October 18th, 2020
10 Ways to Get More Hair Volume
Here are 10 easy things you can do to get more volume in your hair. Learn the best way to use your Restyla Curler and what other products you can add to your styling routine that work to maximize the volume in your curls.
Curling away from the face
Currently, most people prefer to curl away from the face, not only because this look is super trendy and glamorous looking but also because curls toward the face end up covering it, creating a cave. By opening up your face, you'll show off your beauty and confidence, rather than hiding it.
However, what many don’t realise is that by curling away from the face, the curls will fan outwards rather than inwards, allowing you to effortlessly create much more horizontal volume. When using a curling rod, it can often be confusing to determine whether you are wrapping the hair from the right direction so that it is facing away from the face (especially as everything is flipped when you’re looking in a mirror)! This clumsy process can at times result in a head of curls that are all going in one direction with the exception of only one or two that were accidentally done towards the face - and these will stand out like a sore thumb.
This is a big hassle a lot of the time because then you will have to let the curls done in the wrong direction cool before straightening them again, letting them cool once more and then finally attempting to curl them in the right direction. Not to mention that it’s especially hard to get the curl direction right at the back of the head which we can’t see!
To make this extremely tedious process much easier and quicker, we have designed the Restyla Automatic Hair Curler to feature a curl direction setting - so it is as easy as just pressing a button to change the direction of your curls. To have your curls going away from the face for more volume, use the ‘R’ setting for the right side of the face and the ‘L’ setting for the left side. There is also an alternating setting (‘A’) for girls who prefer a more textured look!
Curling closer to the roots
It’s well known that curling your hair is an easy way to add more volume, so it makes sense that the closer to the root the curls start, the more volume there will be - but most of us don’t realise this. When using a traditional curling rod, this is sometimes more difficult as it can take a lot of coordination to wrap the hair close to the root around the rod without it slipping. When using the Restyla however, it is as easy as just placing the device closer to the root - where you place it is where it will begin to curl. However, if you have long hair we recommend using thinner sections when curling closer to the root so that there is enough space on the curling rod for the entire length of hair to wrap around.
Trying tighter curls
The tighter a curl is, the wider it will be and hence the volume it provides to the overall head of hair. Doing slightly tighter curls can add tremendous volume when there are layers on layers of them - so it can definitely be a good way to add volume. It is important to note however that a tighter curl comes at the expense of the curl’s length so there is a bit of a trade-off here but for those of us who love volume this is totally worth it. The thing is that it’s not always easy to create tighter curls and get them to stay. We have designed the Restyla to have completely customisable settings so that lasting curls can be created in any hair type, and as tight as the user prefers.
We recommend playing around with the heat and time settings on the Restyla to find the best setting to create your desired look on your unique hair type. Usually, more thick, coarse hair types will require a higher temperature and a longer time to create tighter curls - but this does not mean that people with these hair types will always damage their hair more to get tight curls. This is because the reason why their hair type requires more heat is because such hair types are more heat resistant as they have thicker hair cuticles.
For more tips on making your curls hold as tight as you want them to, be sure to check out our article How to Make Your Curls Last All Day & Night
Using a volumizing spray
Volumizing sprays are a great way to add more volume into the hair with very minimal time and effort - and no damage. They are like a backcomb in a bottle - but it’s important to ensure you have the right technique when using these sprays to make the most out of them! A volumizing spray is designed to work like a backcomb so they tend to create more lift in the root area so this is where you should apply these products most liberally. For best results, lift up sections of hair at the root and spray underneath them before letting the section of hair fall back down - you should see instant lift.
There are two main active ingredients in volumizing sprays - charged compounds and repetition polymers. Charged compounds add volume by repelling each other - just like magnets. This pushes individual hairs apart, creating lift and weightlessness to add volume.
Repetition polymers on the other hand are long molecules (just like your long strands of hair) made up of repeated short molecules that are all identical. Repetition polymers coat the individual hairs on your head, making them physically thicker in diameter to add volume and also make the hair more shiny and healthy looking. Volumizing products containing repetition polymers are especially good for those of us with chemically damaged hair as treatment such as bleaching and colouring hair can strip away the cuticle, leaving the (much less shiny) cortex exposed in some places.
Using a volumizing shampoo
Volumizing shampoos are a great option for those of us who don’t want to add an extra step into our hair routine - as we all have to shampoo our hair regardless! These products deposit the same active ingredients mentioned above (charged compounds and repetition polymers) into the hair over time. Using a volumizing shampoo doesn’t give instant feedback in the same way that a volumizing spray does, however, because you have to dry the hair before you see results. Hence, you will have less of any idea as to how much product to use. However, the other benefit of a volumizing shampoo is that it deposits these active ingredients inside the hair cuticle, as all shampoos need to slightly open the hair cuticle to remove oils. This means that the effects are more long lasting than that of a volumizing spray which just sits on top of the hair cuticle. Most volumizing shampoos create a gradual increase in volume over time when they are used frequently.
Teasing your hair
Teasing the hair is one of the most infamously well known ways to create more volume in the hair - but it’s gotten a bit of a bad rep because people do not know how to do this right without damaging the hair and creating knots that will take forever to comb out. The days of the 80s fine-toothed comb tease are over, and we recommend lightly teasing the root hair in fine sections with a paddle brush instead to create volume without overdoing it on the tangles.
Blow-dying and hair spraying your hair upside down
Another easy way to get more volume and root lift is to blow-dry your hair upside down. This is fairly self explanatory, put still be sure to bull the hair taught with some kind of a brush while doing so to minimise frizz. Also, if your hair is long or thick then be sure to give yourself some breaks to avoid having too much blood rush to your head! Another similar tip is to flip your head upside down when you’re finished styling it to apply your hair spray or finishing spray. This will set this volume in place for the rest of the day, so you won’t be constantly running your fingers through your roots!
Switching up your part
One of the quickest ways to add volume is to switch up your part. Over time, your hair becomes ‘used to’ your regular part and it will naturally lay flatter in that position. Whether you're parting right in the middle or off to one side, try something different for a while. It’s always good to have a bit of variety - and you might even find a new parting style suits you better!