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View Full Version : Volume vs Length?



jera
January 4th, 2016, 01:39 AM
At just past TBL, I've noticed my roots and crown are not a voluminous and poufy as they used to be when my hair was shorter. My length is weighing my crown hair down.

I'm sure lots of you have experienced this. Is this the price of being a long hair? Is there anyway to restore volume to my roots with using harmful products?

I've started using castor oil at night and I wash it out in the morning. 3 or 4 X per week. It's too soon to see results just yet. Any thoughts on regaining lost volume? I wear my hair down most of the time so I notice this more.

pailin
January 4th, 2016, 03:14 AM
I have no great recommendations. But my hair has always been like that. I'm wavy and have plenty of volume at the bottom, but it always gets flat to my head. Like, as soon as I get past chin length. I'm pretty sure this is one reason why my mother has always preferred for me to have short hair. Or layers- more volume around my face.
Actually, one other thing that does make a difference for me is for my roots to be really clean - my hair tends to be greasy, which only makes it worse. Using a clear, cone-free shampoo helps a little - 'moisturizing' shampoos really flatten down my roots.
I've never liked braid waves on myself, but since I recently (finally!) learned to French braid, I was surprised to find I like the resulting braid waves better, because they give me more volume around my face.

Dessi
January 4th, 2016, 04:03 AM
I think you can't really avoid it. That's just how hair is, the heavier, the less volume you're going to have. I also had more volume when my hair was shorter, but even now, my hair is not that heavy, so I still have some volume. I second what Pailin said - French braids really give more volume around the face.

lapushka
January 4th, 2016, 04:45 AM
The castor oil is not helping. Oil will flatten more than you know, and 3 to 4x a week is a lot! I'd stop using the oil, or maybe do that once or twice a week, and I'd try some mousse (volumizing) for the hair instead. Also volumizing shampoo (Pantene does a good one) won't hurt.

Sarahlabyrinth
January 4th, 2016, 10:54 AM
It is true that the increasing weight of long hair does flatten out the root area. I have heard of some folks who blow dry their roots with head upside down and they say it does help a little with root volume, so you might like to try that.

meteor
January 4th, 2016, 11:37 AM
I wish there was a silver bullet, but I don't think there is one. Other things being equal, the more length one gains, the more weight it adds to the roots and "pulls" the volume down, so it's a struggle.

Layered cuts definitely help a lot, because they lighten the weight a lot, and, if the cut was done with respect to your natural texture, it can be very flattering.

For maximum volume, it's important to avoid oils, silicones, waxes and other smoothing ingredients on scalp. Use "volumizing" shampoos for "fine, flat or oily" hair and only light-weight conditioners (and not too much) from shoulders down or even lower. Some ingredients, like panthenol, hydrolyzed proteins, cassia, etc can help add volume. Dry shampoos, hair powders, mousses, hair sprays can all help with volume when styling. You'll need to experiment to find the specific products that work well for your hair. :flower:

Other than that, it's all about styling hair in ways that help fight gravity:
- blow-drying roots with head upside down (going with the nozzle pointed against the grain for maximum volume);
- root-clipping with clips or claw-clips;
- drying hair upside down, scrunching and plopping (for curlies);
- roller-setting very close to scalp with jumbo or "super-jumbo" rollers (going at a ~45 degrees angle beyond the base and landing it "on base" (http://www.parlordiary.com/2011/01/09/know-your-base/) for maximum volume);
- sleeping in roller-sets or in a "pineapple" or a loose bun or a few strategically placed buns on top of head.

Anje
January 4th, 2016, 11:43 AM
It's worth clarifying and maybe skipping the oiling to see if that makes a difference. Sometimes lack of volume has more to do with buildup, products, or overmoisturized hair than it does with the weight of the long hair.

If that fails, layers are the favored method for taking some of the weight off while still giving you length.

ETA: It's worth mentioning too that some loss of volume might simply be an optical illusion. The longer hair gets, the more it's going to start to look like a long and thin column (especially with your hairtype, but this even applies to people with fairly curly hair).

TaraDanina
January 4th, 2016, 11:46 AM
I don't have the longest hair, mine is at about BSL right now, but I do have fine hair which gets very flat at the roots from the weight of my hair. This is what works in my experience:
Having very clean roots. I personally would not oil my roots, unless as a pre-wash treatment. I use a dry shampoo in between washes as needed.
For updo's I do a very high, but loose, bun when I sleep and when I need my hair out of my face. This creates a lift in the roots when I let my hair down in the a.m.
Sometimes, if hair is looking really flat, I just do a quick switch to side part with a quick brush through.

missrandie
January 4th, 2016, 01:36 PM
Root volume is something I have struggled with my whole life; my hair doesn't like having any unless I make it.

What I have done in the past is utilize sectioning and half ups to create the look of more volume. twisting the front, creating a small pompadour at the crown, hair rats, etc. all help me. When all else fails, some root powder comes to the rescue.

yahirwaO.o
January 4th, 2016, 04:32 PM
I don't have the longest hair, mine is at about BSL right now, but I do have fine hair which gets very flat at the roots from the weight of my hair. This is what works in my experience:
Having very clean roots. I personally would not oil my roots, unless as a pre-wash treatment. I use a dry shampoo in between washes as needed.
For updo's I do a very high, but loose, bun when I sleep and when I need my hair out of my face. This creates a lift in the roots when I let my hair down in the a.m.
Sometimes, if hair is looking really flat, I just do a quick switch to side part with a quick brush through.

Yes, a nice top knot bun overnight gives a lot of root volume, if u set it with hairspray, dry shampoo or powder there is going to be nice lift over there.

....and maybe the occasional backcombing can do wonders. I know most LHC-ers cringe when they hear that word, but I think once in awhile with a gentle BB brush strokes is totally fine. That and maybe those unflaterring bumpits LOL, those are unnatural looking but they do give volume!!!! :lala:

jera
January 5th, 2016, 12:22 AM
The castor oil is not helping. Oil will flatten more than you know, and 3 to 4x a week is a lot! I'd stop using the oil, or maybe do that once or twice a week, and I'd try some mousse (volumizing) for the hair instead. Also volumizing shampoo (Pantene does a good one) won't hurt.

I'm hoping the castor will thicken up my roots and create some volume there. Oils do flatten it's true, but I use SLS free shampoos now for the sake of my hair's health. I'll check around for some healthy volumizing shampoos. I don't know if there are any out there that are super healthy for hair.

Nique1202
January 5th, 2016, 04:39 AM
I'm hoping the castor will thicken up my roots and create some volume there. Oils do flatten it's true, but I use SLS free shampoos now for the sake of my hair's health. I'll check around for some healthy volumizing shampoos. I don't know if there are any out there that are super healthy for hair.

Castor oil won't thicken your hair except by coating the strands from wash to wash, which also makes them heavier which makes them lie flatter and often clump together more. Castor oil is especially bad for faking thicker hair because it's so thick and sticky that it not only coats the hair but attracts dust and lint which would give the further appearance of thickness, and it can be more difficult to wash out so it builds up over time for a lot of folks, especially with sulfate-free shampoo.

Unless you have an allergy or sensitivity to sulfates, there's nothing more or less healthy about using them or avoiding them. As long as you condition the length properly, sulfates are perfectly healthy for hair. If your hair does have buildup near the roots, especially from the oil but from anything else you put there, sulfate-free might not be strong enough to remove that buildup and restore any volume you could have left there.

I'd quit the oil and go for a full clarifying (at least 2-3 washes to make sure all the castor oil is gone) and see where you stand. Then start incorporating root clipping or blow drying upside down or whatever else.