I'm journeying for the third time, and I have super fine and somewhat thin mostly straight hair myself (making a ponytail about the diameter of a quarter or less).
Attempt # 1: Neglect. The misinformed kind of neglect... I didn't wash my hair until the scabs on my head made me cut the one huge matte out.
Attempt # 2: Suckered into DreadHead. Just say NO! Waxy, sticky, yucky mess... the sectioning also made my scalp super visible and although the sections were about 1.5" square, each "dread" was spindly looking and the shampoo is toxic.
Attempt # 3: The Natural Way. I'm just letting the sections sort themselves out (some areas need a little encouragement, like the side I usually sleep on). I found that sectioning just calls attention to my scalp.
The key for me has been my switch in shampoos.
What I've Found:
Dr. Bronners made my thin hair very weak and it would break off at the roots, even diluted 20/1, and it over-dried my scalp so that I got horrible dandruff when I used it. So I hunted around for different alternatives... my ultimate favorites are liquid African Black Soap (fair trade and organic... can be found at some health food stores or online), which I use most of the time, my hair looks thick and full like it never has before (looks like I have twice as much hair!) plus it seems to help my hair lock up and treats dandruff ... and once a month or so I use Terressentials Pure Earth hair wash (all of their hair washes are edible)... it's clay based, so you have to rinse VERY well.
Whatever shampoo/hair wash you choose to use, I suggest checking the ingredients or the brand at cosmeticsddatabase.org (brought to you by the Environmental Working Group) for toxicity information.
If you're determined to section your hair: do squares in a brick pattern so that you don't have huge scalp lines scoring your head.
I hope that was helpful!
Good luck, and let me know how it progresses
Peace,
-Beck
i won't be using any wax but i have used a little aloe.
