by
Black Girl With Long Hair
By Jenteel
From Monisola…
Hello!
I adore your blog! I just discovered it three days ago. I recently made the decision to grow my mini fro (like 3 inches 4b) into a joyously full Afro! I have a question: how can I tell whether my hair is fine or not? Last, should I moisturize my hair more or less because it is fine, should I deep condition more/less? What general accommodations should be made because i may have fine hair? (I seem to notice that I only need to moisturize every other day because everyday leaves my hair wet all day long). How much moisture is enough? How do I know when to stop?
Thanks!
~Monisola
…and from Tiffany
Hello BGLH!
My name is Tiffany and I recently fell in love with your blog. ITS GREAT!! Loves it. Time is most likely of the essence for you so I will be brief. My hair is 60% 4a and 40% 3c and fine in texture. I see various women with beautiful hairstyles, my favorite has to be the twist/braid outs and I try to achieve the looks but my interpretation of them never mirror the pictures posted. I’m thinking it has something to do with my hair being fine. Do you know of any hairstyles that work well with fine, 4 inch hair? Thank you so much for your time.
~Tiffany
I think that there is a misconception that all naturals have thick hair. When you think of a natural, the image that comes to mind is of the all encompassing AFRO. But there are some natural girls out there with fine hair, thin hair or a combination of both. Fine hair describes the actual diameter (size) of the hair strand, while thin hair describes the number of strands per square inch. So it is quite possible for your hair to be fine in diameter and coarse in texture. Weather can also affect the width of hair. Fine hair is the hair type most easily damaged by the use of heat and chemical processes. Here are some haircare and styling modifications that can be made in the case of fine/thin hair.
In caring for fine hair, it is more about the type of product used. You don’t necessarily need to condition more or less because of thin/fine hair, just be sure to concentrate product on the ends. This is so that you don’t weigh down the roots, thereby decreasing your hair’s volume. It is easier for your scalp’s natural oils to reach the first few inches of hair making conditioner more useful on the ends of the hair. Heavy products are a big no-no on this hair type because they weigh the hair down. Stay away from butters, gels and pomades. If you can’t part with your precious butters, use only a little on damp hair. Use light styling aids like natural spritzes, and water-based styling aids. As far as moisturizers, look for yummy ingredients like herbs and nutrient rich oils.
I always say if your hair is thirsty, feed it! So in regards to how often to moisturize your hair, feed it good things when it’s hungry! If your hair looks and feels greasy, you know you’ve overdone it! I find it easier to moisturize on damp hair because it penetrates better. This way I have a better idea of when enough is enough. I like my hair to feel smooth and moist. The product should sit in your hair and not your hands. Most importantly, pay more attention to moisturizing the last few inches of your strands. Again, avoid coating the roots. As many naturals will tell you, it is about trial and error. You have to learn what your hair likes because no two heads are alike. In contrast to thick haired naturals, fine/thin haired naturals might actually may find that they need to moisturize less as this hair type can retain water and product longer (as Monisola experienced).
In the past, we’ve briefly discussed styling fine hair. Naturals with fine hair tend to be wary of twists, braids and cornrows because they feel these styles look too “scalpy”. However, this shouldn’t limit your styling options! Naturals with fine/thin hair can still be stylish! Instead of twisting/braiding the whole head, just do a small section and let the rest be free! Look for styles that add volume to the hair, in particular “out” styles – braid outs and twist outs. Just make your parts bigger so the resulting “out” doesn’t still hold “marks” of the parts used to create the style. Of course the fro works great for fine/thin hair! To make it look thicker, you can braid or twist it first for a day or two before. When taking it out, fluff it out with your fingers. If some shine is needed, add a light oil like coconut to your fingers while fluffing. Updos are also a wonderful option for fine haired naturals – this way you can maneuver most of the volume to the top! And for those of you out there doing this: Stop comparing your hair and its abilities to the next girl! Celebrate and enjoy your hair for what it can do instead of cursing it for what it can’t! 🙂
179 Responses
I enjoyed this reading very helpful 🙂
Some of these tips, I agree and disagree with. I’m a fine haired natural who’s hair dries out very quickly and easily. My hair does better with butters and gels as opposed to some of the lighter formulas moisturizers and styling aids. My fine hair gets really dry so I need heavier products than some fine haired people. When I was relaxed, I could get away with some of the lighter weight products formulated for finer strands. My fine strands need a heavier creamier deep conditioner or else my hair stays dry and frizzy. I’m especially prone to frizziness in the back if my head.
I have fine hair with i would say medium density and i used to rock twist outs with the best of them. One way i was able to acheive volume, especially in the crown is creating a flat twist right in the crown, usually horizontal, set with light butter like the article says, and BAM volume. What also helps me is making an extreme slanted front part, maybe a 45degree angle in comparison to the front. So much of this natural hair thing is trial and error, hope this helps
I feel your pain Nikki. I have the same problem. I have very thin fine hair that breaks easily. Does not respond well to chemicals and any sort of styling just wrecks havoc on my hairline. It been a constant cycle of styling then cutting it all off for about 6 years now. Currently I just got fed up and left it as is, so it just short hair that is all in knots. Cant even wear wigs coz those destroy myhairline as well. As a result I’ve become the turban lady just to make myself look representable in public. I’m thinking of maybe growing dreadlocks bt I know they will be few and far between on my head. I envy other people’s hair. I know I should love and appreciate myself the way I am, but not have the ability to do anything with my hair really hurts.
Great advice! I think I have fine hair but it grows thickly on my head. the strands are really thin and I’ve always had a problem with breakage. That might be because I haven’t ever really taken care of it properly. This is my second year natural and I just started to really care for my hair properly this year so hoping I can grow it past shoulder length! I never saw much growth change in the last year because it broke off so much. Need to work on my ends though- they always look dry and trashy.
Please, take my advice. Try a cassia treatment.
I have read your post and also a lot of others. I too have fine, thin hair. I have dreads but mostly wear it up because of the thin hair especially in my crown area. They are long but still thin. I have found this is the best for me because perms irritate my scalp and i like to exercise a lot. However, I am constantly cold so I wear a lot of hats. I have gone to the dermatologist and they say I just have “thin” hair. It has really taken a toll on my self esteem. I worry about it constantly and find myself indulged in other people’s beautiful hair. I hope there is a solution out there for us soon.
Thanks a million for this post. I thought that there was something wrong with my hair because it’s so fine and thin.I’ve been natural for 2 years and I can’t seem to thicken my hair out.likewise I joke with my Natural coworkers and say don’t blow my hair or it’ll fall out because it breaks so easily. I will definitely be trying some of your tips that you presented here and I’ll check back to let you know if they worked on my hair.
I was born with super thin hair. I decided to go natural four years ago. I love the natural curl pattern of my hair. However, I have longed to have a full style, while maintaining my natural curl pattern. It has been a challenge, because my hair looks really nice when I wet it, put leave-in conditioner in it along with other natural curl products, but I am always left with “see thru hair at the top and middle of my hair. What method or hair product would you suggest to attain a full look. My hair is combination of 3C and 3B on a good day…..looking forward to reading your expert counsel.
I have fine, but lots of, hair & its been natural for over 10yrs but has never grown past my shouilders. I always thought that “black people can’t have long hair” but in the last few years now natural is more popular I know its is possible has strong long hair. Thank you for your information on how to care for it as most websites just focus on thick hair. 🙂
Hey Nadine. I have fine, but lots of hair too. I have been natural for 7 years, but my hair never grew past my shoulders either. I think its because of the lack of hair knowledge i had. My goal is full APL by mid next year. I experience A LOT of breakage and split ends!! Especially split ends. I think its coz my hair is weak. Do u have split ends? If not, how do u keep them at bay?
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Hi,
I have fine/medium textured hair. Most of my life I wore my hair natural until high school, then I got perms 1 time per year. During my three pregnancies, I let my perms grow out and my hair was fine and very thick. I am close to 50 years of age so my hair is a little thinner, but not too thin. I live in a very humid climate during the summer. Basically, I really don’t have to wear a perm, it is mostly for control. However, I do like the flexibility I have with wearing my hair with a perm. My hair has been totally natural for approximately two years. During the winter, because the humidity is so low, I can wear my hair down and in a variety of styles. Even if I am wearing it down, I don’t have to put heat on it. The problem is during the spring and summer, what are some ways I can wear my hair. Can I never wear it down, straight or curled with a curling iron? Or do I always have to wear a bun on top and roller set styles. Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular post! It’s the little changes that produce the largest changes. Many thanks for sharing!
Hello i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace, when i read this piece of writing i thought i could also make comment due to this good paragraph.
You have made some good points there. I checked on the web to learn more about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this web site.
I have fine hair, my roots are straight. The thing with my hair is that if I try to use lightweight products it gets very dry. I end up moisturizing three times a day and that barely cracks the bombshell. Do you know of a good product? Adding to this is that I have low porosity hair and it is a pain to moisturize it. I was going to avoid baking soda because my skin dislikes it but warming up conditioner all the time is truly a pain.
I have fine hair and I find that protective styles, such as box braids (with extensions) and senegalese twists, work VERY well with helping me to retain length and keeping my hair healthy. My hair grows the FASTEST when I am not manipulating day-to-day. These protective styles, because you add hair, also help with the thickness issue and my hair is full, as opposed to braiding or twisting my own hair. The only warning I would give with those styles is not to make the braids or twists too small, because as my hair grows out, particularly around the edges, my hair will start to lock as the twist or braids begins to turn and twist. I’ve had to cut out these tiny locks, so I do not get the parts too small.
Flat twist-outs with flexirods on the ends also work VERY well, as opposed to the single twist-outs I used to do, as well as braidouts.
my hair is pretty fine–the diameter of each strand is thin. a few things that work for me: henna will give you noticeable thickness after a few uses. AND, ditch the no poo routine! Product build up will wilt your strands faster than anything! i notice that when I shampoo the hair thickens up a LOT.
does anyone have thin, fine hair that is short and have thinning edges? I have been natural 5 years. I use only natural products and I can only wear a fro with a scarf I might add……all the time. I try to leave the scarf off sometimes but feel really uncomfortable without it because there isn’t enough hair to cover the edges as I want them to. I went natural because on the inside that was who I felt I was but now I don’t feel beautiful. I feel insecure and I can find no one who can relate to my problem. I wish I did have shoulder length, fine hair…..I don’t know what that looks like unless I am online. Is there anyone out there who can help?
I can completely relate to every thing you are saying. Thank God my hair is past my shoulders, but for updos I wear some type of head wrap. I have new hair follicles filling my edges thanks to Prayer and Jamaican Black Castor oil with finger massages. I have medium to thick density with fine strands. Most of the time my hair is in some type of protective style (braids and wigs, no sew-ins) with careful attention to my edges. Be encouraged that through Jesus Christ everything is restorable/fixable!!!
I have thin, fine hair with spotty, thin edges and my hair has turned white on the edges, so it looks a hot mess. I admire your ability to wear your hair out. I have been struggling with this. I know I am making my hair thinner and finer with the interlock braids, but I don’t have the courage to wear my hair. Every single thing I do, besides leaving it alone, damages it further.
I think that there are two types of fine hair lol. There is the silky thin strands of type 3/4a/4b….or the more rough thin nappy strands, 4b/4c. There are alot of fine-haired ladies with a high density of hair on their head. fine hair can be silky,or rough. and you can also have a full head of fine hair.
I have never seen black castrol oil, where can you find black castrol oil?
For me the “out” styles don’t work good…because my hair is fine & thin my parts are always bigger even when I’m trying to get smaller parts but the twists or braids are still small which means I end up having to manipulate my hair more just trying to cover my parts and usually I end up with a frizzy mess in some areas…I have accepted my hair 4b hair but not being able to wear essential protective styles is dissappointing for me…so much so I’m tempted to go back to the creamy crack…
LOOK AT THEM NAPS MMMHHHPH!
Ok.
I’m disappointed, because it always seems like advice for naturals for fine hair is always geared towards those with fine and thin hair. What about us naturals with fine AND thick hair? What about us naturals with fine, thick, and highly textured hair?
Yes! I have fine hair but, my hair is also VERY dense… where’s the love for us gals too =)
How funny, my name is Kat, too, and i have fine THICK hair. Did you ever get your answers?
Hi ladies and thanks for all the suggestions, I have thin and fine hair. I have diabetes and hypertension and because of the medication my hair began to thin and come out daily. I even had what I suspected to be the start of male patter balding in the top of my head, coming from long thicker hair I was really depressed and started wearing wigs. After reading all of the comments I began to experiment. I take the biotin pill from Wal-Mart, I use 100% castor oil, sta soft fro hair cream and carol’s daughter hair milk curl defining and I can say that in 6 months my hair has doubled in thickness and is growing slowly, I do use a shampoo sorry can’t think of the brand, but it retains moisture and balances equilibrium. I also use a Carol’s daughter deep conditioner not sure which. I am not over the top excited about my hair at this time but I shared this because I never thought my hair would even reach this stage. Thanks and keep sending in the suggestions. Hope this helps someone.
It feels good to know I’m not the only one with fine/thin hair! It sometimes depresses me when I see so many uber thick afro’s out there… But I am trying to embrace what I have as that is how I was made. To make my hair appear fuller I like to leave it all out, in a twist out or wash and go. I have managed to make my strands thicker by applying vitamin E oil. Also I am now EXTREMELY careful when detangling, and can spend up to 3 hours finger detangling damp hair. But if you decide to finger detangle, be sure to inspect your nails, and make sure they are not chipped in any way.
It is good to see other naturals with the flop-fro! I still rock it in the summer 🙂 The problem with fine hair: wind! I could have the most perfect hair and since my hair is so light the wind just messes it up. I have tried mousses, butters and gels so my hair would stay put. Now I just let it be and I poof up my dry twist outs (the only style to last 3-4 days). Generally just leave fine hair alone (don’t manipulate it too much) and it is happy, you don’t want to turn your head and end up with a big knot!
Awww, my hair is funny, I have 4a fine hair but it’s dense, one year natural , only 8.5 inches and my hair won’t stand up, it sort of sticks out at the sides and flops at back, creating a funny space between the top part of my hair and the back. I just have to wait for it to drop at the top because it looks funny up top. Imagine little Richard on a bad hair day. The back drops and the top just sticks out willing but my sides go down. Just do one thing or the other. I love my hair though 🙂
Hi to everyone, Prior to me going natural, I really damaged my hair with perms, colors (blonde, and just over stressing it with heat. My hair was very thin and fine, on top or my family history of balding. I have been using biotin supplements from walmart for the last year and my hair has slowly come back. It is twice a thick as it was last year. Since I have discovered you websit, I have tried a few things that I hope will increase the growth and thickness. I finally figured out that I have 4b or 4c hair. Thanks for all your comments. Everyone is helping me to learn how to care for my hair. Something I took for granit until I started losing it.
I am a natural that has fine hair and I will say, I’ve noticed over the past few years as my hair has grown longer, it does not like to be manipulated that much. I end up getting my ends notted up. I love my hair the way it is. I wouldn’t change it.
my hair is very fine but I’ve never encountered a “problem” with it aside from not staying in updo’s or twists for more than a day and a half. i never had the “weighed down” issue; i never even knew that was a thing. LOL
I have fine thin hair. My twists always look scalpy, and length does not help this problem. My hair can be on the dry side if I don’t moisturize it properly. I would describe it as coarse 4a with pen spring curls. Since I have very coily/curly hair, I like how wash and gos look on me. Luckily, the shruken wash and go’s give my hair an appearance of thickness. I wash and go every single day using Aussie Moist conditioner as a rinse out. Then I apply EVOO. Then I apply suave coconut naturals as a leave in (using the smoothing method then shake shake shake. Leaves my hair soft, moistured, and defined. At night I check my hair’s moisture levels and apply any kind of leave in as needed. Only about once or twice a week, I will use my shea butter mix on damp hair at night to give my hair an extra shot of softness in the morning for my wash and go.
I finger detangle only as needed in the shower. Finger detangling only takes me 10 minutes in the shower with my hair saturated with conditioner. For being so coily, my hair is easier to detangle than one would think.
I always try to twist my hair and wear twist outs, but I’m always disappointed, so back to wash and gos I go. I’m satisfied with my growth at the moment. I only get breakage when I attempt to twist my hair or comb it.
my hair is just naturally fine … so should i wash my hair less often..because i currently co-wash once a week.. and i feel like my hair is so delicate that i should not have it drench in water too often. how should i seal my hair with oils since you said people with fine hair should keep away from the butters (which i use a lot of). should girls with fine hair use more protein conditioners or use less protein.
please someone reply
my hair is just naturally fine … so should i wash my hair less often..because i currently co-wash once a week.. and i feel like my hair is so delicate that i should not have it drench in water too often. how should i seal my hair with oils since you said people with fine hair should keep away from the butters (which i use a lot of). should girls with fine hair use more protein conditioners or use less protein.
I have fine and thin hair. It tends to dry out a lot. I use regular castor oil and I find that though it is heavy and sticky, my hair seems to respond well to it. I think Cipriana from UrbanBushBabes has fine strands but thick hair and I have learned a lot from her. Low manipulation, wearing hair UP, moisturising when needed and minimal heat does the trick for me. I only really have issues with dryness and styling. I find that the advice given (partly twist etc) is very helpful. Wearing a puff is great as the hair is concentrated in one area. Such styles give a great impression of thickness. Now I want to know apart from http://coilycafe.blogspot.com/ aka blackhairchronicles (on youtube) are there any other fine and thin haired naturals showcasing their journeys out there? Thanks.
My hair’s pretty fine…check out my vids on YouTube kes476…I have a few but much more to come!
I use castor oil in my thin hair has well but because my hair is really dry I don’t have a problem with it weighing it down. Check out my YouTube Channel: Naturally Chic Sista
So it is quite possible for your hair to be fine in diameter and coarse in texture.
What? No.
Hi, it’s me on this photo. I don’t know who has published it but if you want I’ve got some others (I don’t like this one ^^). You can find me on facebook (loriane sangaré, I’m french but I speak english) thx
I have fine hair just like many of the women in my family however unlike them I decided to leave the color and relaxers behind because they have a lot of thinning in their crown as well and I can tell if I kept up with the chemicals I would have thin hair there as well. Even when I flat iron my hair I can see it’s significantly thinner in the front than the rest of the head which is why I’ve also decided to stop putting heat to my hair and have been heat free for about 10 months. Another thing I’ve noticed is, my shrinkage is a plus. Picking out my fro was one of my favorite things to do until it dried and I could see too much light through it, so I just finger style it instead. But also what I’ve realized is a lot of the light I see through my afro is from breakage. So to minimize breakage I’ve kicked my combs and picks to the curb. Hahaha. I’ve found that finger styling makes my hairstyles look so much better anyway! And while I do take a women’s multivitamin, MSM, castor oil on the scalp and do protective styling I don’t expect my hair to thicken in diameter nor do I want it to. I really just want to avoid breakage, and that my friends is done with patience and love!!!
Even though this article states that fine hair is about the hair’s diameter, there seems to be an emphasis on making fine hair thicker (as if it were thin). The two things are not one in the same. Unless there is damage to the hair, you get what you get for the most part, and if your hair is fine, then that is what happens. My hair is indeed fine, but it is quite obviously thick. The opposite of thick hair is thin hair, but it seems that thin hair has a negative connotation, so commercial products prefer to describe this hair as fine. I think it is critical to draw this distinction as there is nothing intrinsically “wrong” with fine hair (although it may be more delicate). And it is even more likely confused when speaking about African American hair textures. You can have perfectly healthy, thick, FINE hair. Yet,it is important to understand that so you can style and treat this hair accordingly. Beware of hairstylists that do not recognize fine tresses that are thick, as they may fail to realize that your hair will have low heat and product tolerance compared to denser strands.
Can someone suggest particular products to use for twist outs? since butters and gels are not good for fine/thin hair.
I use the beautiful curls line…….. Its fair trade and light weight. The first ingredients are botanicals and not butters or oil. They sell it at WholeFoods. http://www.beautifulcurls.com/
Thanks Ebncurly
Curls Goddess Curls Gel is awesome for fine hair. I use it while my hair is wet for twist/braid outs and my hair comes out so defined and beautiful. Shea Moisture Milks are also good.
This is so helpful. I have fine and thin hair. Now that I’ve grown it out, it often flops when I try to do an afro. I may be over conditioning it so I will try that and putting it on the ends instead of a the root too. Thanks again for this post.
What if your hair is THICK as in high strand density, but fine, as in they are sooo wispy you can barely see them under light?
I have definitely been trying to figure out my fine hair too. My strands are kind of thin and I certainly have the ‘scalpy’ issue, I used to do two strand twists and braids when I had shorter hair but now that my hair has reached shoulder length, I use chunky twists and pin-ups as my go to styles. And they have seemed to be working lately on my low-manipulation challenge. I just started using henna lately in order to at least thicken my strands, and those have helped. I don’t feel like my hair is so thin. I think I won’t do them too often though because i don’t want my fine strands to get overly stiff. Great article!
great GREAT tips. I have both thin AND fine hair and my experiences with mirror all the forementioned facts about the specific categories of hair. low manipulation is KEY for minimizing breakage. and YES there are so many cute hair options! MAjor advantage is that I rarely have problems with dryness, except for my ends. Im starting locs and volume is SOO important to me for this new journey. Castor oil is a cornerstone element to my routine and I’m excited about getting started with hydrolised silk protein
That was me!! I asked this question years ago! heeeheee
I actually learned a great deal after trial and error with my hair. Mostly, I moisturize it less, like once every two days or so (moisture overload was weakening my already fragile strands) and did a great deal of research to find the slipperiest conditioner so my detangling sessions put the least amount of stress on my hair. I also do a light protien deep conditioning once every 4 weeks to keep my strands strong.
Yarn twists also have been amazing for me! I keep my hair protected for 4 weeks at a time and do lower manipulation updos etc, so my hair does not get tugged on or twisted or touched too much.
Thank BGLH. you have changed my hair and thus my life!
do you have any product recommendations? i’d love to try out some new things and see how they work for my fine strands
I think the tips are great! I would also like to add in what I’ve learned. I definitely have suuper fine strands. The difference between me and many others that have commented is that my hair is also super thick, meaning the density is crazy! No one every believes that I have fine hair because of how thick it appears to be. Now I said all of that to say, heavy products like shea and castor oil work wonderfully for me. My hair is very prone to dryness and these heavy products help seal in moisture unlike anything else. My hair is also porous so it soaks up everything which might be why these products don’t weight my hair down. I do braids and twists 90% of the time and don’t have much problem with breakage if I’m really gently because my hair is really moisturized when I do them. If you have fine hair don’t nessesarily count out heavier products because they might just work for you. Try them and see! PJ-ism at it’s finest. 😉
I would have to agree with you on this, I too have fine strands with a lot of density and porous, the heavy butters help my hair to stay moisturized, otherwise dryness and breakage will occure.. Can’t figure out how to stop the single strand knots. It seems that because the strands are fine that they are more prone and more easily knot on the ends.
Same here…fine strands with a lot of density and porous. I like butters as well. But I also use Giovanni Direct Leave-In conditioner and it’s not heavy at all. I still get single strand knots as well, but I’ve done a lot of reading on them and I think they are just a part of being natural, especially those of us with fine strands.
Trimming your ends (didn’t say Cut Hair)every 6weeks (as needed) to prevent split ends will help with the single knots. Split Ends cause lots of knots in natural hair. So keeping it trimmed will help minimize or eliminate those knots.
Triming eh? didnt know that! sick sick of these knots – i have fine hair too – alhtough u wouldnt know it; i have a afro 20 months looks thick and nappy… but my strands are very fine! Really feel im losing the plot with these knots – I cut out three this week!.
Will actually go trim those ends now! I didnt know i had such fine hair… its not growing fast enough either – so really disppointed all round. Coming up to 2 years in May and its been 8.5 incs for six months! with all the moisturising it gets! damn!
After the summer i think I’ll just put in crochet braids or wear a wig!
It sounds like we have similar hair textures. My hair is fine, but there is sooo much of it to go around. I where twist outs and bantu knot outs most of the time, but my waves and curls never last past the first day. I always end up having to dampen my hair and do a twist/bantu knot out everyday. It is exhausting! Does anyone have any tips on preserving curls on thin/thick hair. I just need them to last at leats 2 days without having to redo them. I would be happy with that. For background, I lightly mist water on my dry hair, some coconut oil for moisture and to hold my curl I use Miss Jessie’s Curly Merangue (I was using the buttercreme which I finally realized was too heavy for my hair, so maybe the Merangue was just what I needed since it is much lighter, I will let you know!). Thanks in advance for any tips! Peace and Blessings
I love the tips offered here but would like to add my experiences. My hair is fine, soft, curly and reminds me of cotton. I tried the jamaican black castor oil and within 4 days, I had bumps all over my scalp, horrendus itching and not to mention breakage! I stopped using this product and have shampooed twice in three days to soothe my scalp. Still have breakage, so after I shampooed last night, I put in extra conditioner and platted my hair so it can rest. Today I am wearing a wig.
I won’t be using this product again.
try using the organic castor oil found at the health food store or the drug store brand…works wonders for me.
I have thin/fine hair and until I gain more length, chunky fros will have to do. I use shea butter melted down with oils but what I find works better is shea butter lotion from komaza care. It's light and moisturizing and allows my fine hair to gain volume without a greasy feel. Quite pricy for a bottle but work with it!
Nice Blog. Congrats.
{ Treasurer-T & S }
Nice Blog. Congrats.
{ Treasurer-T & S }
Nice Blog. Congrats.
{ Treasurer-T & S }
Nice Blog. Congrats.
{ Treasurer-T & S }
Nice Blog. Congrats.
{ Treasurer-T & S }
Nice Blog. Congrats.
{ Treasurer-T & S }
Nice Blog. Congrats.
{ Treasurer-T & S }
i think the updo tip is a nice one (as a thick and dense nappy, who can very rarely fit her hair into a hair band or clip without much pain). i assume finer hair has the advantage on manoeverability.
Yea, i have fine hair and i was able to get a nice curly fro. It is actually very similar to the above person. on dry hair i spritz with my conditioner and water, do two strand twists then bantu knot them. When they are dry the next day i take them out and boom! curly afro!
(though maybe it depends on the length as well.)
I also noticed after stop taking biotin and some hair vitamins with MSM, my hair is no longer growing thick as it was before.
This is a really nice blog entry. Thanks for the knowledge 🙂
I have longish (bra-strap), fine hair and I've managed to get a big-ish fro. Here's my method.
I do two-strand twists and then bantu-knot them. I lightly dampen my hair first. This is important because I noticed this doesn't work on my hair if it's too wet. So, lightly dampen just to make it easier to comb. Then I apply a very small amount of leave-in conditioner or shea butter and a very small amount of aloe vera gell. When I take them down in the morning. When I get close to the ends of my twists, I like to apply some sort of sealant. Bantu knot the twists and sleep. I do between 8 or 12 twist-knots depending on how curly I want my fro to be. In the morning, I take the knots out and separate each section of the twist into two parts. I end up with a very pretty, curly fro. Depending on the style I want, I may repeat this the next night. If I want a really big fro, I just sleep in a satin cap and then spritz in the morning and fluff. Works for me. May work for someone else.
I think it's just a matter of playing around and finding what works for you. Doing 5 or 6 big braids using the same products adn then putting them on rollers also gives me a nice result.
I preform this hairstyle regiman every now and then and the results are beautiful, my hair look full and vibrant with curls galore. Finally someone that use bantu knots method to create the curly fro.
I recently tried a bantu knot out and it is probably my favorite style so far. I have such thin hair and when I do the twists my hair ALWAYS looks so thin so I can never wear them I have to wear a twist out. I don’t have a problem with shea butter because my hair is dry so the more the better. That mixed with water and tea tree oil is my go to sealant. Also, I’ve been using castor oil in everything for the past few months and it has definitely thickened up my hair. My new growth and my edges are looking so good.
oh woops… but yes J, my hair has gotten THICKER over time because of castor oil, cassia and MSM sulphur.
What is MSM sulphur?
you're very welcome!
this makes sense, i was wondering if my strands were fine, and also why my twist outs looked a little scalpy even tho my hair is thick & coarse..thanx for the info!
If any of you have favorite products for fine hair I'd LOVE to hear them. All of the leave-ins and butters I hear everyone fawning over are too heavy for me and leave my hair greasy. 🙁
I'm with sewdope, to get more volume I let my hair shrink up and the fluff it out. It's a less defined wash and go, but it DOES make my hair look insanely thick
ITA. Although my strands are fine, when my hair shrinks up it looks so much thicker. I find that allowing my hair to dry in an afro puff or just out (like a wash and go) makes it look fuller as opposed to allowing my hair to dry while in twists or braids. Once my hair dries or is almost dry, I use an afro pick on my roots only to help fluff out my hair for some added volume. As for products, ORS Olive Oil Moisturizing lotion and Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie appear to add volume to my hair when I use them as leave-ins. Additionally, I have recently being using biotene shampoo which claims to thicken your hair. It is too soon for me to determine how effective the shampoo is just yet, but my hair definitely feels thicker during the shampoo process and immediately afterwards.
Forgot to add that I have been taking MSM pills and they seem to be helping as well.
Hi Bridget what are MSM pills?
This might help:http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-522-MSM%20(METHYLSULFONYLMETHANE).aspx?activeIngredientId=522&activeIngredientName=MSM%20(METHYLSULFONYLMETHANE)
As fine haired natural – I find that my hair hates most butters but loves water based leave in conditioners. First ingredient on the label MUST be water.
I find that diluting regular products with water works well for my hair. I dikute my conditioner with water in a spray bottle for a nice leave in. I also make a leave in with Shea Moisture products. Check my blog for more details!
I like to use water to thin conditioners out my favorite right now us giovanni direct leave in. All vegitaran. no bad stuff.
@ sewdope… actually, scratch what i said. you're right. my hair only stands up when i get MAD shrinkage. if i ever try an afro, it will be small. i don't think i'll ever get a big a$$ afro
🙁 sadness
yeh I can’t wear a big afro either…floppy mcgee over here..lol. i still love my version of an afro though!
Okay, I have fine hair. And I don't think I'll ever be able to do a big afro.
When I try, my hair just flops down.
I am SOOOO with you…I read about some that say they have thin hair and now it is thick????….ummmm I know for me that is uterally impossible…my hair is soft, thin and a little fine…the shrinkage is not as bad now that it has grown….but I still have fullness…the article helped alot and I will try some new thing to help with fullness…
I use whole egg treatment once a month to make my hair thick. I like it thick because I think that it’s stronger and it has more body.
wow this article is so on point! i have thin natural hair and i do all of the things you mentioned with great results. i use to hate my permed hair because my hair had no life…. now it rocks! it's not super thick but i consider that a blessing in disguise. twisting my hair every night is not a burden. also, i allow my hair to have some shrinkage to give the appearance of some volume. after i do a twist or braid-out. i wet my fingers and massage my scalp at the root so that the tips of my hair remain in the more defined curl pattern.