Have you ever felt like your fine, thin hair is a styling challenge you can't win? That it's impossible to bring your fine hair to life? Think again.
Dealing with fine textured hair can often seem like an uphill battle when finding the right hairstyle that flatters your hair. Sure, maybe we’re not born with a mane worthy of a 90’s Victoria's Secret supermodel, but what we lack in natural fullness, we gain with the power of illusion.
With the right haircut, fine textures can be transformed, giving the illusion of volume and fullness. From bobs and lobs to long layers, there's a haircut that's sure to suit your individual style while enhancing your hair’s natural texture.
Understanding Your Hair Texture
Fine hair refers to the diameter of your individual hair strands. If you have fine hair, your strands are smaller and thinner compared to those with coarse hair. Thin hair, on the other hand, refers to the density of your follicles, i.e., the number of individual hair strands growing within one square inch of your scalp. Fine hair texture generally lacks resilience to volume due to its delicate and thin nature. Each individual hair strand consists of fewer proteins, resulting in a lighter, "floppier" texture that's prone to falling flat.
The Power of the Haircut
The right haircut can take fine, limp strands, and create the illusion of cool, woke-up-like-this volume. The first step to faking extra volume starts with the right cut. Whether, short, medium, or long, there's a volumizing style that's perfect for your hair’s length and texture.
Layering - Layers can offer your hair instant volume and depth. By cutting the hair into layers, you create a multi-dimensional impression, which appears as a fuller head of hair compared to a uniform length all over. This type of haircut will also feel more weightless, and have movement.
Shorter Haircuts - Like other shorter haircuts, the pixie cut creates a sense of volume because there's less weight pulling the hair down, allowing more natural bounce and lift.
Strategic Cuts - Precision cuts, like blunt cuts such as bobs or those with minimal layering, also work well to maximize the density of hair which gives off an illusion of a weighted bottom. The bob's shape, which is often fuller at the bottom and tapers towards the top, can create an illusion of having more hair.
Texturizing Techniques - Texturizing techniques, such as "point cutting" where the scissors are aimed into the hair strand rather than directly across it, can remove bulk from the weighty parts and distribute it evenly, creating a lifted and livelier look. However, this can have the opposite effect on fine hair and instead give a piecey looking cut when done with a heavy hand.
The Importance of a Healthy Hair Care Routine
Fine hair is like a cashmere sweater, both beautiful, delicate, and very easy to damage. Improper care can lead to stretching, breakage, and other issues that damage the fine hair strands. We can't control how our hair grows, but we can manage how to deal with it.
You should also keep in mind that the health of your scalp significantly impacts the appearance of your hair. If you notice your hair becoming thinner, it could be due to many factors, including heredity, changes in your diet or lifestyle, and aging. Be sure to consult a doctor to get to the root of any significant changes before booking your hair appointment.
Choosing the Right Shampoo - When selecting a shampoo, you want to choose one that will benefit your scalp. Shampoo is designed to cleanse the scalp, and consequently your hair, so choose one that your scalp needs. For fine hair, stay away from labels that state hydrating, or moisturizing, this will only weigh your hair down, which can weaken the follicles over time. Instead, opt for a volumizing, or everyday shampoo.
Conditioning the Right Way - Where shampoo is for the scalp, conditioner is for the hair, so you should never be putting conditioner directly onto your scalp, only mid-shaft to ends. If you feel that the hair itself is dry, this is where you can incorporate moisture into your hair. It seems counterintuitive to have a moisturizing conditioner for fine hair, but this won’t weigh your hair down, fine hair is prone to brittleness, so you want to bring the moisture back.
Adding Volume to Your Hair - Whether you are an air-dry-and-go kind of person, or a hot tool aficionado, one thing you should never skip on is a heat protector! More often than not, products to give you that voluminous look are heat activated. After that, root volumizers, mousses, and dry texture sprays will be your best friends. Avoid using serums, oils or heavy creams that coat and weigh your hair down.
Styling Tips for Fine Textured Hair - Don’t worry about relying on a round brush to get volume. The quickest (and easiest) way to get volume at the root is to flip your hair upside down and rough dry. Once your hair feels about 80% dry you can flip it back up and then on your ends use a round brush to smooth out your ends. If you know your hair doesn’t last no matter what, while your hair is still cooling down, add velcro rollers to set the volume.
Understand the role of heat styling tools like curling irons that can enhance your fine hair's appearance. When giving your hair a bend it can create a fullness that doesn’t have to necessarily come from root volume.
The Best Product to Use for Fine Hair
Our hair experts have chosen their favourite products to reach for when creating mega volume. These products are designed to provide lightweight hydration and add volume and texture, without weighing down the hair. They often contain ingredients that help to add body and lift fine hair, making it look fuller and more voluminous.
 |
A body-building volumizing spray gives hair a boost of weightless volume, especially when used with heat. |
 |
This volumizing mist swells each hair shaft for incredible lushness, natural body and brilliant lustre.
|
 |
Unite Weekender Clarifying Shampoo Environmental elements and daily product usage can wreak havoc on even the healthiest strands. Wash your hair once a week to deep clean without removing its natural oils. |
 |
TO112 Anti-Breakage Detangling Spray This light-weight leave-in moisturizes, prevents breakage, and detangles for incredible manageability and shine. |
 |
Build in incredible volume and sexy texture. Acts as a dry shampoo, absorbing oil and leaving you with just-styled hair for days. |