I have very, very fine thinning hair. It truly is the thinnest thing on my body. I have male pattern baldness, little hair in the center of my head. I keep it cut VERY short...and that's okay, but there's not much "cuteness" to it. I've tried wigs, but in the heat, forget it. I've tried very expensive human hair wigs, and toppers but they just don't go. So I am wondering about shaving my head???? I told you I think I've lost my mind! I've always wanted to see what my head looked like, but have never had the courage to go through with it.
So, am I nuts? or what other suggestions do you have for me? My ds's girl friend has beautiful hair, long, curly, just perfect...and I find I look more at her hair than I do her. I am so jealous. HELP!
Cathy J
It's never too late to get it right.
Posts: 3473 | Location: Central USA | Registered: March 11, 2004
Do you have a photo program? You could take a picture of yourself and digitally remove your hair and see if you like what you see?
Another alternative might be to try a higher end beautician who might be able to give you some ideas. I know money is tight - but just go for one visit - take good photographs to take to the next person.
I have a friend who goes to the high end place for her coloring and major cuts, but the low end place for the in between cuts.
Originally posted by cobismom: I've found some headbands and tried them on...they gave me a headache as they did when I was a child.
They've always given me a headache too. I used to think they were so cute and tried to wear them, but I'd end up taking them off either from discomfort or because they gave me a throbbing headache. I have never tried any of the fabric kind, though.
Personal Healthy Habits Challenge - 10/1 to 12/31/08: 1. Exercise: Get back to consistently working out 3-5 X week. 2. Food: Get back to consistently preparing healthy lunches for the week with increased veg servings. 3. Behavior: Reduce intake of sweets.
Posts: 7356 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Thank you for all your wonderful ideas and suggestions. I've found some headbands and tried them on...they gave me a headache as they did when I was a child. Scarves are just as hot in the summer heat, and I've used every brand of hair product I can find. I'm not shaving it---yet--- but the thought crosses my mind. DH wouldn't care as long as I was happy. My hair is about an 1" long all over except that the nap of my neck...and it's okay, just tired of the same old thing. I guess there are more important things than hair, but gosh, I'd give anything to have the hair Ihad when I was a child. It was so thick they had to layer it on order for the bottom layers to dry and not break off. oh hum.
It's never too late to get it right.
Posts: 3473 | Location: Central USA | Registered: March 11, 2004
Originally posted by cobismom: My ds's girl friend has beautiful hair, long, curly, just perfect...and I find I look more at her hair than I do her. I am so jealous.
PS... a friend of mine was talking to somebody in her 20's who was complaining about something... (I think that it was her weight or body image or something) and my friend said, "You are at your prime right now. Enjoy it now. In 20-30 years... your hair will NOT be this thick and shiny and you will look back and think, "Wow!!! I looked GOOD!"
Many 20somethings really have some good hair.
I even told my kid, "If I were you, I'd grow my hair long NOW. I'd grow it down to my butt, if I were you." My kid has the thickest nicest hair... what a waste on a boy. If he grew it long, he'd have hair like a rock star.
I said, "When you are our age, you are going to have "old man hair" like me and daddy. I'd grow it long now." My husband used to have rock star hair, too. Now he is about 5 years away from looking like Albert Einstein.
Denise
Posts: 8744 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
Originally posted by D in St Pete: I do not know if would work, but thick headbands are pretty "in" right now...would a fabric-wrapped or straw headband (the two kinds I keep seeing)
In the catalog, it looked like it would cover the whole top of a person's head.
My thought on the shaved head... A woman came to band with her hair about 1/4th of an inch long... and I don't think anybody thought anything about it. I think that she did it with clippers with a quarter inch guard.
As my grandmother would say, "It's only hair" and you could be wild and crazy and do it... and it will only grow back and will probably "long" in a couple of months. (But "long" is relative... and my hair is only about 1-3" long right now.)
Denise
Posts: 8744 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
A-ha! Found them! Or pictures of them, anyway. Those are the "thick" headbands I was talking about. Lots of other links on that site to give you some ideas.
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
I do not know if would work, but thick headbands are pretty "in" right now...would a fabric-wrapped or straw headband (the two kinds I keep seeing) add some cuteness factor?
I see them on all hair lengths, and they look good on everyone, I think. I'm at work, so I can't find pictures of what I'm talking about, but if you want me to when I get home later today, I will.
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
My mother and grandmother both have alopecia and have no body hair and both wear wigs. My mom has also complained about wearing a wig when it is so hot. My mom's hair became very thin in her 30's and she has worn wigs ever since.
If you are uncomfortable with going completely bald, maybe you could purchase some pretty scarves and wear them over your head. I've seen women do this, and I really have no idea if they have hair or not. But, the scarves look really pretty and more feminine than a hat.
I too would recommend seeing a stylist and getting their opinion first. If you find a really good stylist, they may have other suggestions.
Jill
Summer Challenge Goals: 1) Walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week 2) Plan weekly menus
I also have very fine, straight hair that is also thin on top--I call it "see-through hair" because you can see my scalp right through my hair on top. I try to style it to my best advantage and see the best in it. I just have to be careful to style a little hair on my forehead to reduce the "see-throughness."
As for cuteness, have you tried a little touch of styling gel/spray and styling it with your fingers? A round brush while blow-drying? You say you keep it cut "VERY short" but I don't know how short that is--is it long enough to blow-dry?
My hair is about 5" long on top and about 3" on the sides. A round brush is my best friend because my hair has no body and is very straight and fly-away. The only way I can make my hair presentable is with a blow-dryer and a round brush. The round brush gives me lift/height on top which I need for my face (which I call "basketball face" because it is SO round).
One thing you want to avoid, though, is TOO much gel. When my GYN first developed hypothyroidism after the birth of her child, she lost a LOT of hair. She already had fine, thin blond hair like me. She over-gelled it and it looked REALLY bad. It just accentuated how little hair she had. But a little bit of gel or spray styling product can help.
My mother has a really cute cut/style that I wish I could carry and, now that I'm retired and living at the beach, I'm thinking about giving it a try. It is a few inches long all over and worn forward over her forehead. She fingerstyles it as it is drying and pulls the sides forward into little curves. She says that blow-drying FLATTENS her hair, which I can't quite imagine since it is the opposite for me, but she doesn't use a round brush.
As for bald, I have seen a few women at work bald as they were recovering from cancer, and none of them looked bad. They were pale, of course, because of their health, but otherwise looked nice. It really comes down to your individual head. Perhaps you could go to a barber/stylist and ask them their opinion on the shape of your head and how it would work bald?
Personal Healthy Habits Challenge - 10/1 to 12/31/08: 1. Exercise: Get back to consistently working out 3-5 X week. 2. Food: Get back to consistently preparing healthy lunches for the week with increased veg servings. 3. Behavior: Reduce intake of sweets.
Posts: 7356 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
i also have thinning hair. it is not noticeable yet but i figure in 10 years i will be faced with the same dilemma as you.
in 2000, i painted my entire house. all 2800 spquare feet of it. i loved painting because for me, it was meditation to be up on a high ladder. but i got paint in my long hair. i washed and washed. it never came out, so in a fit of liberation, i cut it--marine style--after having it long all of my life. like "cher" long. i wore long dangling earrings, and i cannot tell you how many compliments i got on my hair and my "look". i ultimately grew it long again because to keep it super short, i had to get it cut every 3 weeks. but i mean, short---about an inch from the scalp. also, i noticed that when people looked at me with short hair, they were visually drawn to my face. before, with long hair, it drew people's attention to my waist or butt area (which i was so self-conscious about) so having short hair actually gave me a sense of freedom in some weird sense.
no matter what you decide, i think it boils down to how you feel about yourself. if you feel attractive, you will give off "attractive " vibes.
Goals: 1. Stop thinking like a chronic dieter and start living to inspire. 2. HALT (hungry, anxious, lonely, tired) I will stop and tune in with myself should I experience these things, and respond with something healthy. 3. One word 2008: courage 4. Eat slow and mindfully.
I think it depends a lot on the shape of your skull and your facial bone structure. Years ago a hairdresser "accidentally" cut my hair too short (less than 1" all over) and I did NOT look good, but that's because my face needs hair around it. On the other hand, a very good friend lost all her hair during cancer treatments, but looked very striking because baldness brought out her large eyes and beautiful cheekbones.
Whatever your decision, your hair will grow back. You can probably use makeup and colourful headscarves, earrings etc. to draw attention to other things than your shaved head.
Edited to add: I think a shaved head can be very striking and even beautiful, so the idea as such isn't bad. Only you can know if it's right for you.
****************** “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.”
