By Hannah Powling
If anyone knows about the daily struggles of volumising hair it’s me. Hair extensions, crimpers, extreme backcombing, endless products – you name it, I’ve tried it. Like a lot of women I sadly wish I had the opposite hair of what I was born with. Typical. Having soft hair was my enemy growing up – so unfortunately for years I would compromise on it’s healthiness in my quest for thicker looking hair.
Although I have come to terms with my natural hair, thrown out the extensions and bad stuff and embraced my genes – I’m still on a constant mission to make my finer hair as big as it can be, but keeping a healthy look and feel, and staying away from damaging it too much. So, which products fit the bill?
These are five of my top hair volumising products at the moment that I can rely on to keep my hair weightless, bouncy and healthy, too.
Shower time
Picking the right shampoo and conditioner is important – it isn’t ALL about the post-shower products when it comes to getting big hair. You want to wash your tresses with something that isn’t going to weigh in down too much, and there’s also products that can work to thicken the strands of the hair and look after your scalp too.
Aveda Pure Abundance Shampoo
I always have so much faith in Aveda, and I am right to – the Aveda Pure Abundance shampoo is yet another product from this brand that I can add to my obsession list. This shampoo works to lift out finer hair, and give it a fuller-bodied look and feel. It smells gorgeous and bubbles up a thick and foamy lather on the hair as you rub it through, which I enjoy.
This shampoo makes my hair feel light and bouncy, which is the perfect texture I need to allow me to get as much volume as I can, whilst keeping it looking lusciously healthy.
YesTo Cucumbers Volumising Conditioner
When I was in my teens I only ever put conditioner on the very ends of my hair because I always thought it would make my greasy roots worse, weigh down my hair for styling etc etc. But actually, I now rub in a really small amount right through from the tip of the hair to the roots, and brush it through with a Tangle Teezer. This way your hair isn’t deprived of oil at your scalp so it doesn’t need to overproduce for the lack of moisture. Just make sure it is a very weightless conditioner like this one, and then treat your hair with a nourishing masque once every so often. Try it, it is different for everyone, but looking after your scalp is very important for the health of your growing hair.
The YesTo Cucumbers volumising conditioner does what it says it is going to do. It’s as simple as that. Your hair is conditioned, but left feeling super lightweight and soft. Perfect.
System Professional V3 Volumize Mask
System Professional have taken hair care to a whole new level with their very clever and recently-launched EnergyCode system, which allows you to book in an appointment at selected salons, to find out your specific hair needs and get a tailored prescription to your hair. It is amazing and I totally recommend it to anyone and everyone.
I was prescribed the Volumize Mask among other System Professional products, and I totally love this. I use it once a week all over my hair to nourish it and give it extreme softness, again, without weighing it down. My hair is left feeling completely bouncy and wonderfully soft and shiny. This is THE product if you want that gorgeous salon hair at home. And yes, it is achievable with System Professional products!
Towel-dried hair
So you’re out of the shower, your hair is all wrapped up in one of those tall towel hats that us ladies are so good at. Here’s what I recommend you put on your damp locks before drying, for maximum effect:
Aveda Thickening Tonic
Another product that has made it on my obsession list. This doesn’t inject the obvious, dried-out, crispy feel like a lot of thickening texture sprays tend to – this is different. First off, it smells divine, it’s botanical, herby – I want to say gingery. So lovely. But that’s not even the best part. When you blow dry your hair after spritzing this miracle stuff all over, it still feels lusciously soft AND thicker too – is that even possible? Oh Aveda, you’ve done it again. The Aveda Thickening Tonic is worth every penny. Try it.
Styling
Apart from hairspray, there are extra texturising products that can give your hair a little texture without drying it out, to get that little more oomph into your tresses. So here is my fave at the moment:
Davines Dry Texturizer
This is for the night out look when I want super textured, cool-looking, beachy thick ends. Throw a bit of scrunching with fingers and backcombing in there too after spritzing Davines This Is A Dry Texturizer in and you’re laughing. Big, wavy lovely messy ends are so my favourite, and this spray works to give you just that. It maintains a natural lock of moisture in the hair strands whilst giving it a medium hold and texture. It smells like coconut too which is a total plus right?
Why not try bouncy big or tight 70’s curls for extra big hair?
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