Fine Hair

Fine, thin hair is a little tough to figure out sometimes, but with the right haircut, products and techniques you can give the illusion of your hair being fuller.  You could go the easier but more expensive route and get hair extensions or clip-in extensions but the upkeep is a little pricey.

With fine hair you need to have a good haircut.  It needs long layers but not too many or it will make your ends looks more thin.  I do a technique called invisible layering.  You can't really see the layers but it gives enough texture in the hair that it adds volume.

Products to use for fine, thin hair:

Volume shampoo and conditioner or a clarifying shampoo and lightweight conditioner are really great for fine hair because fine hair tends to be a little more greasy then other types of hair.  Examples of these products would be Moroccanoil extra volume shampoo and conditioner or BED HEAD epic volume works really well.

 TIP:  Never put conditioner on your roots if you have fine hair.  Your roots get plenty of conditioning from your natural oils.  If you add conditioner to your roots your hair will get greasy a lot quicker.


For styling your hair you need some type of volume mousse or root lifter.  It needs to be a lighter mousse so it doesn't weigh down your hair and make it greasy.  Aveda phemollient is a great weightless mousse for fine hair.  After you put 1 or 2 pumps in your hands rub it through your roots and midshaft real well.  Then you want to blow dry.  A round brush gives the most volume but if you do not have one or do not want to use one then blow drying upside down will do the trick.

TIP:  Most dryers have a cool shot on them.  When your hair is 95% dry, push on your cool shot button while you are round brushing or blowing dry upside down.  You want to keep pushing it till your hair feels warm or cool, not hot.  That gives an extra set to the hair to hold the volume better.

And lastly, it is always good to protect it with a heat protectant like S factor flat iron shine spray heat defender.  It gives you the shine and the protection you need when using a straight iron or curling iron.  Double bonus!  You should only have to use one or two sprays of this to cover your hair, more then that and you will need to rewash!  No fun!

How can you style fine, thin hair?
Velcro rollers will be your best friend!  Invest in some!  They give a lot of volume at the base of your head which is what you need for fine hair.  Also backcombing. Most women around the world do this to achieve the look they want.  A lot of us are a little scared of this because we are afraid we will get the "Utah hair."  Just don't go overboard and you will be just fine (picture below represents overboard.  If you get this far please start combing it out!) :)  


Here are some examples of fine hair.


I will have a tutorial later of how to style fine hair.

Long Hair

Keeping long hair healthy can be tough, but not if you have the right products and knowledge to protect it.  I have a few favorite products and styles to keep my long hair healthy and shiny.

First thing is first...you need to get a trim every couple months.  Not once a year or twice a year.  Cutting off the dry ends will keep your hair fresh and feeling soft, taking most of the damaged ends away and leaving hair looking healthy.  If you look down at your hair and you see a lot of white dots at the ends (those are frayed ends or split ends) you are in need of a trim.  A trim is hairs best friend!

   

Second.  If you are trying to grow your hair out long it is important to try not to use a lot of heat.  Heat is really damaging to the hair.  I probably dry my hair once or twice a week.  If you have natural curl, now is the time to embrace them!  Curls are in right now, and I will have a post later that is dedicated to curly hair.  If you have super straight hair like me curly hair is probably not an option for keeping your hair away from heat unless you do rag or sock curls.  I do a lot of braids and twists and my all time favorite the twist n pull (which is a bun on top of your head that gives you instant volume and a really cute look for not much effort). 

   

 I will be doing a tutorial on this one by Jess's request!

Third and final thing....product!  My favorite!  There are a few types of product that have saved my hair from having a "chemical haircut"  (too much bleaching!)  First thing is first....you need to buy decent products.  You buy cheap products your hair will feel and look that way.  If you want healthy, shiny looking hair you need to buy salon products.  Some are REALLY expensive but others are reasonably priced.  You definitely need to buy decent shampoo and conditioner.  Suave just ain't goin to cut it! :)  Look for the sales that happen around when school starts.  They will have shampoo and conditioner liter duos go on sale for a decent price.  

Next product.  If you have long hair, deep conditioners or masks are a great asset for your hair.  I use two different kinds, DermOrganic Intensive Hair Repair Masque and Pureology Precious Oil Softening Hair Masque. 

 

I will use these masks once or twice a week to boost my hairs strength and shine.

After my hair is towel dried I use Pureology Perfect 4 Platinum miracle filler treatment and Mythic Pol from Loreal.  

The miracle filler fills gaps in fragile, porous hair which is what I have now that I do ombre on my hair.  Mythic oil makes your hair feel soft and shiny again.

If you are going to use heat on your hair, I highly recommend you use a heat protectant so the heat won't damage your hair and color.  Something like CHI Iron guard works well.  

Those are the things I have used in the past to keep my hair or clients hair looking shiny and growing healthy!  I hope this helps!