Do you ever look at those girls in the shampoo ads with the perfect, thick, flowing hair, and then look at your own in disappointment? I know I do. Besides being generally hard to style, fine and thin hair gets greasy, loses texture and knots up faster than possibly imaginable. So how do you deal?
1. The Shampoo/Conditioner
Prep for your hair should obviously start when you wash it. While volumizing shampoo and conditioner are godsends, you should switch it up in order to renew dull and lifeless hair. Try using a protein-based shampoo weekly for the first month you buy it, and then monthly going forward. Using a protein-based shampoo can add the proteins that have been lost to chemicals but using too often can dry out the hair follicles. You can also invest in a clarifying shampoo, which will help remove product buildup on the base of the scalp. This should also be used roughly once a week.
2. Dry Shampoo
Another reason fine hair is so hard to manage is due to grease. While people with thick hair can go up to a week without washing their hair, in my experience, fine hair needs to be washed every other day. Even then, my second day is grease galore. Dry shampoo has become my hair’s best friend on these days, and I keep a tiny travel dry shampoo in my bag. Dry shampoo is also great because it can add volume and texture to hair.
3. Volumizing Mousse or Sprays
Volumizing shampoo and conditioner is great to create a volumized base, but mousses or sprays are where you can really see a difference. I use ‘Bumble and Bumble’s thickening spray,’ which in my opinion lasts the longest. Mousses are pretty great too, but I think they work better when your hair is wet.
4. Hairspray – and a lot of it!
Fine hair can fall quickly when styled, which leads to a sad-looking hairstyle. Make sure to spray your hair with a soft hold hairspray, as the thicker ones can weigh down your hair and make it appear less volumized.
5. Coloured Hair Powder
This product is honestly a lifesaver if you put your hair up often. When my hair is in a ponytail, the sides of my head often have bare patches where you can see my scalp. This leads to the appearance of a bigger forehead. Coloured powder can be brushed into the hair in the areas in which you have patches to give the appearance of fuller, thicker hair. And don’t worry too much about the powder falling out or getting onto things. The fibers in the powder allow it to stick to the hair, and I find it lasts almost all day.