3 Tips for Fine, High Density Natural Hair

🎤Slim thick with your cute %*$….

Do you remember the catchy line from Fetty Wap’s song, Jimmy Choo. Back in the day (time travels to 2016) it was every girl on my college campus’ go-to selfie caption. No shame if you did, so did I.

🎶“You so slick, so small, curvyTeeth all pearly, hair all curly… Thim slick girls get me everytime”🎶

One day, as I was embarking on a necessary wash day adventure, I realized that I am THAT girl. I’m kind of playing but also dead serious. My hair is definitely slim thick, which isn’t as cool as I wish it was. Slim strands but boy does it have a body. My hair is super fine hair and there’s a WHOLE LOT OF IT. My density is seriously off the charts!

It’s absolutely nuts. I’ve been natural for nearly four years. I’m fairly well versed in all things curly. One thing I don’t hear many bloggers, vloggers, or hair product companies addressing is the struggle of dealing with fine, high-density hair.

Even trained professionals routinely interchange the terms thick and high density. As a #SlimThickCurly, I’ll explain to you why this is extremely problematic. When people think of thick hair they assume that is predisposed to be stronger. They’re less cautious, handling it roughly thinking its durable. You break combs, not the other way around. So they think.

When friends, family, and stylists see the sheer density of my hair, they treat it like it’s in the same category. In reality, my hair is super fragile and the strands themselves are incredibly thin. To make things more difficult, I have a lot of hair. So much hair. And to be honest, it’s not even long. People, including stylists, get impatient when dealing with my head of hair. It always takes them more time than they estimated to get through it.

It’s frustrating. I know as the person who deals with it on a daily basis. You cannot rip through the hair of a slim thick curly and expect good results. You actually can’t do that and expect that I’ll have any hair left when you’re done. You might as well come through clippers and give me a fade.

Important note: DO NOT give me a fade! I’m not trying to big chop again.

No one goes to a stylist so that they can end up MORE stressed about their hair. Explaining that your hair is actually incredibly delicate is imperative.

Are you a slim thick curly? Here are a few tips that really help me deal with my high-density fine strands.

Take your time

Rushing is not your friend. Rushing will make your hair break off. Don’t do your hair when you're in a rush. Just don’t. It’s not worth it. You’ll most likely end up ripping out your hair and causing long term damage. I suggest waiting until you have plenty of time at your disposal. You can even make it an event. Grab some snacks and some wine and have a movie marathon while you give your hair some TLC. PS. The wine seriously helps with this sometimes grueling task 😜🍷.

Protective Styles (with a twist)

Some of my favorite protective styles. 

You probably already know what a protective style is. For those who don’t, here’s my quick definition. A protective style is a way for curly and kinky hair textures to eliminate manipulation for a long period of time. We’re talking braids, twists, and updos that can be left up for a week or more. 

The biggest downside of this, especially for delicate strands is a common tendency to install styles in a way that is too tight in an attempt to achieve a certain aesthetic.

Thus, protective styles… with a twist. You’ve gotta be very mindful of both tension and taking care of your scalp when you choose this route. But I will til you, these styles can help you gain your sanity; and so many of them look BOMB! Plus variety is the spice of life. 

Slip is your Friend

If your conditioner is just meh, you need to keep looking. I recommend detangling hair while wet and full of conditioner. Conditioner is so important for textured hair; even more so for fine, textured hair. For me, one of the most important aspects of any conditioner is slip. An effective conditioner should help you detangle your curls so you can more easily move your fingers, wide-tooth comb, or detangling brush with minimal hair loss. 

Having slip means you’ll need less product to work through any tangles. If you’re like me and deal with single strand knots, you know just how important this is.



I hope these tips help you. If you try them let me know how they worked. 

Keep on being slim thick with your cute curls!