Almost everyone has the occasional gripe about their hair. Those with curly hair might complain that it’s unruly; those with thick hair may say that it’s difficult to style or frizzes easily. By the same token, people with fine hair might speak of a lack of texture and volume. When it comes to hair, the grass often seems greener!
But let’s talk about what fine hair is. It’s not to do with how much hair you have – rather, it’s about how thick each individual strand of hair is. So, while those with thick hair might find their hair gains volume too easily and spend time trying to tame it with products and blow-dries, those with fine strands may struggle with limp or flyaway hairs.
However, it’s possible to add volume to fine hair using the right products and techniques. Here, we’ll cover eight ways to do so.
1. Use volume-specific shampoos and conditioners
Adding volume to fine hair starts with how you wash your hair, so look out for volumising or thickening products. These work by helping to ‘lift’ hair from the roots, creating height and space around each strand to give an appearance of fullness.
You can make your volumising shampoo and conditioner work harder for you by really massaging the products into the scalp.
But be aware that these products don’t have a permanent effect. They can’t actually make fine hair thicker, but they can create the appearance of fuller hair.
Because such products aren’t long-term solutions, you’ll need to consider the impact of activities and your lifestyle on your hair. In the same way that makeup may need to be reapplied after a long day, products may need to be reapplied, too.
That’s not to say that you should wash and condition your hair all over again, but you may wish to use a volumising mousse or hairspray to re-lift your roots if the day’s events have flattened your hairstyle.
2. …but try to avoid overdoing it
Yes, the right products can volumise hair, but it’s also important to avoid overwashing. An excess of any product can weigh hair down and reduce its good effects. So, it’s important to leave sufficient time between washes.
If you feel that your hair needs a boost in between, try a dry shampoo. Not only does dry shampoo give your hair a refresh, but it’ll also add texture, lift, and fullness. A tip? Apply it at night before going to bed and you can avoid any concerns about white residue. Instead, you’ll wake up with hair that’s fresher and cleaner, and has a convincing amount of bounce.
London hairstylist Eva Stassi says, “Try lifting your hair up, section by section, and concentrating the spray a little more as you get closer to the roots. When you’re finished, flip your head upside down and secure it in a high ponytail or topknot before you go to sleep.”
Water quality can also have an impact: if you live in a hard water area, this can affect how full and lively your hair looks.
3. Practise clever blow-drying
The way you blow dry your hair can make a big difference to your hair’s fullness. While many of us associate blow drying with wrapping a brush around sections of hair and moving the blow dryer slowly down each section, this is a technique that smoothes and tames hair.
If you have fine hair, try flipping your head upside-down and rough-drying the underside of your hair – you could also use a diffuser* to lift and spread your hair even more. The hot air will separate the strands and cause them to lie further away from one another, creating volume.
Once done, you can continue to dry your hair from the top. Use a round brush to pull the hair up from the roots and continue to dry your hair, section by section.
The idea is that you’ll have fullness from beneath but the smoothness of a regular blow-dry on the surface. Then you can enhance and set the look with a volume spray.
4. Speak to your hairdresser
If anyone knows a thing or two about how to make your hair look thicker and fuller, it’s your hairstylist.
Try speaking to them and letting them play around with your hair. They’ll likely have suggestions, whether that’s to do with cut, styling, products, or hair care. For example, a layered haircut can add lots of volume, as well as movement around the face and height at the roots.
Colouring can also be a useful device, as using darker tones and highlights can add depth and create an illusion of greater fullness. This may be tricky to achieve at home, so it’s worth utilising the expertise of a colourist.
5. Use time-honoured tricks
You can achieve a great deal in terms of making fine hair look fuller, even without going to a salon.
Backcombing – brushing your hair towards the roots rather than away from them – is just one of the methods you can use to achieve more volume. Be careful though – some overly backcombed styles (for example, those popular in the 60s) can cause breakage and damage.
Try holding the hair up from the roots and use a brush and short strokes to gently move sections of hair from the hair shaft to the roots. Essentially, this causes the hair to tangle, which adds space between strands and, therefore, a voluminous look.
However, you’ll also need to pay attention to how you take this style out again. To avoid damage, you’ll need to use a good detangler on your hair before gently easing out the ‘tease,’ working in small sections from the ends of the hair up to the roots, rather than dragging a brush from roots to ends.
6. Try rollers and straighteners
Velcro rollers can also be a useful tool to have in the ‘thicker hair’ arsenal.
“Try using larger rollers near the roots to add volume and bounce around the face,” says Eva. “I suggest using more rollers, rather than fewer: that is to say, only use a small amount of hair around each roller.”
“You can use rollers on dry or damp hair, but make sure your hair is fully dry before you remove your rollers – and give them an extra spritz of texturising spray or similar to help them keep their ‘lift’ once the hair relaxes,” she advises.
Straighteners can also be a game changer: even though they’re linked with flattening down frizzy or wavy hair, they can also be used to create volume and bounce. Rather than gliding the irons down your hair from roots to ends, try sectioning your hair and pulling it away from your face with the straighteners.
In the process, turn your hair at an angle away from your face and then continue to move the iron down towards the ends. Once you’ve worked through all sections of your hair, gently work your fingers through it for a more natural look, and perhaps try adding a spritz of salt spray or another type of texturising spray.
7. Invest in hair extensions
Many people tend to associate hair extensions with adding length, but they can also be used to create volume for fine or thinning hair.
There are many different types of extensions, ranging from clip-ins to taped-in. You can also have extensions ‘bonded’ to your natural hair; a process that lasts around six weeks and is renowned for being subtle and effective.
The cost of such treatments varies widely, but human hair – which gives the most natural look – will always be pricier than synthetic hair, and bonding will generally be more expensive than clip-ins and taped hair.
There are DIY options that you can look into as well, although you may need to practise these a few times before you perfect them. As well as clip-ins, which you can add to the underside of your hair, you can also use ‘hidden halo’ hair extensions*.
These involve hair (whether real or synthetic) that’s attached to a fine wire, which you pull over the crown of your head, letting your natural hair fall over the top. You can then style the front of your hair to hide the wire.
Although these options don’t make your individual hair strands look any thicker, they do, when done correctly, create an overall look of volume and fullness.
8. Eat a hair-friendly diet
While diet can’t change how thick your hair strands are, it can help to enhance the overall appearance of your hair, making it look more lustrous and healthy – and, in turn, fuller and thicker.
Try prioritising foods rich in protein, such as fish, eggs, and tofu, as well as legumes like lentils and chickpeas. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, are another good addition to your diet, as these, like fish such as salmon, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to keep hair strong and hydrated.
For more healthy eating tips, head over to our diet and nutrition section.
Final thoughts …
Fine hair can be made to look as full and voluminous as you’d like it to – it’s just a matter of finding the right tricks and tools.
Even better, many of these tips can be accessed and achieved at home. Plus, underpinning all of these is diet and lifestyle. Many times, if you keep yourself as healthy as possible, your body – including your hair – will follow suit. If fine hair is healthy and strong, it’ll be much easier to manipulate into styles that make it look fuller.
It will also look more beautiful just as it is – because, as we mentioned, the grass is always greener when it comes to hair. And for every time you’ve lamented your hair’s fineness, there’s likely to be someone with coarse or thick hair envying your locks.
For further reading, head over to our fashion and beauty section. Here, you’ll find articles like 6 of the best updo hairstyles and 5 ways to keep your style simple and stress-free.
Do you have any additional tips for adding volume to fine hair? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.