The best hair thickening buys

The precedent for the year ahead was set early on, by soothsaying hairstylist Guido Palau at Versace’s pre-fall 2019 show, when model Grace Elizabeth emerged with a femme-bot, Ariana Grande-redux ponytail so exaggerated that her outfit receded into the background. Similarly gravity-flouting styles were front and center on the spring runways at Marc Jacobs, Richard Quinn and Anna Sui. But can the fine-haired among us hit it big too? Celebrity hairstylist Sunnie Brook says, emphatically, yes: “It’s just a matter of understanding what tool, products or techniques to use to maximize the fabric of your hair.” Here’s how to turn up the volume…

Brook likes to use a curling iron not just to create ringlets, but as a tool for building volume. “I call it my bricklayer technique,” she says. Ideal for fine and medium hair textures or anyone with dense, straight hair that lays flat and heavy, simply use a smaller curling iron on the under-layers of the hair, curling section by section in different directions. “This helps the hair stack on top of itself and expands the shape,” she adds.

For fine-hair clients who want volume minus any product weight Brook’s go-to is Christophe Robin’s Volumizing Mist, sprayed generously around the crown and sides of the hair. “It’s very lightweight so you don’t have to worry about hair getting weighed down. The results are clean and last all day long without collapsing.”

“It’s important to work on a clean canvas when creating volume because leftover product can weigh the hair down or cause other product to work less effectively,” explains Brook. For coarse hair, she recommends shampooing and conditioning from scalp to ends, while those with fine- or medium-weight hair should reserve the conditioning for mid-lengths to ends. “If hair is very dry and damaged, spray with a little leave-in conditioner and apply an oil or hair mask to ends before getting in the shower.”

A little volume powder (that’s the styling-focused sibling of dry shampoo, which often uses silica as a volumizing ingredient) can go a long way in boosting hair. “I like to apply it after a blowout just to the crown area to give it extra lift, and on the sides of hair that can often fall flat,” says Brook. Sachajuan’s version is user-friendly (it sprays on and leaves no white traces), has a mostly matte finish, and plays well with any hair length.

It’s important to find a mousse that doesn’t have alcohol on the ingredients list. “Wavy and curly hair need moisture to have great bounce, and any mousse with alcohol will dry them out,” she adds. “I like to apply mousse evenly in sections at the roots to expand the cuticle, then use a diffuser to activate the product and open the cuticle. This is also great if you have thick, straight hair that lays really flat and dense.”

When you consider how much mileage your hairbrush gets, that should be enough to convince you it’s not a tool you should be skimping on. And, according to Brook, you should buy two. “To create lasting volume, I like to leave one in the hair to cool on one side or on the crown, while I blowout the other side,” she says, adding that hair sections should only ever be as wide as the brush. And brush material also has an impact: “Ceramic brushes are ideal for fine to medium hair as they conduct more heat, acting like a curling iron,” she says. “Boar bristles help distribute hair’s natural oils, delivering a smoother shinier blowout. They’re beautiful for medium to coarse hair types.”

The model featured in this story is not associated with NET-A-PORTER and does not endorse it or the products shown.