How To Style Low-Density/Thin Curls, Dos & Don'Ts, Scalp Covering
Techniques for thin curly hair and covering your scalp, fullness and volume. There is nothing wrong with low-density hair and it's not something you have to "fix"! Thin curls are just as beautiful as thick hair. For those of us that prefer a more voluminous look, I'm simply sharing some ways to achieve that. There is no right or wrong way to style your curls, and if you're doing and of these "don'ts" and they're working for you, keep doing them!
More resources on my blog: https://genamarie.co/2021/09/how-to-st...
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• Flora & Curl Soothe Me Coconut Mint Pre-Shampoo Oil: https://bit.ly/3ouhmbl
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• Curlsmith Vivid Tones Vibrancy Shampoo, 10% off with code GENAMARIE10: https://bit.ly/3yZZQgJ
• Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Hair Mask: https://rstyle.me/+rWAPJYkhDj7TwPARF07...
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• Flarisol spray bottle: https://rstyle.me/+NFuVoIEWimRY2qH48h0...
• Boucléme Curl Cream, 15% off with code GENA15: https://tidd.ly/3mEDL2O
or from Lookfantastic here: https://rstyle.me/+4Rh0IUwYuDpTtsEObYu...
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or from Lookfantastic here: https://rstyle.me/+z3oHbgYQU2Yf0Kx_hX4...
• Infiniti PRO by Conair 1875 Watt Texture Styling Hair Dryer: https://rstyle.me/+A-JC2bdB_GN_kVN0XlQ...
• Curlsmith Intense Treatment Serum: https://bit.ly/3A9K2JI
----TIMESTAMPS----
0:00 Intro
0:24 Low-density vs. fine curly hair
3:16 Wash day routine begins
3:18 Pre-poo & shampoo
5:35 Deep conditioning
7:48 Damp styling & upside down
9:49 Curl cream & gel
13:39 Brush styling, clumps & ringlets
15:11 Cowlick covering
19:10 Diffusing & SOTC
21:50 Results & outro
►How to Cover Your Scalp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yzGHA...
►How to Make Curls Tighter at the Root & More Defined: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlfhCu...
►How to Diffuse Curly Hair without Frizz for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfGNv...
----HAIR TYPE----
• 3A-3B curls
• High porosity
• Medium to coarse texture
• Low density
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#curlygirlmethod #naturallycurlyhair
You have low density or thin curly hair and want to get more fullness and volume. Well, i'm going to walk you through a full, step-by-step styling, routine and share with you, some do's and don'ts for thin curly hair in order to get more volume and fullness. If you are new to my channel welcome, my name is gina and i make videos all about naturally curly hair. I love simplifying things for beginners talking about the science of hair product ingredients and much more so my hair type is actually medium to coarse. So that is my texture, that is the width of the individual strands of my hair, but my hair is low density, so that means my hair is thin. I don't have a lot of hair if your hair is less than two inches around in circumference. If you measure your ponytail, then you have low density hair anywhere from two to three inches is medium density and then anything over three inches is high density hair. So that's very thick curly hair. So it's important to understand that the difference between low density, hair and fine curly hair - i often get mistaken with fine curly hair, because my hair is pretty thin. It'S not very thick. It doesn't have a lot of volume. However, density refers to how much hair is on your head, so it just means. I don't have a lot of hair on my head and i might see my scalp a lot more compared to someone with very thick hair. But when we talk about texture that actually refers to the width of the individual strands of your hair, this is hard to tell sometimes. I actually got a analysis done by my main bio, which is where you send off some of your hair. They do an analysis and tell you about your hair's characteristics. Well, there is where i learned that i had a half medium and half coarse hair, and then i realized that's why some sections of my hair feel very rough and bumpy. I can definitely feel the strands between my fingers. They feel kind of kinky like they take some different turns if you look at them very closely and they're very dark and thick, and you can definitely see them on surfaces. On the other hand, if you had fine curly hair, it's hard to feel the strand between your fingers, they're, very fine and wispy. You might be more prone to breakage. Your hair might love protein and it might be hard to kind of see your stray hairs or you might not really be able to feel them between your fingers. Well, even though my hair is not fine, i still incorporate a lot of tips and tricks for fine curly hair, because i know a lot of you do have fine hair, and i also have to keep in mind that i can't use things that are too heavy And i do still incorporate a lot of techniques for getting more volume, because my hair is low density. So, even though, if you have fine hair, you can definitely still follow these techniques, and i hope you still enjoy my videos because i'm always sharing tips for fine curly hair. So there is one thing i wanted to add. That is very important to understand, and that is that thin and low density hair is still beautiful. Don'T stress about having thinner hair, it's unrealistic for us to expect our hair to be very full and voluminous. So we cannot compare our hair to people who have very thick hair. Sometimes it's just not possible genetically there's, so many factors that go into hair thinning, keep in mind that i'm just sharing tips to help you get a fuller look or more volume. If that's the look you're going for having thicker hair a lot of times is just an illusion, i mean all my hair is pulled around to the front right now and i do a lot of techniques to get more volume. But look at the back there's like no hair in the back, because it's all pulled forward. So it's just sometimes you just can't compare your hair to anyone. So let's go ahead and get started with the routine, so the first step is to dry detangle, so dry detangling helps prevent your hair from breaking and it also helps prevent major matting and tangles. When you are shampooing, i'm going to apply a little bit of an oil first, this is from flora and curl. It'S the soothe me scalp, refresh pre shampoo oil. I'Ve really been enjoying this one because it really softens up the hair and the reason my hair is so stretched out and not even looking. Curly is because the last time i washed my hair just two days ago, actually, i did not put any styling products in. I just wanted to get my hair clean, but i wanted to film this video, so i didn't end up styling it. So what you don't want to do is go right in with shampoo on matted hair. If you have low density hair, it probably gets matted up. Very easily you probably get tangles very easily, and if you went several days without washing your hair, then it probably is really tingly. So the last thing you want to do is go straight in with a shampoo. That'S just going to raise the cuticle of your hair and make even more tangles, so that gets rid of all the loose hairs too. So when i go and shampoo they don't just get all matted up even more so now i'm going to let this sit for about five minutes. You do want to let it soak in it can be really hard to shampoo your hair. If you have a ton of oil, you also don't want to use too much. So the next step is to shampoo your hair in the shower. I really recommend shampooing in the upright position, if possible. Now i definitely do shampoo over my tub a lot of times, but i do find that that leads to more tangles and more shedding and it's just harder to get in there. So i do like really shampooing in the shower. If possible, i would recommend using a lathering shampoo if you want to get more volume and they just help to cleanse better in general, you can still use a sulfate free shampoo, but i would avoid using a co-wash all the time if you do have very thin Hair or low density hair because it can really weigh it down, it doesn't really get it very clean. But honestly today i might use a very mild shampoo, because my hair is not very dirty. I just washed it two days ago, so this one is one of my go-to's that i usually use when i just need a very mild shampoo, it's from curlsmith, it's the vivid tones of vibrancy shampoo. So i'm going to use this one today, this one's more of like a daily everyday shampoo. That'S not going to dry out your hair great! If you have color treated, hair too or damaged hair, so i'm going to go ahead and hop in the shower and shampoo, and then i will be back out to show you the deep conditioner that i'm going to use today. So i just got the shower loved that i used that curlsmith vibrancy shampoo. It actually does lather up pretty good, so that was awesome. So i think that's a good mild alternative to using a co-wash when you still don't want to strip your hair in the middle of the week or something i am going to deep condition. So today i decided to use this one from briochio. This is the don't despair repair deep conditioning mask, so my due for low density hair is definitely still deep condition. Everybody needs moisture sometimes using protein like this, can really improve your curl definition, but my don't would be to not apply it too close to your roots. If you're worried about it weighing down your hair, so you can just apply it from like your ears down. I like to go all the way up to my root, because my hair is pretty dry all over, but if your hair's not very dry and you're, just doing a regular, deep conditioning treatment, you can avoid your roots. If you want to this mask, i don't find to be super heavy. You can avoid masks that have super heavy butters and oils. If you're worried about your hair getting weighed down, i don't find this one to be heavy, though at all i find it to be pretty lightweight. It has a little bit of protein in it. So i'm going to put on the shower cap just to hold the heat of my head in and i'm gon na go, do my makeup and i will be back after about 10 to 15 minutes. Actually, what does this say always good to read your label to see how long it says leave on for 10 minutes? So i think, because it's a protein mask, you don't want to leave it on for too long. So it's now been about 10-15 minutes. I need to go ahead and rinse this out, but my next tip is to rinse your hair in the upright position, if possible, i'm obviously not going to get back in the shower. I already have some makeup on so what i'm going to do is rinse over my tub, but i would highly recommend trying to kind of lean your head back and pull the hair away from your scalp. What we want to avoid and i'll show you what it looks like is when you rinse your hair upside down, it gets stuck to your head and it kind of gets separated where you can really see your scalp. So then, when you come back up to style, you want to make sure that you are brushing that out and detangling again and separating the hair off the scalp and not leaving it like that and just styling upside down. So i highly recommend upright styling. If you have low density hair and you struggle with your scalp, showing it's definitely very beneficial, so my next do's and don'ts is do use a towel to towel dry, your hair, at least your roots. This is a hair repair towel. It'S a completely flat cotton weave. Towel so it doesn't cause any frizz and i also use it to absorb some water at my roots. You don't want to style your hair soaking wet. If you have low density hair, because then the hair is really just going to stick to the scalp, it's going to create too many curl clumps. We want that fuller, more voluminous look, so i highly recommend damp styling and i still don't style. My hair, like super dry, i do add water with a spray bottle, which i will show you so here's another example of why i don't style my hair upside down and why i always brush it upright, is because look how the hair is pulled down against the Scalp - and you can really see the scalp right here - it's completely flattened forward plus, if i style like this, my hair would be in my face all the time and it would be really hard to cover the scalp in the back. But if i were to just apply my stylers when i was over the tub, look at how the roots would look, so i definitely need to use a brush to help style. My hair, upright you might get more volume washing and styling upside down, but the roots just always are like plastered against the scalp, even if you lift them off of the scalp when you're upside down still they're pulled forward in that direction. The hair in general is going in different directions like it's going this way, and then this way, so that's why we are going to use a brush to style. Also, my hair is high porosity, so you see how fast it's drying it's already getting dry and it's only been like two minutes since i rinsed high porosity hair also really wants to stick to the scalp because it has that raised cuticle layer. So it really wants to cling to everything. That'S why you get a lot of tangles, so i'm obviously not going to style my hair dry. I am going to dampen it with some water. You want to make sure your hair is evenly wet when you are damp. Styling, so the premises of dab styling is basically your roots. Are towel dried? Your roots are not soaking wet. I don't feel water running down on my scalp. It'S mainly just the lengths of my hair that i'm adding water to that way. The scalp still stays fairly dry and that really helps with that fullness at the scalp, instead of being soaking, wet and plastered down to the scalp. Okay. Now my hair is more evenly wet, so i'm going to go ahead and go in with curl cream. My next do's and don'ts is to use a curl cream. That'S not too heavy and full of a lot of oils and butters. I'Ve been testing out the blue clam lime, so i'm going to use their curl cream here. This curl cream does have a virgin coconut oil, which is known to be a little bit heavier, but sometimes it's formulated to be lighter weight. I would say this: curl cream is like a medium moisture level, which is actually good, because i have that coarse to medium hair. I do need quite a bit of moisture, but i still don't want anything too heavy. That'S really going to weigh down my hair, not like a super thick butter or anything like that. I am going to add some water to my hands. You can also dilute your product, you know if you do want to use a cream, that's heavier just use less and then obviously dilute them with some water. So i like to go ahead and go in with my curl cream or leave-in and then detangle, because it's going to give me some slip. If you do have fine hair, i would recommend just going with a very moisturizing leave-in, like this curlsmith weightless air dry cream. This is another one of my favorites that is a highly moisturizing leave-in conditioner. It'S a lot lighter weight, so it's not going to weigh down your hair. I also did get a discount code from buckland to share with you all, so i will have that down below my next do's and don'ts for low density. Hair is just like the deep conditioner you might want to avoid your roots. If it does get very weighed down, i don't like a ton of product at my root and i definitely don't apply a product to my scalp. I do like to get all the way up to the root just to make sure that gets nice and moisturized, but i never apply product to my scalp okay. So going back to the do's and don'ts about upright styling, that's where the brush comes in. So i recommend brushing your hair in the upright position instead of combing it all forward, that's just going to pull all that hair back against our scalp and make the scalp more exposed in the back. Also, when i get to this area, i always go like that. To make sure i'm covering the cowlic area - and i usually go from underneath like this and brush upwards, and i am going to work on styling, my hair once my gel is in so we'll work on some root volume in a minute. But right now i'm just distributing that curl cream. So now the hair is nice and detangled. Look how much better the roots look completely covered. Scalp is not showing, and at this point i like to take my hands and break it up. So i do this just so: it's not like stuck down to my head and just to break up those curl clumps that might have formed from the brush. So now that my hair is nice and detangled and separated i'm ready to go in with my gel. This is the boo clem super hold styler highly recommend using a gel or a mousse. A mousse is actually going to probably give you a little bit more fullness. I'M just testing this one out at the moment, but it is very lightweight. I don't find this to be heavy at all. It has a really nice. Like jelly consistency, i don't know if you can see it there, but it's kind of falling down on my hand. I love gels that have a lot of slip. I don't like gels that are super heavy, so that's my next do's and don'ts for low density hair is do not use a gel that is super thick, like a very thick cream, gel or a very thick gel. That has a lot of oils. If you saw my last video, i did with the new, not your mother's curl talk gel. That gel was super thick way too thick for my hair type and i had to dilute it with water. So if you are using a gel, that's very thick just make sure you add some water to your palms, to emulsify it and to mix it in with that water. So it thins it out, because that's just really going to weigh down your hair, so you'll notice. I am kind of just raking it through and pulling it down, but i'm going to use my brush to actually style and get some more volume, i'm just kind of getting the product in there at the moment, you'll see that i also like to section my hair. A lot of times, which is great for getting more definition, but it doesn't always lend to more volume whenever you're sectioning your hair, you tend to get a lot more definition, but not quite as much volume. So today, i'm not sectioning. I'M just going to do some brush styling in the upright position. Just with my hair, like this, it's a quicker method, so my next using don'ts is to do use a brush or finger coil or something like that to get some definition, but don't create a lot of thick curl clumps. That'S why i don't recommend styling upside down and brushing your hair forward and getting all these thick curl clumps, because then all your hair is just going to be grouped together and not separated, and it's not going to give you that fullness. So i'm just picking up vertical sections and pulling my hair up and away from the scalp the reason i'm using this brush instead of like a denman brush or a behavioral brush. Although i love those brushes, they create two thick curl clumps for this style that i'm going for with more fullness. So this is just like a regular brush. So it's going to not have quite as much tension the less tension that you have, the less like thick ringlet ribbon, like curls you're, going to have, which is going to help you get more volume. So i'm going for a little bit more of a separated look, which is why i'm using this brush. It doesn't have a ton of tension as you can see. So this is also how i like to direct my hair away from my face. I just pick up sections like this and i go up and away from my scalp, so this underside layer always wants to clump too much. So i really try and break up those clumps with my hand and i'm also not doing every single hair. I'M just kind of picking up some areas and adding some curl pumps around. So that's going to give you that overall fullness but you're still getting some curl clumps, like some of those clumps are going to pop through and i'm going to see some ringlets. When my hair is dry, but it's not going to be my entire head, there's still some fullness on the inner layer where it's more separated, so you all have seen me do this a million times, but for the back section i always like to pick up around My crown and go up and away from the scalp here here you want to pick up horizontal sections, so i'm going with a section like this and keeping the brush flat against that and going up. Let me show you from the back: that's going to help cover your scalp more then you just want to kind of shake it out and lift the hair up off the scalp. So i have a whole video about how to cover your scalp. I highly recommend checking that out because there's lots of styling tips in there for covering a cowlick in the back. If you have that, then i kind of also just like go like that: shake up those clumps underneath and the underside layer. That'S where i especially don't want a lot of clumps, because that's going to help give me that fullness from underneath and then i have like more of the ringlets on the top layer. So for my next do's and don'ts, it is to don't plop your hair, but instead micro plop your hair. So i'm going to take my hair repair towel. This is pretty wet, so it's not going to absorb too much product which is ideal and i'm just going to gently scrunch, my hair, so this is called micro plopping and it's essentially just removing any excess water and product from your hair without smooshing your hair, against Your scalp, when you plop your hair, especially if it's soaking wet you're, just pressing all of that product onto your scalp, which is what you don't want, that's going to weigh it down. It'S also mashing the curls against your head and we're trying to lift the hair up and away from the scalp and prevent it from sticking. We want it to be more separated and away from the scalp. So that's why i recommend this method. You can also lift the hair at the root and then just give it a gentle scrunch. You don't want to be too rough with it. This is a lot quicker too. You don't have to walk around in a plot forever. So now i like to apply another layer of gel. That'S just me on like really strong hold you get more hold if you layer gel on top of hair, that is just damp and not soaking wet. So i am going to go in with a little bit. Probably about a dime size amount, adding some water just to dilute it, and then i just use that to kind of smooth any frizz. Sometimes you might get a little bit of frizz on your ends if they're damaged, when you scrunch like that. So i just kind of glaze. I don't want to break up all of those curls that i just created. If you see any really chunky thick, curl clumps like this one, that's probably too thick, so i'm going to go ahead and separate it. Now that way, i can kind of finger coil and smooth any frizz versus waiting and separating it once it's dry. That might cause more frizz that micro plopping also really will create some curl pumps. So usually i do have to separate some of those, then for the back. This is where i definitely like to break it up at the very end. Right before i diffuse i'm just kind of roughing up the hair right there and then smoothing the tangy flyaways. My next tip is to take a handheld mirror like this, and then i'm looking in my other mirror in front of me to make sure that everything is covered. So, by doing this, i can see where there's still scalp showing and make sure that i pull some hair over it and kind of shake it out to where it's not all clumped together at the root one of their do's and don'ts i wanted to mention, is: Do it scrunch all the way up at the roots? So, as you can see when i was brushing my hair back, it kind of straightens it out a little bit, so you want to make sure you were scrunching all the way up at the root. Instead of leaving your hair kind of pulled downward and stretched out, that's why i don't recommend, brushing your hair upside down and pulling it all forward, you're just stretching out the roots. By doing that, let me give you a little close-up, so you can see my scalp is pretty much fully covered if my hair was soaking wet and i was styling with my hair dripping wet, you would definitely see my scalp more, so it definitely looks a lot. Fuller, it's not too wet. It'S actually kind of dry, underneath not super dry, but it's towel dried, which is what we want. You can also kind of go underneath and lift the hair up off the scalp, be very gentle, because this will cause frizz when your hair is wet, just make sure that your hands are wet too, when you're doing that. So this actually goes much quicker. When i'm styling, these are just some things that i incorporate in my routine, but it definitely does not take me long at all to get my products applied and do some of these techniques, so my next do's and don'ts is to do diffuse and don't air dry. This makes the biggest difference for volume and fullness. If you're not diffusing, give it a try. If you find that you get a ton of frizz, then you probably don't have a strong enough gel or you're, not diffusing it the right way. So i have a video all about how to diffuse and a video about how to get stronger hold, so i would recommend checking those out if you are really struggling with frizz when you diffuse, but air drying just takes so much longer. It takes like all day. Your hair is getting frizzy, it's touching you while it's wet, which is always annoying, and i just find that i get way more fullness and volume when i diffuse. So this is from conair super cheap diffuser, it's like 30 bucks or under on amazon. I will link you to it. I always use the warm setting in the low airflow, and so i like to plop my hair over my counter and just hover diffuse, and then i will actually use it to scrunch my hair and then i will also go in. Like this and get some root volume, which is going to help lift the hair off the scalp even more, are you noticing a trend here, that's what we're trying to do with everything and that will also kind of break up the hair of the scalp. So it's not all like pieced together. So now i'm done with my hair, it's completely dry and the last step is to scrunch out the crunch, because that is our next do's and don'ts for low density hair. You definitely want to fluff out the roots scrunch out. The crunch get rid of a lot of that gel cast. To help give you that fuller look, you can still leave some in if you want some humidity protection and longer lasting hold, i'm actually going to try this out for the first time. This is the curlsmith intense treatment serum. This is a solid serum, so it's not like your traditional oil. You can use a little bit of oil to scrunch out the crunch, but this is in a solid butter form. This would probably be too heavy if you have fine hair, because this is like pure shea butter. So now i'm just going to scrunch out the gel cast. This is going to give you instant fullness. It'S not going to be quite as transparent. It'S a little bit! Fuller, you can also take the oil and kind of smooth over any pieces that look a little frizzy like maybe this one, then i'm going to fluff the roots. This is key to getting that separation at the scalp and keeping your hair from just being dried and stuck against your scalp, so that gel actually really softened up nicely. But i still feel like i have pretty good hold, so i really like it. I'M kind of struggling to even get this on my hair. If y'all have tried this, let me know how you use it, but there's like barely any on my hand, i feel, like i mean other than scrunching out the crunch. I don't feel like you could like cover your hair in this one. Other thing you can do is break up any curl clumps. So like this one, i can definitely separate. So if i look closely, i can kind of see where it would naturally separate to where i'm not going to totally make frizz, i'm just going to kind of finger coil it so that is it for this wash day routine. I hope you all found this helpful. I'M going to summarize all the do's and don'ts over on the blog post that goes with this video, so make sure you check that out. If you want a full summary, i'm also going to link you to all the products, as well as any discount codes that i have for some of these brands in the description box down below. That'S it for today's video. Thank you all so much for watching. Don'T forget to subscribe to my channel if you haven't already - and i will see you in next week's video bye, everyone
Comments
Gena Marie: Is your hair low-density, fine, or both?! Let me know! Check out the blog for a summary of all these tips: https://genamarie.co/2021/09/how-to-style-low-density-thin-curls-dos-donts/
Shannon Gay: I have to tell you, I really appreciate how thoroughly you explain everything, not just the what, but also the why, and when, and how. It's SO helpful to know what results to expect step by step, Also thanks for your product recommendations- Perfect for my hair issues, (similar to your hair type, just older and a bit longer) Keep it up, your appreciated ! Thanks ~
Carime Catton: Girl I didn’t think anyone understood my issues with my curly hair and scalp showingyou nailed it! Thank you so much!
Victoria Vath: Thank you so much- I’ve been totally struggling with my fine, low density hair and you’ve given me some great tips!
SunLovingLady: I am coming back to this video to THANK YOU for these tips! I started curly girl method one year ago and while I've been loving how healthy my hair is becoming, I had such struggles styling it because I was leaving too much water in my hair and doing it upside down. The very first time after following your tips (right side up, combing my hair back away from my face, and taking more water out before using my products) I started getting more compliments! I've stayed with your routine and it looks so much better!! :)
Raquel U: I've suffered from hair loss after having covid and my hair feels so thin now. I'm going to give this a go! Thank you Gena.
Tara Dale: I've got fine, high porosity low density and aging grayish hair that has another mind of its own, plus a course fine outer layer - I can incorporate a lot of this into my routine and God bless you for talking about upside down styling and plopping- sometimes those things take all my strength! Between you and Ashley Conner's wash day routine I've got this! I'll come back and let you know how this went- I want to try them all! I specifically love maybe not having to pin my roots anymore!
Rachel Levy: Great tips aside from the brushing out while dry. That can disrupt your curl pattern and train the curls to not reform even after you've styled it. I also have low-density course hair and just switched my shampoo and conditioner over for the fall season. There are some really good tips in this video
Alexis TwoLastNames: 3:39 i love how diff our hair can look when all done up vs just hanging out. i actually love the fluffy look along with the juiced curl look on myself and others. as much as i wish i had the ease of straight hair, i love the versatility of my curls
incu: So happy I found your channel. I'm already doing a lot of those steps, but there are definitely some things I have to try out. I feel like I almost got the exact same hair as you. Used to have pretty dense hair, but over the last ~2 years it got so much thinner, especially on the scalp area... When I put my hair into a pony tail it feels like only half of my former hair is left :/
D Crom: Thank you so much for the step by step instructions and explanations. We have very similar hair and I have struggled to find not only the right products but the best way to keep my hair from looking stringy - your advice is spot on! I look forward to watching more of your videos!
Desiree Adrian: Thank you Gina, for these great tips! I have both low density and mostly thin hair. Although, as I’m nearing 40, I am discovering some random hairs that are very coats and thick. From root tip, those hairs feel very rough and bumpy. (Could be hormones ) I love the definition, when I can get my curls there. But it is that challenge of being “see-through” and really looking like thin hair.
Marlee Stickles: Girl you just blew my mind. I'm definitely trying this next wash day. I'm almost 100% an air dry gal but I think either way there will be improvement!
Stephanie Terwindt: This is so helpful! I've adopted a lot of these techniques purely through trial and error, but it's great to see why they've been working! I also really appreciate your product recommendations - I've really struggled to find products that are lightweight!
have3kids too: Really informative. I myself have great success with plopping for about 20 or so minutes. I totally agree with upright washing and styling. Great video!
Sockto: oh my god ive struggled so much with the hair flat on the scalp, falling forward onto my face, and showing my scalp. All because of upside down styling. Thank you!
Natalie Modica: Thank you so much for doing a video like this addressing thinning hair! I’ve had thinning fine curly hair since college, and it’s been devastating. These are great tips that I’m going to try! Question: Did I miss where you explain why you didn’t do the typical wash-out conditioner after you shampooed? Is that just because you did the deep conditioner instead? Would you normally recommend the typical wash-out conditioner for fine thin curls? Thank you!
Toni Natoli: These were games changers for my low density hair. Even my curly stylist recommended upside down styling but she has super high density hair! She also said it's got to be "sopping wet" for styling. I figured out that dryer was better for the curl clumps. Gena, you mentioned a cotton towel by hair repair. Any cheaper options?
Kate Thurkettle: This was amazing! You are the first person to really explain what it is to have low density curly hair, it is such a different creature!
ElaEG: Great tips. I've been looking at the back of my head all day and wondering why I couldn't keep my scalp covered when it should have been self evident that my curl clumps were too fat. I need to find the happy medium between too big curl clumps and too small (stringy) curls.
Sarah Maass: This is so fascinating. I’m trying to learn about helping my boyfriend deal with his curls, who never learned how to take care of them. We’ve been trying different things and this helped me maybe find sources of mistakes. Thank you so much!
elioraimmanuel: I have dry, extremely low density, fine, low porosity hair. It wasn’t this low density until DC. Thankfully, I have regained a lot and no longer have bald spots and my curl pattern is better than ever. I disagree with the curl clumps. I love juicy curls and with the volume I get I have no problem with scalp coverage. I get great clumps that I can break up as I desire, great volume and coverage. I wash upright and diffuse upside down, side to side and upright and then, air dry for multiple hours. My favorite shampoo/conditioner right now is Mop Top. I wash my hair an average every 5-7 days. My hair loves protein. In the shower I apply Blueberry Bliss leave in, EVA NYC curl cream and Kinky Curly Custard, brushing with my Cala wet brush after each application. I wet plop in a shower cap for 10 minutes. Then, I style with my Denman Brush that has only 4 rows of teeth making sure I don’t have a hard part and microplop out the drips. I apply Giovanni Mousse, Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee and Giovanni Mouse. I allow that to set for 15 minutes. Then, plop using my Perfect Haircare towel for 15 minutes. If I do not do this it takes forever to dry. Then hover diffuse upside down and side to side finishing with scrunching my hair up with my diffuser to shorten my lengths and creating lovely ringlets until 80% dry. I do use hot temps and high volume, initially, only decreasing the heat as I dry. I root clip and air dry the rest of the way. In the winter I scrunch out the crunch with a thicker oil, like Innate Beauty’s Rose oil. I always have a strong cast. I fluff my roots. I have frizz if I need to clarify. My style lasts for 5-7 days. I may need a tiny refresh with a spritz of water to reactivate my product. Occasionally, I use Mixed Chicks Morning After Foam or JessiCurl’s Awe Inspiraling Spray. I often use a few drops of oil to add shine and smooth during the week. At night I use a silk scrunchy and a loose pineapple. I sleep on a silk pillowcase, but I wear a CPAP and may get tangles at the nape of my neck that I gently detangle, but as they are underneath they don’t ruin my style. Most mornings I remove my scrunchy and allow my hair to settle. I fluff my roots and maybe apply a few drops of oil. I am still surprised by how good my hair looks throughout the week, particularly since, my hair was such a disaster after DC.
Paula Windsor: Girl! I am so happy to have found this video and I will be checking out your others. I have fine, low-density, high porosity hair that goes just below my shoulders (right now). I am also not a natural curly girl, I have a perm. So, that along with my naturally sun bleached hair, means that I am trying to build bonds and create/maintain my curls. I am also noticing a lot of hair loss, but don’t know if that is because I am washing less often or because of age (I’m 54). I have been using Aragon oil for 5 years and that helps. I recently started using a leave in repair cream and found a hair fall rescue shampoo and conditioner. My go-to styling product is a jelly but I do have a cupboard full of products. Anyway! I have to say that my whole life the instinct has been to flip upside down to dry my hair (with a diffuser) but what you said made so much sense that I didn’t this morning and my scalp is well covered! I don’t have as much lift at the scalp but I do have nice curls this morning. I know it will get fuller on day two. I don’t know for sure if I should use curly techniques, especially as the perm grows out and I have a good 2-3 inches of straight regrowth, but I figure it can’t hurt! Anyhow…thanks again!! Added to my liked videos,,,
monica sojka: Love your routine. I have fine thin wavy hair. Will try it next time I wash. Thanks for sharing this!!
Tanja: Hello Gena....both and or as I'm aging it's thining .. Following your steps~ routine~products all is coming along great ....Much appreciate for your being my YouTube "HAIR STYLIST" ❤️
Erin Wojcicki: I am SO happy to have found your channel!! I have always had naturally wavy/curly hair but never knew how to style or care for it so I always flat ironed it... I am a recent breast cancer survivor and am now taking the time to learn how to care for my new curls; now that my hair is basically brand new. Your videos have been so helpful!! I was especially grateful for this one bc I seem to now have a cowlick that wasn't there before and I feel like I have a bald spot and it's been so embarrassing. Anyway, any other tips you might have for very short curly hair? I can't do some of the steps or techniques bc of my hair being so short. It can't grow back fast enough, lol!! Anyway, THANK YOU for all the tips and time you put in to making these videos!!
Kristin Scott: THIS IS THE VIDEO I HAVE NEEDED!!!!! Thank you!!!!! Just got a curly cut and am going to try these tips tomorrow!
Kate Mein: This video is SO GREAT!! Thank you so much for sharing so much about finer hair. I’m doing a modified CGM and I have found a lot of these things to be true for someone like me. I have fine hair, probably 2b or 2c, maybe low or low-medium density and I guess I must have high porosity hair…it dries quickly. My hairdresser always wants to put a lot of heavy product in it and then it feels like it has a greasy coating on it when it’s done, I don’t like that feeling. If I use the right combination of products and methods of styling, my hair is fluffy and curly, with defined curls and feels like there’s no products on my hair. I’m definitely still in the process of figuring out what is best for my hair, but I occasionally have a day when my hair is exactly as I would like it to be. Thank you so much for this great tips, this has helped me tremendously!
Annaka Crabtree: Thank you for this video. My hair is VERY similar to yours. I always tell people that my hair is actually a lot thinner than it looks. Now I know the term low density! I’m going to try some of these tips next wash Day!
Jesseca Fantauzzi: Thank you so much I can’t wait to try these tips I have the same hair type and have been struggling lately with my scalp and my hair laying weird. I love all the tips and simple changes can help so much!
Stacey Hartman: I super appreciate this video. I grew up handling my curls all the wrong way, lol Soaking wet, putting products in very wet hair, and never touching my hair with a brush. The Denman brush stuff that's been trending the last few years caught my eye, but as someone with low-density hair, it's been frustrating wading through steps that don't apply to me. Been straightening my hair so I can better cover my scalp in areas, but I'm excited to apply these ideas and wear my hair natural again. Thanks!
Terri Grady: This video pretty much addresses all the issues that I have. Thank you for such a thorough tutorial!
The Sounds of Portuguese: Thank you so much for making this video. Your explanations are fantastic and exactly what I needed. I'm excited to try this today.
resstie: I've also come to the most of these conclusions for my hair. Mine has even lower density plus inconsistent texture and porosity (almost two different heads, basically). One thing is that I like to really go in with fluffing my roots (to break and hide the cowlicks) and I do that before breaking the cast, so I don't create too much frizz Edit: forgot to add! I mostly can't and don't like to wash my hair upright, so when I detangle it before washing, I kinda brush it forward, like how it would be it the process of washing. That way it wont tangle too much with shampoo and the slip from conditioning and leave-in will help to place it back more safely afterwards
Terri Ayes: Wow! So glad I found you! Thanks for all the tips! Can't wait to try them out. I just have problems especially with the front of my hair because it is all gray (white actually) so I feel like I need different products for the front vs the back. It's a tighter curl in the front but frizzes even wet.
Stacy Brewer: Thank God there's somebody else out there with coarse, low density hair! I've been searching for years! 99% of products and YTers are targeted for fine haired curlies, full of protein, usually. Now if I could find one with an inconsistent curl pattern! Your curls look beautiful! And I love your techniques.
Holly H: Thanks for the tips! I have low density curly hair too and struggle with getting it to look thicker on my scalp, but not weighed down by product. I've been styling upside down because that's what CGM says to do...I will have to give this a try!
Kathy Byrne: Gena, always informative and beautiful! Thank ya kindly for helping me to embrace my curly hair!
Samira Nikola: We have almost exactly the same hairtype! Thank you for this, I always struggle to find tips and products that actually work with my hair. Love from Sweden! <3<3
Freely: Thank you for this!!! I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong and why my hair looks so weird after styling upside down!
Daniela Bodnar: This was extremely helpful. Thank you!
Tina Cross: Wonderful video Gena thank you so much for talking about thinning hair so very helpful ♥️
FourTilSunday: Your curl pattern is much tighter than mine, but I also have low density hair, so thank you for this video. :)
cheesonalcheese: I’m only 17 but struggling with hair loss. My hair is very thin and almost straight for the first couple inches of my hair. I used to brush style to create super defined curls however this makes my hair look even thinner. Going to try this method for my prom in 2 days!
Katie Riley: Thank you breaking down and explaining why we should do something and why we shouldn't. It makes so much more sense when understand the whys.
jenn: Love your blouse Gena and thank you for all your amazing tips! You are my go to!
mrrp huh: I appreciate you explaining the root part during washing. Thank you! It helped me understand some things I’m doing that are giving me results I don’t like and ways around it :)
Michelle S: I just want to say I know “HOW MUCH TIME “ HOURS“ and “ HOURS “it takes to make these tutorial videos! THEN EDITING etc! Thank You TONS for this much NEEDED video for fine low density curly hair and the issues that there in ensue are NOT ADDRESSED on other girls videos that have thick strong curly hair! ! JUST SUBSCRIBED! ✅✅
Love Letters: Thank you so much, i struggled with two eds for a year and my hair thinned out and started falling out, it’s recovering but this helps a lot for the while i wait for it to grow out healthy again
Darcee Montoya: My hair is so very similar to yours except it's a lighter brown with a few silver strands. I have tried so many methods...this way works WONDERS for me!! Thanks to you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! :)
ilknuray78: Amazing tips thank you so much. This is saved on my favourites x
Kathryn: Hi Gena Marie, Thanks for this great video! My hair has definitely lost density as I've gotten older so this video is very helpful for me. The best product I found is Dippity Do Curls For Girls Curl Boosting Mousse. I tried other mousses but this is the best. I get fat, voluminous curls with it.
jesszf: Wow, this is really good! I've been in my "curly journey" since 2007, after I first read Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl book (even though I've never relaxed or straightened my hair, before reading her book I really didn't pay attention in how to style it/treat it properly). It took me almost 10 years of trial-and-error to finally learn how to deal well with my hair (I think I've 'mastered' it circa 2016~2017), mostly because a lot of the common curly girl tips wouldn't work for me, though I didn't know why. I had to realize all of this by myself, but I'm glad you made such a detailed video that could help a lot of people, so they wouldn't take as much time as I took to understand why some techniques don't work for them! And I have to say that, even though I don't style my hair upside down and also use a brush, I never realized this was related to having low-density hair! I have always wondered, "why does this work for everybody except for me?"
C Danerg: This was AMAZING!!! Everything I needed to know to find tune my process. A++++++
ArtSparrow: Now THIS is my hair density, just that my single strands are pretty thick. Great to see a tutorial and tips for curly lasses who don't have the Merida amount of hair.
Pumibel: You have been a great help to me. I have hair like yours, and I didn't understand about density before seeing your videos. My strands are thick and coarse, and my hair looks thick when it is dry, but once I wet it down or (heaven forbid) flat iron it, it's like I have no hair at all. I actually use products labelled for thick curly hair, and they work far better for me than products for fine hair. It's a weird predicament, but I am grateful for your expertise.
Sue H: As always, so informative. Your hair looks awesome!!
AEW0416: This is a fabulous video!! Thank you for all the tips.
Flor L. Delgado: Good tips so the hair won't "stick" to your scalp. (One of my problems) If I diffuse immediately after... frizz! If I ever scrunch with ANY oil, light or not...frizz! Thank you! ❤
Melissa Franklin: I have low-ish density hair, but I love clumps! I am going to try this and see how it looks. After a shower I usually denman brush it with leave-in and then wait until it's bone dry, then turn my head upside down and shake from the roots. It gives a Marilyn Monroe kind of effect, but it also isn't growing very well... So it mustn't be a good thing to do
Kenni: Oh wow, this did wonders on my hair. Thank you so much Gena
Scar Rimfire: Omg you have the exact same hair as me! I am so glad you made this video. I have really been struggling with having thinner, porous hair, which is also in layers too... I've been getting so mad with myself like why is my hair is not naturally fuller or as defined as other peoples' hair. I really appreciate this video!! I will try out your tips!!
xHappzx: For me, the opposite of pretty much everything you said is true. I have fine wavy hair but if I style with the bowl method, which would be soaking wet, it gives me great results. I think it's because it clumps with the water but dilutes the product so it's not as heavy. Also if I don't use a thick hard hold gel, I get no definition and hold.
Jami Nickele: Thank you so much for this! My hair is low density and very fine but very curly, but I was losing hope because every other YouTuber I've seen always talks about having very thick and a lot of hair.
Sweet Heart: Off-topic, but you are so so pretty!! And also thank you for such an informative video! I have low-density hair and have been struggling with getting my hair curled all over my head.
Terra smiley: You are the first person that I have found that has hair like mine! I am so excited to finally have help and guidance to care for my hair! I am So Thankful that I found your channel!
katherine: Great tips, picks work great to lift curly hair at the root while using the difuser too.
Jaqueline Rivera: I do appreciate the tips you so have shown. Most of the videos I’ve seen are from women who have super thick hair. Mine is very fine with the occasional corse errant hair. My hair is so fine that I cannot use any brushes with the tips like the brush you use. It will get tangled up immediately and impossible to extricate it! Thank you, I’ll be looking forward for your next videos.
Susan Scoville: Love these tips, Gena. Thank you!
Saltyoubreathe: Dude. I wish I had seen this video a couple of months ago. I've been trying the CGM for a couple of months and I have been struggling with the scalp showing on the back of my head. I couldn't figure out why my hair was forming a part there. It never occurred to me that by doing all the conditioning and styling upside down i was making the part and then sealing it in with styling products. I'm not going to lie, I was about to give up all together. Thank you so much for making videos about low density curly hair. It's been very hard to find tips or videos from people who have hair like mine. I'm going to try your tips tomorrow on my wash day.
Cecilia Ramos: Hi Gena, have you ever used the Garnier thickening cream and plumper or do you know if it is curly hair approved? I’ve seen straight gals use it but not curly… Great video by the way! All of your tips always work for me!!
Crystal Ellis: I love love love function of beauty. You can customize it to your hair. Also they have the option of no dyes which is what I use. I deep condition before washing. So if it’s super thick the shampoo helps it from being too weighed down.
Jordan Glenn: Use a gel with a water base!! I love them so much and they work very well. Not very thick and easy to work with! Really appreciate all this information... Needed it for my boyfriends sister... Super thin hair but it curls like crazy
Erin Meadows: I’m so glad I found this. After years of giving up on my hair because I couldn’t find someone with low density hair to get tips from. I’m a wavy with some curls and using the techniques of wavies with high density hair just hasn’t worked. I need to figure out brush styling though.
stylemewhimsical: Love this. I’m always wishing I had more density ugh.
Farrell Drake: THANK YOU! Omg this is exactly what I needed!
Alexis TwoLastNames: so much of this applies to me which confirms that my hair is fine in some way. i think my hairs are a mix between all thicknesses because it is what i observe (with more fine hairs), and i believe have low density. my hair is a lot longer and tighter than yours, so techniques like brushing out of the shower are a never for me. i don't manipulate with combs/brushes and barely with fingers after exiting the shower, but i do have to focus on lightweight products and have to dilute my gels. i will begin to run my fingers through my hair near the nape of the neck as it clumps the most and has the tightest curls (lol sometimes called the kitchen amongst black folk)
Amanda in Real Life: I just run my fingers over the Intense Treatment Serum a few times to pick up some product and then rub it into between my palms to warm it up before SOTC/smoothing it over my hair. A little goes a long way, which I like because it makes the product last forever!. Love these tips, I can’t wait to incorporate into my routine. ❤️❤️
shivangi tripathi: I love your tricks and the facts what you face with your hair. U look very confidence what you have and u spread that vibes through your videos to the others thank you very much ❤
Crazyplantgirldk: Thank you so much, it was super helpful
Nikki: THANK YOU for the realness of styling upside down, I get one solid dreadlock doing that. Lovely cgm teacher!
Teneko Koneko: Video just popped up randomly on my YouTube suggestions. You've just explained why so many Curly Girl tips and methods don't work on my hair. Mine is somewhere between a 2b and 2c, almost pure grey, and has some coarse weird hair, but not a whole lot of it. I thought my hair was fine, but my weak little pony tails suggest it's low density. Thank you for this video. I'm going to officially stop trying to plop my hair.
sparkle_ dream_HD: My hair is really fine but still not low density still this video was very helpful this I can adapt my routine after many of those tips and it looks much better then before
Anxious Mind: I have exactly the same hair as you, even the length, but now it's this long it's just a painful mess all the time and started to make me feel like I'm balding As a guy I've never learned to do any of this stuff but I'm going to give it a try
cataubawoman: I have very fine hair and I cannot use any protein on my hair (I tried using a lash growth serum years ago and even my eyelashes broke off near the root due to the protein). I think your hair's porosity determines whether your hair can tolerate protein buildup.
Alyssa Nicole: I literally have all 3 textures lmao (fine medium and corse) also my hair I think I was told was like a medium density. Not super thin but not super thick lol. My hair actually looks quite similar to yours now that I’ve been following cgm for a bit. Now if only I could get my curls to be a bit more uniform lmao
thinq about it: Oh I love this video..so much info. I struggle with lots of scalp showing in the back Do you have any tips for ends the go kinda limp and straight? I don't straighten my hair, and actually very rarely blow dry/diffuse...I am trying to keep length and avoid a haircut
tacop11: I have fine curly hair but I have a lot of it so that helps. Because my hair is fine I have to be careful to not overuse products, I only use the amount that I need that doesn’t reduce volume.
Nina: Thank you for this video! <3
Hallie Clark: its so nice to see someone with hair like mine i thought i was balding but its good to see its normal, my hair has always looked like this im just hyper aware now
Super Girl*66: Hi Gena. I have been doing your prepoo dry detangle for a month but I use Jamaican black Castor oil and red pimento oil, leaving on overnight, with my silk cap ON to sleep, shampooing the next day. OMG the hair shedding has dramatically decreased and areas of breakage are growing in..slowly...THANK YOU!!!!
Stormy Day: Ponytail density and scalp density are 2 completely different things. Having thin hair doesn’t necessarily mean the scalp doesn’t have good density and vice versa. I’ve seen women with great scalp coverage, but their hair is super fine and vice versa. It also depends on how big your head is and how large or small the area of your scalp is. Plus, some people have good scalp density in every place but the crown. So determining thickness by measuring a ponytail’s diameter is not indicative of anything. There was no criteria mentioned on how to measure that ponytail, is it loosely? Is it for dry, textured hair? Really, the only way to make everyone equal is to do it when hair is wet. Most people have 1” to 1-1/2” ponytails. To me, you’re already at medium density at 1-1/2”. That’s a good-sized ponytail, hardly “low density.” No one I’ve ever seen (and I did hair for 4 years in a big city) came in with 3” ponytail thickness, I’m not saying it’s not possible, but again I don’t know what your measuring criteria is. Bottom line, ditch that ponytail measurement thing, it creates negativity and that information is just plain not correct.
Lotus Flower Life: this was soooo so helpful!
Avery: Omg our hair is sooooo so similar I’ve never seen someone else with it!
Laura Spangler: Your face looks beautiful without the makeup/less makeup! You are naturally beautiful!
almostelphaba: When you measure the circumference of your ponytail, do you do it when it’s wet or dry? My hair always feels so much thinner when it’s wet.
Tibby: I wished I had watched this closer and completely the first time I glanced at your channel! So much goin on with a new texture, mixed texture, and porosity and density changes I'm experiencing
J Winter: I have high-density, thin, curly hair (curls are on the bigger/looser side, but they're definitely spiral curls). Do you have any tips for me? Or maybe you can do a video about this hair type? I can't seem to find anything about my hair type anywhere. Almost everything is about low-density, and the stuff about high-density is not about thin hair. I have a ton of hair. I'm also only 5 feet tall and have a small head. So the last thing I want to do is create more "volume", since I already have curly hair and a ton of it. But since it's thin, it looks kind of flat when I straighten it. Although I do look better with straight hair vs. curly.
Alanna P: Gena, Mel (Manes by Mel) uses “carb hands” when applying the oil that way she covers more hairs. :)
Hermine Nazari: Thanks so much very helpful