Fine hair is a common cause of frustration for women who struggle with the lack of volume on the crown and difficulty creating intricate hairstyles.
Alas, some desperate attempts to add volume and body to limp hair harm the gentle hair structure and cause thinning. Fine hair care is full of its do’s and don’ts, and it is vital to know them all.
What’s the Difference Between Fine and Thin Hair?
Although “fine hair” and “thin hair” are often used to describe the opposite of a thick hair structure, they are not one and the same. Fine hair means that the diameter of each individual strand is small, whereas thin hair means that the density of hair strands is low.
If you have fine hair but lots of it, it can still look full. However, unlike thick hair texture, fine hair is less tolerant to heat and styling products and breaks easily. Thus, if you don’t treat it right, it can quickly become thin too.
The following 15 tips for fine thin hair will help maintain the natural thickness of your hair and make it look fuller.
1. Use the Minimum of the Right Products
When you have fine hair, choosing the right shampoo can make a big difference. Creamy formulas of shampoos designed for thick, coarse hair types will weigh down your locks, making hair look flat and greasy. Choose the ones labeled as “thickening”, “volumizing”, or “lightweight”.
Despite the widely advertised benefits of hair oils and leave-in conditioners, these products are suitable for fine hair. It is better to shy away from styling gels, firm hold hairsprays, silicone- and sulfate-based products too. All these products weigh down fine hair, making it limp, dull, and lifeless.
Related Post: 8 Best Styling Products for Short Fine Hair
2. Use Dry Shampoo
Fine hair is very soft (which is why it is often so hard to make braided hairstyles and updos with it) and tends to be oily. Dry shampoo addresses both of these fine hair problems, making it one of the core products needed to style thin hair.
The hack is not to wait until your fine hair shows the signs of greasiness – use dry shampoo on freshly-washed hair to create a barrier for natural oils that make hair flat on top. Spray it through the length too to have more grip and volume in your hair.
3. Condition the Right Way
Using conditioner helps ease brushing and speed up hair drying, so you should better not refuse from it. Still, be cautious about how you apply the conditioner!
Use it on the bottom half of your hair, avoiding the roots, and rinse thoroughly. Again, leave-in conditioners are meant for coarse, curly hair types, not fine, thin strands.
Related Post: How to Choose and Apply Hair Conditioner for Your Hair Type
4. Minimize Hair Loss when Brushing
Fine hair care should be very gentle to minimize breakage and hair loss. Never brush your hair wet, when it is most fragile. Start combing your hair by detangling hair with your fingers, then comb your ends, gradually moving up and combing longer sections of hair.
If your hair tends to be tangled, use products to ease brushing. Also, remember to clean your brush regularly not to add dirt and oil it accumulates back into your hair.
Related Post: How to Clean a Hairbrush in 5 Simple Steps
5. Adopt a Gentle Washing and Drying Routine
Blow drying is an easy way to get volume in hair, but frequent heat styling is not the best option for fine hair. To minimize the damage, start blow drying only when your hair is already half-dry.
Here is a correct drying routine to follow:
- remove excess moisture by wrapping your hair in a cotton t-shirt or squeezing hair with an absorbent towel;
- run your fingers through your hair and shake your head to let hair air-dry;
- blow-dry on a cooler setting upside down to get more volume at the roots.
6. Turn Down the Heat
It is not difficult to straighten or curl fine hair, so you don’t need to fry your hair to style it the way you want it. Thin hair can and should be styled with a temperature setting between 70 and 150 degrees Celsius.
Use protective hot tools that allow changing the temperature setting and have ceramic or infra-red technology. A less obvious tip, don’t wash hair in very hot water too!
Related Post: 5 Best Hair Tools That Do Their Job Without Heat Damage
7. Use Root Powder
Filling in the parting and thinning edges with a root powder is a life-changing hack that instantly makes thin hair look thicker. Bumble and Bumble hair powder available for several hair colors is a popular choice for many.
Alternatively, you may use eye shadow matching your hair color to cover up the scalp and make your hair appear thicker.
8. Switch Your Parting
Another trick you should try is flipping your hair to make a new, unusual for your hair, parting. The cowlick that makes your hair naturally part in one way will create resistance, not letting thin hair fall flat.
Such a hack can add instant oomph to your hairstyle and is easy to do, especially if you have a pixie cut or a trendy bob.
Related Post: 70 Winning Looks with Bob Haircuts for Fine Hair
9. Tease
Teasing is a useful technique that lets you add volume to fine hair and avoid the flat top without any heat styling.
For the best result, work with small, even sections. Insert the comb into the section about 3-4 inches away from the scalp and push your hair down towards it. When you are done teasing, gently comb the top strands to remove any visible tease.
10. Crimp the Roots
Crimper can work magic when it comes to volumizing thin hair. Hit and release thin layers, going through your hair section by section. This way, you get the volume but do not add a crazy crimped structure.
Skip top layers leaving them smooth to cover the layers underneath in case you overdo with crimping and the different, wavy structure can be seen.
11. Use Hair Powder
If your hair is too soft to make teasing work, use some hair powder. It makes rising hair at the roots super easy!
Cover up half of the holes with your finger not to apply too much product. Put the product at the roots and rub it back and forth. Then, tease or fluff your hair with your fingers. The powder will hold the lift all day long.
Related Post: 10 Best Hair Volume Powders to Lift Flat and Lifeless Hair
12. Experiment with Extensions and Pieces
Don’t be afraid to clip in extensions and pieces. There are many extension types that guarantee firm hold and seamless blending so that no one will understand the secret behind your thick locks.
If you wear your hair down, choose a matching color and cut extensions the lengths of your hair. If you make an updo like in this messy bun tutorial, you may not worry about the length and perfect blending at all.
13. Choose Blunt Haircuts
When your hair is fine, layering it will make it look even thinner. Go for blunt hairstyles, and your hair will instantly look much fuller and healthier.
You might also want to cut your hair short. However, it is the cutting technique, not the length as such, that makes your hair look fuller.
Related Post: 50 Spectacular Blunt Bob Hairstyles
14. Prevent Damage Overnight
It is not only heat and frost that damages our fine hair; it can also face severe breakage while we are sleeping on it.
To prevent frizz and breakage at night, sleep on a silk pillowcase and put your hair up into a loose updo.
15. Diet for Healthy Hair
Make sure products rich in Iron, Biotin, and vitamin B are all part of your diet. These include salmon, spinach, eggs, berries, apples, nuts, and other products good for hair growth. Supporting healthy hair growth is a proven way to grow hair that is thick and beautiful.
Related Post: Vitamins for Hair Growth: Everything You Need to Know
Fine thin hair tends to lack volume and body, but lots of trendy volumizing hair products will not fix that. Leverage some proven hacks like using dry shampoo, flipping the part, and applying root powder, but also adopt a gentle hair care routine to minimize breakage and thinning.
