Big, voluminous hair can be hard to come by – especially for those of us with fine, straight hair. While you can achieve red-carpet-worthy volume using salon-strength hair products, most contain harsh chemical ingredients that can damage your hair and may be harmful to your health. This isn’t ideal if you’re looking for high-volume hair on the daily!
The good news is, there are some tips and tricks you can try – and ingredients you can use (many of which you likely already have in your pantry!) – to achieve noticeable volume without resorting to risky, and often pricy, products. Here are 12 ways to add volume to your hair - naturally.
How to Add Volume to Hair
Add a dash of dry shampoo
A handy hair solution for people with jam-packed schedules,
dry shampoo serves a secret purpose. Formulas that specifically contain a thickening agent, like cornstarch, create friction on the scalp, helping to build volume and definition in hair.
Quick tip: Make your own natural dry shampoo! Check out
4 DIY Recipes for Your Natural Beauty Routine for a recipe.
Skip (a few) wash days
Just like fine wine, hair tends to get better with ‘age.’ The scalp produces natural oils that provide moisture, encourage texture and support healthy volume. Skipping a wash day here and there will not only help keep your hair shiny and moisturized, it’ll also give it a little volume boost. Pair this with dry shampoo for even greater results.
Condition hair ends (avoiding the roots)
Natural conditioners are fabulous for keeping hair silky, shiny and moisturized – but using too much can cause greasy hair that’s weighed down and falls flat. When conditioning, avoid your scalp. Apply a small amount of product, focusing on the ends of your strands. Also be sure to rinse hair thoroughly after washing and conditioning to avoid residue and buildup.
Flip your natural hair part
Sometimes boosting volume is as easy as a simple flip. Hair can fall flat as it sits in one place throughout the day, and a quick tousle and flip will ‘trick’ your hair into gaining more bulk. This ‘flip trick’ will work even if your hair parts naturally down the middle (though it may require some extra tousling).
Blow-dry your hair upside down
Want instant volume? After washing and combing your hair, flip your head forward and blow dry your hair ‘upside down.’ A diffuser or concentrator tool with a barrel brush will make results even more pronounced. Remember to use a
natural heat protectant when blow drying or using other heat tools on your hair.
Hands off!
Even though you should flip your part and tousle your hair every now and then for extra volume, you should do so
sparingly. That’s because, like our scalp and hair, our fingers and hands also carry natural oils that can easily transfer. So, if we frequently touch and tousle our hair, those oils can weigh it down.
Go to bed with wet hair
Typically considered a no-no, as it can potentially cause breakage (or even fungal infections – eek!), going to bed with wet hair can be a quick and product-less way to add instant natural volume. Just shower and wash your hair before bed, and voila! You’ll get effortless volume – with soft, silky hair to boot – when you wake.
Consider layers
Layered hair is making a comeback, which is great news for volume seekers. Long hair that’s all the same length tends to sit heavier on our scalps. A few snips in the right places from your hairstylist will go a long way in helping you gain quick and product-less natural hair volume.
Massage your scalp
Rubbing your scalp with your fingers boosts circulation, stimulates sebaceous (oil) glands and subtly increases volume – plus, it
feels heavenly. After you massage your scalp, you may notice extra oil at your roots and through your hair, so, you’ll likely need to apply some dry shampoo – which will simultaneously help to volumize your hair.
Scrunch with a natural salt spray
Some of us are lucky enough to know how saltwater naturally volumizes our hair. However, if you’re nowhere near an ocean, you can concoct your very own salt spray at home! Just add a couple of teaspoons of salt to a cup of water, pour it into a spray bottle, then spray, spray and scrunch away! (You can also try
Pacificia Salty Waves Texture Spray to save time.)
Roll your hair with heatless rollers
Using heatless rollers is a gentle and effective way to naturally revive lifeless locks. This technique takes at least a couple of hours, so aim to use your rollers when you have some extra time – such as during a slow morning, or on the weekend.
Avoid backcombing (even though it adds volume to hair)
Although it’s an instant,
technically natural method to volumize hair, backcombing is not conducive to healthy locks – especially over time. Because backcombing scrapes against the hair cuticle, it can cause some pretty serious weakening and damage to your hair’s integrity. For these reasons, it’s best to stay away from this hairstyling technique.
.jpg)
