My Volume Routine for Thin/Flat 2b/2c/3a hair

serasgf

Really excited about this method I found, through sheer luck, and I hope it helps anyone else who's struggling with volume - especially if you don't have the money for a diffuser/lots of products.
Works best as a nighttime routine.
Feel free to substitute any products I do use for your own favorites!

Disclaimer: I have short bob length hair, so I don't know if this technique will work as well for those with longer hair.

1. I wash my hair with Sallé Revitalizing Shampoo Extra Body and condition with Herbal Essences Totally Twisted curl conditioner - but you can swap out the shampoo/conditioner with another volumizing shampoo and/or curl conditioner, or drop the conditioner entirely if you feel it weighs your hair down too much. 

2. I lightly scrunch my wet hair with a cotton t shirt, so that the hair is still mostly wet but not dripping-everywhere-wet. Then I apply a bit of Aussie Headstrong Volume Mousse, just about the size of a cotton ball, starting at the roots and scrunching through the rest of my hair. 

DON'T add more mousse. I know it's tempting, you feel like you don't have enough in your hair, but unless your hair is a lot longer, this is all you need. Applying too much of voluminous products is always worse than having a little less than you could put on your hair, as it weighs your hair down.

3. After I'm done working the mousse into my hair, I use Redken Curvaceous Ringlet Shape Perfecting Lotion, again in a very small amount, but depending on what curl shaping product you're using, you might use a different amount if you find it works better for you. I scrunch the product into my hair thoroughly, NOT adding any more product than I used the first time I went over my hair.

4. I flip my hair to the opposite side of where I want to part it when it dries, and let it air dry. 

5. After it has finished drying, I wrap a cotton t shirt around the front of my head like a headband. The goal of this is to keep the hair pushed back and upwards away from your pillow when you sleep, to avoid flattening.

6. To do this, I press the neck hole of the shirt to the back of my head near the bottom (where your hair starts to grow) and grab the two sleeves, tying them together at the top of my forehead. You want this tie to be tight enough to stay, but not too tight that it is uncomfortable or restricting your hair. Once the sleeves are tied, the rest of the t shirt hangs over your head loosely, and isn't keeping your hair in place upwards. So, using two safety pins, secure each side of the t shirt to where you tied your sleeves. 


7. Now, just take a spray bottle and wet your roots, lightly scrunching and fluffing them. Go to sleep with the t shirt headband on and when you wake up, take it off and you should have root volume from your hair being pushed up while wet (similar to drying your hair upside down or clipping your roots, but stronger and more evenly spread out.

Here's a picture of my hair after doing this!



I hope this can help any of you out there, and I'd love to see pictures of your hair afterwards

Guide 65

Wow, your hair looks fantastic!  I always do my hair in the morning so most of this won't work for me.  My hair has never like mousse before, but I've always used huge globs of it.  I might have to try again using just a tiny cotton ball size.  Thanks for sharing!

Therese1

I often shower at night, so this is something I'd like to try. I won't have time to let my hair air dry, but I can dry with a diffuser. In fact, I could try this tonight as a way to keep my style overnight instead of a pineapple.

serasgf

I hope it helpsTherese1 said:

I often shower at night, so this is something I'd like to try. I won't have time to let my hair air dry, but I can dry with a diffuser. In fact, I could try this tonight as a way to keep my style overnight instead of a pineapple.

I hope it helps! It's worked a lot better for me than a pineapple, as whenever I'd take my hair out of the tight ponytail it would lose it's shape and be a mess 

Therese1

OK, I tried it. I did indeed get more volume, and I had more wave retained than usual! However, our dew points are REALLY low right now (hovering around 0 degrees F), and my hair didn't refresh very well and couldn't hold on to the wave for more than a couple of hours. Next time I might try wetting my hair more and see what happens. I just have to remember to try this again next wash day... 

boldilocks

-- @serasgf, I am wondering if you can put up a pic of how it looks tied and pinned up. It probably isnt so flattering, lol, but maybe you could do it with your cute emoji face? I'm trying hard to visualize it, and I'd like to try it. I can't do pineapples because My hair has great memory and adopts the cinched hold overnight, so when I take it down I get a cinch ring and it doesn't fall naturally. Could you put up a tutorial pic or two? Thanks for considering it!

Therese1

I think the effect is similar to wearing a buff. Is that right, serasgf? Here's a video showing a buff: 

serasgf

Next time I wash my hair I'll take pictures of what it looks like in the t-shirt/headband. It does look sort of similar to a buff.

Gretchen

serasgf said:

Next time I wash my hair I'll take pictures of what it looks like in the t-shirt/headband. It does look sort of similar to a buff.

Love to see more pix! 

ttoosday

The method OP described does sound similar to what a buff does. I used one for a while when my hair was too short to pineapple. I am thinking of trying mousse again, so I am glad to read this routine.

Gretchen

@serasgf Got some pix?  Anyone else try this? Love to hear more stories about this method, and see more pix!

bomega

Wow sarasgf...your hair looks so great! I wish I could wear something on my head while sleeping because I would love that result!

Gretchen

Therese1 said:

OK, I tried it. I did indeed get more volume, and I had more wave retained than usual! However, our dew points are REALLY low right now (hovering around 0 degrees F), and my hair didn't refresh very well and couldn't hold on to the wave for more than a couple of hours. Next time I might try wetting my hair more and see what happens. I just have to remember to try this again next wash day... 

Did you try it again?

Kembosmallz

Hello Curly People. I started growing out my curly hair almost 1 year ago but now I noticed some spots on my scalp that I don‘t know what it is. Could it be my normal hair vertex or is the start of balding?

BeinDeb

Is this something new, or just something you recently noticed? It looks a lot like mine, but mine has always been that way. The way the curls & cowlicks grow in some spots causes natural parting.