Ladies with very thin hair--how did/will you do your wedding hair?

[gwendolyn]

My hair is *so* so very thin that sometimes I worry about what I''ll be able to do with it when it comes to wedding time. It doesn''t hold curl at all (even with the best styling products and I really can''t stand the feel of hairspray or gel in my hair anyway), and there isn''t really enough of it to get layers to fill it out. I''m thinking of maybe using some of those hair filler upper things but am curious to know if others have tried them or if there are other options out there.

Please feel free to post pics if you have any you''d like to share. Thanks!

 

[Loves Vintage]

My hair is also very thin. It was shoulder length at the time. The stylist used a LOT of product, curled my hair, pinned up the curls and then tucked in some fresh lavender (which was the most important part to me.

) We had a destination elopement in Europe, so I was unable to have a trial beforehand, but I was very pleased with how my hair was done. I would absolutely recommend extensions if you want more volume and more length and find a stylist who is comfortable using them.

 

[Deelight]

My niece has clip in human hair extensions anytime she wants extra length or body she gets my sis to clip them in . She used them for a formal event, and you couldn''t tell she had them in.

 

[emilina22]

since my hair is thin im getting clip in extensions... i really love them so much because i used them for our engagement party and they looks so natural and i wanna do it something like this....

 

[mintve]

My hair will be in an updo and teased behyond recogntion to give me voiume. My hairdresser also suggested some little foamy inert thingy that you put in your updo to give it more volume, then your hair covers it. I may need to add some human hair extensions too, not sure yet.

This is the look I am going for...

 

[misspinky]

I''m all about the extensions. My hair is only down to my shoulders--which is great for everyday, but I want something a little more romantic for my wedding. This is the look I''m going for...

 

[gwendolyn]

Thanks, ladies! Your hair inspirations are beautiful and the sorts of romantic looks I''d love to get. How do these hair extensions work exactly? Do you buy them or borrow them from your stylist? Do you have to dye them to match your hair colour? I would guess the human hair extensions are the best but also most expensive--yes? Are there others that are almost as good?

 

[misspinky]

Date: 11/22/2008 12:40:58 PM
Author: gwendolyn
Thanks, ladies! Your hair inspirations are beautiful and the sorts of romantic looks I''d love to get. How do these hair extensions work exactly? Do you buy them or borrow them from your stylist? Do you have to dye them to match your hair colour? I would guess the human hair extensions are the best but also most expensive--yes? Are there others that are almost as good?

There are lots of different options (at many different price levels). The majority of them must be bought by you (I have never seen the option to borrow). Human hair extensions, especially the best quality ones, tend to be much more expensive, and in my own opinion are only "necessary" if these are extensions that you plan to have in for a more extended period of time. So long as you get good quality synthetic ones, I think they work just as well.

You can get ones that can be clipped in or sewn in (mine will be sewn in) depending on what your stylist is comfortable with.

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Gwen!

I have very fine hair, but apparently a lot of it. My hair doesn''t typcially hold a curl well either, although it''s not stick stright on its own either (it has just enough body to look messy at times, if that makes sense!). Anyway, I wore my hair half up and pulled back with lots of bobby pins and a comb (and veil). I did have it curled, and believe me, it stayed up all day. The hair stylist sprayed a ton of spray in it. I mean, A TON. I usually never put anything in my hair, so it was a big change, but it worked. You''ll find pictures if you do a search (in the wedding pics thread that TGal began).

 

[Pandora II]

Hi Gwen,

I had exactly the same worries - I have VERY fine hair and not much of it. It doesn''t hold a curl and is the kind that looks great for about 30 minutes after I''ve styled and blown dried it and then just goes limp. Bane of my life!

Anyway, I grew it out for a year before the wedding so I had a bit of length. The hairdresser then put heated rollers in for 30 minutes and did some serious backcombing and pinning.

I couldn''t believe how it came out. She used a ton of hairspray, but it didn''t feel like it had been sprayed at all - still felt soft and combed out really easily that evening.

It also lasted nearly 12 hours...

Trust me, it can be done - even without hairpieces...

 

[Haven]

Everyone who has ever cut or styled my hair has told me that I have super fine hair, but A LOT of it. I'm not sure what that means, but I always have this picture of a gazillion hair follicles coming out of my head.

Anyway, I have very thin hair and I was adamant about wearing it down for the wedding. My incredibly stylist put glue-in hair extension strips in, and it looked incredibly, if I may say so myself.

The extensions were AWESOME. I have really long hair, so they didn't really make it look longer, it just looked thicker, which was perfect. And they came out really easily the next day with an oil mixture that my stylist left with me. LOVED THEM.

Here's the link to our non-pro wedding pics. I never posted the pro pics because they were horrendous, but you can definitely see my hair in these shots.

And just a note about clip-in extensions: I wear the Jessica Simpson clip-in extensions quite often, and while they are fabulous, I would have hated them for the wedding. They are really heavy, and you do feel them after a few hours of wear. The glue-in strips are totally light-weight, and you don't feel them at all.

ETA: WAIT! Gwennie--Are you two engaged?!?!?!?! Off to go search furiously . . .

 

[iheartscience]

I''m loving all the tips in here! I also have very fine hair and I have no idea how I''ll wear it for my wedding! I''ve been growing it for foreverrrrrr so it''s pretty long, but I''m not sure if I will like it up or down. I''ll have to decide once I get my dress, I suppose!

And to clarify (my hairdresser taught me this):

Fine hair is when the actual individual hair strands are very thin. The opposite of fine hair would be coarse hair, I believe!

Thin hair is when you don''t have a lot of hair follicles and hair strands. (Obvious example would be a guy with thinning hair.) The opposite of thin hair is thick hair, where you have a lot of hair follicles on your head!

So: my hairdressers says I have extremely fine but thick hair. So the individual hairs are very thin, but I have a lot of them! I bet most of you just have fine hair!

 

[Haven]

Thanks for the clarification, Thing! Okay, so now I know that I have "fine but thick hair". That actually makes a lot of sense!

 

[emeraldlover1]

I have the same issue! My hair is super straight, thick, but fine! I have a horrible time with updoo''s they always fall out. I have no idea what I am going to do with my hair yet.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Okay, here is some very basic information about hair extensions...

1. There are two kind of hair...synthetic and human. If you plan on curling, straightening, or applying heat to the extensions at all, you must buy human. Synthetic hair is plastic and will melt. Human hair runs about double the cost, but is best if you plan to wear it multiple times or style it.

2. Extensions come in multiple colors...however, the human hair extensions have been boiled down and completely stripped of color--then "dyed" to black, brown, red, blonde. There isn''t much dimension and matching the extensions to your own hair is incredibly hard. So, generally its recommended that you buy a blonde extension and bringing it to your colorist to have it matched extactly to the formula you have on your hair.

3. When using extensions in an updo/formal style, I prefer to free pin. I would never use glue, bonding, or clips...these techniques are great for everyday use, but hiding the strips, glue, or clips and making the look flawless, smooth and natural is almost impossible.

 

[Haven]

Interesting info about extensions, Italia, thanks!

I should add that my extensions must have been human hair, because my stylist curled them. But she definitely didn''t have to dye them to match my hair. They looked fabulous, anyway. Nobody even knew it wasn''t my hair.

AND--I can''t edit it anymore, but I''m not sure why I repeatedly wrote "incredibly" when I meant to write "incredible" in my first post in this thread. Embarrassing. Sorry.

 

[blondebunny]

Like italia said... if you want to curl... use human... synthetic will just burn...

I wear hair extensions frequently and love them and no one ever knows Although I would never suggest wearing them for an updo you will most certainly see them...

IF you want to wear your hair down.. let me know and I will tell you exactly what to use for thin hair--- I have it and trust me... I CANNOT wear clip-ins because they DONT stay.. they slide out and you can see them because they are bulky! I would recommend wearing TAPE extensions which you can get your girlfriend or FI to do (mine does mine for me.. and literally takes 5 minutes!) they are nice and can last for a little while..AND when you take the hair out.. it can be used again!

I would recommended Bohyme Human Hair... but for those of you with fine hair.. you need to get the HAND-TIED hair because it is MUCH thinner and alot LESS noticeable than if it was SEWN... here is a link to the hair that I get...and if you want tape.. here are instructions to do the tape demo... and they sell the tape there as well... I have been doing the tape extensions for about 2 years now and it doesnt damage my hair at all.. and they are very unnoticeable... If you have any more questions about those you can just ask!

If you want pics with them in.. just lemme know!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 11/22/2008 10:11:36 PM
Author: blondebunny
Like italia said... if you want to curl... use human... synthetic will just burn...

I wear hair extensions frequently and love them and no one ever knows Although I would never suggest wearing them for an updo you will most certainly see them...

IF you want to wear your hair down.. let me know and I will tell you exactly what to use for thin hair--- I have it and trust me... I CANNOT wear clip-ins because they DONT stay.. they slide out and you can see them because they are bulky! I would recommend wearing TAPE extensions which you can get your girlfriend or FI to do (mine does mine for me.. and literally takes 5 minutes!) they are nice and can last for a little while..AND when you take the hair out.. it can be used again!

I would recommended Bohyme Human Hair... but for those of you with fine hair.. you need to get the HAND-TIED hair because it is MUCH thinner and alot LESS noticeable than if it was SEWN... here is a link to the hair that I get...and if you want tape.. here are instructions to do the tape demo... and they sell the tape there as well... I have been doing the tape extensions for about 2 years now and it doesnt damage my hair at all.. and they are very unnoticeable... If you have any more questions about those you can just ask!

If you want pics with them in.. just lemme know!

Actually...

Girls with fine hair can wear clip in extensions...you just have to tease the root area, and then clip. The teasing will lock in the clips...but you have to be sure to hide the teasing.

Taping can do damage to the root same as gluing and isn''t recommended for extended use.

 

[Haven]

I agree with Italia, the clip-ins can work really well with fine hair, you just have to tease it. Teasing is a fine-haired gal's most valuable tool, ladies! All you need is a comb and some good hair spray!

Okay, here's a visual comparison. Just in case you're considering extensions, Gwennie dear:

Left side: Glue-in human hair extensions on my wedding day. This was at after nine hours of wearing the extensions, so my hair had flattened a bit by this point. BUT, I think it still looked fabulous and FAR fuller than my natural hair alone. And they look so much more natural than the clip-ins.
Middle: Plain old natural hair. You can see how flat it is. (And this is teased at the root, people! I'm talking teased and sprayed for fullness. So sad.) ETA: This pic is from about two months before the wedding, so my hair was shorter then.
Right side: Clip-in extensions, on our honeymoon. They definitely stay in with some good teasing. They do get uncomfortable after a while, for me at least. And they're heavy than the professional extensions I had on my wedding day. BUT, they're less expensive, and I can reuse them. And they make me feel totally glamorous!

 

[Deelight]

I also have fine hair but a lot of it, all the hairdressers I use complain about it especially when the colour my hair and then have to re-mix colour because they run out, it is really deceiving.


BB My niece and her friend both wore the clip in hair extensions with up-do''s and you couldn''t see them it really depends on where the clips are clipped in.

Gwen for an idea of cost my nieces hair extensions were on the more expensive side and they were $200AUD at cost (my sister got them for her, sister is hairdresser bought them direct)

 

[noelwr]

hi gwen. I have fine hair and not a lot of it. when I have my hair loose, I have what I call a bald spot on the back of my head. it''s not really a bald spot, but I don''t have a lot of hair to cover my scalp. when I put my hair up, I have to make sure to comb it really well or I will have stripes of scalp showing through.

if you have the same problem, then extensions are NOT the answer. I haven''t enough hair to cover the bit where the extensions attach so it would look really ugly. also extensions give you length and volume at the back under part. they can''t give you volume to cover the front of your scalp.

so... I recently bought a few hair things. 2 wigs which are a lot of fun but can get a little itchy and I don''t want to wear them on my wedding. I also bought this hair scrunchy type thing that I can put around or through a bun to give my hair a "messy" pinned up look. my favorite is a clip ponytail. I could never grow so much long hair, but a lot of people who haven''t seen me in a while think my ponytail is real. I am thinking of wearing this to the wedding or buying fake strands of hair which the hairdresser can pin to the crown of my head and curl and pin up, etc. and then just take them out of the end of the day.

hope that helps. and if you have fine but thick hair then I am jealous!

 

[gwendolyn]

Haven honey, no, James and I aren''t engaged yet. I just wonder about the hair thing sometimes, that''s all. Sorry for the false alarm! I promise I will make a huge deal about it when we do get engaged.

I have both thin and fine hair, so my hair will need all the help it can get. I will look into the hair extension options and see what''s out there. Thanks for the help and the styling ideas!

 

[gwendolyn]

Here''s a picture to give you an idea of how thin and fine my hair is (haha, sorry it''s not a very smiley pic). That''s all of it pulled to the front of my shoulders, and you can see how thin it is where it''s falling across my face and you can see through it!

 

[blondebunny]

Date: 11/22/2008 10:16:21 PM
Author: Italiahaircolor

Date: 11/22/2008 10:11:36 PM

Author: blondebunny

Like italia said... if you want to curl... use human... synthetic will just burn...


I wear hair extensions frequently and love them and no one ever knows Although I would never suggest wearing them for an updo you will most certainly see them...


IF you want to wear your hair down.. let me know and I will tell you exactly what to use for thin hair--- I have it and trust me... I CANNOT wear clip-ins because they DONT stay.. they slide out and you can see them because they are bulky! I would recommend wearing TAPE extensions which you can get your girlfriend or FI to do (mine does mine for me.. and literally takes 5 minutes!) they are nice and can last for a little while..AND when you take the hair out.. it can be used again!


I would recommended Bohyme Human Hair... but for those of you with fine hair.. you need to get the HAND-TIED hair because it is MUCH thinner and alot LESS noticeable than if it was SEWN... here is a link to the hair that I get...and if you want tape.. here are instructions to do the tape demo... and they sell the tape there as well... I have been doing the tape extensions for about 2 years now and it doesnt damage my hair at all.. and they are very unnoticeable... If you have any more questions about those you can just ask!


If you want pics with them in.. just lemme know!

Actually...


Girls with fine hair can wear clip in extensions...you just have to tease the root area, and then clip. The teasing will lock in the clips...but you have to be sure to hide the teasing.


Taping can do damage to the root same as gluing and isn''t recommended for extended use.

I guess I should say I have thin and fine hair too...

Nope clip-ins do not work in my hair... I have had professionals try to put them in and they stay for about 20 mins and then fall out.. and that is with the teasing with hairspray and everything to try to get them to stay...

I have been wearing tape for 2 years now and it doesnt damage my hair at all... I have a remover I use and they come out perfectly with no damage...My hair is actually nicer when I wear extensions for a while and then take them out....

I have had glue and they do suck and did ruin my hair...

I have had everything from the shrinkies to microrings to liquid gold.... and tape is by far one of the best i have used and the shrinkies i love too..

 

[Haven]

Goodness, Gwennie, I was all excited and frantic searching for thread! I can''t wait until your engagement thread pops up!

Anyway, my hair looks thin in the front, too, so I feel your pain. It sounds like people have had really different experiences with the same product, so I hope you find something that works for you, sweetie.

BB--I''ve never tried taping but if it works that well for you, I am in! I''m surprised to hear that glue-in extensions have damaged people''s hair, I left mine in for a few days after the wedding and they came out so easily, it was like sliding butter out of my hair. They didn''t do one bit of damage, either, so maybe my stylist just found the secret perfect glue ingredient.
I wish you could wear those clip-ins, they''re so easy! I find when I place them lower on my head then you can''t see them through my hair.

 

[marchswallowbird]

Okay, so those of you who wore extensions for your wedding, did you buy the extensions before your hair trial and just bring them and ask the stylist to use them, or did you wait for the stylist to recommend what type of extension you should buy?

 

[Haven]

march--My stylist purchased the extensions for me and brought them the day of the wedding. I never even saw them until they were on my head. Good thing she was a great stylist, huh?

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Many stylists will prefer to purchase the extensions themselves since they know the quality and type they most prefer to work with...in addition, stylists get discounts and incentives to be brand loyal. Its generally a win-win for everyone.

In my business, I actually insist that my stylists carry various lengths with them at all times, and if the bride opts to use them, the price will be added to the total.

 

[gwendolyn]

Ok, new question: does anyone know anything about Rogaine for women? Has anyone tried it? Would it potentially be a way to thicken my hair without using fake additional hair?

 

[gwendolyn]

...I''ll take that as a ''no.''