Fine, thin straggly hair; please give your top tips!

[Eliza34]

I have always had fine hair, it seems to get to a certain length then just disappears! Loads of wispy bits around the sides and it basically just looks shit most of the time. I should probably just lop it off but I desperately want long thick hair!
Any lotions, creams, types of extensions I can use?!

OGX Biotin shampoo and conditioner, Paul Mitchell Extra Body Thicken Up. I have similar hair and both have helped me x

Following with interest!

I found caffeine shampoo really helped with mine, it definitely appears thicker and I've managed to get it to grow to a now inconvenient but pretty length! Oh and not brushing it when wet, wait until it's completely dry.

Thanks will try all the suggestions!

I am nearly 60 and find my fine hair has got really brittle, so it breaks off. A friend recommended silk pillow cases - hers were really expensive but this business sells ones I think are just as good at a much better price:

www.silkgifts.co.uk/silkpillowcases.html

I am certain that my hair is better because of this, but I am also taking hair supplements from vitabiotics as two people recommended them:

www.vitabiotics.com/collections/hair-and-beauty-supplements

Another vote for OGX biotin shampoo, it’s really good.

A good cut and colour helps - the colour thickens up hair.

I am never going to have a long mane of swishy hair but the above helps.

After trying every shampoo/vitamin/cream available I eventually got a few tape extensions put in around the front. I love them, can do so much more with my hair and now don’t feel that I have to wash it every day just to give it some life!

Try aveda pure abundance range but I think if you want rapunzal style locks the extensions are your best bet.

Love what you have!

I have v fine wavy hair and always wanted long straight hair. My DM never let me grow it as she said it would look shit.

As soon as I was old enough I grew it. At shoulder length I was forced to admit defeat and painfully acknowledge she was right It did look shit.

I've now gone full on curly girl and those waves are AWESOME.

@SeaRabbit I've been looking into silk pillows so good to hear they've made a difference!

Yes I totally cannot wait for the salons to open again to get a decent trim and might attempt to dye it myself.

I might give the Aveda range a go, not exactly been treating myself to much lately.

@Stockwell20 are those ones that you take in and out every day? I'm a bit clueless about them.

@AnnaMagnani thank you I know I should - but it's a real Achilles heel for me! Glad you've found your perfect 'do :)

Loreal Elvive Fibrology makes me hair look so much thicker.

*shampoo

@Eliza34 no these ones are taped in and need maintenance every 6-8 weeks where they are re-taped and moved up the hair - I had 10 tapes in when I first had them but as I’m not washing/straightening my hair so often it’s less damaged now and looks thicker so I just have a couple of tapes in now around the front. It sounds dramatic but it’s honestly been life changing for me, I can actually curl my hair and it feels and looks thick and bouncy!

I spray dry shampoo under my hair after blow drying as it gives it the appearance of more volume

To the PP who said don’t brush when wet. How do you dry and style your hair? Curious as without styling my hair is so fine and flat it looks like cartoon hair stuck to my head.

Not the answer you want but if you have thin wispy hair then there's nought that will give you thick long hair . And extensions unless they're done properly , maintained well and a lot of upkeep look shit very obviously fake .
Look at the rather criel photos online of 'slebs who have the money and time and their extensions still look bad.

My hair got a past shoulder length (it;s fine and wavy ) but I was noticing menopausal hair loss and my scalp hurt from the weight of it .
I got my DD to lop some of the length and it's much easier . My scalp would weep at the thought of extension weights .

80s Scrunch Drying using one of those diffusers on your drier and scrunching a handful of hair as it dries . You'll need product .
Gives body to hair
80s -the era that fashion rocked !

Thanks all!

@Stockwell20 you're almost convincing me....
@70isaLimitNotaTarget might dig out my sweatbands and blue eyeshadow 😀

Dry Shampoo for me. I just find it's the easiest solution.

There are a couple of Batiste Volume ones, they do make a visible difference.

I changed to aveda shampoo for fine hair and it’s totally changed my fine limp hair

I’d spent a fortune before then

It’s the green one I use called abundance but the standard one was good too

Extensions look crap, you can always tell when someone's got them in, even celebrities have crap extensions, so yours won't look any better.
You won't have long, thick hair do something with the lank hair, a short hairstyle.

I did a thread like this a few months back. I did get a revlon one step for blow drying and it made such a difference.

Also tried nioxon shampoo and and conditioner. Level one for thinning hair- on amazon as a starter kit it was good but I wouldn't re buy.

I like the sound of the Aveda and ogx

My hair is coloured so so the hair shaft is thicker because of that process. I used thickening products and some were ok some gave me quite knotty hair!
I have the one step and it makes me embrace my fine hair as it looks passable and shiny, and I also ghd curl which gives bounce. I’m never going to have a lot of hair down my back. I did have a shoulder length blunt cut and although this did work I felt it required a lot of maintainable to look good and blunt like really making sure the ends were straight to see the effect and this was quite harsh on my poor fine strands lol.

Geez this has been great, thanks for the product recommendations. Will start with OGX then move up the price ladder.

My hair isn't coloured at the moment as I do like my natural tone and have no greys so was just delaying the inevitable really.

Eliza mine was goldy/bronze eyeshadow and navy mascara and eyeliner ( I have brown eyes , I looked flippn' lush )

I need to look out my old photos , my DD would not believe how cool I looked

I'd just cut it. You aren't going to make the ends look better and magically thicker without extensions, which can be expensive, high maintenance and often look fake.

I have suffered with medical related hair loss a few times in my life. At those times I got my hair shoulder length ling enough to tie back. And I used a coloured power on scalp area that looked thin a a few clip in hair extensions around the front for fullness. I took them out at home or too shops where I just tried it up. My hair grew back thankfully but it s never been super thick. So I have it just below shoulders now and I have a one piece same length hair extension that i use for special occasions like parties and weddings and just keep my hair at this length but have a great colour done.

Good luck!