Is short hair or long hair better for thin hair?

[GinAndOnIt]

In terms of making it look thicker.

I've always had short hair, but have spent a long time growing it out so it is now about armpit length I would say. I am enjoying being able to try different hairstyles, and clipping it up very easily when I want it out of my face, but unless I blow dry it, it just looks a bit lifeless.

I saw a lady yesterday with the most beautiful hair. It was probably just shorter than shoulder length, but blow dried with a slight curl to the ends, so looked a bit shorter. She had just clipped the front bits back with a few hairs falling out of the clip around her face, and it looked so effortless yet classy. She had lovely thick hair though.

I want to cut my hair that length (despite saying I would never cut it again) but I'm worried it will look crap with thin hair.

Those with thin hair - do you think your hair suits long or short hair better?

I never seem to get this right! I have thin, fine hair and find that if I have it cut shorter it just falls really flat, but if it gets too long it looks limp and witchy. I don't like mid-length on me so am stuck! Best cut I ever had was by a hairdresser where I lived many year ago where she layered from about jaw length but not too close to the ends, so it was the mid lengths that were layered, iyswim. My hair was below bra strap length and it looked really thick and swishy. I can't get anyone else to do it the same now though and I live 150 miles from that hairdresser, so am stuck going from long to bob-length hair at the moment and not liking either!

I would say that any length should work with thin hair; it all depends on the cut. Basically I would always add plenty of layers to whatever length/style you want to have. You also need to get in the habit of drying and styling your hair to give it the maximum volume. Volume comes from root lift, so try drying your hair upside down, and also use some volume boosting powder or mouse on the roots.

With the right cut & products you should be able to dry your hair upside down and be all done

My very fine hair takes a short hair cut much better, TBH, if it gets longer than ear length, the big round brush needs to come out when drying to make it look half decent. I don't like using products very often as the build up weighs my hair down even more.

I'm actually growing mine at the moment (it's now chin length at the front, with a kind of graduated bob), and I still see my hairdresser every 8 weeks to get it trimmed into an actual shape. She's kept in lots of layers to help with the illusion of body. She's an actual genius!

You'll be much better off with a shorter length. Long, thin hair flatters no one. Much easier to add volume and movement to shoulder length hair than to waist length.

And my fine hair looks thicker without any layers.

Hmmm this is all very interesting.

To clarify, I have thin hair but lots of it, so I don't have scraggly ends IYSWIM. So it can get flat and a bit fly-away/frizzy, and isn't glossy, but with a good blow dry it can get a bit of oomph.

I only wash it once a week though, and avoid heat as much as I can, so I fear short hair would require more faff and therefore damage the hair which could make it look thinner. Am I making sense?

You hair sounds like mine. My hair is wavy and flicks out at the sides if shorter than shoulder length. Layers are difficult to blow-dry. I prefer mine below shoulders. At that length, I can leave it to dry naturally and it looks ok, sometimes even good.
I would say leave it longer. Shorter hair has never worked for me.

Yes I have thin hair and lots of it too. It looks crap when it gets too long. Shoulder length is best of both worlds I think. I don't think washing your hair more than once a week is going to damage it!

No, I know washing it more frequently won't damage it, but I would be blow drying it more frequently if it was washed more often. At the moment, it kind of stays 'set' however I style it on day one, with just a bit of tweaking.