What does fine hair look like long?

[Shine-On]

I believe my hair type is mostly 4b. The strands are very fine and there are not many of them. I'd like to see some images of other fine haired ladies at different stages of growth (shoulder-length, bra-strap). I need some inspiration as my hair grows longer (it is currently ear length). I want to know what to expect so that I don't feel disappointed when comparing my hair to other heads with different textured hair.

Also, what are your opinions on growing fine hair: blunt cuts or layers?

 

[MissFallon]

my hair is fine. I have pics posted on fotki with the link in my siggy.

 

[thattvgirl]

I have very fine hair (previously relaxed, now transitioning to natural )that is past shoulder, nearing BSL. My avatar/profile pic is my hair length now. Current pics are in my fotki album.

I stay away from layers. I need the thickness and weight of a blunt cut.

Transitioning away from relaxers and to a press and curl has helped add more weight and body to my hair.

 

[Shine-On]

Thank you ladies for your responses. Your hair is beautiful!!! I am attempting to grow my hair out with as few layers as possible. My hair looks great at the length it is now (ear) but as soon as it approaches shoulder length it begins to look anorexic. I will tough this journey out and resist the layered looks and hopefully I will be satisfied with the results.

Bumping for more reponses. . .

Ummm . . . do curlier sets put too much stress on your strands? I notice you both wear your hair straight.

 

[MissFallon]

Thank you ladies for your responses. Your hair is beautiful!!! I am attempting to grow my hair out with as few layers as possible. My hair looks great at the length it is now (ear) but as soon as it approaches shoulder length it begins to look anorexic. I will tough this journey out and resist the layered looks and hopefully I will be satisfied with the results.

Bumping for more reponses. . .

Ummm . . . do curlier sets put too much stress on your strands? I notice you both wear your hair straight.

Curly sets should be alright. I think they would probably give your hair the look of being fuller also. I wear my hair straight just because I rollerset it and wrap it every night. I also do protective styles. Try using castor oil, it will make your ng thicker and the other strands as well. I add it to everything I use.

 

[KiniKakes]

I have VERY fine hair as well.... it's not that long yet, about armpit length. But feel free to check out my Fokti for pics and stuff. PW: silkytresses

 

[jamiette]

This is a really good question. My hair is fine and I used to think that the only way that I could wear it out and have it look good was to add a few tracks to it and wear it in a layers. I have nixed the tracks in an effort to try to appreciate what I was given (it ain't always easy though ) I love braidouts because they make my hair appear really full. I am thinking of trying those biotin shampoos as well. I was told that they actually add fullness to fine strands.

 

[beana]

I have 4a fine hair. My hair is b/w APL and BSL and its doesn't look anorexic... People used to say my hair was thick when i kept it at shoulder length and now that it has grown out no one ever says its thick anymore but I do get compliments on the length all the time!

 

[RabiaElaine]

Fine haired lady...checking in! I'm shoulder length. I think we need to stay away from layers...I agree with what another lady said before....we need the weight of a blunt cut. I'm still working to get rid of layers.

Once I reach APL I'm going to keep my hair there for a while, so that I can let the front catch up with the back. Then from there I'll move on to BSL.

 

[FloridaSunshine]

I am glad you asked that question because I am on a quest for healthy long shoulder length hair and I too have fine thin hair. I would like to add that I've checked out all the ladies whom have posted and if their hair fine then my hair has got to be ultra thin...

 

[ChocoKitty]

I have fine hair. When I hit my goal I plan having the ends blunted to make it appear thicker.

 

[BrwnSugaBabee]

Man my hair is extra fine I had to get a bunch of layers last year due to a braiding incident. So, once i get to APL I will be there for awhile trying to grow out these dang layers. They do make my hair appear thinner *sigh... So I have to curl them I cant really just wear my hair straight without any volume. Oh well my rant is over.

 

[MissFallon]

Just to let you ladies know, Jason's Natural Thin-To-Thick Shampoo helps alot with making your hair full and thick. I use it and my ng is growing in super thick and the ends and length are thickening up as well. I use the Shampoo and Conditioner.

 

[Mariaat40]

My hair is fine, as well. I cosign with the others on the layers. I've got natural layers that I'm trying to grow out and then trim to a blunt cut.

I'll have to look for that shampoo. Thanks for the tip!

 

[sweetcashew]

My hair is fine also. For years I had layers, it still looked thick but I kept hearing my mom moan and complain about how thick my hair was when i was younger. So I allowed most of the layers to grow out and now it's looks full.

 

[Miss*Tress]

I have fine-stranded, medium thickness hair. This is what it looked like March 2005 once all my layers had grown out. I'd had a trim the previous December.

 

[Jenai]

Bumping for more replys. What do you ladies do for protective styling? I'm asking because my buns and braided ponytails look so thin.

 

[Mik]

This thread is right on time. My hair is shoulder length and it is layered. It seems healthy, but it looks super thin. Looking at some of you ladies, I think i'll just keep trucking along and try to grow out my layers. Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[missvi]

My hair is fine, I plan to get a blunt cut later this year.

 

[blackbarbie]

Fine haired lady checking in here!! I got layers cut in my hair about 2 years ago and they are almost all grown out now, and when I had the layers, I almost HAD to have it rollerset or else, as someone else so politely put it, my hair looked anorexic! I do notice that with fine hair, as my hair grows longer, it looks more and more anorexic, which is why I may keep it at a certain length (once I finish growing all the layers out) to give the illusion of fullness.

I had it cut to my chin once in a blunt cut and I enjoyed it so much b/c it look like it was so thick!!! I said i was going to enjoy that length for a while but it grew out too quick.....

Can someone tell me a little more about where to get this Jason's Shampoo and Cond. and also how you use the castor oil to thicken the hair?

BTW, there are pics in my album where I have buns and updos, but they look full b/c it's so much NG under there....

 

[joyous]

I have VERY fine hair as well.... it's not that long yet, about armpit length. But feel free to check out my Fokti for pics and stuff. PW: silkytresses

...And may I add you and your hair are simply gorgeous.

 

[divinefavor]

I am another fine haired lady checking in! I used to always keep my hair cut in a chin length bob (either straight or with layers). Because, whenever my hair grew long, the ends looked really thin. However, now my hair is a little past shoulder length and I have people tell me that my hair is getting thick. I agree with using castor oil it does make a difference. I think though, once I get to my goal length, I will probably get a blunt cut as well. I love the look of blunt cuts.

 

[KiniKakes]

...And may I add you and your hair are simply gorgeous.

Thanks girl! But I do have to say, the pictures in my Fokti Progress Album are so deceiving..... those pictures make my hair look a lot fuller/thicker than it really is. My hair is soooo fine, and I dont have a lot of strands, so fullness/body is something that I constantly struggle with. Since i stopped wrapping, I am able to maintain a full-bodied look for a few days longer after a roller-wrap, which is cool. But while wearing my hair out, I also have to avoid oil/sheen of any kind, because one drop will weigh it down.

The thickening shampoo sounds nice.... but the ones Im familiar with dont really make your hair thicker on a permanent basis, they just give the illusion of thickness when your hair has dried, right? Does it really make your new growth come in thicker? That would be great!

I just bought some pure castor oil from a Dominican BSS. So we'll see how that goes!

 

[RabiaElaine]

Man my hair is extra fine I had to get a bunch of layers last year due to a braiding incident. So, once i get to APL I will be there for awhile trying to grow out these dang layers. They do make my hair appear thinner *sigh... So I have to curl them I cant really just wear my hair straight without any volume. Oh well my rant is over.

This happened to me a couple of times...I assume (from your siggy) that you mean the braider was glueing the extensions to seal the hair and she didn't braid past your hair...right?

This is the exact reason I no longer go to braiders...I do it myself or have my sister help me...We just finished my new set on tuesday night. It's amazing how much longer it took...since my hair is longer we have to braid down that much longer. I may have to switch to braiding the front and sides and weaving the middle...it took probably a total of 18 hours or so to finish. But at the end of the day they are the right crown and glory size and my hair is fully protected. We braided at least 1-2 inches past where my hair stops.

I love braids but I can't trust braiders to braid the correct amount anymore!

 

[Substance&Style]

i too have fine hair, and i wonder what it will look like once it is past my collar/shoulder area. not too mention some braids stripped my poor hair and made it even "finer"

 

[victorious]

I have fine hair also. Volume is a huge problem for me.

I'm bookmarking this thread for tips and inspiration. I'm off to check the albums now.

 

[Ayeshia]

I dont have fine hair, but if you have a lot of fine starnds your hair will appear to be thick anyway.

 

[Substance&Style]

I also have to avoid oil/sheen of any kind, because one drop will weigh it down.

hey KK,

what do you use to in place of oil sheen? i am fine too and i have the same EXACT problem and i hate it because i love oils. i was natural prior to getting a virgin relaxer in april '06, now that i am relaxed, i cannot use oil and my hair still look decent :-( it looks terribly weighed down!

 

[KiniKakes]

hey KK,

what do you use to in place of oil sheen? i am fine too and i have the same EXACT problem and i hate it because i love oils. i was natural prior to getting a virgin relaxer in april '06, now that i am relaxed, i cannot use oil and my hair still look decent :-( it looks terribly weighed down!

Well in the past, when I planned to wear my hair down, I just did NOT use any oils in it, period. That meant nothing on my scalp.... no oil sheen.... nothing. Once the stylist had taken the rollers out and blown my roots out, I wouldnt let her do the final step, which is to spray it with sheen. She always looked all confused and what not, but I know MY hair, and oils dont work for me. Either way, because I washed my hair once a week, it was fine with no oils..... my scalp naturally produced oils on its own, so by Day 3 or whatever it was no longer as bouncy and oil-free. By the time the week came to an end, it was looking slightly limp and oily anyway, which signified to me that it was time to get it washed. The only problem is that my ends would be rather dry, which couldnt have been good for them.

Fast-forwarding ahead...... this is moot since joining LHCF, and now that I wear protective styles nearly every day. Today I use a whole lot of oil (ie. MTG, essential oils, water-based moisturizers, etc.) But its fine, since I bun my hair most days. However, when I first leave the salon, I walk out with it down and I allow myself to enjoy wearing it down for the next few hours.... so I still refuse to let them put any oils in it when they're done. I prefer to put all my own oils in it..... and once Ive arrived home and am ready to bun it, I already know that I just wont be wearing my hair down at all for the rest of that week.

So my situation is kind of unique, in that its "all or none" for me. Im not saying that you should do the same. If you are one who enjoys wearing ure hair down.... and feels like its just too dry with nothing at all.... perhaps you can just find a REALLY light oil (ie, Kemi Oil or KeraCare Essential Oils) and just use it very sparingly. If you dont comb it thru your hair or wrap it, hopefully it wont travel through the length of your hair or weigh it down.

I know that explanation was a tad long and somewhat convoluted.... i hope some of it helped!

 

[divinefavor]

I have the same issue, I can't put a lot of oils on my hair unless I wear it up. If I wear my hair down, putting oils on my hair most of the time leaves it looking see through with no bounce.