Make Hair Look Thinner

Long hair with layers — Photo: Mimagephotography/Shutterstock

Q: Do layers make hair thicker? I got my hair cut into layers last week and now my boyfriend says that my hair looks much thicker than before.

How can I make it look thinner without ruining my hair? What are the risks if I ask my hairdresser to thin my hair out?

A: Generally a layered hairstyle removes bulk from areas of the hair. If your layers are evenly spaced, then you should technically have "less bulk" to the hair. However, the cases where the hair gets weighted down by its own length can lead to a fuller look to the hair once the layers are in place.

You can have your stylist "thin" your hair and there should be little risk, unless the stylist gets too zealous. Generally speaking, the hair needs to thinned by using thinning shears and cutting at between 1/3rd and 1/2 of the length of the hair.

If the hair is thinned too much, the hair can start to look frayed with short hair poking out all over. Even if the hair is thinned properly, you should never have it thinned more frequently than every third haircut.

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See also:

I thinned my hair too much. Are there remedies to make it thick again?

The thinning of my hair went wrong. Is there anything that can be done to repair it?

Does my hair stay the same length as it was before when it gets thinned?

Should people with naturally curly hair have it thinned?