Styling Fine Hair - Building Body & Volume

Here's a quick tutorial on building body and volume with fine hair. The steps are listed below. These steps will help you create a very voluminous style, but can be used as the foundation for your flat-ironing routine for a straight style with body. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Step 1: Apply a blowdrying product to create texture. I use a light gel or mousse (or a combination of the two). Light weight sprays don't give hair the texture that is needed.

Step 2: Apply a root-lifting product. These are sold as spray, powders and foams. Make sure that the product gives your roots enough lift.

Step 3: Give your hair a rough blowdry in the opposite direction of your hair growth. At this stage, you're really getting rid of excess moisture and building the foundation of your style.

Step 4: Roundbrush your hair in sections, working up to the crown. Once you get to the crown of your head, overdirect the sections toward your face. Overdirect the sides upward to build more body. Finish roundbrushing the rest of your hair as usual.

(I would like to apologize for the shoddy first attempt at a video, but we are still trying to adjust the video settings. Thank you for viewing!)

Product Review: Paul Mitchell's Mitch Reformer Strong Hold Matte Finish Texturizer

As you may know, the Mitch brand is Paul Mitchell's attempt to really break into the men's hair care category. Reformer is marketed as a strong-hold, gritty, matte-type texturizer that helps make fine hair appear thicker. Although it does do a great job with initial styling, I feel that the overall promoted effects of this product fall a bit short of spectacular after a good 4-6 hours. I would say that if you are looking for 1 single styling product with great control, this may not be the one.

In my experience with Reformer, I have noticed that the style just doesn't stay as long as I would like it to. If you really want a style that will hold, it will most likely require a good layer of hairspray (which I do recommend anyway). One concern that I have is that although this product is definitely not a high-shine finish, it really does not look or feel completely matte either. I find that a bit strange since this product is pretty heavily marketed as Mitch's matte-type styling product. Reformer has a slickness to it; not the grittiness that is mentioned on the official website. I really feel that this somehow contributes to the fact that the product doesn't hold all that well. Matte products do tend to work wonders for people with fine hair, but like I said, Reformer is not entirely matte. If you want that REALLY matte finish, I would steer away, but if you're trying to stay within the Mitch brand of products, this will be your best bet.

All of my test subjects and peers do agree that the consistency of Reformer is spot-on! It resembles a thick cream and makes it really easy to apply. I don't think anyone appreciates a styling product that causes so much friction that it creates a yanking effect on your hair while you're applying it. Reformer doesn't have this problem whatsoever. For most men, you'll only need a dime to nickel sized amount of product for styling. That is a nice incentive for those who don't care to use much, if any, hair products at all.

Mitch products seem to have a pretty universal fragrance. This one smells quite good actually. I wouldn't entirely consider it a neutral scent, but it definitely smells clean. The last point that I would like to take note of is that Reformer washes out pretty well. I find it rather unlikely that you would have to wash your hair more than once to break down any product build-up. Certainly no complaints about that! This review may come across a bit negative, but I believe that Mitch's Reformer is an overall solid choice for those that are looking for a pliable product with a semi-strong hold and a slight matte effect.

+Pros
+Clean and fresh fragrance
+Semi-strong hold
+Outstanding creamy consistency
+Easy to apply evenly and allows for great control
+Requires little product for most styles
+Semi-matte effect
+Washes out easily and doesn't appear to cause product build-up

-Cons
-Doesn't feel or appear fully matte
-Doesn't always have a lasting hold
-Will most likely require hairspray for a lasting hold
-Can end up feeling slightly oily throughout the day

This product was rated on:

Fragrance:  4
Product consistency:  5
Finish:  3
Strength of hold:  3
Durability of style:  3

Averaged rating:  3.6

Available in 85g/3oz. Find your local retailer HERE

Product Review: Goldwell Sleek Perfection Thermal Spray

Where do I start with this product? I'm just going to jump right into this review and get down to the nitty-gritty. If you are the type of person who straightens your hair on a regular basis, this product is for you. There are a few things to take into consideration, but I'll mention those a little further down.

If you're familiar with heat-protective products, you probably already know that you shouldn't spray too much product because it will make your hair oily. As far as Goldwell's Sleek Perfection goes, I didn't really worry about overspraying because I have a light hand with products in this segment of hair care. It also helps that I am familiar with the greasy qualities that most thermal products have.

Having said that, I was definitely surprised by Sleek Perfection. Although the product is dispensed through a spritzer, the mist is extremely fine which is perfect for a thin and even layer. This is definitely one of the least oily thermal sprays that I have ever used and trust me, I've tried a lot of 'em. If this product were to feel excessively oily in your hair, it would certainly signify that you were using far too much product or spraying it too closely to your head.

Sleek Perfection is formulated to fend off humidity for up to 24 hours, protect hair up to 392°f and help preserve hair color. I think that it does a great job at all of these too! This product is water-free so it reduces damage from thermal tools and has a sweet, but pleasant fragrance. It also happens to be very lightweight, so it is a great choice for people with fine or thinning hair because it doesn't weigh the hair down!

Okay, so now for a couple of things that you should take into consideration before purchasing this product. The first is that this product is really lightweight, so if you have a very coarse texture of hair, I would probably try something a bit heavier. If you're interested in staying within the Goldwell line of products, they do make a creamier heat protectant by the name of Flat Marvel (I'll be reviewing that product soon). The only other thing that I want to point out is that the dispensing mechanism can be a little frustrating depending on the way that you style your hair. You should only run into this problem if you spray section-by-section because if you get any product on your hands, it is difficult to maintain a good grip on the bottle. It really hinders your ability to press down on the spritzing nozzle, but the solution is to spray it all over your head first. Aside from these 2 tiny details, I really feel that Sleek Perfection is the best thermal spray that I have worked with thus far. Here's some quick details about Goldwell Sleek Perfection.

+Pros
+Protects hair from heat (up to 392°f)
+Non-greasy, no hold formula is great for fine hair
+Superfine mist for even application
+Pleasant fragrance
+Water-free formula for less heat damage when using thermal styling tools
+Up to 24 hours of humidity protection
+Helps protect hair color

-Cons
-Not recommended for hair that requires more control (very coarse texture)
-Product can make bottle slippery and become difficult to dispense

This product was rated on:
Fragrance:  4
Easy to use:  5
Product consistency:  5
Heat barrier efficacy:  4
Durability of style:  4

Averaged rating:  4.4


Available in 3.3oz/100ml. Find your local retailer HERE

Styling thin hair

"How do I make my hair look fuller?"

This is the most common styling question that I'm asked. For people with fine or thinning hair, this can seem like an endless struggle. The reason that it is essential to create body and fullness when styling thin hair is because the flatter the style, the easier it is to see the scalp. Creating body and fullness is, without a doubt, one of the most important things to do in order create the appearance of thicker hair.

There are a few things that tend to happen when thin hair is styled. I have noticed that people find it difficult to make their hair full without looking frizzy, especially when using a blowdryer. Thin hair also has a tendency to fall flat rather quickly. If you've experienced these problems before, using the correct types of hair products should be able to provide an easy solution.

It is also important to note that thin hair that has grown too long will appear straggly and more thin. This is a particularly big problem with people who become attached to the length of their hair. If you have thin hair, here is a short guideline that you can follow to create the fullness that you've always wanted.

If you have thin hair, your objective should be:
Increase body and fullness
Create the appearance of more hair

This is how to achieve optimal results:
Use root lifters
Use mousses/gels ONLY as a foundation for a blowdry
Use a blowdryer to establish lift at the roots
Using spray waxes may prove helpful for creating the traction your hair needs
Get the correct type of haircut for your hair density and texture

These are some things to avoid:
Growing hair too long/ Hair should never be left too long
Using mousses and gels as a primary styling agent (crunchy hair)
Oily substances

If you're wondering how to use styling tools and products, I'll be posting a video of thin hair styling within the next couple of weeks. Until then, I hope that this has helped eliminate a bit of confusion related to thin hair. Feel free to comment or E-mail me with any questions or concerns!