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Get Fat Hair: Create Lots of Hot Hair Volume

Introduction

Big hair from the 70s has morphed into a new shape and returned in a big way for the current hair season. Luckily big hair now doesn't look anything like the big beehive of the late 50s, early 60s (as shown to the side).

Not only is "fat hair" popping up on all the runways, you can see the return to fuller styles on celebrities like 50s+ Diane Sawyer as well as celebs like Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.

All ages of male and female are trying out fuller volume enabled styles. The difference between the big "orange juice can" looks of the 70s and the big hair of current times is significant.

One major difference between 70s big hair and current versions is the touch-a-bility factor. Hair from the 70s was heavily teased and lacquer. The famous 70s helmet head looks required large hairspray collections, lots of backcombing and sleeping on giant rollers or other paraphernalia.

Softness, movement and flow are the news for today's big hair. Since the sticky hairspray days of the 70s, the hair care industry has cooked up a hot new arsenal of products and tools to enable fuller hair without the stiffness. Hair now can have lots of volume and still have shine and sensuality.

There is a whole new arsenal of hair care products that help hair instantly swell yet remain soft and flowing. Now the problem is figuring out which of the many different products work best for your hair type and texture. As we all know, not all products work the best for all types of people or their hair.

Start With The Right Cut To Create Lots of Volume

Anyone can add volume to their look whether they have short, medium or long hair. While some textures are more conducive to bigger looks, almost any texture from thick to thin can also have a fatter head of hair.

Starting with the right cut always helps. Hair that is naturally thin or fine will definitely benefit from styles that are formed from well conceived and executed layers. Bobs and layered styles are perfect to give thin or fine hair more instant movement and fullness.

Celebrity blonde beauty Reese Witherspoon has naturally fine hair. To give Reese those big beautiful locks she wore in her appearances as Rachel's little sis on TV's Friends, her hair was first cut into a long blunt shoulder skimming style. Her cut automatically helped to create fullness.

People with medium to longer lengths can achieve volumizing help through well placed graduated layers or slight angles around the face or the crown. Even kids (shown to the side) can have maximum thickness and volume with the right haircut.

Evan Rachel Wood who appeared on TV's hit Once And Again wears her longer fine, super straight hair with graduated layers around her face and longer locks that flow past her shoulders. She achieves fullness and shine with the right volume enhancing styling products, a paddle brush and the right part.

Even thick hair styles can benefit from some shaping and razored tuning help to make sure that their hair has shape and bounce rather than just forming a pyramid of fat hair.

Volume Enhancing Shampoo Products

Once you've got the right style use the best shampoo and conditioning products designed to add thickness that your budget can afford.

Although Phyto, manufacturer of exclusive salon line products, has made a point of developing a complete line of volume enhancing hair care products, many other hair care lines have special volume enhancing properties as well.

Besides Phyto, Rene Furterer, John Frieda, got2B and Ken Paves have all created special volume enhancing systems.

Celebrity teens Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen (shown below) use Phyto's Phytovolume shampoo to give their blonde streaked styles lots of volume and movement.

Warning: Some volume enhancing products have been proven to swell the hair shaft and cause colored hair to lose its hue faster.

If your hair is chemically colored or highlighted, ask your hair care expert if the volume product you have chosen will accelerate hair color fading.

Shampoo Secrets For Fatter Hair

While you are sudsing your hair with the volume enhancing shampoo remember that there are additional tips that can help add instant fullness.

One tip is that you may want to skip the rinse out conditioning step and opt for a product that combines leave-in conditioning with detangling or instant volumizing benefits.

Utilizing a product designed to protect hair from blow drying while adding fullness and thickness at the same time. Cocktail or layer products that offer the benefits of leave-in conditioning along with volume enhancing action.

If your hair is naturally dry, damaged or coarse, you may want to use a rinse-out conditioner. Depending on the condition of your hair you may want to select a light moisturizing rinse-out rather than a volumizing rinse out.

It is important to remember that conditioners can over moisturize hair making it less willing to plump up. Choose carefully and weigh the benefits of rinse-out versus leave-in conditioners and moisturizing versus volumizing products.

Volumizing Styling Steps

Whether you use a rinse-out conditioner or not, finish your shampoo rinse with a cool to cold shower. The cold water naturally closes the hair cuticle, encourages shine and naturally plumps up the shaft.

Use a thick absorbent towel to blot as much moisture from your hair as possible. Apply a few squirts of Phytovolume Actif with keratin amino acids. If you prefer, try a gel product.

Whatever product or type of product you prefer, it is important to concentrate the bulk of the product on or near the roots of your hair. Comb the product from the roots to the ends to give your hair lift.

Blow dry your damp hair using a medium to high speed, medium to high heat setting. The hotter the setting, the more lift you will attain from your hair.

Warning: The danger of using too much heat is that you can dry out or damage your hair. Be sure to vary the heat and wave the dryer so that you don't concentrate the air flow on one section of hair for too long.

As your blow dry your hair use a round or metal vent brush to lift and separate chunks of hair. Aim the blow dryer airflow up the hair shaft, from the roots to the ends of the hair. This will help add lift.

If you prefer, you can also bend over at the waist and direct air flow from the underside roots of your hair up towards the ends.

More Styling Secrets

Blow dry your hair until it is 90-95% dry. Apply a good mousse product or your favorite mousse product, very lightly from your roots until your ends.

Two to try: Rene Furterer Anti-Dehydrating Volumizing Mousse and Rene Furterer Anti-Dehydrating Structuring Mousse - Strong Hold.

Finish blow drying your hair until it is completely dry using a cool to cold setting to set the hair.

To give maximum fullness and volume add hot rollers or if you prefer, a curling iron.

Follow these steps:

  • Divide hair carefully into two-inch sections.
  • Wrap each section around a hot roller and then let it set for five to ten minutes.
  • Let the rollers stay in longer if you want more fullness.
  • Remove the curlers and let the hair cool for a few minutes.
  • Use a paddle brush to carefully break up any curls.

The key is to create soft waves and movement without tight curls. For a fuller look bend over at the waist and lightly brush your hair upside down. This will add fullness.

For even more body you can even lightly backcomb the hair near the crown of your hair.

Spray the finished look with a soft shaping spray or setting spray.

Big Hair For African Americans

The African American look to the side was created on hair that was previously relaxed. The hair was washed with a volume enhancing shampoo and blow dried. (Hair created by Charmaine Armstrong at Daniel Hersheson, London)

The hair was then curled with hot rollers and a paddle brush was used through the style to create soft, fuzzy volume. Play with this look to get different edges.

You can define a few of the front strands with a touch of hair wax or volume enhancing wax or hair putty and then spritz with setting or shaping spray.

Volume Hair For Guys

Freddie Prinz, She's All That star is a poster boy for volume enhanced hair. How does Freddie get the look? Freddie's straight hair is razored on the sides and then cut into shorter layers on the top to give maximum lift and fullness.

Freddie achieves styling volume by applying plenty of mousse to his roots and then blow drying his hair using a vent brush and directing the air flow of the dryer from the roots to the ends.

The photos above is a similar style to Freddie's with somewhat longer layers. For more hold you can use a root enhancing product like the Phyto.

For even more body you can even lightly backcomb the hair near the crown of your hair. Always finish the look with a light shaping or setting spray.

Summary

Anyone can add instantly add fullness and volume to their look whether they have short, medium or long hair. While some textures are more conducive to bigger looks, almost any texture from thick to thin can also have a fatter head of hair with the right cut, tools and styling products.

If you want to talk more about this or other hair care articles on HairBoutique.com or anywhere else, please post a message on HairBoutique.com's Hair Talk Forums.

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