Help please! VERY fine and thin 3a hair

Curly19

Hello,

I'm new here, and I'd like to say how happy it makes me to see so many curly haired ladies with such beautiful curls! You guys are inspiring!

I have been losing the battle with my curly hair for 26 years, now I'm finally ready to embrace it. But that's easier said than done.

I have 3a curls but my hair is extremely fine, thin, and damaged. My ponytail is only about as thick as my index finger when my hair is straight. It's mid/upper back length when straight but shrinks to shoulder length when curly.

I have started my new routine with Cantu shampoo, OGX Coconut Curls conditioner, Loreal EverCurl leave-in and Cantu curling lotion (I hoped this would be lighter than the cream that is in a jar).

I used a home-made hot oil treatment yesterday (conditioner, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil) to try to add some moisture. Then I washed, conditioned, dried it with a t-shirt, and tried to style it curly for the first time. I scrunched in the leave-in and the curling lotion, put a few duck clips in the top for volume, and left it alone to dry. The results: not as great as the girls you see on here or pinterest... haha.

Here's where I need advise!!

The curls looked great while they were drying and I was very excited, but once dry they still look "wet" and with frizz between the curls, especially at the crown of my head. The curls are tightly "clumped" which is great but with my hair being so thin, you can see right through my hair to my neck and shirt especially at the ends. It looks stringy and scraggly. I'm confused - too much product making them look wet? Or not enough product making them frizzy?

If anyone with thin/fine hair could give me some tips I would be forever grateful. I was really hopeful this would end my years of hatred for my hair but right now I'm feeling very defeated... again.

Thank you so much!

BeinDeb

Do you know what your hair's porosity is? It makes a big difference when recommending products and giving advice.

DrRach

Hi there. I also have baby-fine 3b hair which is porous, and showing some scalp is something I have just had to live with. Im 2 years CG so my hair is in good condition, and i have found that a short cut is the best for making my hair look fuller. I use Devacurl Supercream to style and Set it Free to seal after scrunching. I like definition, whereas my stylist always fluffs it up to give me volume. Looks great until I go outside LOL. So i style for good definition and minimum frizz, then scrunch to fluff it up but not so much that all the hold is gone. I wash twice a week and refresh by misting with diluted conditioner and smoothing in a small ammoout of Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion foam. This brings back the definition without adding much more hold. I use Deva Decadence or SM Fruit Fusion products to cowash and condition, and do a protein treatment or DC once a week. The right products are important but its the cut that has made the biggest difference to me (stacked bob, very short at the back and tappered longer to the front, earlobe length)

Curly19

Thank you for the replies!

I believe it is medium to high porosity as it is not very shiny, and I get split ends very easily. It becomes saturated with water instantly and dries very fast.

Update: Last night I decided to rinse some of the product out under the tub facet, then instead of using any leave in or styling cream I just combed it with a wide tooth comb to separate the large clumps and I used a little bit of Flax Seed Gel that I just made. I'm not sure if it was using less product, the FSG, or the fact that I separated the clumps out but it did look a lot better than my first try! Yay!

It's still an awkward shape and not really presentable if I leave it totally down, but if I clip the sides up at the back of my head it looks okay-ish.

I'm hoping if I really stick with it my hair will start to fill in a little bit??

Dr Rach: I'm interested in the SM Fruit Fusion Foam! That sounds very light and nice for fine hair. Is it like a mouse? I hope it's available in Canada.

Thanks again for your replies, I'm learning so much from this site already!