Why Your Ends Are Thin & How to Get Thicker Ringlets

Have you ever noticed that the ends of your curls look thinner and more sparse? In today’s video, I share the common causes of thin ends and how to fix them.

Signs of Thin Ends

Look at your individual curl clumps closely. Do they get thinner or narrow towards the end?

Look at the back of your hair, along the hemline using a handheld mirror while standing in front of a larger mirror, or take a photo of the back of your hair. Do the ends look see-through or sparse along the lower layer or hemline of your hair?

Do you experience symptoms such as:

• Tangles
• Curls fall straight on the ends
• Stringy appearance
• Frizz

Causes & Solutions

Overall, thin ends are caused by there being less hair present on the end of a particular curl clump/curl family. This is caused by many issues outlined below.

Cause: New growth coming in that hasn’t fully grown out to the rest of the length of your hair

Solutions:

• Be patient while the hair regrows
• Use practices and products that encourage hair growth
  • Nightly scalp massages
  • Scalp serums & treatments
  • Treat underlying causes of hair loss & address nutrient deficiencies

Cause: Breakage from rough detangling or wearing hair up tightly. Breakage usually will have split ends.

Solution: 

• Use practices and products that help with length retention
  • Pre-poo oils
  • Gentle detangling
  • Use a brush that doesn’t apply too much tension
• Avoid tight hairstyles and wear silk scrunchies

Causes: 

• Damage from heat tools, excess heat when diffusing, highlights 
• Regular wear and tear on the hair such as brushing and detangling. The diameter of the hair reduces.
• Overdue for a trim – it’s common for ends to become thinner over time and we may not see it but can feel it

Solutions: 

• Get a haircut
  • Go every 6-8 weeks if you’re recovering from damage or have very thin hair
• Use strengthening ingredients such as:
  • Weekly deep conditioning with protein
  • Weekly bond repair treatments
  • Work protein ingredients into your stylers

Causes:

• Improper haircut or too many layers
• Thinning sheers being used when cutting
• Slicing or carving hair-cutting techniques 

Solutions:

• Avoid layers
• Ask for a blunt cut

Cause: Overclumping the hair with brush styling or clumping the wrong layers together

Solutions: 

• Avoid over-clumping the hair when styling, especially with a brush
• Comb through or separate clumps
• Use smaller sections

Products Recommended:

• Curlsmith Full Lengths Density Elixir
• Curlsmith Scalp Stimulating Booster
• Tangle Teezer Naturally Curly Detangling Brush
• Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve
• Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Hair Mask
• Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Shine Oil
• CURLFRIEND COLLECTIVE Scrunchies, 10% off with code GENA10