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Tired of flat hair? You’re not alone. Whether you have fine hair that always deflates or thicker hair that simply doesn’t hold shape, we urge you not to give up on your strands just yet. Knowing how discouraging these hair woes can be, we chatted with a handful of professional hairstylists for their top tips and tricks for long-lasting volume. Check them out below.
1. Use a volumizing shampoo and conditioner.
Celebrity hairstylist and UNITE Hair ambassador Akiko Russell says that volumizing shampoo and conditioner is the best in-shower combo for higher-to-heaven hair. Her go-to? UNITE’s BOOSTA Shampoo ($34) and BOOSTA Conditioner ($36).
2. Skip conditioner on the roots.
Celebrity hairstylist and UNITE Hair ambassador Jenn Lagron reminds us to keep our conditioner on our mids, roots, and ends. “Don’t apply conditioner at the roots, unless you have extra dry hair,” she says. “This will ensure the hair isn’t weighed down and you can maximize volume.”
3. Blow out your hair with a volumizing spray.
After showering, dry your hair with a microfiber towel (like the Drybar Dry Martini Microfiber Hair Wrap, $29) and apply volumizing blowout spray into your damp strands. Lagron recommends UNITE’s BOOSTA Volumizing Spray. The Color Wow Raise the Root Thicken and Lift Spray ($24) and BondiBoost Hair Thickening Therapy Volumizing Leave-In Styling Spray ($28) are other popular picks.
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4. Apply mousse and diffuse your hair.
Looking to volumize and define curls? Lagron says to apply mousse into damp coils and diffuse your hair. “For embracing or creating curls/texture, apply mousse from root to end,” she instructs. “Scrunch the product into the hair or flip your head over and diffuse for extra volume.”
5. Blow-dry your hair upside down.
This one is a bit divisive, with some stylists saying it triggers frizz while others swear it’s the secret to a voluminous mane. It sounds crazy, but blow-dry your hair upside down,” says Bravo TV Celebrity Hairstylist and VOLOOM brand ambassador, Julius Michael. “This will give lift at the roots and fullness all over.”
Just be sure not to blow your hair all the way dry while flipped over. Instead, employ the tip below.
6. Blow-dry your hair with a round brush.
Once your hair is roughly 80 percent dry, flip your head back over and use a round brush to smooth strands and create volume. “Blow dry the hair section by section with a boar bristle brush,” says hairstylist and R+Co Vice President of Technical Education, Adam Federico. “For extra volume, use a round brush with boar bristles.” (For best round brush results, he agrees with Lagron and says to start with a thickening foam or mousse, such as R+Co Rodeo Star, $36, on damp hair.)
7. Perform blowouts with a thermal brush.
Maneuvering a blow dryer and a round brush on your own hair can feel tricky. To make it easier on yourself, Russell recommends using a thermal brush instead. “Rough dry the hair about 90 percent with your blow dryer, then finish with your thermal styling brush,” she says, noting that it will lend to a salon-worthy blowout at home. “To achieve a gorgeous, bouncy look, you’ll want to use tension when styling.” Then, when you’re done, complete your look with a finishing spray or touchable hairspray.
8. Use velcro rollers.
For long-lasting volume, Lagron, Russell, and Michael all recommend using velcro rollers. (Don’t have a set? We love the Kitsch Ceramic Thermal Rollers, $14.) “Rollers can give you volume and create looks that your curling iron can't achieve,” Michael says. Specifically, he says that velcro rollers are great for creating soft, lifted, bouncy-looking hair that lasts. “After you dry your hair, add rollers in sections, clip the rollers, and let your hair cool down,” he instructs. “Once cooled, remove the rollers to reveal sexy smooth hair with volume at the roots and bounce on your ends.”
9. Use the right hair tools.
Michael says that, in addition to round brushes and thermal brushes, the Voloom Volumizing Iron is a must—and TikTok agrees! The first-of-its-kind volumizing flat iron has amassed over 25 million views, with TikTokers absolutely mesmerized by the device. “If you want to create endless amounts of volume in your hair, you can't get a better tool than VOLOOM’s Volumizing Iron ($140),” Michael says. “It comes in three sizes to fit your hair type. This miracle maker creates little pillows of volume that last until your next shampoo.”
10. Use clips to let your volume set.
Is there anything more disappointing than roots falling flat immediately after drying them? Russell says using clips at the root can help maintain the volume. “Part hair (wet or dry) and clip sections of the hair up where volume is desired,” she says. “Use a dryer or wait a few minutes until the hair is dry, then remove the clips. The result will leave you with lifted, voluminous roots.” While you can use any alligator or claw clips for this, Kitsch also has root-specific roller clips—the Volumizing Roller Clips ($8)—to get the job done.
11. Try pin curls.
If you’re hoping for volume and texture, Michael recommends pin curls. “Using small pin curl clips, take small sections of damp hair, twist, and pin-up,” he says. “Let each section dry completely then remove the pins and brush your hair into place.”
12. Braid your hair post-wash.
If you don’t want to spend all that time pin-curling your hair, there’s always the option to braid your strands. “Take sections of wet or damp hair and make braids,” Michael says. “Let those braids dry then undo them and you'll not only have lots of volume and texture, you'll get a sexy beach wave look.”
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13. Finish with texture spray and a tease.
While in-shower and pre-blow dry products make a big difference in how voluminous your hair looks, Lagron, Federico, and Michael agree that dry texture spray is a godsend thereafter. “Once the hair is dry, I love to spray [texture spray] at the roots and gently tease,” Lagron says. “Teasing creates extra height and fullness while the texture spray adds volume and locks it in all day.”
While many texturizing sprays exist, Federico suggests finding one that’s soft to the touch. For me, a texturizing spray has to be dry and soft to the touch—no crunchiness,” he says, recommending the R+Co Balloon Dry Volume Spray ($36) and R+Co BLEU Lifestyler Volume & Texture Spray ($53). “I want the hair to feel like hair (with the added benefits of the products).”
14. Use a keratin fiber spray.
To create instantly thicker-looking hair, Michael recommends reaching for a keratin fiber spray, like Keratherapy Keratin-Infused Perfect Match Fiber Hair Thickener Spray ($29). “This adds tiny fibers of hair on your scalp giving you the illusion of thicker hair and creating volume when you need it,” he explains. “Lock it all in place with hair spray and enjoy until your next wash.”
15. Use dry shampoo in between washes.
Lagron says that dry shampoo not only absorbs oil at the roots, but also infuses them (and the rest of your hair) with volume, too. “For extra height, flip your head over and apply heat from the blow dryer to get the most from the dry shampoo,” she shares.
16. Tease your roots.
If your roots always fall flat, Russell says it’s time to tease your roots to force some longer-lasting volume. “Grab a ½-inch section of hair at your crown and sprinkle UNITE’s EXPANDA Dust ($32) to the root area,” she instructs. “Hold the hair straight up and use a tail comb to gently comb the hair 1-inch from roots down to the scalp. This will give great shape and volume on the top of your head.”
17. Change up your part.
You might be married to your part but Michael says switching it up can add instant volume and lift to your hair. “Have fun, create a heavy side part, or blow dry your part in the direction opposite from the way you want it to fall—this will create lift at the roots,” he says.
18. Wear your hair in an overnight bun.
After getting a blowout or DIY-ing one, Russell says to keep it looking its best with an overnight bun. While some people use any old silk scrunchie to enjoy this hack, the Sleepy Tie ($30) is specifically designed for this very use. For best overnight bun results, Russell says to add a touch of mousse at the roots and texturizing spray through the mids and ends. “Product is the key to a successful overnight bun,” she admits. “In the morning, you’ll reveal lifted roots and big natural waves.”
19. Add clip-in extensions.
If you have super fine hair that struggles to maintain volume and lift, clip-in extensions are a great idea. “You see your favorite celebrities rocking different looks daily and what you don't know is most of the time it's from extensions,” Michael says. “There are so many options with extensions, so go ahead and experiment and have fun with each look you create.”
And don’t only look for full-length extensions—ponytail, bun, and bang clip-ins exist, too. (INH has a bunch.) “Instantly add volume and change your entire look with a fun clip-in bang,” Michael says. “You can wear your hair down, wavy, pulled back in a messy bun, or rock a power ponytail. Just pop on your curtain bang clip-in extension and you have volume around your face while not having to deal with growing out a bang.”
20. Try hair growth supplements.
You can also boost your hair’s volume from the inside out. “Hair growth and retention start with a healthy diet,” Federico says. “If your diet is missing crucial nutrients, your hair’s appearance will suffer. If you know that you have nutritional gaps, I recommend trying a high-quality multi-vitamin.”
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