Thicker and Fuller Hair

Girl with long thick hair — Photo: Ivan Nakonechnyy/Shutterstock

Have you ever dreamed of having luscious, thick hair? I had a girlfriend who once told me that in heaven she would have beautiful, long, thick hair hanging down her back. She confided that her hair would only grow so long and then it would stop. If she did not color her hair, it would be just like it was when she was a baby, delicately soft, without any volume or body.

A blunt type of bob cut will help give you the appearance of thicker and fuller hair. There are variations of bobs to give you many options when you are ready to go for it. Talk to your stylist about a bob and get his or her opinion. Bring in a picture so your hairstylist can know exactly what you are talking about. There should be pictures at the salon for them to suggest for you too.

Products and more products are the name of the game today. They will help you achieve the feeling and illusion of having thick hair. This is what we will be discussing today.

When you look at a strand of hair under a microscope, you will see something that resembles a fish scale. If you have a head of hair that has never been touched by a chemical process, this scale will look smooth, just like it lies neatly against the fish next to its side. Highly bleached, tinted, and permed hair will have all the scales raised and open. The coloring mixture opens the cuticle and colors inside and out.

This is why you appear to have more volume in your hair when you color. The texture appears thicker and fuller because the cuticles are wide open. When you blow dry your hair, whether you are a person with colored hair or have never dyed your hair, the scales are blasted open and all of a sudden you have a lot of volume.

The combination of heat and air can make one strand of hair expand three times its size by opening up the cuticle. When we use a brush while blow-drying, the same thing is happening, only the air is directed to where you want it, instead of where the hair would otherwise go.

I've decided to be fair and not name the brands of what I am talking about. There are so many good products on the market today. If you are looking for the illusion of having thicker, fuller hair, begin by using a good shampoo that will plump in the thickness. This shampoo will penetrate the cuticles and start to open them up, creating volume and texture.

Afterward, there are so many things you can do. Real Tip: If you can't afford a good volumizing shampoo, use dish soap or castile soap occasionally. Using it continually will dry out your hair.

They will both:

1. Give volume to your hair.

2. Expose any buildup of residue on your hair, due to conditioners and sprays.

3. Lighten your hair a little bit, if your "tinted" hair was too dark to handle.

I wash my own hair with castile soap at least two or three times a year to get everything out of it. Remember the "squeaky clean" feeling? Well, that's what you get.

After you've found your shampoo, you can put on a "root lifter" that will be an instant success as it lifts your hair from the scalp and begins to give you the volume you desire. A root lifter is usually not too heavy but does the job you want. I personally like to apply a good, heavy gel to my clients and then blow-dry if they want a smooth, straight, and thick look. When it is almost dry, I spray on a volumizer and continue to blow-dry. The results are amazing.

When you have decided to purchase a volumizer for your hair, be sure to read carefully what it does. There should be instructions. The volumizer spray definitely adds volume to your hair. There are also lotions that advertise to "plump up" your hair. Begin to try each one until you find something that works for your hair. Using all the different products becomes a personal preference and a trial and error method. What works for your friend doesn't necessarily work for you. Every head of hair is different, regardless of its thickness or thinness.

Most women know the trick of spraying your hair with a good spray while having your head upside down. If big, voluminous hair is what you're after, this will do the trick. Old-fashioned rolling your hair and a good brushing afterwards with some backcombing will also produce the big look with lots of gentle curls.

Rolling your hair is much healthier than blow drying and will not promote split ends, and your style will last much longer. You have volume while the cuticle is protected. As for trends, roller-setting is in, blow-drying is out. Healthy hair is everything.

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