URGH…Is there anything more infuriating than having limp, lackluster hair?! I think not. I should know as I have some of the finest (read: saddest) hair out there. Trying to pump volume into it can feel like trying to empty the ocean with a tea cup but in my quest to get a covetable bouffant, I have found mighty products that pack a wolluping punch.
My current savior is Schwarzkopf’s Osis Dust. Remember how Tinkerbell’s fairy dust made the Darling children fly? Well this magic powder does the same thing for my roots…lifts them up, up and away. Seriously though, a few sprinkles of this and hair that was dowdy suddenly has traction allowing me to go from the humdrum wrinkle-inducing scenario above to…
TA-DAAAAAAH! Houston we have VOLUME.
This tiny bottle is perfect to keep in your desk or handbag to liven up hair that’s lost its joie de vivre. The one caveat is that it can get a little tacky so I generally don’t use it everyday. If you do, and you find you’re getting build up then a clarifying shampoo would be recommended (although obviously not if you have colored hair).
So, now that I’ve shared my secret, it’s time for you to share yours…how do you get locks so luscious?! If you have a trick up your sleeve for rescuing bad hair days, the world needs to know!
I can’t share any volumizing secrets. I’m afraid I was born with 3 heads of hair…on one head. But if it makes you feel any better, thick hair has its own setbacks. It takes forever to blow dry, and I pretty much always have to use a straightener if only to deflate it. Updos take a ton of bobby pins so that the weight doesn’t pull it all down. Does that cheer you up?
Sarah’s Real Life
Thank you for pointing out the silver lining…if I didn’t have baby fine hair, I wouldn’t be able to sustain my habit of pressing snooze multiple times and yet still manage to get out the door with dry hair. This said, I would still trade straightness for fullness in a heartbeat
i love the Schwarzkopf’s products, they work really well on my hair and i have found they work well any others too! I will definatley have to try this particular product out!
This is the first Schwarzkopf product I’ve tried (it was recommended by my hairdresser who has battled my lank hair for years). Based on its effectiveness, I would definitely try their other products. Are there any that you would recommend?!
Their shampoos and conditioners work great! Gliss Asia Straight Shampoo works fanstically on my hair – i would definatley reccommend that product!
I’ll have to try this for sure!! Heaven knows my hair needs it!
xo, amy
http://www.dreamingincashmere.com
Here’s a volumizing secret I’m almost reluctant to give away: cut matters. Having lots of very thick hair, like Sarah, I wear my hair straight but curled at the ends for a soft, full–but not too full–look. I try to avoid the heavy pull-down around the facial area by cutting out some of the weight. (When I say thick and heavy, even an 80′s era spiral perm only lasted a week or two on my hair. It was so heavy, it just pulled the perm to nothing. And there’s lots of natural wave in the back, too. Didn’t matter. Gravity won.) People used to always cut the front frame of my hair as much or more vertically, angling down (you know the kind, making a bazillion ends all the way down you have to try to keep looking good), than horizontally, and then wonder why my hair didn’t maintain any curl. Duh, it’s basic physics!! Don’t you remember drawing the little force vector diagrams in high school? Angled cuts mean gravity, which pulls straight down, pulls your end curl diagonally like you would when you start to drop the curling iron. Hair has no structural strength in a spiral, so gravity pulls out your curl working directly against you (as proven by the perm story). However, cutting it the way I do–strictly horizontally–and curling it that way, means that gravity’s pull is in alignment with the verticality of the bulk of the hair shaft, and, for the end part, allows the hairs’ own columnar strength to prop them up. It’s no different than trying to balance a stick-and-plate on the palm of your hand. When vertical, everything is balanced and the load is held just fine. The stick doesn’t have to be particularly thick so long as everything is balanced right. But when the stick starts to lean at an angle, it’s all caput. So if you’re trying to keep some bounce to your hair, don’t do that stupid angular cutting. Instead, allow your hair to balance in the vertical, holding its own against gravity. Cut horizontally only. You can still curl it a little angled if you want, that’s fine. And if you want multiple curls all the way down the edge, instead of only one at the bottom, then do multiple horizontal cuts each at a different length, like tiers. You get the same effect when you’re done but even on my hair, end curl will stay bouncy, lively and full into your 2nd day (depending on humidity). And the only product I use on my hair is Moroccan Oil to keep the ends moisturized and supple. That’s it! No gel, no hairspray, no straightening serum, no curl enhancer, no perm, nothing. And the curl lasts into the 2nd day. That’s something NO product in any amount nor any extreme temperature appliance has ever been able to do. It’s all in the cut.
See, physics was useful after all. ; )
p.s. I recently bought the L’Oreal EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner, which is 1/4 shampoo and 3/4 conditioner, and on first use it deserves singing angels. But on 2nd use, my hair looks dirty, not clean, sorta clumpy, and on 3rd use the build up is like I just showered in Elmer’s Glue. Has anyone tried the Wen, by comparison?
Physics? Vectors? AY YAY YAY! The only thing I remember from high school science class is breaking my egg during the seminal egg drop (whoopsie).
I absolutely agree with you that horizontal blunt cuts look best on fine hair- helping it look thicker and fuller and it’s what I’ve always had in my adult life.
In the colored haircare post I link to above, I mentioned Kerastase’s cleansing balm…I think it’s a similar concept to Wen and your cleansing conditioner in that it’s heavy on moisture and light on clarifying agents that can strip hair. I like its gentleness but you’re right that it doesn’t deal well with buildup and can be a nightmare if your hair is oily.
Thanks so much for taking the time to make such a detailed contribution. If you try Wen, please let me know how it works out
p.p.s. It could also be your water’s fault, not your hair. See my post here: http://sailingspirit.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/its-not-you-its-me-the-one-i-never-thought-to-blame
Ha! Funny!