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Original poster

What do you do if you have really, really thick hair?

52 replies

FairPhyllis · 08/08/2013 20:03

I have very thick straight hair and am contemplating a radical new look. Atm it is a huge shapeless mass just below my shoulders because I haven't had it cut since December and it grows like Russian vine. The hair itself is actually not coarse - it's just that it's astonishingly dense - my hairdresser once took a handful and said this is more hair than most people have on their entire heads ...

It's difficult getting ideas for a style because I have seen very few celebs etc who genuinely have thick hair - if they have "thick" hair it's almost always extensions. The only person I've seen who had hair roughly like mine is Princess Diana - she actually had a really thick mop if you look at it. And she always had it short of course.

I am not keen on having it very short because it makes me look about 12 and it grows so fast it would be very expensive to keep in shape.

I know people will say 'what a nice problem to have' but it's actually a huge pita finding a style that works, and it is very hot and takes ages to dry properly. So has anyone else got the same problem or have any ideas please? I am the only person in the universe who would welcome the return of big hair

OP posts:
FromageFrog · 08/08/2013 20:05

Concave bob works for me.

Very short at the back but gives the length towards the front which I need.

Longleggedlovely · 08/08/2013 20:14

I get mine thinned by the hair dresser cutting through my hair. She cuts my style then drys and straightens then cuts through it with the thinning scissors which cuts all the weight out of it.

FromageFrog · 08/08/2013 20:15

Thinning scissors are a godsend.

FromageFrog · 08/08/2013 20:16

In hot weather I wish I could just shave it all off.

trinity0097 · 08/08/2013 20:19

I'm afraid to say that I have it cut really short. I also suffer from really thick hair. Have to visit the hair dresser every 6 weeks now I have her trained to cut enough off!

superbagpuss · 08/08/2013 20:25

I have thick hair

I have cut to below the chin and then have layers put in
and spend a lot of time with it up in a pony tail or clip

oddslippers · 08/08/2013 20:26

I have mine cut just below shoulder length and layered, when dry the hairdresser uses thinning scissors to take out the bulk. I tend to leave it to dry naturally and then run straighteners through it to keep it from looking too wild.

Original poster
FairPhyllis · 08/08/2013 20:28

Yeah sometimes I want to take a garden strimmer to it. I have always had it thinned out when it is cut but it usually only lasts for about a few weeks before I start looking like I have a Richard III wig on or something.

I am a bit wary of getting it very short - not because I am shy of doing something radical, it grows so fast that anything truly disastrous could be grown out v quickly - but because I think your hairdresser does have to be quite good to give you a good short shape and it's unlikely I can afford that or to go very often. I was wondering about embracing the volume and going curly - it does curl really well.

OP posts:
NachoAddict · 08/08/2013 20:30

Mine is very thick, I have it long with layers, luckily it is quite wavy so I can just wash it last thing, go to bed and the straighten the top couple of inches in the morning.

Usually it is still a bit damp when I get up, its that thick!

cq · 08/08/2013 20:31

Growing mine long is the only thing that has worked for me over the years. Shoulder length, thinned each time it's cut, with a few layers.

The weight of it holds it down and reduces the volume, and mostly I scrape it up into a knot or ponytail.

If I try and have a lovely short bob, it just seems to stick out sideways and look huge.

Agree it is a huge pita - I would love to have a neat swishy bob.

paperclips · 08/08/2013 20:31

I don't recommend short hair at all. I had mine cut reallllly short when I was desperate for a change once. It was a big mistake I looked like a hedgehog, it ended up being more work than long hair.

I've always found longer is best for my very thick hair. Good hairdresser, lots of layers, thinning scissors, like longlegged lovely says, a good hairdresser can take a lot of weight out of it.

Straighteners help loads, but I never have time to straighten mine anymore since I had DS (takes forever when you have lots of hair!)
It's also best to get it cut regularly, which I don't. My hair is now a mess.

sparkle12mar08 · 08/08/2013 20:37

I have very thick, very dense, very curly hair, which although it means I'll never be able to have high fashion styes, hides a multitude of sins in terms of growing stuff out, uneven cuts, hiding thining patches etc. I generally have it shoulder length or just below with lots of layers.

MillyMollyMandy78 · 08/08/2013 20:41

I have really thick hair but mine became much more manageable. As the front section of the hair is cut to make the fringe, there is considerably less longer hair in general. Hope that makes sense? I didn't really think about this until i got my fringe, and thinner hair has been a welcome bonus!

squalorvictoria · 08/08/2013 20:45

I feel your pain. My hair texture is quite fine, I just have tons of it. Conversations with hairdressers usually involve me saying "I don't care what you do with it, as long as you THIN IT OUT".

Since having my daughter I've let it grow and it gets put in a ponytail daily. I have all sorts of hair tricks bookmarked - buns, sock buns, plaits - and I've realised I can't do any of them because I have too much hair. Woe.

pocketandsweet · 08/08/2013 21:12

Mine is the same. Currently very short but a pain because of the need for frequent sessions to reshape and thinning scissors. Only when it is long is the thickness not a problem but I get bored with it and actually prefer it short ( at least until I get tired of the cost and upkeep).

Original poster
FairPhyllis · 08/08/2013 21:30

yy Nacho I have never been able to let it airdry because it doesn't ever dry fully underneath - it has to be blowdried. And I have to warn hairdressers I need an extra long appointment if it is being coloured. Sigh.

I think I was born in the wrong century - I would have done just great as a medieval maiden with a massive thick plait down to my waist.

OP posts:
NachoAddict · 09/08/2013 11:09

I'm with you there, hairdreaser appointments take forever. Last time I was there the poor women said her arms were aching trying to blow dry it.

I like thick plaits, I often wear them for work when its due a wash which is at very least every other day. Xx

Ragwort · 09/08/2013 11:13

I tie mine back in a pony tail or put it up with a clip - not very exciting but after so many years of 'experimenting' with different hair styles and having it cropped this seems the easiest way. Smile

DragonsAreReal · 09/08/2013 11:14

Thinning scissors and get them to razor it to. My hairdressers floor always looks like a full head of hair on the floor after a trim and thin out.

evertonmint · 09/08/2013 11:25

I used to have it shoulder length, but mainly wore it in a ponytail. I found the weight of it actually pulled it quite flat to my head when it was long.

I now have a bob just below my ears. Hairdresser thins loads of the weight out of the back once its dried so it is quite tight to my head at the back. I have also just had a fringe cut in.

I'm pleased with my hair for the first time in years. And styling it is less hassle than I thought, and looks much better than when shoulder length so it's worth the 10 mins it takes in the morning.

The key is finding a hairdresser who can cut your hair right though. I did a walk in at a new salon, loved how she did it when shoulder length so gave her a go on the chin length - she just gets my hair. £45 every 6 weeks rather than the old £30 every 12 but so worth it!

BillStickersIsInnocent · 09/08/2013 11:27

I had my hair cut shorter recently in this style here

My hair was long and thick and layered but such a pain to style (tales of waking up with still damp hair and hairdressers with aching arms are very familiar)

I love it now. It's not as curly as hers though. I wash, use boots pink curl creme and leave to dry naturally. Sometimes use a salt spray.

angelinajelly · 09/08/2013 13:12

You need to keep looking until you find a hairdresser who understands how to cut layers in without making it look as though you've had an accident. My hair is also fine but very thick, and I find that it works best if I keep it long, with fine layers cut in. It's actually easier to look after when it is longer because you can let it air-dry or blast most of it, and the length and weight keep it reasonably under control. Recently I've been plaiting it after washing, and leaving it to dry that way overnight- has the added benefit of keeping your head cooler in bed, and staying wavy the next day. It's a pain, but I'd rather have my hair than the thin kind.

Oh, and you need some really evil chemicals to stick down the shower drain every now and again to clear the blockages.

StringBeanJean · 09/08/2013 14:15

Aaah, the trials of thick hair. No-one else understands what its like, do they?

Have admitted defeat with the bob (or sticky out mushroom on my thick hair) and am growing long again. Boring but, as a lot of others say, at least the weight pulls it down and it doesn't look too mad...

My top tip is a good hair dryer, I got a Parlux and it is seriously amazing. No more waking up with wet hair, cuts drying time to 10 mins and actually makes my hair look less thick (always seems to have more girth, if you will, after washing). Grin

NickECave · 09/08/2013 15:21

Ah the horrors of a mushroom bob! I spent most of my early 20s have lovely precision cut bobs which turned into mushrooms within a few weeks. For me the solution is just above shoulder length, loads of layers and a cut with a really good hairdresser (who has cut my hair for 15 years) every 8 weeks or so. If you can't afford this then I think you have to embrace the thickness and go really long, but obviously in a hot summer your head will feel like you're in a sauna!

Original poster
FairPhyllis · 09/08/2013 15:30

Oh I like that BillStickers

OP posts:
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