Hair & Scalp Therapy

How to Style Your Fine & Thinning Hair for Full Volume

Kiara Cosmetics

We all dream of those full, luxurious locks that we see in our feeds and on celebrities. But with over half of women experiencing hair thinning at some point in their lives, the reality is most of us struggle with hair that’s not as thick and voluminous as we’d like.

While all of us may not be blessed with the thick tresses of a #HairTok influencer, there are plenty of styling tricks to achieve the illusion of volume and bounce. In this guide, we’ll walk you through some expert tips to help you style your fine and thinning hair for full volume, so you can confidently pull off a look you’ll love.

3 Volume-Boosting Hairstyles

Whether you’re headed to a special event or hoping to experiment with your everyday look, the right hairstyle can give your fine hair the appearance of lush fullness—if you know the right hacks.

These three hairstyles will help you achieve different types of volume, whether you prefer a braided, textured, or bouncy look. Remember to adapt the techniques to your hair type and length for the best results.

Full-Volume, Textured Ponytail

Hairstyle #1

Meet the ultimate updo for thin hair. The textured pony presents opportunities to create maximum volume in both the front and the back,so your hair looks luscious from every angle. You’ll need: Volume Enhancing FoamA hairbrush with natural boar or flexible plastic bristles that are gentle on fine hair (bristles that pull can contribute to hair loss) A fine-tooth comb for teasingHair ties made of a non-damaging material, such as silk or snag-free elastic Bobby pins Texturizing spray Steps: Begin with clean, dry hair. Apply Volume Enhancing Foam by massaging into the scalp and roots of your hair. Brush your hair to ensure it’s smooth and tangle-free.Section off the front part of your hair. You can leave it loose for now, or use a clip to secure it out of the way while you create your ponytail. Using a teasing comb or your brush, backcomb the hair at the crown of your head. Create a ponytail by gathering your hair, gently smoothing it over the teased section, and securing it with a hair tie. Use a section of hair from the underside of the ponytail to wrap around the hair tie. Secure it in place with bobby pins to hide the tie and create a polished look. Now, take small sections of the ponytail and tease them gently to create volume. Tease each section from mid-length to the tips. Continue teasing and fluffing the entire ponytail, working in small sections until you've achieved the desired volume. If you want extra texture, you can spray a texturizing spray throughout the ponytail and scrunch it with your hands. Finally, you’ll finish by taking the loose pieces from the front section of your hair and pinning them in place. By styling this section separately from the rest of your ponytail, you’ll be able to camouflage any areas where hair looks sparse around your hairline.

Bouncy, Voluminous Blowout

Hairstyle #2

With the right technique, you can create the look of fuller hair with your blow dryer and a brush.

Mastering the art of the bouncy blowout is a must for making the most of your fine or thinning hair. You’ll need: A round brush with gentle bristles (pro tip: a smaller diameter brush will create more curl, while a larger one will create more volume at the roots of your hair)Heat protectant spray Hair clipsHair spraySteps: Start in the shower to help your blowout reach its fullest potential. Wash and condition your hair with Thickening Shampoo and Thickening Conditioner, which both work to improve hair shaft thickness and create a strong foundation for styling. After towel-drying your hair, apply Volume Enhancing Foa. For shorter hair, pump foam onto hands and massage into scalp and the roots of hair. For longer hair, separate hair into sections and apply nozzle directly onto head, pumping to release product as you go. Before you begin blow drying, apply a heat protectant spray to safeguard your hair from heat damage. Divide your hair into sections and use hair clips to keep them separated. Working one section at a time, use your round brush and blow dryer to dry and style your hair. Hold the brush beneath the section and direct the blow dryer's airflow down the hair shaft to create volume. Roll the brush away from your face to add curl and bounce. Continue this process for all the sections, ensuring you focus on creating volume at the roots and curl at the ends. Once all your hair is styled, give it a light mist of hairspray to hold the volume and style in place.

Braid with Extensions for Volume

Hairstyle #3

If you’re coveting the voluminous styles you’ve seen on the red carpet, allow us to let you in on a little secret: Most of those celebrities are wearing some type of hair extension to help their locks look longer and thicker.

Steal their hairstylists’ technique by using temporary,clip-in extensions to bulk up a romantic braid. Bonus: Clip-in extensions that you remove at the end of the day are much less damaging to weak or thinning hair than sewn-in extensions or those attached with tape, glue, or beads (and leaving long-wearing extensions in hair for too much time can even lead to increased hair loss). You’ll need: Volume Enhancing FoamClip-in hair extensions that match the color and texture of your hairHairbrush and comb Hair ties Bobby pins Hair spray (optional)Steps: Start with clean, dry, and tangle-free hair. Apply Volume Enhancing Foam by massaging into your scalp and the roots of your hair. Brush your hair to remove any tangles and ensure it's smooth and ready for styling. Starting about an inch or two from the top of your head, part your hair in a U-shape and clip the top section out of the way. Clip in your extensions along the part you created. Arrange the top section of your hair over the clips to hide the extensions. Gather your hair and begin a regular three-strand braid. Braid until you reach the end and secure it with a hair tie. Gently tug on the sides of your braid to make it look fuller and wider, which adds volume to your overall hairstyle. Finish the look with a light mist of hairspray for hold.

Real Results, Major Awards

There’s no such thing as a miracle in a bottle, but Volume Enhancing Foam comes close - with real results to prove it. In a 4-week consumer study of 33 women and men, 97 percent said their fine hair looked/felt fuller and more voluminous, while 94 percent said their thinning hair looked thicker, healthier, and nourished. Plus, 85 percent said the fine, thinning hair around their hairlines looked fuller and less brittle. Our foam hair enhancer is also an award winner, named best of the year in hair by Health in 2021, honored with a 2021 Shape Beauty Award, and recognized by Esquire in their 2022 Grooming Awards. Finally, the beauty editor’s secret for luscious, healthy hair is out… and it can be yours, too.

No matter which volume-boosting style you choose, the key to hair that looks lush and healthy is using the right products—specifically, ones with science-backed, proven ingredients. We use only the best ingredients for fine, thinning hair that needs volume!

That’s why we created our physician-developed Volume Enhancing Foam with the same RevitaLash® Science that powers our award-winning lash and brow serums. Our proprietary BioPeptin Complex® is a lifesaver for thin, brittle hair, with a blend of lipids, peptides, biotin, and panthenol that helps condition, strengthen, and soften hair while defending from breakage and brittleness.

And it works just as impressively on hair as it does on lashes and brows. Volume Enhancing Foam’s formula also contains antioxidant and vitamin-B-rich ginseng and Swertia japonica to help protect and revitalize hair and saw palmetto which helps to condition and add shine with fatty acids and plant sterols. Amino acids and B vitamins help fortify, smooth, and condition compromised hair.

Volume Enhancing Foam is even better when used with our Thickening Shampoo and Thickening Conditioner, which include loquat leaf to help with thinning hair, willow bark to exfoliate the scalp, and biotin to support volume and strength. Together, the 3-step regimen delivers full volume now and thicker-looking hair in weeks. And it’s all thanks to the top-quality, carefully chosen ingredients in our expert-crafted formulas.