How To Get More Volume In Hair

Photography by Lauren Perlstein.

Transforming thin, fine hair into a voluminous masterpiece isn't easy, but it's far from impossible. Take the right approach and follow the appropriate prep — it's not just what products you use but how you use them — and you'll soon have gorgeous, full locks you've been lusting after.

Start On A Wet Canvas
When your hair is wet, it's much more pliable and easier to styling. Applying heat to wet hair causes the hair to stretch and conform to the brush or your fingers, which is a surefire way of gaining volume. When heat is applied to dry hair (like with a curling iron, flatiron, or other tools), the hair cuticle compresses, and the hair can actually lose volume — hence my recommendation to begin with wet hair.

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Develop A Sound Blowdrying Technique
Getting the slight bend at your hair’s root area can create waves of gorgeous volume. Using a round brush with the blowdryer set to medium heat, smooth your ends and wrap the hair cleanly around the brush. Rolling the brush all the way to your scalp, let it cool momentarily. Once cooled, unroll your brush. The hair will have conformed to the shape of the brush, thereby giving you a tremendous boost in volume.

Choose The Right Styling Products Mousse: The best go-to product for gaining root volume and overall fullness is mousse. Be careful about what type of mousse you choose, since some formulas are rather heavy, while others are light and airy. Personally, I prefer the latter, like OSiS+ Grip. By choosing a lighter formula, I can achieve any amount of volume I want without weighing down the hair. Even better, it works on all types of hair: thick, heavy hair, fine and thin hair, and anything in between. Try out a few products to see what works best for your hair.

Cream: If you'd prefer not to use mousse, consider incorporating a thickening and volumizing cream into your hair regimen. Many of these creams tend to be lightweight and work to add moisture to the hair in an even manner. Typically, a little of the stuff goes a long way. Too much and you might wind up with too much shine and a greasy look. I recommend using a non-sticky formula that works to protect hair while it volumizes.

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Spray: Now, if you don't care for either mousses or creams, you can try using a volume spray, which is another fantastic way of creating volume. But, keep in mind that overuse of a volume spray can cause the root area of the hair to clump together, leaving an undesirable look.

In my opinion, choosing the right volume spray is the only way to avoid this unfortunate clumping. The rule of thumb is this: If you have very fine, thin hair, steer clear of oil-based sprays. On the other hand, if you have thick hair, then an oil-based spray may be the best option for you. In general, I always prefer to use the most lightweight spray I can get my hands on. It can be used on wet hair from the scalp to the hair’s midline. When blown out, you have hold all the way throughout the hair, plus the volume you desire, all without feeling a head heavy with product. You can also use most volumizing sprays on dry hair, but you’ll have to make sure to work fast. Spray the product all over the root area, and immediately grab your blowdryer. Pull up on the root as you dry the product with light heat, and your hair will reach heights you never imagined.

Photography by Winnie Au.

Get Volume Even On Dry Hair Powders: Of course, you don't have to use a wet hair product if you're a get-up-and-go kind of person. A hair powder that will absorb oils, increase volume, and help eliminate shine is what you want to become familiar with. Choosing the right hair powder comes down to what you wish to achieve with your look. Do you want to absorb oil, create massive volume, and ultimately end up with hair that appears drastically fuller? Then you want to use three hair powders, all of which do drastically different things.

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The first of my favorites is a hair powder called Toppik that eliminates thin-looking hair, making it fuller and unable to see the scalp. Toppik, which comes in a variety of shades for different hair colors, is a micro-fine, keratin powder that should be sprinkled on and sealed with hairspray. Static electricity helps bond the powder to the hair, and the use of hairspray at the end provides an extra layer of protection. A colored powder such as this one does not address the volume issue, which brings me to my second recommendation from this list.

To achieve tremendous volume, you want to use Big Sexy Hair's Powder Play or OSiS+ Dust It. These gems are gritty, body-building powders that grip the hair. Sprinkle it onto the root and massage it in with your hands to get instant volume. Your hair will feel backcombed without actually having to backcomb, which is just as damaging as it is effective.

The last of the powders is a dry shampoo. Dry shampoo can be used all over the head to absorb oils and build body on hair strands — all while staying invisible. Greasy hair looks and feels weighed down, leaving your locks lackluster and limp, but dry shampoo absorbs the unnecessary oils and brings the hair’s life back. It is a simple and effective way to get immediate results.

Learn To Use Styling Tools Effectively
Once your hair is dry, there are some heat tools that will aid tremendously in volume creation. Using the R-Sessions Root comb, a small rod with teeth which heats up very quickly and can be pressed on your scalp without burning you, is extremely effective. Use it to comb your roots in an upward direction to boost volume.

You can get volume with your flat iron too! Using your flat iron, take thin sections the width of the iron on dry hair. Place your iron as close to your scalp as possible, and once you're at the root, rotate the iron 180 degrees. Then, slide the iron about one and a half inches from your scalp before releasing the hair. Work quickly to avoid creases.

Fortunately, there’s no single best way to achieve a voluminous head of hair, so no matter what type of product formula you prefer, and no matter what styling tools you like to use, there’s a fitting option for you.