Let’s face it. The hardest part about finding a new hairdresser is finding someone who just gets it. They understand your frustrations about how your hair has to be cut a certain way or else it won’t lay perfectly. The way your cowlick always seems to render your bangs unbearable. The texture and how it always seems to frizz up, flyaway or fall down after two minutes. That gift of really understanding your hair’s tendencies and abilities is priceless when it comes to finding a good hairdresser… and it’s often the difference between whether you leave loving your hair or whether you need a good cry after an appointment.
My hair is fine and thin, so you could say I specialize in that hair type. I know what it’s like first thing in the morning, how it responds to all different types of products and I know exactly what it will do in any climate. I know my hair type inside and out and there are no surprises when it come to taming, teasing and tailoring it on anyone. I want every woman to know what works best for her strands so that she can embrace her style with confidence and ease and unfortunately, there hasn’t been a whole lot of help for myself and my fine-haired friends.
What is “Fine Hair” Exactly?
The term “fine” refers to the thickness of one single strand of hair. This is often a confusing situation when I speak to women in the salon. Sometimes a client will have a ton of hairs on their head and have fine hair and sometimes they will have about four hairs on their head like me.. and have fine hair. It has nothing to do with how many strands you have, but rather how skinny or thick those strands are. A very thick strand of hair would be called “coarse” and a very skinny strand would be called “fine”. And this particular texture of hair, fine, has to be treated properly in order to style well, stay hydrated and embrace thickening products. It’s really important to understand this aspect of your hair before trying to figure anything else out.
Why Do I Have Fine Hair? Is There a Cure?
I’ve seen some women in my chair who swear they used to have “thick” hair and now have fine hair. I never argue because for one, I never saw their hair before so I genuinely don’t know and two, it’s really not that important what their hair was like twenty years ago. I’m concerned about making sure it looks good now and if they’ve become insecure about it, it’s my job to help them embrace and own their hair. As far as my experience goes, however, I’ve never seen coarse hair just turn to fine and I’m not sure if that’s even possible. But that’s how important understanding the makeup of fine hair is. Oftentimes when this happens, it’s not that the thickness of your hair strands have gone down. It’s much more likely (and I’ve seen this several times over) that you’ve lost hair from the hair strand and because you have less hairs on your head, it feels like your texture has changed. That can be really normal in some situations. Sometimes we lose hair simply due to stress or climate change. But other times (as was the case with my hair changing), your hair loss can be a symptom of an underlying medical issue and needs to be checked out. I always encourage women who’ve noticed recent hair loss to check in with a doctor and make sure their immune system and nutritional intake are in good condition. However, even with all of this information, it’s important for you to know that hair doesn’t just go from coarse to fine overnight. If you have fine hair, you’ve most likely had it your whole life and will continue to have it.
There is no “cure” for fine hair, though there are several topical options to help us out. Most of the time I see someone in my chair with fine hair who explains their struggles, I tell them I totally understand because I’m rocking the same hair. The response I get is, “Really?!? Your hair looks so THICK!”. Styling products, darling. And a roundbrush. These are miracle workers for us fine-haired girls. But we’ll get to styling routines later…
Basically, my whole point is that while you won’t be able to literally alter the composition of your hair strand and make it coarse, there are plenty of products and treatments out there to help with the appearance.
Tine Tips: What Treatments Can I Use To Thicken My Hair?
Remember that there is a difference between “thin” hair and “fine” hair. Sometimes, you have both, but not always. For truly fine hair, you’ll want a topical solution, more of a simple styling product. If your hair isn’t thin and you’re just looking for a great way to plump up your strands for a fuller look, then Full Again by Kevin.Murphy is your new essential. It actually uses little Rayon fabrics that attach to each hair strand and almost like tiny, invisible hooks, they add space between each hair strand, making it appear much fuller. This is just a styling lotion you can apply to damp hair before blow-drying in, but it works wonders for making your hair look and feel more plump and thick.
Another consideration with fine hair is how easily it can break. Because each strand is so skinny, it has a hard time enduring things like heat, climate change and color without breaking and drying out easily. Oftentimes, you will feel like it takes forever to grow out your hair and even when you do, it won’t go past a certain point and keeps breaking. Or those baby hairs around the face always stick out short and never grow out. All of these issues are simply because your hair is fragile.
For fine hair that has a hard time staying strong and not breaking and for hair that is thinning out (when you lose hair from the hair follicle), I always recommend Kevin.Murphy’s Body Mass. It’s important for you to know that I recommend these products because I’ve tried them on my own hair and can attest to how well they work for me. With Body Mass, there are a couple fun features that my hair has loved. First of all, this product uses the latest in eyelash thickening and lengthening technology. It’s the first hair product that I know of using this technology and how it works is by lengthening the growing phase of hair to ensure your hair grows as quickly as possible. It also uses oleanolic acid to strengthen the hair at the root so that it has a better chance of growing long and thick. And perhaps best of all, it helps to reduce DHT, which when found in abundance, can cause baldness or thinning. All you have to do with this spray is spritz it on your scalp and hair after each wash and blow-dry it in or let your hair air-dry.
How Should I Wear My Hair?
Fine hair is in its own category entirely when it comes to how to cut, style and treat. I have learned over the years what works every time, what is a total fail from the start and small, simple tricks to make your hair the most flattering it can be. Because fine hair tends to be very naturally wispy, soft and prone to static and breakage, a tailored haircut and style can be perfect. And a not so great haircut can be the worst! For me, it’s all about texture and how to place it for the most appeal. With fine hair, you’ll want more volume, more texture and more body. With longer hair, some very subtle, long layers are the way to go. Even better if you can pull off the angled look with your length a bit shorter in back and longer in front.. it will make your hair appear thicker in front where it tends to break easier.
If you have a one-length haircut and want to add some spice without thinning your ends out too much, add a long fringe. You can style it to the side or down the middle, but it will add some style and height without making your ends look scraggly. Short hair or mid-length hair are probably the most ideal for fine hair, though long can work if you take the time to style it out. With short hair or mid-length hair, you can often add some bodifying mousse or thickening lotion and get some great volume. With longer hair, I would recommend using a larger round brush and going through the whole head to get volume that will last all day. And if you are looking to hold curl on fine hair, you’ll need a texturizing lotion or spray. Go for a beach sea salt spray or just a texture spray, but always use something like this before curling. The grip of the added texture will allow your curl to hold all day long.
Things You Should Love About Fine Hair
I didn’t learn to love my fine hair until I was about 23. It was a long journey of wishing and praying and trying to get my hair to do things that it would never even attempt to look good in. But once I decided to embrace it and learn to get real with myself, I actually fell in love with my hair. Sure, I can’t over-condition or else I’ll look like a greaseball and sure, I might have to rock extensions for certain special occasions, but I take all the bad with the good and at the end of the day, I love my hair.
Think about it, I bet it never takes you more than twenty minutes to style your hair. No hour long blow-drying for us and certainly no “ponytail headaches” from having a mass of hair sitting on our heads all day. And that sleek look that’s so in right now? You know, the look that other women have to spend hours flat-ironing to get? Yeah, that’s called natural for me. So easy! I also love that when I get up in the morning, I have the option of going for a textured look with curl or a roundbrush blowout and either option looks fabulous and takes less than half an hour and a dime size amount of product.
Or being on vacation at the beach? You know exactly what I’m talking about! From the minute my hair hits the humidity and saltwater, each strand plumps up and has this great, sexy texture that I literally won’t get from any bottle of any product. Nothing beats Mother Nature in this context. Instead of having to braid it up or try to tame the frizz like some of my friends, I just get cool, lived in beach waves.
I know there is so much more to fine hair than I can put into this piece, so part two will touch on a few tips and tricks in dealing with your hair. And more importantly, in embracing it to the fullest. I’m a firm believer in first understanding your situation, learning all you can about it and then, embracing and owning it with confidence. So with part two, we’ll finish that up and I hope between both pieces, you have all the tools you need to begin to really love your hair the way it was given to you!
Practical Tips for Daily Care and Styling
- Avoid Tangles & Work Them Out Gently: Comb conditioner through with a wide-tooth comb in the shower before rinsing. Apply lightweight leave-in conditioner to ends and blot moisture with a towel. During the day, run a lightweight lotion or oil through the ends to help.
- Dry Shampoo Is Your Best Friend: Fine hair can appear greasy quickly. Use dry shampoo at the roots on off days for instant lift and to absorb oils.
- Treat Wet Hair Like The Delicate Thing It Is: Never brush wet hair. Use a comb and be gentle to prevent breakage.
- Avoid The Weather Lady Haircut: Favor volume at the roots only and a relaxed rest of the length. Use mousse or sea salt spray at roots and rough-dry, or wave with a curling iron instead of heavy round-brushing.
- Clip-ins for Occasional Drama: Clip-in extensions cut to match your shape can add fullness for events without altering your natural fit long-term.
- Think Before You Bleach: Bleach slowly and steadily to minimize damage and maintain integrity of fine strands.
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Table: Quick reference of products mentioned
| Product | Use | Notable Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Full Again by Kevin.Murphy | Styling lotion applied to damp hair | Adds space between strands for fullness |
| Body Mass by Kevin.Murphy | Spray after wash | Lengthens growth phase and strengthens at root |