Thin hair

I have thin/fine hair (yes both). When I wear any kind of twist/braid I feel bald bc I have zero volume. Any ideas?

My suggestion would be to wear twist outs and braid outs. You can twists/braid your hair at home at night and the do a twist out in the morning prior to leaving the house for volume...maybe someone with fine/thin hair will have better advice

Thanks. That's a good idea. I've been reading so much about protective styling and not manipulating my hair daily that I am not sure what to do anymore.

JQ, my hair is thin, fine too. Since it's more wavy than it is curly, twists or braids don't come out nice. What I do like are wet roller sets and wash-n-go's. Today I wore a WnG. When it dries, my hair looks very full. For maintenance, I'll do a dry TNC before I go to bed. I have noticed that it is getting a little thicker. What products do you use?

I use hello hydration to cowash and as a leave in. I use wella deep conditioner. I use olive oil and sometimes shea butter. I recently started taking a HNS vitamin so maybe that will help. When I wear it out its kind of full after the first day. Right now I'm looking into alternative styles so I tried twists etc.

Hi JQ,

I completely agree with Reginastwin. I have fine/thin hair and since I've been wearing a wash-n-go, I finally feel like I have some fullness. The other thing is be mindful of how heavy your product is. I've noticed I can become very "stringy" very easily....sometimes completely taking away the curl and leaving behind frizz.

Another thing, with fine hair, the "protective styles" are a little too much tugging and pulling for already fragile hair. Whatever you decide to do, "Good Luck". [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

@reginastwin are you fully natural? I have been fooling around with W&Gs for awhile now trying to find the right formula for my hair. But I'm still VERY early in the transition phase.

My wash & gos with Aveda's be curly have a tendency of looking dull and gives me a messy wavy look. When I used KCCC, I got more of a curl and definitely more of a shine... it was super crunchy and scrunching out the crunch didn't so well.

@ JQ when you twist your hair make the twist bigger or in other words do chunky twist instead of smaller ones. I am no expert when it comes to twist but I think that will help. I have medium to fine hair and my twist dont come out right but I noticed that if i make them larger they come out better.

raina, I did bigger sections and I love it. At first I thought I didn't but once I started moving them around and styling them... I looked pretty cute! Thanks!

yay! glad that worked for you! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

What products are you ladies with thin hair using? My hair is short right now but, it is also thin. I am using DevaCurl One Condition to rinse and as a leave-in with Afroveda Whipped Jelly to seal. I use KBB Hair Cream as a moisturizer.

@jamaicanmecurly: Yes, I am fully natural now. I began transitioning in April 2008. To maintain length, I chose to slowly trim the relaxed ends instead of doing a BC. I don't use any fancy products. I use creme of nature shampoo, HH for conditioner, and Silk Elements Cholesterol for DT. For a WnG or a roller set, I'll use the EO Rose & Chamomile as a leave-in. But if I decide to flat iron, I don't use a leave in because the curls won't hold with too much product. Sorry for the delay in replying but I've been super busy the last three weeks.

Hey ladies!

i have been natural for a couple of months and i too have thin/fine hair... my twist outs/braid outs are not as nice as i would like; so, i chose to just do WNG's. Sometimes i might put a cornrow or two on the sides or mohawk it. But, for the most part i do WNG's, or wear beenies and occasionally i wrap it up in a scarf. i wash my hair with GIOVANNI shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner. I consistently use shea butter and coconut oil.
To each his/her own.

JQ, you hair looks a lot like mine did when it was shorter. The main thing for me, was finding the right product combination. I needed curl definition AND volume. When my hair was your length, I used Sebastian Potion 9. I don't think it's naturally-made at all (I'm just starting to look out for that), but it worked really well.

Now, I use Carol's Daughter Hair Milk, it both moisturizes and provides definition so it cuts down on the amount of products I put in my hair. However, depending on how much I use, and how little I blow dry, I can still get more or less volme. The pic below is with more product, longer blow dry and my avatar is with less of both.

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So glad to get this good advice from more ladies with both thin AND fine hair.

I have learned to accept the fact that I will have neither fat juicy twists NOR many of them on my head. I feel that accepting my tiny shrunken twists has helped reduce my hair anxiety a LOT.

Also, since I have started taking good, regular care of my hair, I am shedding a lot less and my hair has started getting thicker! Coconut oil is my new best friend, and I am going to invest in some castor oil for hair and skin this month end.

Glad I found some ladies with fine, thin hair. I have to put two magnetic rollers in the top for volume.

So, I've been wearing a WNG forever but, I wanted to wear twists. Thanks to your advice and some persistence I think I have found a way to do my twists. So here is what I did: first I followed the advice given by raina and made bigger sections. The next day in the shower I let the mist/humidity hit my hair. (I didn't get it totally wet) After my shower, my twists were puffy! Yay!! The only down side was a little frizziness but I can live with that. It lasted 2 days.

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Hi JQ,
I too have thin and fine 4a hair! I would have never thought it! I've always wanted those Fat Juicy Twists that I see some of the curlies wear, but have had to face the fact that my hair will never be that thick so we have to deal with what the good lord gave us! I now use KCCC and knot Today and have been pretty happy with it!

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii a thin hair forum!!! Yeah!!! I have the thinist hair. I can't twist, braid or coil without seeing all my scalp. I started twisting and all on dry hair, they do come out better and fuller. Just looking to see what others are running into and using to help.

I have fine/thin hair as well and same problems with scalp showing. My hair is thinner in the crown area, and I have to do some serious manipulation to cover the scalp on twist outs. I'm -- along with rest of us, I'm sure -- still in the trial & error stage.

Totally agree with willsgirl about being mindful of how heavy the products are: too much oil will make it stringy and weigh the hair down as well. Plus the greasy feel - YUK!

I also wonder if protective styles are too much manipulation for fine/thin hair, but then: how would I style it/what should I do? But still, with all the trial & error, frustration, I LOOOOOOVVVVEEEEE being natural!