Help for fine, limp hair??

Dear Gigi and Ally,Thanks for the advice!! I am sure you are right about layering, now that I think about it, this has been the case with me in the past when I've tried a few face-framing layers. I have fairly thin hair also, so I think I'm going to go with a few inches shorter, to about my shoulders and see how that goes. (Like Helen Hunt's in Mad about You, except with a few more bangs - my forehead desperately needs bangs!!) I don't want to put alot of time into styling and you are right about damage when using curling irons, etc. Thanks for the product suggestions, I also like Paul Mitchells Extra Body Foam too, it seems to give the root area a boost. I got a kick out of the rag curl idea, my mom used to do that to me when I was a little girl and had waist length hair!! Thanks again, Ellen> P.S. I admire your attitude Gigi, I think I need to come to terms with my hair too, and quit wishing for the impossible! : )> Ellen--> I agree with Gigi: Try everything else before> you get layers.> A lot of stylists swear by them for fine> hair, but I've always found the case to be what> Gigi describes. (They also take bulk from the> ends of your hair, where most fine-haired people> need it.)> Anyway, since this is a frequently asked> question on this board, could we maybe assemble> a FAQ on fine-hair care? I've gotten TONS of valuable> advice since I started participating, but I can't> help but notice that a lot of it gets repeated> every week or so. If we had a standard FAQ (with> different suggestions contributed by different> members), we could just e-mail it to new fine-haired> people along with any other suggestions.> Just a thought.> Ally>

Hi Ellen,You may get lots of different advice on this, but here are my two pennies. I have exactly the same type of hair that you do except mine is light brown. This has been my experience with layers and fine hair. If you are going for a very messy look with waves and curls, and are prepared to do some serious styling, a few CAREFULLY cut layers might help, because they will lift some weight. It depends on how much hair you actually have. Is your hair fine and thin (like Ally McBeal's) or fine and thick (like Erica Kane on All My Children)? If your hair is also thin I have found that layers are a really bad idea because instead of the hair laying on itself and looking fuller as it does with a blunt cut, it tends to meld into itself and just look thinner and scraggly. Fine layered hair of any thickness really has to be styled or it just looks bad. And styling is often a problem because fine hair is more fragile and can't take all of the heated rollers, etc. that coarser hair can. I have finally come to terms with my fine hair and quit trying to make it something that its not. Now I go for a straight, sleek, minimalist look (with bangs) most of the time because that is what my hair does best naturally. To get extra body with less damage I sometimes roll my damp hair in huge velcro rollers and let it air dry. You can also use the old rag trick and roll it in strips of cut-up t-shirt or pantyhose. This is soft enough to sleep in and really gives it some pouf. In the morning carefully unroll, don't separate or comb the curls. Spray lightly with hairspray. Then flip your head over and blast your hair quickly with the cool air of your dryer. This will give you fabulous, random, sexy curls! A great Saturday night look. If your hair is in really good condition you could also try some volumizing products. I love Phytotherathrie's PhytoVolume shampoo followed by J.F. Lazartigues volumizing rinse. Before you dry spritz with Phytovolume Actif spray, and use a little J.F. Lazartigue Root volumizer gel on your roots. These products are fantastic for volume but can be drying if your hair is not in good shape. End of novel, hope this helps. Let us know what you decide to do! If you do decide on layers, go to someone REALLY good.