How can I get more volume to fine, thin hair?

[Goose]

Here is my dilema - in order to make my hair healthy again, I have stopped using all heat (ie blowdryer & flat iron)...

I let my hair air dry with no styling products... This has made my hair healthier BUT flatter...:(

As stated - I have fine, thin, straight hair....it is only just to my shoulder - so its not even long enough to put in a hairclip at this point. Its in a bob style right now.

How can I get volume with air-drying my hair? Open to any styling methods or product recs....HELP

Sincerely,
Flat in Dallas ;)

[mommy101405]

Have you tried the "plopping" method? It gives me some nice waves and volume.

[LawyerGirl]

When my hair was long, if I was air drying and needed volume, I would put my hair into a loose bun on the very top of my head... when I took it down, it would be big and wavy.

[Melisande]

I increased my thickness over the last one and half years by:
- growing out all the layers
- using Jessie's essential oil mixture at least twice a week over night (with scalp massage)
- using a mixture of distilled water, keratin and hydrolyzed wheat protein on my roots (I mix that myself in a spray bottle)

Sometimes, a bit of sheabutter at the roots in strategic places helps to give lift.

The high bun technique is also useful (I usually make more than one bun) but the hair will fall down quickly again if it doesn't have root lift. You may wish to clip the hair above the roots in an upside position while it dries, this helped me when my hair was shorter.

My growth pattern is close to the head, no cowlicks or lift anywhere ;-) So I have to help my hair a bit.

[peachy.pudding]

1. I find letting my hair dry naturally until its completly dry gives me full hair, if i want a sleek look i tie it up when damp

2. A fringe or side swept bangs will add volume round the face

3. washing hair with shampoo

4. condition only the tips

[Denebi]

Have you tried braiding your damp hair? It takes a bit longer to dry then, but afterwards you have nice braiding waves. I prefer braiding waves from french or dutch braids, it gives a more natural look.

[Arctic]

I fluff my scalp hair as it dries several times, this gives voloume and helps with my cowlicks (hides them, woohoo!) and make the drying quicker.

[teela1978]

What kind of conditioner are you using? Anything with cyclopentasiloxane gives me flat hair. Amodimethicone isn't quite as bad on me. Have you thought about ditching cones?

[kiora]

I haven't tried it myself but I know some people use dry-shampo. The powder stuff to fluff up their hair from the roots.
I've also heard good things about the Osis Dust It from schwarzkopf..again I haven't tried that one either.

[Schmoomunitions]

What about henna or cassia? That stuff makes me hair sooooo much thicker since it leaves a coating.

[manderly]

I know you want to stay away from heat, but quickly shooting your scalp with your head upside down and then shooting it with the cold button gave me massive volume.

[chamogirl]

How about using the cool setting of your dryer to dry your air with? Or buying a dryer that has a room air temperature setting.

[Katze]

First of all you CAN put shoulder length hair back, if not up - I was doing stub ponytails and braids at shoulder length, as well as a very small French twist. Barettes, headbands, bobby pins, twisting and pinning the sides differently -there is a LOT you can already do, and more so with thinner hair.

I second the ideas of 1. conditioning only the length, 2. shampooing regularly, and 3. blowdrying on low heat to lift the roots. 4. Clipping my hair up while it's drying also helps me get more volume, because I 'poof' it straight up in the back and front.

I have long despaired of my fine, 'thin' hair...but after taking better care of it, it isn't at all 'thin' anymore. Until I found LHC, every salon I had gone to told me my hair was 'thin' and would never grow long. Now, I know this is wrong, and am enjoying thicker, longer hair than I ever had before.

Don't worry, your hair WILL grow, and it WILL look good. It might not look like celebrity (fake!) hair, what with the fashion for teasing and extensions, but you don't really want to look like that, do you? ;)

[Goose]

I really appreciate all the encouragement and support.

It "truly" stresses me out at how thin my hair looks.. :(

I do just cond the ends only....I guess I could just zap the roots with the blowdryer and some mousse....I have not used any cones for months.

I have blonde highlights that are pretty much grown out at this point... I am very interested in henna or cassia? I don't want the one for red hair...I want blonde hair....which one is that?

Can someone explain the whole henna/cassia process? Is there a specific brand you recommend or is this a homemade recipe? Sorry....I'm new here and learning.. :confused:

[RetroKitten]

I haven't tried it myself but I know some people use dry-shampo. The powder stuff to fluff up their hair from the roots.
I've also heard good things about the Osis Dust It from schwarzkopf..again I haven't tried that one either.



I have heard a lot of good things about this product, too!
Definately worth a try!

[granitbaby]

I really appreciate all the encouragement and support.

It "truly" stresses me out at how thin my hair looks.. :(

I do just cond the ends only....I guess I could just zap the roots with the blowdryer and some mousse....I have not used any cones for months.

I have blonde highlights that are pretty much grown out at this point... I am very interested in henna or cassia? I don't want the one for red hair...I want blonde hair....which one is that?

Can someone explain the whole henna/cassia process? Is there a specific brand you recommend or is this a homemade recipe? Sorry....I'm new here and learning.. :confused:
Cassia doesn't leave any colour deposit, maybe just a yellow tint if your hair colour is blonde. Check out the cassia thread for lots of info or enter Cassia in the boards search function.

The Cassia threadhttp://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=406&

[HerbalAnnie]

Hi, Goose! Welcome to LHC.

I have a Conair ionic hairdryer that blows very lukewarm air. I can blow it on my hand all day and it's never hot. I use that on my hair, and haven't noticed any wear & tear other than what I consider "normal."

I also use Herbal Essence spray gel. It's cone free and doesn't muck up my hair like some products do. I spritz it on the roots and lift my hair when drying the roots to give some volume. I also use it as hairspray after I've fixed my "do." Just be cautious: because it's water based, it can kill curl if you use too much. If I need a lot of hold, I put it on in layers.

Also, have you tried rollers? I used velcro rollers when my hair was your length and got great results. Now, unfortunately, my hair seems to be too long now and gets snagged too much in the velcro. Sponge rollers and bendy rollers would work, too. Another thing I do is roll up a pincurl, but don't clip it flat against your head, instead make it stand up, like it's on an invisible hair curler, and clip at the base. This makes softer waves with less curler mark.

Hope that helps!

[marajade]

You can also get clips and do X patterns all over your head, kind of like zig zagging, this is very similar to "plopping" as someone else mentioned, when your hair is almost try you can take them out and it should help lift your roots.

[kiora]

I have heard a lot of good things about this product, too!
Definately worth a try!

Yep, and it's "safe" for CO washers as well.