This post was originally published on Aug. 20, 2019

Having fine hair often feels like an uphill battle against flat, lifeless locks. The good news? You can use some simple styling tricks to add volume to fine hair. If you want to learn how to volumize fine hair, keep reading!

How to Volumize Fine Hair

1. Tease Your Roots

Teasing your hair can add volume to fine hair – as long as you do it right. You can tease your hair to add volume when you’re wearing your hair down or to make your hair look thicker when styling an updo.

Teasing works best on slightly dirty hair. But if your hair is squeaky clean, you can spritz your roots with a volumizing spray or dry shampoo to add some grit.

Next, use a comb to grab a section of hair (around 2-3 inches in width). Holding the section away from your head, gently insert the comb into the hair about halfway to your roots. Then slowly comb back towards the roots (this is why teasing is often called backcombing). Repeat several times on each section until you’ve reached your desired volume for fine hair. You can tease just the crown for a little extra volume or tease all over for a lot of volume. Using the same fine-toothed comb, smooth a small section of hair over the teased sections to camouflage them. Then finish the look with hairspray.

The extra volume should last a day or two if you don't wash your hair. When ready to detangle your hair, apply a liberal amount of leave-in conditioner and gently detangle from the ends to the roots using a wide-toothed comb.

2. Use Hair Building Fibers

Another way to add volume to fine hair is using the Toppik Hair Building Fibers. They blend undetectably with existing hair strands, instantly making fine hair look fuller.

How to Apply Hair Building Fibers:

1. Dry or style your hair as usual. Then shake Toppik Hair Building Fibers onto fine areas.
2. Pat your hair to disperse the hair fibers. If desired, lightly comb, brush, or style hair after applying.

For longer-lasting results, follow with the Toppik FiberHold Spray. If you need a more precise application, use the Toppik Spray Applicator attachment. And for natural-looking applications along the hairline, use the Toppik Hairline Optimizer.

3. Blow-Dry with Your Head Upside-Down

Blow-drying your hair upside-down is a hair-raising experience. This technique dries hair so it flows away from the scalp, adding volume to fine hair. If you have curly hair, you can use a diffuser and a low airflow to enhance your curls. If you want a smoother look, only blow dry upside down while doing an initial “rough” dry. Then, once your hair is damp, you can style it as usual.

Here are a few other tips for this hair-volumizing approach:

• Always use a heat protectant spray to preserve hair health.
• Use the lowest possible heat to achieve the look you want. Fine hair is vulnerable to high temperatures.
• Detangle your hair before blow-drying it.
• Keep the hair dryer at least two inches away to prevent damage.
• Keep the hair dryer moving; don’t hover over any section for too long.

4. Try a Volumizing Haircut

Sometimes a good haircut can do wonders for adding volume to fine hair. Talk to your hairstylist about what haircut would work best for your hair type. As a general rule, these haircuts and hair elements usually work well for fine hair:

• The Shag – This retro-inspired haircut has a lot of layers, which remove extra weight from hair and give it body and movement. The shag works best for fine hair that’s curly or wavy.
• The Lob – Long hair is heavy, weighing down your roots and making them appear flat. A lob preserves some of the feeling of length without all the extra weight.
• Bangs – Whether you choose a full fringe or side-swept bangs, bangs can make your hair look thicker and add volume to fine hair by pulling more hair towards the front to frame the face.

5. Add Dry Shampoo to Your Routine

Dry shampoos add volume to fine hair by absorbing excess oil on your scalp and lifting the hair. They also help you go longer between washes which helps prevent over-washing.

Steps for Using Dry Shampoo to Add Volume:

1. Brush and section your hair.
2. Aim the dry shampoo a foot away from your head and spray in small bursts. Only apply dry shampoo to the oily areas of your scalp.
3. Gently pat and rub the dry shampoo into your scalp.
4. Continue until you’ve covered each oily patch.
5. Brush through your hair to remove any excess dry shampoo.

If you still have a powdery residue in your hair after brushing, blast your roots with a hairdryer. This technique will help to remove that excess dry shampoo and add volume to boot.

Another easy method to prevent oily hair is to apply dry shampoo before bed. Don’t worry about brushing it out. The dry shampoo will work its magic to absorb excess oil overnight, and you’ll wake up with fresh-looking hair.

6. Change Your Part

Changing your part is the fastest way to create volume in fine hair. If you always style your hair the same way, your hair follicles get used to growing in one direction. But when you switch your part, your hair goes “against the grain”, adding lots of volume at the roots.

3 Types of Parts That Add Volume to Fine Hair:

1. ​​Side Part – A subtle side part can quickly add volume to fine hair. You can use a comb to part it or flip your hair around to see if that adds volume.
2. Deep Side Part – If you want dramatic volume, try parting your hair near your temples.
3. Zig-Zag – A zig-zag part can create dimension and conceal thinning hair at the scalp. Try parting sections of your hair in different directions using a wide-tooth comb.

7. Use Heatless Styling Techniques

Adding waves or curls to fine hair is always a surefire way to add volume. Unfortunately, using hot tools often can also damage fine hair. The solution? Try heatless styling techniques. Below are some ways to add volume to fine hair:

3 Heatless Styles That Add Volume to Fine Hair:

• Braiding – Sleeping in loose braids can give you voluminous waves by morning.
• Rollers – Using rollers instead of a curling iron can give you voluminous curls while keeping your strands glossy.
• Ribbon wraps – Wrapping your hair in ribbon wraps creates large, bouncy curls that are more comfortable than rollers.

How do you add volume to fine hair? Tell us in the comments!

3 Heatless Styles for Hair Volume:

• Braiding – Sleeping in loose braids can give you voluminous waves by morning.
• Rollers – Using rollers instead of a curling iron can give you voluminous curls while keeping your strands glossy.
• Ribbon wraps – Wrapping your hair in ribbon wraps creates large, bouncy curls and they're more comfortable than rollers.

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How do you add volume to fine hair? Tell us in the comments!