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
Misconceptions About Natural Hair and Thickness
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.
Products for Fine 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).
Styling Fine Hair
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! :)
Next Page: How to Make Fine Hair Thicker
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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!
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.
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.
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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 =)
LOOK AT THEM NAPS MMMHHHPH!
Ok.
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…
I have never seen black castrol oil, where can you find black castrol oil?
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.
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!!!
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.
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.