Strength and solutions for fine, weak hair

One of the questions I've been hearing often over the years from my clients is "How do I make my hair thicker? Not just when I'm styling it but every day..."

There are many reasons why some peoples hair is thicker than others. A lot of the time its just that everyones hair is different. Some people have thick hair and some have fine. But there are ways to take care of yourself and your hair if you do want to improve the strength, shine and density of your hair in the long term.

First of all, diet. Make sure you have a diet full of protein, iron and vitamins. So obviously more meats and veges but if you're a vegetarian then nuts, eggs and fish are also very important to your hair. Vitamin B complex, C and a multi vitamin is also going to be helpful.

There is also an amazing mineral supplement called Silica which, when taken daily, greatly improves hair strength, elasticity and shine. It also is great for the strength of your skin and nails and even prevents against wrinkles.

Secondly, products. For styling, a Sea Salt Spray or the Karpati Natural Hair Care Volumiser are going to improve thickness and texture when blowdrying or even letting the hair dry naturally.
For a great product that externally treats the hair so it will maintain strength and thickness and prevents against balding and thinning in a noninvasive fashion is the Activance range. I highly recommend the Hair Stimulant Spray and the Shampoo in this range. I have recommended it to many clients and even tested it out on myself and it helps even if your hair isn't thinning. I also found that my hair was less frizzy.

Lastly, treatments. Protein and Keratin treatments are so helpful in strengthening your hair.

Please try one or all of these if you wish for stronger, thicker and shinier hair. I hope to hear some great feedback.

What Hair Extensions are the best?

Have you ever had hair extensions? The are such a fun way to cheat! You can have Long, Thick Hair overnight. They're fantastic, but...... Extremely high maintenance and if you want the best quality they can be extremely expensive and you can pay as much as $3000 for a maximum period of 6 months.

There are some things you should now when choosing which extensions are best for you.

Firstly remember, when you are regularly getting any type of extensions please remember to give your hair and scalp a break every now and then. Having an extra set of strands on top of yours can get heavy and weaken the follicle roots over extended periods and the result can lead to hair loss or thinning.

Secondly, types of extensions:

Great Lengths bonded strands. These are amazing great quality extensions that work best on courser darker hair. The look natural and are easy to manage and can last up to 6 months. The don't put complete strain on a concentrated area of your scalp and follicles. However in some cases where the hair is finer, or frizzier naturally, they can matt up over time and be quite painful to remove. So if you go down this path remember to take good care to wash and comb your hair well. Only getting them styled at a hairdresser is also a great option but becomes a very high maintenance solution.

Tape in extensions are fantastic. They are cheaper and you can get amazing quality hair. They don't really last as long as they fall out easier but that just means they aren't putting very much strain on the follicles at all. They also don't matt up and are a low maintenance option.

Weaves.  These are my favourites. They always look natural. Depending on the quality of the hair you buy and who sews them in they can last a very long time. They can strain your follicles in a concentrated area as you are  getting the weft re-sewn to a tightly braided area under your crown every 6 weeks. Prices vary depending on the quality of the hair and the experience of the hairdresser who applies them.

Lastly is the cheapest, easiest, longest lasting and low maintenance option. Clip in wefts. You can buy a pack of one or two great quality wefts with clips attached for under $350. They aren't permanently sewn or bonded to your hair and you can clip them in and take them out whenever you please. They are easy to style as you can clip them to a hanger and straighten or curl them out of your hair before you attach them. You can wear them for special occasions only so no damage or strain ever comes to your scalp or follicles. No commitment necessary. And depending on how well you look after them and how often you wear them, they can last years.

Why wont my hair get longer?

Have you been constantly growing your hair and finding it at the same length? Even though you have regrowth at your roots? This problem is driving a lot of people crazy.

There are some reasons for this.

One reason could be your aren't taking very good care of your hair. If your ends are damaged and you style your hair daily and want to grow it, there's a good chance it's breaking off gradually over time. 

Give it a break from colouring and styling and nurture it with some treatments. Get regular haircuts and you will find that it will not only grow longer but will have thickness to it also.

Another reason could be that your hair is at its longest already. It's not something I like to tell people but it's the truth. Hair only grows to a certain length. To what degree of length that is varies with each person. And no amount of TLC will help.

Still don't understand? 

All hair grows in cycles. Eyelashes, and eyebrows grow for 1 to 2 months. Arm and leg hair, 1 to 4 months. Generally the hair on your head has a cycle between 2 to 7 years.

This isn't to say it all falls out at once and starts again at once. If that were the case we would all be bald and start from scratch many times in our life. Each follicle on our head is in a different stage of this process you see. When it gets to the end of its cycle it stops growing and sits in the scalp for up to 3 months until you comb it or disturb it enough times for it to come out. This is why hairdressers say that generally we all lose 100 hair follicles a day. Each person is different though. If you have more hair than the average person you may lose a lot more. 

So if you are having the latter of these problems then embrace your hairs length! Or get extensions