I just love your thin, frizzy hair – said no one ever
For those of you who suffer under the weightlessness of thin and porous hair, there’s hope.
Sure, the idea of growing it is about as fanciful as a talking pig riding a unicorn over a rainbow.
However, Against all odds (and there many, many odds) I have grown my thin and porous hair to my elbows. It has the juiciness and weight of healthy hair and shows no signs of discontent.
Don’t know if you have porous hair? Thegoodwifebeauty has a great how-to. Essentially, if your hair is always fuzzy and resistant to all things sleek, it’s probably porous.
Photo by Livin4wheel on Unsplash
You are what you eat, we get it. Moving along.
Iron supplements are notorious for waging spartan style battles with the stomach. No one is interested in swapping lethargy for bloating, nausea and constipation.
This is why you need the organic variety. I have been taking organic iron tablets for 3 years and have not experienced a single negative side effect.
If you take it consistently, you should notice your hair thining a little less after about a month. If you continue to take it, the new growth will add volume to the old growth, albeit very slowly. The new growth will no longer be taxed in replacing older and longer growth as it abandons the scalp in droves.
Organic iron will not thicken your hair strands. That will take divine intervention.
However, it has the added bonus of hardening your nails and bringing an end to cursed peel. You may also develop a healthier glow to your skin and eyes.
I have read that Zinc encourages quicker hair growth and regulates the oil around the follicle. My experience with zinc supplements reflects this.
However, before you take a zinc supplement, read the label carefully. If taken on an empty stomach, it will likely cause nausea. Honestly, you have been warned. Further, I believe it cannot be taken over a lengthy period of time and breaks are required.
This deserves a mention because hairdressers will insist you apply “repair” products, which are predominantly protein-based, whilst in the same breath, tell you to be careful not to apply too much protein to the hair. There is doom at either end of this vague tunnel of trickery.
Unless you have been violating your hair with regular unprotected heat and endless chemicals, I very much doubt a lack of protein is a contributing factor to your hair woes. The planet is protein obsessed and to be honest, I’ve grown tired of the word.
The chances that you are not getting enough protein in your diet or in your hair products is highly unlikely.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Getting regular blood flow to the scalp will make a noticeable difference in the density of your hair. Infrared energy devices that encourage blood flow to the scalp are used by hair loss clinics for this very reason.
Don’t rush out to buy an infrared device just yet. I purchased a very expensive infrared cap from a hair loss clinic about 4 years ago and noticed no difference what so ever. Well, other than a lesser bank balance.
The best way to increase circulation around the root of your hair is boring ol’ exercise. Regular exercise not only improved the density of my hair, but it also visibly reduced its porosity.
Now I am not suggesting you sign up to Ninja Warrior. However, 30 minutes of exercise at least 4 days a week, with enough intensity to get your face and scalp sweating will improve the quality of your hair over time, guaranteed, abnormalities aside.
Photo by bruce mars on Pexels.com
Nothing beats cold water for closing the hair cuticle, reducing its porosity. It’s free and simple. It will give your hair a gloss that a product will never equal.
All you have to do is rinse your conditioner or treatment (whichever you apply last) of with nothing but straight up, cold water. The colder the better.
This is torture at first and in winter, the cold water can give you brain freeze. If you stick with it, you will eventually climatise. Your hair only needs to be under the cold water long enough to ensure all of your strands are officially cold, which is usually about 10 seconds.
The most comfortable way to do this is to flip your head upside down so you can hold it under the cold water while your body remains safe. Alternatively, you can save the rinse off for the bathroom sink whilst your body is snuggly wrapped up in your towel.
Consistency will slowly reduce the porosity of your hair and improve strand density.
If you rinse with cold water each time you wet your hair, it will continue to close the cuticle. A closed cuticle will trap more moisture within the hair shaft. Your hair will also be more resistant to damage as the closed cuticle will provide a stronger shield.
Wetting your hair opens the cuticle. The longer you can keep it closed and coated, the better.
As your hair is thin and porous it will likely look dirty (as opposed to oily) by the day following a wash. Resist the temptation to wash your hair every day. Wash your hair as few times in a week as you can pull off.
To last longer in between washes, you can hold your head upside down and blast the hair at your scalp with the hair dryer on its cool setting. This will help to dry the oil. Then use your dry shampoo or corn starch as you ordinarily would.
Photo by Juha Lakaniemi on Unsplash
Cheap conditioner – the miracle cure
Conditioner is the most important thing for protecting your hair. This really struck me when I read that conditioner protects against heat damage far more effectively than products specifically sold for heat protection.
Buy a cheap and watery conditioner intended to moisturise your hair. I found Sunsilk (the pink bottle) perfect for this.
Before you wash your hair, whilst it is dry, load up the mid-lengths to ends with the cheap conditioner until they are drenched. If you can do this sometime before your shower to allow the conditioner time to soak in, even better, however, this isn’t make or break.
The purpose of this step is to give your shampoo something to wash before it gets to wash away the natural oils in your hair.
Do not add conditioner to the hair around your scalp. Ever! Your natural oils are more than enough.
Wash the hair at your scalp only, with quality shampoo (discussed below). As you rinse the shampoo out, the soap will run down, through the rest of your hair. As your hair is thin and porous, I promise you, this is enough.
If you have loaded up on dry shampoo and need a second wash, do it, but again, only the hair at your scalp.
Don’t worry about build up of product. Your hair will receive a thrashing at the basin of your hairdresser at each appointment.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
After shampooing, apply a quality thick cream or balm hair treatment (discussed below), coating your hair from the ends up to mid-length only. To be safe, stay closer toward the ends.
Alternatively, you can simply apply the cheap conditioner again as you would ordinarily use conditioner. Do not apply the treatment or conditioner to the hair around your scalp. Ever!
Now, I know you have thin hair and thick balms weigh it down. I understand hairdressers everywhere tell you that you need “light” everything – I call bollocks
Thick creams and balms are a blessing for porous hair. Avoiding the scalp will help to balance the heaviness of the balm and minimise the chances of your hair looking like a dead weight.
Rinse with icy old water.
Squeeze the water out of your hair with a towel. Never rub or rough as this will open the cuticle defeating all of your hard work.
While your hair is still wet, apply the cheap watery conditioner from the ends to the mid-lengths in the same way you would use a regular leave in conditioner product. You can afford to be more on the generous side here. Do not apply it to the hair at the scalp or soak your hair in it as you would if you were in the shower.
Comb the conditioner through with a wide tooth comb.
Simply replace your leave-in conditioner with legitimate cheap conditioner. Once your hair is completely dry, it will be juicier than it usually is and carries the weight of denser hair. No more floating in the air like fluff.
As your hair dries, it will go through a hideous phase. Bare with it, it becomes more glamorous once it has completely dried.
The key here is a cheap watery conditioner. Not the nasty stuff or fancy and expensive conditioner. I’ve tried and the results are nowhere near as good.
I believe the cheap watery conditioner works best due to its moisture to residue ratio. It has plenty of water for your hair to soak up and leaves just enough residue to coat the hair and seal the water in.
If your hair is long enough, you can also tie your hair in a loose bun until it dries. Once you let it out, you will have loose juicy curls.
Otherwise, now that your hair slightly more glamorous than it was yesterday, carry on with life.
Brushing and Straightening
I found that straightening my hair once the cheap conditioner has dried, achieves a better result than any other product I have used
Try to use only a wide tooth comb on your hair if possible. This is literally, all I own to brush my hair.
If you choose not to straighten your hair, which I do more often than not, avoid brushing it at all once it is dry. This shouldn’t be much of an issue with the messy look and conditioner in your hair preventing tangles.
Photo by Valerie Elash on Unsplash
This business about having to get your hair cut every 6 – 8 weeks is nonsense. Following this regime often mean you are only cutting off what you have just managed to grow.
It’s not a secret – blunt cuts and a fringe help to make thin hair appear thicker. Boring I know. I also only get my hair trimmed every 10 – 12 weeks and limit the snip to the scraggy tips only.
For 2 years the only hair product I used, other than shampoo and the odd experiment, was Sunsilk conditioner (the pink bottle). That’s it. I did not use any other in shower treatment, heat protection, leave in conditioners, straightening balms, curling sprays, oils, anything.
It is the single best beauty discovery I have ever made. The monetary saving was also brilliant.
I am confident that I have used a majority of salon and store brand hair products. Sunsilk (the pink bottle), used in the way described above, moisturised and protected my hair far better than any other product I have ever used.
So…I just do that forever?
At first, I recommend using a gentle natural shampoo for oily hair from say, a health food store. Contrary to what hairdressers insist, my experience with salon products is that, unless my hair is already in great condition, salon products make the hair much worse.
Once the quality of your hair has improved you can change to the more industrial strength salon products. If you swap to a salon product and find your hair in decline, just go back to the hippie shampoo until your hair ready for a more serious commitment.
In the past year, I swapped my shampoo to Joico for fine limp hair (green bottle). I have also swapped my in shower Sunsilk conditioner with Joico treatments. I simply apply the treatment as I ordinarily would a conditioner.
I recommend Joice Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm, for when you intend to apply a lot of heat to your hair. This is because it is incredibly thick and coats the hair very well. Your hair will be juicy and feel dense.
Constant use of the balm will become far too heavy for thin hair. I recommend alternating with Joico K-Pack Care Intense Hydrator (the gold one) for when you’re doing beach hair or the office up-dos.
When you first start using a thick cream or balm (discussed below), your hair may look greasy. However, if you straighten or blow dry, the greasy appearance (not your hair) will dry up. Further, your hair adapts and will stop looking greasy after some time.
If I use the Joico K-Pak, I recommend also using the VO5 Heat Protection spray on the mid-lengths to ends after towel drying. This spray is exceptional at giving the hair the appearance of a closed cuticle and also adds texture.
However, I have found nothing better than cheap conditioner as a leave-in protective conditioner.
How to Grow Thin Porous Hair I just love your thin, frizzy hair - said no one ever For those of you who suffer under the weightlessness of thin…
gummygunk
izzy806
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
2087