If you have fine and thin hair, then you know that styling it can oftentimes be a struggle. You may have a hard time achieving volume in your hair as well as keeping the ends blunt and healthy. In this post we’re going to talk about the best hairstyles for fine hair, the best routines to follow, and what hair products to use.
To learn more about the anatomy of a hair strand, see my post here. Understanding the anatomy of your hair will help you to understand if your hair is fine, thin, or both.
What is the best hairstyle for fine and thin hair?
When it comes to styling fine and thin hair your goal should be to maximize volume, body, and thickness. Below we’ll talk about whether fine and thin hair is best kept long, short, or layered.
Does fine hair look better short or long?
Fine hair typically does better with medium and short lengths than it does with long lengths. This is because the longer the hair gets, the thinner it will appear especially at the ends. It will also become more weighed down when it’s long which will cause it to lack any body or movement.
Should fine and thin hair be layered?
Depending on the length of your hair, fine and thin hair should keep exterior layers to a minimum especially when the hair is longer than the shoulders. This is because the more layers in the hair, the thinner the hair will appear on the ends.
If the length of the hair is kept shorter like a bob or mid-length haircut, then layers can help you to achieve some body and height to the hair without thinning the ends too much.
Texturizing the ends of fine and thin hair can help you to achieve body up top without the ends appearing too straggly. To learn the difference between exterior layers and interior layers (texturizing), see my post here.
How do you deal with fine and thin hair?
Dealing with fine and thin hair doesn’t have to be a struggle if you arm yourself with the proper haircare routine as well as hair products! Below we’ll cover some of the most common questions I get from clients on styling fine and thin hair.
How often should I wash my fine and thin hair?
Typically, fine and thin hair needs to be shampooed more frequently than thick and coarse hair. This is because thick hair has more hairs per square inch to absorb the oil from your scalp than thin hair. Coarse hair also needs more moisture due to the third layer in the hair strand.
I always recommend going as long as possible without shampooing your hair, but if your hair is thin and fine you may find that you can’t go more than 3 or 4 days between shampoos. I even have some clients with thin hair that shampoo their hair every single day.
If your hair becomes even the slightest bit oily, it will be weighed down and flat to your head. See my post here to learn more about how often you should wash your hair.
Later, we’ll talk about using dry shampoo to help extend the time between washes.
How can I make my hair thicker?
Ultimately, making your hair thicker can be tricky. You can’t necessarily grow more hairs on your head due to genetics. But there are things you can do to ensure you’re hair is feeling as thick and full as possible.
First, make sure you’re taking all of your vitamins. Our hair is healthy when we are healthy. Biotin, collagen, and omegas are great for promoting hair growth.
Next, be sure to use the right styling routine as well as hair products. You’ll want to use things labeled “volumizing”, and “thickening”. These products are formulated to coat your hair to make it feel and appear fuller, as well as avoid weighing it down.
If you feel that your hair may be thinning, see my post here.
A little further down I’ll recommend my favorite products for fine and thin hair.
The best styling routine for fine and thin hair
Step 1: You’ll want to start with a “volumizing”, “thickening” or “clarifying shampoo and conditioner. Conditioner really shouldn’t be skipped as your hair needs to be moisturized, but using a “moisturizing” shampoo or conditioner can weigh your hair down.
Step 2: After your shower, follow with a blow-dry spray before blow drying your hair. This type of spray is lighter than a leave-in conditioner and will protect your hair from the heat of the blow dryer without weighing your hair down. You’ll also want to use a root lifter or mouse. Be sure to only apply this at the root of your hair to avoid using too much product.
Step 3: After applying the product to your wet hair, blow dry your hair with a round brush. Blow drying will promote volume and fullness in your style. The round brush will add shine, reduce frizziness, and increase volume.
Step 4: You can then use an iron to add waves or curls to your hair for maximum volume and fullness. I like to brush these out afterwards so they aren’t too tight but still give the hair plenty of movement. Be sure to always use a thermal protectant before ironing your hair. Fine and thin hair can become damaged easier, so keep the heat turned low. To learn more about ironing your hair, see my post here.
Step 5: After ironing, I recommend using dry shampoo–yes on day 1. Dry shampoo on the first day will stop the hair from getting too oily to begin with as well as adding thickness to the hair. You can also use a dry texturizing spray all over your hair.
Step 6: Finish with a hair spray to hold the style in place and increase volume.
For each day between washing, repeat steps 5 and 6.
The best hair products for fine and thin hair
These are my absolute favorite hair products to use for my fine and thin haired clients.
***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***
- Paul Mitchell Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner – Shampoo and Conditioner that increases volume and body in the hair
- Paul Mitchell Thickening Spray – Leave in blow-dry spray that adds thickness to the style.
- Aquage Uplifting Foam – Root lifting foam that increases volume at the root.
- Aquage Thickening Spray Gel – Spray gel that increases body. Best when used before blow drying.
- Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray – Texturizing spray that creates a messy lived-in, beachy look.
- Olaplex no. 4 Dry Shampoo – Dry shampoo that minimizes oil and increases the time between shampoos.
- Amika Undone Dry Texturizing Spray – Dry texturizing spray that adds volume and texture to dry hair.
- Kenra Volume Hairspray – High hold volumizing hairspray.
What to avoid if you have fine and thin hair
Throughout this post we’ve talked about what you should be doing if you have fine and thin hair. Now we’re going to discuss what you shouldn’t be doing.
1. Silkening hair products
While your hair will still need some moisture, it doesn’t need as much moisture as thick and coarse hair. This is because the diameter of the hair strand is smaller, and it doesn’t contain the inner layer of hair called the medulla that coarse hair contains. Coarse hair requires more moisturizing because of that extra layer.
If you over moisturize fine hair, it will get oily and weighed down. As I mentioned earlier, I do still recommend always using conditioner on your hair after shampooing. But you can use a light conditioner and skip heavy leave-in conditioners.
To learn more about the texture of fine, medium, and coarse hair, see my post here.
2. Using too much product
One main problem that I see frequently with my fine and thin haired clients is that they are using too much product. A little goes a long way when it comes to hair products, and when you have fine and thin hair, it’s easy to overdo it. When you use too much you’re weighing the hair down and creating product buildup.
For shampoo and conditioners you should be using a dime size amount of product. For leave in products, start with a pea sized amount. I always suggest using less product to begin with, and add more as needed.
Most of the time I see clients using twice as much product as they should be. More doesn’t mean better, you’re just wasting it when using too much.
3. Using cheap products
Cheap hair products are typically diluted compared to professional grade products. They contain chemicals and additives to bring the cost down. These additives will coat the hair and create a waxy buildup that makes the hair feel gunky and weighed down. I have actually been able to scrape buildup off of clients hair that use cheap brands.
To learn more about what product brands to use and which ones to avoid, see my post here.
4. Extremely long hair
As we mentioned earlier in the post, super long fine and thin hair will be weighed down flat to your head. The hair will also appear much thinner when it is longer.
When you cut length off of thin hair, it always appears to be thicker and fuller. This doesn’t mean you need to keep it super short, but the longer it is the thinner it will appear.
5. Lots of layers
Just as length will make hair appear thinner, so will layers. Layers can help to add volume and movement through the hair, but the shorter the layers, the thinner the ends of the hair will appear.
I recommend doing either long layers, or no layers and instead texturize the hair. Texturizing the hair removes bulk from the ends of the hair. This stops the hair from being flat up top with thick ends.
When hair isn’t texturized you can take on a “triangle” shape. Where the top of the hair is flat but the ends of the hair have width. Texturizing flips that and gives body to the top and thins the ends without making the hair appear too thin.
But keep in mind, even texturizing should be kept to a minimum on long fine and thin hair.
6. Going too long between shampoos
With fine and thin hair, there isn’t as much hair to absorb the natural oil that our scalps produce. Because of this, you’ll typically have to shampoo your hair more often than someone with thick hair.
While our hair does need the natural oil, it can weigh the hair down and make it appear too greasy.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, fine and thin hair can be easy to style if you have the right haircut, have a good hair routine, and use the right products.
This hair type does best with medium and short length cuts. It shouldn’t be heavily layered especially when it’s left long.
You’ll likely need to wash your hair more frequently than your thick and coarse haired friends because there isn’t as much hair to absorb the scalps natural oil.
Be sure to take all of your vitamins especially biotin, collagen, and omegas to promote hair growth from the inside out.
The best styling routine for this hair type is:
- Shampoo and condition with a “thickening” or “volumizing” shampoo and conditioner.
- Apply a root lifter and a thickening blow-dry spray.
- Blow dry your hair with a round brush.
- Use a thermal protectant and add curls or waves with a flat iron or curling iron.
- Spray a dry shampoo at the root and comb through the waves with your fingers.
- Finish the style with a volumizing hairspray.
With fine and thin hair you’ll want to avoid:
- Silkening hair products
- Using too much product
- Using cheap products
- Extremely long hair
- Lots of layers
- Going too long in-between shampoos
If you have any further questions for me on this topic, be sure to leave them for me in the comments! And as always, Have A Good Hair Day!
