The Inside Scoop on Big Hair (so put away that ridiculous Bump-It!)

In the salon, the most frequent request women have for their hair is more volume. Let’s face it, we’ve tried everything, and gone as far as putting a crescent-shaped pieces of plastic under it. Now, that’s desperate ladies! First of all, I’m going to debunk some myths about creating volume. Women with baby fine hair ALWAYS ask for tons of layers to achieve more body. However, lots of short layers actually cause the hair to collapse. Women with long thick hair also have this same request. Shorter pieces of hair do weigh less, but once again, over-layering causes the hair to collapse vertically vs. getting the nice, fluffy, almost more round appearance. In long hair the shortest layer works best if it is cut right below the occipital bone (where the head rounds, and comes in). Anyime your hair is cut to mimic the shape of your head, you’re sure to get better results. A good hairdresser will know this, so make sure you’re sitting in the chair of a well-educated stylist. Many women blow dry their hair upside down, which is okay as long as it’s done correctly. Make sure your blow dryer is blowing air down your hair shaft instead of upwards, so you hair doesn’t get fuzzy. Another alternative to this would be to blow your hair from side to side, overdirecting across your part. With tecnique, comes the most important thing of all: PRODUCT, PRODUCT, PRODUCT! For baby fine hair I would recommend Redken Body Full Instant Bodifier. It’s a mouse that blows up the hair strand making it feel so much thicker. I like to call it a “wig in a bottle.” My favorite mousse for longer hair is Pureology’s Silk bodifier. It provides extreme volume, and actually makes the hair softer, and protects color from fading. If you have super slick hair, and you want to dirty it up a little bit, use a powder volumizer on the root of dry hair like Redken 03 Powder Grip. It provides your locks with the perfect amount of grip for backcombing. All of these products can be found at Linda Michaels Salon and Day Spa for those of you in Great Falls. Otherwise go to www.redken.com and www.pureology.com. One of the worst antagonists for volume is the flat iron. Why? It’s right in the name, a “FLAT iron.” The curling iron and round brush are your best friends. If you want a sleeker look, use a -, boar bristle round brush. Most women have a hard time using a round brush because they attempt it when their hair is completely wet. Make sure the hair is at least 80% dry before taking your round brush to it. Take nice, clean sections to avoid tangling. You can section the hair, subdividing it into small sections. Start from the root, work through to the midshaft, and finally the ends, rolling the whole section up in the brush, and hold for a little while to let it cool. Once again, always make sure to blow down the hair strand to eliminate fuzz, and tangling around your brush. When finished, mist with a light aerosol hairspray to give it some hold without compromising the moveability that round brushed hair has. If you want a curly look, opt for your curling iron, it gives you a ton of body, and a whole lot less damage than your flat iron. If you want waves, curl everything in the same direction, away from the face. If you want a more fluffy, voluminous appearance, alternate the direction you curl each curl. Finish your look off with a little backcombing. Take thin sections and push the hair to the scalp, but only tease about an inch up your section, because if you backcomb the whole strand, it will stick straight out. Connect each section together as your backcombing. Once you’ve teased the areas you want, gently smooth them over with your comb, to hide that rats nest! Spray again for some hold. Don’t attempt to backcomb clean hair, use a volumizing powder or heavy hold hair spray. Ta-da! You now have big hair. Finish everything off with more hairspray, and you’re good to go. Remember: the higher the hair, the closer you are to heaven! 😉