10 Tips to Give Your Hair Volume Without Weighing It Down

I have the finest baby hair you could imagine. Now in my sixties, I am really happy with the volume I add to my hair. People tell me all the time that my hair looks great, or ask, "Where do you get your hair done?" I pretty much take care of my hair myself. Here are some guidelines on how I make my hair voluminous without weighing it down:

1. When I wash my hair, I use a volumizing shampoo or conditioner whenever possible. The ones that have moisturizers can sometimes weigh down the hair.

2. I used to use mousse to give my hair body, but around a year ago, I changed to gel. Although mousse can add volume, lift the hair and give it some bounce, it can also weigh it down. With gel I find that it helps me to style my hair and put a little oomph in it, but it doesn't make it heavy at all.

3. To me, drying is the most important stage of adding body to my hair. I get the hairdryer and a round brush. I then lift a small section of my hair with the brush, and curl the strands around it. I start drying my hair at the roots, and then continue with the rest of the hair, drying it around the brush. I continue to do this until all my hair is dry. It gives it three times more volume than my regular hair. If I was younger, I would probably keep my hair down, but at my age I put it in a French twist.

4. I use a large-barrel curling iron to put curls on the top of my head, and on my fringe. A smaller-barrel iron would make tighter curls, and my hair would not look as big and full.

5. Although this is not good for the hair, I backcomb/tease my hair, so that when I comb it, every strand comes up and out, which gives me a fuller looking head of hair. I use any brand of hairspray to keep it in place.

6. Another way to give body to your hair is a body wave, or soft waves, which are semi-permanent. If done correctly they should give your hair bounce and lift, and make it look full. These perms normally only last about six weeks. If you are comfortable with it, you can get a regular perm instead.

7. My grand-daughter in England has long, straight blond hair, which looks great. When she is going somewhere special, her mother will use a crimping iron on it. It makes her hair look twice as thick as normal.

8. This might be an illusion, but if you have slightly lighter highlights than your own hair, it brightens, and makes your hair look fuller without weighing it down.

9. If you have shorter hair, and it is all one length, it can look flat and boring. By getting a layered cut from a professional, your hair will actually look fuller, with more body, and will give the illusion of being lighter in weight than normal.

10. Check out brand name products that are on the beauty shelves. You can find treatments that texturize your hair. Also, look for shampoos and conditioners that claim to thicken and give more volume.

I wash my hair every five days, and by drying it and styling it as above, I look as if I have body in my hair, but it doesn't look or feel like it's being weighed down.