The Long Hair Community

lisaj · November 28th, 2006, 06:22 PM

i have always had thin hair. is there anything i can do to make my hair thicker? i am not talking about the products that add volume temporarily. i do take biotin once a day, 1500mcg. does biotin help with thickness?

HairColoredHair · November 28th, 2006, 06:26 PM

Unless you have lost hair, it's unlikely that you can gain new hair. Treatments like biotin help with growth rate... Rogaine and such may help, but only as long as you use them. Thickness is mostly genetics, I think.

Sanguine · November 28th, 2006, 07:41 PM

I take Biotin too. 20 MG. a day.
I think if you're determining the thickness of your hair by the circumference of your ponytail at nape then yes. Because the more hair that reaches that length the larger your measure would be. Say even if you grew out bangs and they reached into that measure, it would increase.
I have personally seen my circumference vary as much as an inch, depending on the state of my health and nutrition.

**Flaxen** · November 28th, 2006, 07:58 PM

The more hair you keep on your head, the thicker your hair will be, too. So, whatever you can do to reduce your shedding, eg. changing products or even washing techniques, could result in an increase over time.

~*Trish*~ · November 29th, 2006, 05:41 AM

I can sympathize with you lisaj....I too want thicker hair
My prob is that I had thick hair but suddenly started to shed really bad two years ago and it really hasnt stopped since. I'm currently trying different things to stop the shedding. Right now the only thing that has worked is monoxil (but it works REALLY well.....)

After reading Heidi's post about nioxin and the parasites (?) that can live in hair folicles I was considering trying that as well.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=54100

Angelica · November 29th, 2006, 06:06 AM

If you have fine thin hair like me, I personally believe it is down to genetics and you can't beat genetics. Everyone loses hair, someone told me about 100 hairs lost a day is perfectly natural. If you are losing more owing to stress, illness or bad diet you would be able to tell the difference and seeing the doctor would be the best step.

Lack of calcium and anaemia have all been contributory factors why some people may have thinner hair or losing more hair than others. I also heard that sometimes a diabetic can suffer with hair loss.

I am going to start taking Biotin shortly because with my hair it will be easy to see if there is any benefit, but I don't expect to see the difference immediately - I guess it will be in a few months if that. Nothing works immediately.

If there was a proven method of thickening the hair on a permanent basis nobody would have thin fine hair and we'd all be sporting thick hair.

I do believe we can improve our hair though and that's what I am working on.

I am also drinking carrot juice and have switched shampoos because I heard sulfate ones can be harsh. It is too early for me to notice a significant difference, my hair is softer and easier to comb now owing to the fact that I am using conditioner now.

It is interesting to see that those I know who seem to be abusing their hair with continuous heat appliances, perms, colourants are those with very thick hair. I am talking about the people I know who I associate with, not in general terms.

I am trying to love my hair again, but I am not searching for a miracle. One hairdresser told my mother that hair like she and I have got is just "hair that never grew up."

Unnamed · November 29th, 2006, 10:13 AM

I hate to say it, but if you've always had thin hair, it will likely remain so. Mine's also always been thin. My mom's hair is thinner than mine, and my dad's is just a tad thicker...just don't have thick hair genes.

Minimising shedding (unless you don't shed much to begin with) might add a bit if you've been shedding a lot. Some find they shed less with non-sulphate shampoos. And while I don't know of biotin helping to decrease shedding, I think MSM does? Rogaine and the like would help stop shedding, but only works while you're taking it. And I think EPO does, too (or it did for my hair), but when I stopped taking it (for other reasons) I shed a TON, and I don't know if others have had similar results with that or not. It takes some time to notice gains from this, though (months to close to a year).

If you're taking any prescription meds and/or have for a while, keep in mind that some can thin and/or make your hair more brittle.

If it's the ends (particularly a few inches down a pony tail) that are thinnest and always stay that way, I'd look into how you're handling your hair.

Due to brushing damage and thinner hair due to medications, I kept my hair trimmed right around BSL for over 8 years. Without the medications, I was able to let it grow a bit more, but it wasn't until I switched to a comb and tried to detangle less often that I stopped the thinning from that. It's still very thin, no matter how I look at it, though, and I've pretty much accepted that.

Mi-chan · November 29th, 2006, 10:17 AM

i find that mine gets thicker when it's very very dry... but it looks unhealthy, then too.
When my hair is nice and healthy, I'm ii and when it's all dry and "unhealthy", it's iii

lisaj · November 30th, 2006, 03:54 AM

Thanks ladies.