One of the most frequently asked questions is how can I make my hair thicker? Here are ten tips to help you get thicker hair.
1. Get a good haircut
Too many layers can make your hair look thin. Opt for a blunt finish on the ends to create the illusion of fullness, and some light layers around your face.
2. Protect your hair
Treat your hair like a cashmere jumper. Be gentle and take extra care when washing and brushing your hair. Too much sun and wind can dry out your hair. Wear a hat or scarf if you know you’ll be outside for a while.
3. Massage your scalp
Regular scalp massage increases circulation and blood flow to your hair follicles, stimulating growth. Use essential oils such as peppermint and eucalyptus to invigorate the scalp. You can grow an extra inch of hair each hair with regular scalp massages.
4. Don’t wash your hair every day
This is a controversial one for some, and trichologist Philip Kingsley disagrees with me. It will be a personal choice but my hair is less oily and in better condition when I don’t wash it every day. Plus it saves me so much time.
5. Use high quality products
Use a volumising shampoo that will clean your scalp and add volume to your hair. Aveda’s new Invati range is designed to stimulate your scalp and thicken hair. Nioxin is a specialist range of hair products that is designed to protect and strengthen thinning hair. Evolis is a new hair growth tonic that actually changes the hair growth cycle so you grow longer and thicker hair.
6. Condition the ends of your hair
Use volumising conditioners on the ends of your hair. You only need to condition your hair from the midlengths to the ends. Avoid your scalp, as this will weigh your hair down.
7. Limit heat stylers
If you really want long and thick hair, you need to put down the hair straighteners. Same goes for blowdryers and curling irons. It’s ok to use them occasionally but they aren’t helping your hair long term. If you can’t resist them, make sure you use a heat protectant like Kerastase Ciment Thermique or ghd Heat Protect Spray.
8. Feed your hair
To grow thick, healthy hair you need to start with a healthy diet. Make sure you’re eating good sources of protein, vitamin B and iron daily and get regular exercise. The faster your metabolism, the faster your hair will grow.
9. Supplement your diet
Multivitamins and specialist supplements can aid a good diet and help you grow thicker hair. I take Blackmore’s Skin Hair & Nails but it isn’t a quick fix. You need to be taking supplements for at least 8 weeks to notice a difference as it will work on your next cycle of hair growth.
10. Stay calm
Stress can trigger changes to your hair. Cortisol and hormone fluctuations can affect your hair condition and accelerate hair loss. These effects can be reversed so relax and treat yourself, and your hair.
What’s your best tip for thicker hair?
Sorry. I’m commenting again. I will stop soon, I promise. 🙂
My hair is very fine, so this is a fantastic post. I will stop conditioning my scalp (that’s going to be a hard habit to break), because my hair really does hang limp. Though after a wash is obviously when it looks best.
Is there anything one can do if their hair is thinning? My hair is thinning around the temples and I am really embarrassed about it. I noticed before she died that my mother’s hair did it also (she died at 43, so I’m not talking old age) so it may be genetic. That was 10 years ago and I hadn’t noticed it in my hair yet. But certainly now it is a big deal. That section of hair at my temples not only is very thin but grey – nowhere else, but very noticeable there.
Is there anything one can do about this? I’m going to take your advice about the supplements (I was thinking of doing that this year anyway) and I’ll take your advice about how to wash.
This blog is amazing.
Hi Melisa, you’ll see a big difference if you stop conditioning your scalp. As for thinning hair, you can use specific product such as Evolis, Nioxin and Aveda Invati for thinning hair. Hair can start thinning for lots for reasons so it’s important to identify the causes – health, stress, genetics etc. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother.
I would try supplements and a specialist product for thinning hair. Also make sure you look after your health and a balanced diet, high in protein, will help too. If it continues or gets worse I recommend seeing your doctor x
It’s good to know that I already do most of these. Also a bit disheartening because I do most of these and still my hair is baby fine. It’s embarrassing really, and my hair constantly looks frizzy because of how fine it is. Girls with thick hair are so so lucky. Trust me you’d prefer to have too much than to look like you’re balding!
Thank you for writing this and sharing your tips!
Thanks Miss Pink. Superfine hair is hard to deal with, but at least it’s quick to wash and style. My fave product for fine hair is styling powder. They are the best volumisers, instantly adding root lift.
My hair dresser and I went for the more extreme route. We bleached my entire head, which apparently causes the hair follicle to puff out and creates better texture for making my hair look “fat”. Also, when my hair was unhealthy and all split ended – He used to get the top layer of hair and cut very short. (with those groovy scissors that cut some and drops the others) So this again created an illusion of texture. It sounds like I had a mullet, but it was a pretty nice hair cut. Now that my hair is healthier, I don’t need the short layers up top, but the bleach still helps with creating texture!
Hi Catherine, that sounds dramatic but pretty cool. I agree bleach does make your hair thicker, but I decided to leave it out as in the long run it will damage your hair. A few highlights though are great at thickening up your hair with minimum of damage.
Catherine, my hairdresser has said the same about the bleach, but I guess you have to weigh that up with the damage it also causes (especially if you’re not using the right shampoo and conditioners).
I actually don’t feel that the bleach makes much of a difference to the thickness of my hair personally (as a current bleach blonde), but my hairdresser swears it does and I believe her.
Great tips. Didn’t know that about the conditioning! I’m determined to get thicker hair!
Thanks Caz!
So, in that case I’m going to take that on board and do the complete opposite. Any thicker and I may collapse under the weight of it. Thank goodness for all the new updo’s for your ebooks.
Haha you definitely don’t need thicker hair Kimberley! More flat ironing and junk food for you 😉
I try so hard to limit using heat stylers, but it’s hard to get a nice finish when you dry your hair naturally. I find if you don’t wash as often, you don’t style as often. So your tips work together!
Thanks Alice. If I’m going to blowdry and style my hair I get a good 3-4 days out of it with some styling powder and dry shampoo. I’ve also found braiding my hair when it’s damp leaves me with smoother waves when I wear it down later.
We always want what we don’t have in the hair department … I want thinner hair 😉
haha grass is always greener Nikki x
No you do not I have terrible angel thin hair trust me it’s embarrassing and it’s so hard to grow! I hate my hair and I’m so embarrassed to go out because of my hair! Be happy you have thick hair!