Styling Tricks Women with Fine, Flat Hair Need to Know

Having fine, flat hair might seem easy to style. After all, fine hair requires little blow-drying and you can effortlessly tie it in a low-slung bun or ponytail on your way out while still looking chic. But many people with this hair type will tell you that it can be difficult to hold curls or add natural-looking volume—and no one wants droopy, limp hair halfway through the day.

To learn how to add gorgeous volume that stays put until happy hour, SELF talked to a few top hair stylists for their best tips and favorite haircut styles for people with fine, flat hair.

Styling Tips & Tricks

1. Use a lightweight volumizing shampoo and conditioner to create a foundation.

“The most important step in getting volume for fine hair starts in the shower,” explains Brianna Colette, stylist at NINE ZERO ONE in Los Angeles. Make sure you're using a lightweight volumizing shampoo and conditioner that also have some moisturizing ingredients. These types of shampoos tend to be more drying and can cause your scalp to overproduce oils to make up for it, explains celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend. We suggest Dove Nutritive Solutions Oxygen Moisture Shampoo, $5, and Conditioner, $5.

2. Never apply conditioner to your scalp.

“Any time you wet your hair you should use conditioner,” Townsend says. “But only from mid-length to the ends.” Since you’re opening up your cuticle, your hair needs the nourishment. But glopping it on the roots will just make you look greasy and limp within a few hours.

3. But you can scrunch your hair in the shower with conditioner.

Jen Atkin, celebrity hairstylist and founder of OUAI, says scrunching wet hair in the shower with conditioner provides a great foundation for air-drying. She recommends the OUAI Repair Conditioner, $28, since it adds lots of moisture for frizz-free air-drying.

4. Use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of buildup.

Product buildup leads to weight in your hair, which makes everything more droopy. “Using a once-a-week clarifying shampoo will rid your hair of impurities and product buildup without stripping your color,” Colette says. We recommend the OUAI Clean Shampoo, $28, which is formulated with keratin to smooth and repair damage.

5. Get over your fear of mousse.

Unlike the mousse our mothers used that dried out hair and froze it in all its permed glory, mousse formulas today are more elegant and hydrating. “Apply a volumizing whip or mousse when hair is wet,” Colette recommends. “Comb a small, palm-sized dollop of product through hair from root to ends. Be careful not to apply too much as this will only weigh your hair down.” We recommend the Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse, $39, which is great for a blowout.

5. Blow-dry to activate volumizing products.

You may be tempted to skip the blow dryer, especially if your fine hair dries straight and smooth. But if you skip blow drying, your volumizing work will all be for naught. “[With] almost all volumizers you need to use a blow dryer with heat to activate them,” Townsend says. He uses Dove Oxygen Moisture Root Lift Spray, $10, before both blow-drying and air-drying clients like Mary-Kate Olsen, who doesn’t like a perfectly polished, blown-out look.

6. Skip the round brush until the very end.

“Flip your head upside-down and start by rough drying,” Colette explains. In other words, use nothing but your hands. “This will lift the roots and rough up the cuticle, maximizing volume. When hair is 60 to 70 percent dry, flip back over and start blow-drying using a ceramic brush to smooth ends and add softness to the style.” But be careful not to pull too hard—that’ll just flatten everything out.

7. Set hair with Velcro rollers to add extra lift.

Colette explains that after blow-drying, section off pieces of hair at the crown, roll them up into Velcro curlers, and use the cool setting on your dryer to set the style. Finish with a texturizing spray like Oribe Texturizing Spray, $22, or OUAI’s Wave Spray, $26, spraying at the root in sections. “That way, when the style starts to fall throughout the day all you need to do is flip your head over, massage your scalp and fluff your hair up,” Colette adds.

8. Get acquainted with a good dry shampoo.

“Dry shampoo is any woman with fine hair’s best friend,” Townsend says. “I find I get a better hold and long-lasting volume using dry shampoo over hairspray.” Instead of spraying and then brushing out like you would to absorb oil, leave it be. He explains, “If you leave it in there, the powder and starch will literally build on each other.” He recommends Dove STYLE+care Volume Dry Shampoo, $5.