Everybody wants strong and thick hairs its the sign of beauty and healthy body, but due to excessive use of shampoo’s and environmental pollution the hairs become dull and dusky. The natural shine is lost. Even those born with thick hair may be vexed by thinness at some point in their lives. Some hair thinning is temporary, such as the kind that occurs during pregnancy. When a woman reaches her 40s, hormones cause the diameter of each hair strand to shrink, while the number of active hair follicles starts to decrease. If your scalp is visible in patches or your part is noticeably wider, see a dermatologist to determine whether there’s a medical cause. For less severe cases, products and styling techniques can make hair look thicker — or fatter. Here are some quick tips on how to get strong hairs
Wash
Wash hair with a volumizing shampoo that contains protein.
Follow with a lightweight conditioner labeled for fine or thin hair, and apply it just from the ears down. Once out of the shower, gently blot your hair with a towel.
Prep
Apply a volumizer that has panthenol or resins throughout damp hair.
Spritz on a heat-protecting spray, avoiding the roots, then gently untangle the hair with a wide-tooth comb, starting at the ends and working your way up.
Blow-dry
Remove your dryer’s nozzle, then set the heat to medium.
Flip your head upside down and blow-dry while running a vent brush through hair. When hair is almost dry, flip your head up and finish drying with a medium-size round brush.
Add Volume
Working in small sections, lift your hair off your scalp with your fingers as you aim the dryer, set on cool, at your roots — this roughs up the cuticle to build volume.
Do this all around your head, then lightly smooth hair with a brush.
Strengthen
Once a week, do a hot-oil treatment on damp hair — it’s lighter than a mask and won’t weigh down hair.
Pick one with jojoba oil, which protects against breakage, and proteins, which fatten strands. Avoid applying to roots.
Products
- Protein-containing volumizing shampoo and conditioner leave deposits to thicken each strand. We like Biolage Volumathérapie Shampoo and Conditioner and Garnier Fructis Body Boost Shampoo and Conditioner (Biolage, matrix.com; garnierusa.com).
- To reduce breakage, use shampoo and conditioner with strengthening provitamin B5. Try Neutrogena Triple Renewal Volume-Boosting Shampoo and Conditioner or Pantene Pro-V Full & Thick Shampoo and Conditioner (neutrogena.com; pantene.com).
- For fine hair that’s color-treated, try Pureology PureVolume Shampoo and Conditioner (at left) or Nexxus Dualiste Color Protection + Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner (pureology.com; nexxus.com).
- For maximum benefits, apply a hot-oil treatment before shampooing. We like Queen Helene Jojoba Hot Oil Treatment (queenhelene.com).
Cheat Sheet
- Shampoo hair with a volumizing formula; apply a conditioner for fine hair from your ears to the ends. Blot hair with a towel.
- Work a volumizing spray or mousse throughout damp hair, then spritz a heat-protecting spray everywhere but the roots. Gently comb hair, starting at the ends and inching up.
- Flip your head over; blow-dry hair without the nozzle on medium heat with a vent brush. When it’s nearly dry, stand up and finish with a medium-size boar-bristle round brush.
- Switch the dryer to cool, then lift hair with your fingers. Point the air at your roots for several seconds to build volume. Repeat all around your head, then brush the hair.
- Once a week, apply a hot-oil treatment containing jojoba oil and proteins from just below the roots to the ends.
Tricks of the Trade
- The right haircut makes a difference. Ask your stylist for minimal layers (heavy ones can look flat), or try deep bangs.
- Condition very fine or sparse hair before shampooing — you’ll get just enough moisture without weighing hair down.
- To boost volume, set dry hair in Velcro — not hot — rollers for ten minutes
- Revive limp hair with dry shampoo. then massage your scalp with your
- When wearing a ponytail or the hair no more than twice to
- Certain supplements help strengthen Doctors advise 500 milligrams 1,000 micrograms of biotin per hair loss, see your doctor.
Toolbox
- Some volumizers bulk up hair; some weigh it down and end up being counterproductive. For lightweight lift, try Fekkai Root Lifting Spray, L’Oréal Professionnel Texture Expert Mousse, or Suave Professionals Volumizing Mousse (fekkai.com; lorealprofessionnel.com; suave.com).
- Heat-protecting sprays work by coating the cuticle with a lightweight silicone. Redken Hot Sets 22 Thermal Setting Mist and Tresemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray won’t weigh down fine hair (redken.com; tresemme.com).
- Dry shampoo makes hair look thicker. We like Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Dry Shampoo (sexyhair.com).
- A vent brush, such as the Goody Ouchless one, helps add fluffiness while you blow-dry (goody.com).
- Scunci Smooth and Shine round brush, which is made with boar bristles, is gentle on fragile hair (scunci.com).
- Battalia by Spornette Velcro rollers (below) add bounce but won’t flatten the cuticle, as hot rollers can (folica.com)
Shiny Hair Secrets
1. Go natural. Daily brushing and styling can take a toll on your tresses, robbing them of natural oils and leading to breakage. Trade in your plastic brush for one with natural bristles (look for boar), which redistribute oils throughout hair as you brush, boosting shine. “The only time I use anything but a boar-bristle brush is to detangle wet hair,” says Harry Josh, creative consultant for John Frieda Collection. Natural bristles are also less likely to break hairs. Use them consistently for fewer flyaways. Try the Mason Pearson Sensitive Boar Bristle Brush ($130).
2. Avoid alcohol-laced products. “Alcohol, pollution, and humidity all rob hair of its natural shine,” notes Arsen Gurgov, a top hairstylist at the Louis Licari salons in New York City and Beverly Hills, whose clients include Susan Sarandon and Melanie Griffith. “Most mousses contain alcohol, so if your hair is dry, try a cream or serum instead,” adds Josh. All of the shine-enhancing products in Aveda’s Brilliant line are blissfully alcohol free ($12-$23).
3. Wash the right way. Though many of us lather up daily, experts insist that washing a few times a week is sufficient. Skipping shampoo helps hair retain shine but can also leave it limp. “I tell my clients who wash every day to apply conditioner first, keeping it away from the roots,” says Gurgov. “Then, without rinsing in between, apply shampoo just to the roots, lather, and rinse everything out,” he instructs. “Your roots will be lifted, but the rest of your hair will retain its shine.” Try L’Oréal Paris Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Conditioner ($4.99).
4. Rinse with cold. Rinsing hair with cold water closes the cuticle, leaving a smooth, shiny surface. Blasting with cold air after a blow-dry has a similar smoothing effect, and most dryers have a cold setting for this purpose.
5. Fight frizz. Hair is porous, absorbing moisture from the environment, which is what causes it to frizz in humid climates. To prevent midday flyaways, make sure your hair is dry before you head out; any water left in your locks can lead to frizzing later on. Gurgov recommends using a flatiron on the hair that frames your face after you blow-dry, which will remove any excess moisture.
6. Smooth with silicone. Products with silicones lie on top of the hair shaft to seal the cuticle and create a barrier between styling tools and hair, reducing friction and limiting heat damage. Try John Frieda Frizz-Ease Thermal Protection Serum ($9.99). But like many other things, silicone works best in moderation. “Use too much of it and your hair will fall flat or begin to look greasy,” warns stylist Tommy Buckett, a spokesman for Kérastase Paris. Buckett advises his clients with thinner tresses, like Rachel McAdams, to use a misting of a silicone shine spray instead. Try Kérastase Paris Vernis Nutri-Sculpt ($29).
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