Volumizing
- The right product is the key ingredient for creating volume. You need a body building product - a mousse, volume foam, thickening spray, or light gel will all work but my personal favorite is foam. It's light to the touch and easy to apply because of its airy consistency. And remember: the more product you use, the more you volumize your hair.
- On damp, towel-dried hair, apply your product at the roots. You can work through to the mid-section - halfway up the hair shaft - to help evenly distribute product but it's at the root where the product needs to be focused because this is where volume succeeds or fails. How much product depends on how much hair; experiment to see what works best for you but a dime-sized dollop is the minimum you'll need. Start with this amount, you can always add more if you think you need it.
- Now it's time to blow-dry in some volume. The best brush to accompany this blow-dry is definitely a medium-sized round brush - unless your hair is really long. Then you should use a larger diameter round brush as it will naturally help lift hair away from the scalp.
- In easy-to-manage sections, brush your roots up, up and away from the scalp. Point the dryer at your hair from underneath and follow the path of the brush. This is done at the back, on the sides, or on top - anywhere where fullness is desired - and will create volume by drying your hair away from your roots, while the already applied product will hold your newfound volume in place.
- Remember you're focusing on lifting the roots from the scalp but just be sure to blow dry through to the tips of the hair shaft so your hair dries evenly.
- Sometimes it can be easier to achieve the desired result if you blow-dry your hair with your head down. Simply tilt your head and allow your hair to fall a full 90 degrees and blow dry according to the principles set out in step 4. This method makes it easier to get at the roots of your hair.
- Be sure to cool blast your hair so it's fixed and set into place. This will lock in your volume, stopping it from fading throughout the day.
From Great Hair by Nick Arrojo. Text copyright © 2008 by the author and photographs by Jenny Acheson. Reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Griffin. All rights reserved.
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