Fine to Fabulous! The Ultimate guide for Fine or Thin Hair
How to style Fine/thin hair & bring out its FULL Potential!
In this blog we ask Harris & Co. Salons in house educator and hairdresser Jimi Harris his tips and what he does to achieve volume for all his fine hair clients.
If your feeling like your hair is flat and lifeless this blog will be full of information on how to plump up that follicle! With Jimi's vast knowledge on hair types from being an international educator with well known product manufacturers to his work with clients in the salon, we will cover what styling products to use and how they work on your fine hair or ones to avoid and the best styling techniques to give you that boost you need from the salon floor that you can recreate at home!
Lets start at the beginning...
Fine vs Thin
Let's start with Fine hair.
Fine hair describes the texture of your hair stand, this is measured by the width of the strand.
Fine hair will appear skinnier then course hair, making it great for smooth and sleek hairstyles.... BUT we all know most fine haired friends want that 90's supermodel blowout moment (Think Claudia Schiffer or Elle Macpherson).
The good news is with some care, a new hair routine and some great tips we can help you achieve your super model dreams! Well your hair anyway...!
Moving on to Thin Hair.
We hear it all the time, "My hair is so fine!"... But in most cases this is not whats going on.
Fine hair is the texture and Thin hair is the density of your hair follicles or how close together they are to each other.
You can have fine hair strands but have a lot of them making the density Thick, or you can have Course hair strands but not many of them making the density Thin.
An example of this is when we talk about balding, you hear people use the term thinning as this states that there are fewer hair follicles where it used to be dense.
Not sure where you are on this scale?
Tips for telling, Fine/Thin or Both?!
Start by running your fingers through your hair, does it feel like theres a lot of it? This will determine the density of your hair. Thick or Thin?
Next pull out a strand of your hair and examine it. Is it small, hard to see and soft to touch? If yes, Then your hair is probably Fine.
Or is it easier to see and you can feel its texture with your touch? If yes, then it is most likely Medium to corse depending on how well you can feel and touch it.
The Next Steps
Now we have broken down the difference between Fine and Thin hair let us look at your first steps in you Flat to Fabulous hair routine.
It all starts with the cut.
The right hair cut is going to set you up for success in the rest of your flat to fab journey, Jimi's main tips for achieving volume with fine or thin hair is adding texture to fluff your hair strand.
In Jimi's words "A good style cut that takes into account where your hair looks the fullest, which may mean going shorter or adding layers to give the hair movement and volume.".
An in-depth consultation with your hairdresser should be able to get you to a point your happy with the style and outcome, and remember they have the skills and creativity to help you on this journey.
Some examples on Fine hair clients and how Jimi cuts and styles them
Your Shampoo & Conditioner may be sabotaging you!
Your shampoo & conditioner are your first line of defence against the flop in your home haircare! They need to be the right products to help not hinder your fine or thin hair. many shampoos and conditioners will be too heavy on your fine little hair shaft and can cause your hair strands to stick together leaving it looking straggly and limp.
Try using products that specifically target fine hair or say Volume on the bottle, these will be lighter, help to plump up the hair strands and wont have a lot of heavy oils in them.
Don't over do it! And make sure to rinse your hair properly so you don't end up with the conditioner residue sticking to your hair and weighing it down.
Jimi's recommendations are:
Fine intellect Shampoo
This product will plump up fine hair with the reconstruction benefits of Keratin, helping to strengthen the hair stand and stop unwanted breakage and lilly pilly, a native Australian plant extract ingredient very high in vitamin C that acts as a natural collagen plumping the hair.. While its Australian rain forrest extracts help to add fullness whilst protecting hair from sun damage.
Fine intellect Conditioner
This conditioner is light weight making it the perfect accomplice to your shampoo, with all the same ingredients as Fine Intellect shampoo it was the added benefits of Coco-Caprylate which is a coconut oil derived moisturiser and detangling agent that adds smoothness and lustre.
Fake it, till you make it!
If you feel like theres no amount of praying to the hair gods you can always look into hair extensions!
Hair extension can be added to your hair to add volume and length, but make sure you are seeing a professional as they are not for every fine hair client...
The best extensions for fine/ thin hair clients are Sew in Wefts, Keratin bonds and micro beads/i tips. Avoid Tape as that can pull your fine hair causing breakage.
Otherwise look into a less permanent type of extensions like clip ins or halo, as they can be taken out to minimise damage.
Your Ultimate Product Guide
This will be your go to guide for any fine or thin hair products to help you through the land of many jargons!
Jimi recommends all these products to all his fine/thin haired clients and he says they are crucial in any Fine hair arsenal.
We have broken this part down into when and how you should use these products in your hair styling routine to make sure you are well versed in managing your lush locks.
Thickening sprays
A good thickening spray will go into the hair cuticle and plump up the shaft from the inside, spray this on after washing while your hair is still wet, focusing on your mids and ends.
Our recommendation is:
This wonder spray gives bang to your blowout!
Rice proteins deeply infuse the hair shaft, while organic coconut oil creates thickness and body.
Volumising mousse
A good volumising mousse forms a barrier around the roots of your hair strands to support and lift your hair away from your scalp, creating bounce once dry.
Before Drying add about a pea size amount of mousse to the palm of your hand, rub it together like your washing your hands, then run your fingers through your hair from roots to ends.
Our Recommendation is:
A native Australian duo of natural actives work together to protect hair and pump up the volume. Lilly Pilly works body into the roots and Quandong conditions and protects the hair from styling.
Texture Spays
A good texture spray will do just that, add texture and grit to your hair making it appear thicker and fuller. They come is wet and dry form so we suggest find the one that suits your styling needs the best, wet is great if your an air dryer and dry is perfect for after a blowout. Spray on roots to ends for best results.
Our recommendations are:
Surf Bomb is a wet styling texture spray and as stated by O&M "This is a texture spray that is a shot of the sea when a dunk in the ocean isn's possible!"
Surf Bomb is great for adding grit and texture to your style using sea salt and cucumber extract, while vitamin C protects your hair from drying out and aging.
Dry dessert texture spray is a dry texture spray for after blowdrying, this little wonder helps build texture and volume by using the natural plumping collagen of Lilly Pilly. Dessert dry will also absorb and oil and gives you bonus body and texture on day two or three of your hair styles.
If using as a dry shampoo, section your hair, add to the roots and tussle with your fingers to plump up that flat hair! You'll be walking into your day looking sassy and fresh!
Ready To Style!
Styling of any kind can be a nightmare for any fine/thin hair fatality... all those hours spent slaving over a hot tool or sleeping in rollers only to have it fall out the minute you step outside!
Jimi's Tips for styling fine/thin hair are:
Good hold styling products like hair spray and thermal protectants.
The right styling tool for the result you are looking for, sometimes a smaller barrel curl will help because as it falls you have more curl to play with.
Foam rollers are great for adding lift at the root and can be thrown in to semi wet hair and worn while you do your make up and pick which out fit your gonna rock! Take out once 100% dry for beautiful bouncy locks! ( is that you Elle Macpherson?)
and last of all... Patience is a virtue when using any styling tools, make sure your hair is a 100% dry when using hot tools, take small sections and go. slow. This will insure your adding volume and texture without any fallout!
Last but not least....
Things To avoid when dealing with your fine/thin hair.
We know, this has been a long journey but we're almost there! It wouldn't be a good guide if we didn't add a what not to do somewhere in here!
Jimis recommendations are:
Staying away from oils and leave in conditioners as they can leave a heavy build up on your hair weighing it down. If you like a treatment from time to choose one you wash out.
Blunt hair cuts can leave your hair looking flat if you have thin hair.
Go light on product, you may feel your putting a lot of things on your hair to make it look fuller so not over doing it is key to big bouncy hair! Trying picking two styling products plus and good shampoo and conditioner and leaving it at that.
In the end the best way to find out what products, styles and techniques are best suited to your hair is to talk with your stylist. With their wealth of knowledge they can help you navigate your way through Flat hair and have you looking fabulous in no time!
