My Hair Is . . . Very Thick
Cubicle Convos, Round Three
Over the next few weeks, I will be running a series called “My Hair Is…”, where I will focus on specific hair types and give recommendations for styling products & general hair fixes. Here is the first post in the series: My Hair Is…Fine & Limp.
If you have super thick hair, I hope you’ve discovered the joy of a blow dry spray that cuts some dry time OR dry shampoo. If you ever feel like your hair is too much to blow dry or style, those two products will help in a great way.
I really like the Matrix Style Link Turbo Dryer Blow Dry Spray or KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry for dramatically cutting time on your blow dry. It’s also best to let your hair air dry as much as possible if you can!
I’d also recommend using a great blow dryer, like the Rusk Speed Freak or the T3 Featherweight Luxe 2i. A really great blow dryer will be a game changer for super thick hair.
A vented paddle brush, like the Olivia Garden Healthy Hair Eco-Friendly Bamboo Professional Ionic Vented Paddle Brush, will allow the air to flow through the brush as you blow dry, to help speed it up a bit!
If you like to go a few days between washing your hair, I’d highly recommend the BloPro shower cap. It’s the best I’ve used for keeping moisture out!
I thought I’d answer a few general thick hair questions below.
Q: Bobby pins won’t stay in my thick hair, is there anything I can do?
A: Well, you may be putting too much hair in the bobby pin. Next time you go to use one, grab a section that you normally would but then divide it in half. Put the pin in, and see what a difference it makes! (More tips on bobby pins here!)
Q: Ponytails always hurt because my hair is so heavy, any advice?
A: Stack two ponytails, or messy buns, on top of each other! Divide your hair from your ears, all the way to the back of your head. Create one ponytail with the bottom section first, and stack the second pony with the hair from the top directly on top of it!
Q: I can’t get my curls to stay separated. My hair all blends together as one heavy unit. What can I do?
A: Curl each section in a different direction and slightly different size! And use texture spray (one of my favorite texture sprays: Amika Un.Done Texture Spray)!
Have any more questions about thick hair? Leave them below!
comments
Loved these tips and am so glad you are attacking specific hair types! I have always wondered about blow dry spray and its efficacy! Going to try it out!!
Love this! I especially like the brush recommendation. Have you every posted about the best way to keep hair brushes/combs clean? I’d love to invest in some higher quality ones than what I currently have, but I’d hate to toss them out in a few months after they get gunky.
I have a lot of hairs that are fine. So not sure if I would consider my to be thick. It does take a long time to dry so these suggestions will help! Thanks!
Question, what is the best cut for “thick, fine” hair? Currently, mine is all one length with light layers on ends.
Me too! My hair is super straight, fine, but boy do I have a lot of it! It takes FOREVER to dry especially now since I’ve grown it out long! I can’t get Bobby pins to stay in to save my life even if I add product to create texture, then it just feels gunky and limp. I can’t even get braids to stay, they slip right out!
Hello, My hairdresser says I have fine hair but a lot of it, so I have fine, thick hair. I use the L’Oreal Blow Dry It Quick Dry Primer Spray, and it is a life saver for saving time when blow drying hair. You can find it in the drugstore in the US, but unfortunately not in Canada 🙁
I picked it up on a trip to Vegas but am running low!
hi Kate,
do you have a recommendaton for me when it Comes to hair oil?
My hair is quite thick and full and my ends tend to be very dry when blow drying so I like to use some hair oil to keep it healthy. currently I am using kerastase oil, Nutritive oleo relax fluid. do you think this is right for me?
thank you 🙂
I have insanely thick, long hair. I purchased Marula Oil on a whim. I never spend a lot of money on hair products but it is awesome. It smells great too! I use about four drops on each side of my head and after I blow dry my hair, it is so soft and really helps with frizz. If I use it consistently everyday, I also think it helps with less split ends. I almost always wash my hair everyday. I have VERY greasy hair by the end of the day so I was worried about using oil in my hair. But Marula Oil is not the least bit greasy. I don’t even have to wash my hands after using it. It’s really great stuff and lasts a long time. HIGHLY recommended for thick hair.:)
Hi Kate!
My hair is very fine, but also very thick. Whenever I wear my hair down, I always end up with huge knots by the nape of my neck by the end of the day…like huge rats nests! I try not to hairspray that part of my hair, but nothing really seems to help prevent them. I’d love to wear my hair down more often, but it can be so painful trying to comb those suckers out. Do you have tips on how to prevent these?
Good question! Same issue here!
SAME! If it wasn’t for shaving my head in high school (I was a rebel!) I wouldn’t of known I have a weird cow-lick at the nap of my neck causing all the knots in my hair! I let my hair stylist know and she cuts it in a way that helps. Also, I have a wet brush for getting knots out, its a scalp saver.
Hi Kate!
I have very long and thick red hair. VERY thick. I have always had long hair. I’m terrified to cut it! But lately I’m getting sick of the time I have to put into it and with the weather warming up, I always dread how hot it makes me in the summer. I have been trying to get some ideas for new hair styles without going drastically short. So, if you had a client with long thick hair and you could cut it however you wanted, what kind of style would you go with? I know it also depends on what you look like, shape of the face, etc…but I was hoping you would have a recommendation or two.
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Kate!
I have long thick hair. A unique red at that. I straighten my hair, but naturally it has a frizzy wave to it. I love to use different styles, but struggle with bobby pins. I am able to only use a small amount of hair per clip so I end up having 50 pins in my head by the time I’m done. I had an updo done professionally a year or so ago an took 90+ pins out of my head that night. ? crazy. My hair is an everyday struggle
Questions for you:
•What are some reasonably priced products to use to curl my hair so I don’t have to strighten it before hand due to frizz?
•My hair is weighed down from being thick, and silky after straightening. how can I obtain body? I’ve teased my hair but it doesn’t lift much at all.
•How to do bang braids, side braids etc. That stay in?
•if my doing a “bump” or pulling my bangs back on the top of my head. What is the best way to hide the pins?
•I would love to do simple every day curls like you have done in previous videos but because I have so much hair to work with, in the end it end up being to much. I am looking to get my hair cut with the correct layers to help thin it out some. What is a good cut to do?
•can you please do a video with someone who has thick hair an show some tips and tricks
Thanks in advance!
Hayli, I think we have the same hair. I was a bridesmaid about 3 hours from home a while back. To keep myself awake on the late night drive home, I pulled out a pin at each mile marker. I had over 90 pins in my head!
I, too, have long, thick, red hair.
And, oh my word, I have the same issue with volume after straightening! I work so hard to straighten and get the frizz out but my roots go flat even if I try to pull the flat iron up from my roots. I think I need some help with my teasing technique. Kate, when you tease, your hair grows. When I do mine, it does nothing.
Best blog post title ever! Browse the hair care aisle… it’s all “volumizing” and “body building” and “blah blah…”. There is never “taming” or “calming” or “depoofing”. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a post on how to best work with thick hair. Thank you, Kate!
I’m going to bookmark this. Sadly, I’ve lost about 1/3 – 1/2 of my hair in the last six months. Never will I ever complain about thick hair again. I don’t know how to fix my hair with less hair!
You know way back in your early years of blogging (that sounds like it was in the 70’s) you changed my hair world with your bobby pin tips. I had given up.
I used to have really thick hair with natural waves. If I put my hair into two braids, One of the two alone looked like a thick braid. It would take me 30-45 minutes to legitimately blow dry my hair and there were most likely parts that were still wet. Then I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and had to do a form of chemo. Not the kind where all your hair falls out, but a good half goes missing. I am pregnant now and it is much more like my old hair (although it’s a high risk bed rest pregnancy so my hair doesn’t get much TLC) but I’m worried about the great hair excavation of 2016 now. Would love any tips for how to handle this sad, sad situation. 🙂
I’ve seen this idea before, about stacking ponytails, but I just can’t imagine this looking good! Kate — can you post a picture of how this looks, or how you’d do this? Thanks!
What I typically do is pull the sides and top back in to a half pony and secure it with bands. Then I take the hair that is left and brush it up towards the first pony and smooth it out and secure all of the hair with another band so I only have what appears to be one pony tail. When you have thick hair it gets heavy and I don’t have the energy or patience to try to get all my hair up in one go. I’m not sure if this is what Kate meant by stacking, but it works for me 🙂
Like this post as well, but also have some of the same questions other ladies have, and maybe some others. Like
–By thick hair, are we talking quantity of hair, hair shaft itself, or both? I think I have a bit of both going on. I’m also a natural redhead, and I think we may literally have thicker hairs.
–Totally get that losing volume at the top thing. I can easily have flat on top, pyramid on the bottom hair. What cuts are best? I have natural wave, too.
I’ve been growing my hair out for donation–I’m almost there and really looking forward to whenever the chop-off day is (less hair=less drying time…yeah!) So I will soon be in the market for a shorter length, probably some shorter bob style. Advice?
Red heads typically have the thickest hair shaft–so that makes sense!
I’d stay in the clavicle area for your cut–any shorter and it could get a little bit wide!
I have very thick and straight hair. What can you recommend to achieve volume and to make ‘curls’ last. Whenever I try to curl my hair (more like a wave) with a straightening iron they end up ‘disappearing’ after 10min. What could I use to make them stay.
thank you in advance.
Just ordered the Matrix Turbo Blow Dry Spray. It’s on sale for $9.99!!!! Plus you can use a coupon!! I got two!!! Thanks for the recommendation!!!
I just ordered the Matrix Style Link Turbo Dryer Blow Dry Spray. I have thick hair and it takes a while to dry so I go to work with a wet head a lot! Hopefully, this will help. It was on sale as well!
How about suggestions for our hairdresser for a cut—how to avoid the dreaded triangle?
Thank you! I just ordered the blow dryer, brush and texture spray. I am forever looking for that perfect brush – it’s so elusive – I can’t wait to try these out.
About 2 years ago we moved to a coastal state. Since then I’ve been searching frantically for products to control the frizz in my thick and coarse hair!!! (It’s so frustrating to spend forever fixing it then have it all fall to frizz within 5 minutes of going outside). I never had this issue before moving here. I’ve tried about all of the box store products and a few high end, to no avail. I’m just not sure what to do from here. ???????
I have this problem too. Like you, if I wash and style my hair and then go right outside it just falls apart.
2nd or 3rd day hair seems to absorb less of the outside moisture and holds my styles better. I wash mine only 2x per week (I know washing it every day is a tough habit to break but it’s a life changer for thick hair!). Specifically, I’ll blow dry it roughly at night and use a dry oil, then in the morning I might run the flat iron over it again or do soft curls with the curling iron, and add more dry oil and a hairspray that doesn’t have a high alcohol content (I like Aussie). On rainy or particularly humid days I’ll wear a silk scarf over my hair or just pull up the hood on my rain jacket!
Thanks for this post! Like a few others have described, I have thick, fine, and shiny hair. I’m generally pretty appreciative of it, but it’s so heavy that it’s difficult to get good volume. When I blow dry, I usually use the KMS spray and then some sort of root lifting product and get mostly dry upside down. But by mid-morning, my hair is pretty flat.
I’d love recommendations for root lifting products and other ideas for keeping volume!
BOBBY PIN FIND!!!!!!! I’ve found a great Bobby pin. It’s the conair styling essentials firm hold Bobby pin. A quick search on Conairs website will let you know where they can be found in your area, but I’ve included a Walgreens link with a picture of them to show what they look like. People laugh when they see them because they are obviously bigger and thicker than a regular Bobby pin. But bigger means they hold more hair and stay put. That means less Bobby pins used!!! Yay for that! Hope this is helpful to others. http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/conair-styling-essentials-firm-hold-bobby-pins/ID=prod6022199-product
I have very thick, dry,wavy and coarse hair. My daughters, 8 and 10 do as well. Drying and flat ironing is a real job for me and very time consuming. I struggle finding different ways to style it. We usually opt for pony tails which is quite boring. No clips, pins etc. stand a chance holding our hair up (unless I use an entire pack). We cant air dry or wear wet. Our hair just grows and grows. I would appreciate any tips on how to make this any easier. Between the three of us, it is a daily and time consuming struggle! Thanks, Kate!
Fantastic tips! I love your idea of attacking different types of hair so that it relates to everyone at some point. Love it
Thank you for this! I have straight hair that is pretty fine and sooooooo thick, but I love the look of wearing it curly/wavy. Do you have any tips for cutting down on curling time and getting the curls to last longer?
I have thick hair and like to wear it layered around my face and just below my shoulders. I don’t want it fussy but I don’t want the bottom to look like a broom stick. Sometimes layers looks so choppy on thick hair. When my hairdresser uses a thinning shears, it can get frizzy. Did I say I have lots of grey that is colored?? Doesn’t help the situation. How do you get layers to effortlessly fall into place on thick hair?
I love that you’re doing this series- any plans for a “My hair is Naturally Curly” post? I follow your blog daily but I wish there was more content for a variety of textures.
Ooh, the two ponytails is a great trick!
I not only have thick hair, it’s very coarse. How can I make it softer and more silky?
I don’t know what Kate would say, but I have the same problem and have fallen in love with the One ‘N Only brand of argan oil spray from Sally’s!!! Love it!
I’ve been told that my hair isn’t thick, as in each strand, but thick as in the sheer volume of hair on my head. I wonder if the same tips and tricks apply? Also, any products for a smaller budget?
This is really helpful! My hair is somewhere between thick and medium. I never know what to expect day to day from it. I certainly don’t style it anymore because the time it takes to blow dry (and then poofy end result) is simply not worth it!
Yay! My hair type first!! I love the tip about curling in different directions to prevent it all clumping together! Never would have thought of that! My cute beachy waves always turn into like three separate ringlets after a few hours and I’m constantly running my fingers through trying to separate them, thank you for that tip!
What does dry spray do? I think this is the first I’m hearing of this product, but I definitely need to try it because my hair is THICK!
I was looking at my product collection yesterday and was thinking, wow, this is like Kate’s highlight reel! Everything I use has your stamp of approval. Speaking of, you need a “Kate Approved” sticker to put on products. It’d make shopping easier!
Thank you so much for this post! Dealing with thick and my in my case curly/wavy hair has it’s own problems that can be hard to find solutions too. I would love to see some examples of hair cuts that would work well.
I really appreciate your recommendation of hair products to speed hair drying along. I rarely blow dry my hair and have never had these recommendations before.
Thank you for your time and energy!
I have fairly thin, naturally wavy hair. I like to keep my hair natural, but it looks frizzy and the curls are inconsistent. I would love a post on this, along with tricks to style it naturally and products to use!
Oh, how I wish I had this problem. #thinhairgirl
Hi, Kate! I have very thick hair & have two questions for you. First, I have always struggled with greasy hair but lately my hair gets so greasy so fast! I have tried dry shampoo, and while it helps a little bit, I still think my hair looks like it hasn’t been washed in days when it hasn’t even been 24 hours. Are there any shampoos that you recommend that might help? I’m a little sensitive to fragrance so I like to be cautious about what I buy. My second question is about curling my hair. I recently chopped my hair off and I love to curl it with a wand but my hair is so soft/thick that the curl struggles to keep its shape. I find that about an hour after styling, my hair has almost gone completely straight. My hair has a natural curl to it but I always blow dry it before curling so I wonder if letting it air dry and then curling my natural hair would help?
Sorry this is so long! Any input would be helpful! (:
Great tips! X
Hi Kate!
I have fine, silky hair strands, but boy do I have a lot of them! My natural hair texture is also quite wavy, but my hair is super cooperative in any style. My only complaint is that I have a smaller-than-normal forehead (my hubby calls it a three-head), so my hair constantly feels like it’s in my face. I used to do bangs to combat this problem, but because my forehead is so short, they always looked spikey, so I now my shortest pieces fall at the jawline. Do you have any styling tips or product suggestions to help combat my hair face mask issues? Hope to hear from you!
Hi Kate !
Great post – I have VERY thick coarse dark brown hair -( I should mention I have the gray colored at my hairdressers ). My hairdresser said probably the thickest she sees !! I have a layered bob hairstyle which works well – I don’t wash everyday – any product suggestions to add texture but not the volume ?? I blow dry and then use flat iron to smooth but I have not found the product for texture that I am looking for yet ! I do use Lanza Taffy but is alittle heavy for everyday use – every spring have a Keritan smoothing tx done which does make my hair much more manageable in the summer months here in VT- would like to know your thoughts on that also- thank you for any suggestions !
Thanks for the tips! My hair is somewhere in between straight and curly. I would like it to be more on the curly/wavy side so I don’t have to flat iron it. Is there any way to do that without full out curling it?
I have thick curly/wavy hair. No matter what products I use or how it is layered, it always ends up looking flat on top and fluffy everywhere else! It’s a terrible look! Can you recommend any really effective root lifters or suggestions for a good layering method for this issue?
Hi Kate!
My hair is super frizzy all the time no matter what the weather is like. It also gets really frizzy after I straighten it. Any good products/tips to help with that? Thanks!
I have really thick hair and it’s always so hard to find posts or videos that help people who specifically thick hair. This is a great idea! Are you going to do one on dry hair?
Aleeha xXx
http://www.halesaaw.com/
I have very thick, coarse, naturally wavy hair. It’s oily at the roots but the strand is dry. What type products should I be using? Anything that is smoothing, moisturizing, etc leaves my roots greasy and weighs down my already heavy hair. Anything that is just deep cleansing leaves the strands dry. Tips for specific products or general types of products? Also, how can I style my hair in updos without the weight of it making the style fall out? Seems like even if I use 20 bobby pins, it still falls! Thanks in advance for any input! Your blog is a lifesaver for girls like me who are challenged when it comes to styling hair!
I had long (red) thick and coarse hair that I had cut into a pixie. I loved the hairstyle but wanted something a bit longer. I never had the “awkward” stage. It was all alarming until I hit chin length.
When my hair was long enough, buns were always the go-to. I never used bobby pins. Goody has a “spin pin” that works wonders. After a wedding when my cousin was pulling dozens of bobby pins out of her hair, I pulled out only 2 spin pins and she was amazed. They also work really well with very thin hair. Also google “hair fork.” I watched someone at a craft show use their’s on a range of different hair.
I second the spin pins! I have super-thick hair, and ever since I started using them, I finish my styles quicker, and I don’t get those bobby-pin-headaches anymore! I’ve even sent them as a gift to a couple girlfriends with similar hair to mine!
Thank you! I’d never heard of them before, but based on this I did some research and bought some.
I’m impressed. My hair is so heavy, I can’t believe how comfortable it is and how easy it was to twist and fix a bun. (A style I never wear, ever, because it won’t stay up. Plus the headaches.)
Great idea! I have a question. Please answer it. Curls NEVER stay in my hair. After an hour they just go straight again. Help?
Great hair tips!
Xoxo
Serein
https://sereinwu.com/
We will be celebrating our first Mother’s Day this year and I couldn’t feel more blessed. I love reading your blog!! The makeup, hair, and updates on the boys are great. I have a little 10 month old boy myself so he likes to watch the snapchats of your boys. Thank you for the Clarins eyeshadow review I am in love with them!! Hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day as wel!
Hi Kate!
I have a natural wave to my thick-ish hair but it doesn’t seem to hold a curl from a curling iron. It takes a VERY long time to curl it with an iron but it doesn’t hold well. Any tips for me? I use a Hot Tools curling iron that is 1.25″ and my hair is a bit longer than shoulder length, probably 2 or 3 inches longer.
Thanks!!
My hair is sooo thick. I wear it down most times because if I wear up for long periods of time, I get such bad headaches. I love this post.
Mel | http://www.thegossipdarling.com
My hair is almost to my waist and fairly thick. I often wear it curled like the photo of Lauren Conrad at the top of the page. I use products for volume, but by the end of the day my hair is flat against my scalp and I hate it. I realize with so much hair maintaining volume is tricky, but I would love a tutorial with some tricks. Maybe some backcombing?
You have just fixed all my thick hair problems!!!! thank you haha 🙂
I always loving reading your posts but this has been one of my favorites, thanks to all the helpful tips, tricks and products! Xo, Stephanie
My hair is thick, naturally curly. I wear it curly or I straighten it as well, my hair is currently the longest its ever been. When I used to straighten it, I could make it hold curls like I see in your hair, but now it will not hold any curl. What has caused this and what can I do?
Kate, with my Ulta coupon in hand, i bought that brush last week. I have always used a round brush so this was a risk. I LOVE it! Thanks for helping me branch out.
I have thick hair and a ton of it. I wash my hair every day, because it is a total grease pit. I’ve used the Kenra Blow Dry Spray, and it helps on dry time. I have the same problem of curling my hair (I blow dry and curly daily as well) and it turning into large curls because it just clumps together. I have recently bought the Beachwaver curling iron. I use that with a beach spray and the curls tend to stay separated. Any tricks on a lob cut (currently my hair is about 4 inches above my bra strap) with side bangs?
I am super excited about these tips! I am a natural redhead and like many of the other ladies have stated, I too have super thick strands of hair and a lot of them!!! I also live in Georgia so super thick hair + humidity almost ALWAYS = ponytail!
My hairdresser recommended Shielo’s Smoothing Conditioner to me because I have hard to handle hair that is super dry and brittle on the ends and gets really oily at the roots. I’ve been using the Shielo Conditioner for about two weeks now and it has honestly improved my hair so much. The once dry, brittle ends of my hair are now amazingly healthy, smooth and hydrated, without being that false silky that you get with a lot of supermarket brand conditioners.
For starters, try to use good quality shampoo and conditioner. Maybe they cost a bit ‘more, but that can guarantee your hair valuable substances and nutrients.
I love this product! I starting losing my hair due to stress and hormones and this makes it look thicker. Now, I am already starting to see a lot of volume and fullness. I am so thankful that I found this product.
https://dermachange.com/products/thick-full-shampoo-conditioner-hair-loss
My hair is thick and heavy and wavy. My stylist has been using thinning shears to reduce some of the bulk and weight. However, I think it is causing my hair to frizz. Is that a possible/probable cause? I am using leave in conditioners and oils. There is only so much product I can add before becoming a grease slick. Lol It is still frizzing. I can see random shorter hairs that stick out when I straighten my hair. How do I gently tell her to not do it. Is there a hairstyle I could move towards with long layers that would do the trick?