beneficial for overall health and well being.

8. DID I SAY WATER, WATER, WATER!!!??!! Yes, drink as much as you can. You should be drinking at least 1/2 your body weight to reap the full benefits.

That's all I got at the moment...

Good luck, ladies and happy thickening! ;)

All this is some good stuff!!!!!!
 
I challenged my self to stick with a consistent regiment and same products until december. Being a product junkie has kept me from seeing whats working. I started keeping a hair journal so I track my hair and product productivity.
 
I challenged my self to stick with a consistent regiment and same products until december. Being a product junkie has kept me from seeing whats working. I started keeping a hair journal so I track my hair and product productivity.

Good job!!! Thanks for posting.
 
You ladies are awesome, I am so happy I came into this thread. I deal w/most of the exact same issues you all do and I thought it was just me! most of the ladies on the board use these methods to gain and maintain length and I was wondering why I would grow to a nice length and then run right back into the same problems.

Conditioner wash is no good for me
air drying leaves my tresses dry and shedding
baggie method eventually led to shedding
washing in the shower = mucho hair in the drain. we had to call the plumber twice already :perplexed I am going to revamp my whole routine. Thanks!!


You may be my hair twin....!:grin:
CW doesn't work for me at all
Baggie led to shedding/breakage for me too
Air drying leaves my hair dry and shedding but I am getting better at it. I will let you know when I perfect it.
 
AMEN Serenity! - GREAT ADVICE!:grin:

I am convinced that these fine-haired tips are working for me. Today I wore my hair down after my rollerset last night. At least 3 ladies have come up to me to comment on how much thicker/healthier my hair has become. Therefore, I know that I'm doing something right. Here are my tips:

1. WATCH YOUR PRODUCT: my hair broke and shed the most when I was putting too much product in my hair. My advice is to choose a product line (:love:AVEDA:love:) and stick to it!

2. MOISTURE AND PROTEIN: my fine tresses tend to HATE harsh proteins, but love moisture. However, techniques like baggying tends to over-moisturize my hair and cause matting and tangles, especially at the roots. You'll have to experiment and find the best combination/balance for your hair. One size does not fit all.

3. PURSUE THICKENING AGENTS: I'm using Castor Oil, but not too much. I've also been taking Super Biotin, B-Complex, and Pantothenic Acid. I would recommend taking all of these with LOTS of water and a multivitamin. Ladies who have breakouts should be taking a multivitamin and drinking as much water as possible.

4. DIET RICH IN PROTEIN AND VEGGIES: I've noticed a change for the better for my hair when I started to change my diet, focusing on protein, specifically fish which has lots of nice fatty acids.

5. STAY AWAY FROM HEAT: yes, blow-outs make you look sexy and hot, but they wreck havoc on fine hair. I know there are some ladies who cannot airdry for whatever reason. The next best thing is rollersets ONCE a week only.

6. LEAVE YOUR HAIR ALONE!! I've discovered that braids aren't for me. Rolling my hair every night just creates more breakage. Protective styles are the TRUTH!! Keep unnecessary combing and brushing to a minimum. The less you manipulate these fine, beautiful strands, the better off those strands will be.

7. EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!! Not only does it do the body good, the hair thrives as well. Something about getting the blood flow circulating and keeping things moving is greatly beneficial for overall health and well being.

8. DID I SAY WATER, WATER, WATER!!!??!! Yes, drink as much as you can. You should be drinking at least 1/2 your body weight to reap the full benefits.

That's all I got at the moment...

Good luck, ladies and happy thickening! ;)
 
I HAVE HAD FINE HAIR FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. IT FINALLY STARTED TO THICKEN UP WHEN I SWITCHED FROM LYE TO NO-LYE. THE LYE RELAXER WAS BREAKING MY HAIR DOWN TO MUCH. I'M ABOUT TO HAVE MY THIRD NO-LYE RELAXER NEXT WEEK. THE ONLY THING ABOUT NO LYE IS THAT MY HAIR FEELS A BIT DRYER, BUT I RATHER A DRYER FEEL THAN A THINNER LOOK.
 
Ladies, the information in this thread is golden...my hair humbly thanks you:kiss: It's good to know that I'm not crazy and some of the methods that other folks rave about (CW, baggying) may not be the best for thinner textures of hair.

Now maybe I can get down to retaining some darned length:wallbash:
 
Ladies, the information in this thread is golden...my hair humbly thanks you:kiss: It's good to know that I'm not crazy and some of the methods that other folks rave about (CW, baggying) may not be the best for thinner textures of hair.

Now maybe I can get down to retaining some darned length:wallbash:

Your hair sure is pretty! It looks thick!
 
Your hair sure is pretty! It looks thick!

Thank you so much Cayenne!:kiss: I'm just trying to be like you when I grow up:grin:

Seriously though, my hair is hella thin. SO much so, it's been making me question whether growing my hair long is the best option. Long thin hair doesn't always look so good:ohwell:
 
Thank you so much Cayenne!:kiss: I'm just trying to be like you when I grow up:grin:

Seriously though, my hair is hella thin. SO much so, it's been making me question whether growing my hair long is the best option. Long thin hair doesn't always look so good:ohwell:


I have been thinking that maybe apl should be my stopping point:ohwell:
 
I would be happy if I only can get to APL but that it's thicker and healthy!! :yep: It does me absolutely no good to have long hair and it's see-through, thin or has not life. I'm willing to try and be patient, but I have to admit that I'm beginning to think that healthy APL should be my goal FIRST. If my hair grows longer than that and is healthy and full, then so be it. But I am not going to act as if it's the end of the world if I don't get to BSL. I know that I can at least get to APL.:grin:
 
Ladies, the information in this thread is golden...my hair humbly thanks you:kiss: It's good to know that I'm not crazy and some of the methods that other folks rave about (CW, baggying) may not be the best for thinner textures of hair.

Now maybe I can get down to retaining some darned length:wallbash:

Your hair is GORGEOUS!! And it sure does look very thick! :yep::notworthy:
 
Thank you so much Cayenne!:kiss: I'm just trying to be like you when I grow up:grin:

Seriously though, my hair is hella thin. SO much so, it's been making me question whether growing my hair long is the best option. Long thin hair doesn't always look so good:ohwell:

Girl, puhleeze! I'm trying to be like YOU!!!:grin: I totally hear you ladies on seeking a decent stopping point where our fine hair looks healthy and full. I can't wait to find out what that stopping point is. Kini has proven that we can have thin BSL hair and still look FABULOUS!!
 
I am focusing on healthy hair as well. I have found that it is very important to keep your ends healthy. Cut those scraggly ends.

I also did not do well on the Crown and Glory regimen:nono:
 
Thin and fine aren't the same though. Thin hair is having relatively fewer hair follicles. Fine hair is when the individual strands are just that - fine. You can have thick, fine hair or thin, coarse hair! (Hope that was clear :ohwell:)

I have fine hair that is medium density (neither thick nor thin). I'm hovering at lower BSL/MBL and wondering if it's just too fragile to go past that. I was really looking forward to reaching WL.

Thanks for pointing that out and no disrespect to my thin hair sister :nono:.
 
Is anyone using Aveda here? I started last Saturday (08.04.07) and the first wash was normal as far as hair loss during the wash and fabulous hair after it dried. My co-worker asked if I had a fresh relaxer and I'm about 5 weeks post :grin:.

I did my second Aveda wash yesterday (08.09.07) and hair loss during the wash was amazing low and I'm not getting a lot of breakage either.

Also, I find that natural product do best for me. And b/c of that I think I will try to find a cheap baby poo and condish that will help me when my pockets are tight and I can't afford $95 for Aveda! :wallbash:
 
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