Although many people with curly hair struggle with too much volume, others face the opposite problem. “Fine curly hair is one of the most challenging hair types,” Christo of Christo Fifth Avenue says. Caring for fine curly hair can be a delicate balance. Too much product—or products that are too sticky or heavy—can weigh it down. But without the right products, the hair can lose its definition and get frizzy.
“They’re actually lucky their hair is curly,” says Jonathan Torch of the Curly Hair Institute in Toronto, Ontario, creator of Curly Hair Solutions. “The curls add volume. If it was straight, they’d have to rely on a perm.”
The right cut and styling products are especially important for fine, curly hair.
Tips for Styling Fine Curly Hair
1. Avoid a long haircut
Image Source: @curly_tanisha
Long hair is not recommended because it can pull out the curls and make the hair look even finer. Torch likes to cut it short at the perimeter, leaving the top longer.
2. Avoid chemical processes
Fine curlies may want to avoid chemical processes like thermal reconditioning or straightening. Without curls, their hair loses its volume and can look flat and lifeless.
3. Incorporate color
Image Source: @kayscurlies
Coloring the hair is recommended because it roughens up the cuticle. The color also adds shine, causing light to bounce off the hair, not the scalp, making the hair look fuller. Darker shades, like auburns and browns, look better than lighter ones, which can make the hair look more transparent. “Coloring is more important on fine hair than any other hair type if a person wants volume,” Torch says.
4. Shampoo more often
While many curlies avoid shampooing their hair more than once or twice a week, fine curlies should actually wash their hair more often to prevent product buildup and plump up the hair cuticle.
5. Condition less
When it comes to conditioners, less is more. Some lines even offer lighter conditioners especially for finer curly hair. “I don’t even recommend conditioner,” Torch says. “I recommend detanglers. Otherwise, the hair will lie flat and greasy.”
This depends on your texture type and the amount of moisture your hair needs. If you do require extra moisture, you may want to apply it to the ends and lengths of the hair and avoid the roots.
6. Apply styler sparingly
Stylist Antoinette Guzzo of Frederic Fekkai in New York, cautions against adding to much of a creamy styling product to fine hair because it will weigh it down.
“While it’s important to apply a dab of a hydrating cream to prevent curls from drying out, use it sparingly,” Guzzo says. She suggests applying a lightweight mousse all over the hair to add lift. To avoid product overload, layer your styling aids according to Style Your Own Hair, a video that provides tips for different hair types. Make sure you don’t use too much product with each layering.
Christo likes to section the hair into three or four parts to ensure good product distribution and that no one area receives too much.
“The more you section your hair, the better distribution of products you will get,” he says.
7. Diffuse & massage
Image Source: @magz_lechic
To add volume, diffuse the hair or let it dry naturally. Guzzo suggests placing your hands in your hair against your scalp and gently massage with the pads of your fingers. This technique will wake up the volume and add bounce.
Torch also is a proponent of massage, which he believes can also improve hair growth by increasing blood circulation in the scalp. It also relieves stress, which puts pressure on new hair and retards it from growing in. “It works,” he swears. “You’ll notice a huge difference.”
8. Lift at the roots
Another trick is to place your fingers into the hair along the hairline all around the face and lifting the roots up. As you do this, direct the blowdryer on the roots to heat them up and add body and lift. Repeat the technique along the part. “Your part should be the focal point,” Guzzo says.
9. Play with it throughout the day
Image Source: @ringlet.riss
And unlike coarser, kinkier curls can get big and unmanageable the more it’s messed with, fine hair flourishes when touched.
“With finer hair, you want it to expand and get puffy,” Torch says. “The more you play with it, the more fullness you get and the better it looks.”
Products Formulated to Pump Up Fine Curls
1. CURLSMITH – Invincible Volume Hair Mousse, Instant Volume
The newest addition to the Curlsmith family is here to bring your fine curly hair definition and volume you will love. It’s formulated with a tropical fragrance and floral notes that has a medium hold, no alcohol, and increases volume by 203%.
2. Rizos Hydrating Shampoo
The Rizos Curls Hydrating Shampoo softly cleans the hair and scalp, deeply moisturizing and strengthening the hair, while treating dry scalp.
3. dae Mirage Mist Leave-In Conditioner
The key to this leave-in is that it’s lightweight and water-based, with added benefits that it protects your hair from natural heat and UV damage. With the desert botanical formula, you can easily detangle, condition, prevent breakage, and enhance manageability.
4. Verb Volume Spray
The Verb volume spray will keep your hair lifted for elongated, springy curls, waves with natural body & bounce. This light-weight, curling spray is enriched with B5 for a light, touchable hold that won’t weigh your hair down.
5. Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
This is the OG frizz tamer. When it comes to fine hair you are striking a balance between curl definition and breaking up the curls to create volume. Either way, you want to avoid frizz, and a lightweight styler like this will help you get there.
6. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel
The best just got better. Our signature, award-winning formula has been upgraded to include Anti-Frizz Nano Technology for advanced frizz protection. Humidity: It’s every curl’s nightmare. That’s because curly hair’s unique structure exposes its cuticle. Curls expand with unwanted volume when humidity increases and look frizzy, undefined, and dull.
7. Amika Perk Up Talc-Free Dry Shampoo
Traditionally, dry shampoos extend the time between washes, but you can also include them in your regimen to add volume to flat roots. This one is formulated without talc or aluminum and doesn’t leave behind the dusty residue dry shampoos are known for.
8. Afro Pick
A pick can be a must-have tool for fine hair. Use it to pick out your roots and the lengths of your hair for a boost in volume. You may lose some definition this way, but for some with fine curls it’s worth it.
9. Hair Remedie Frizz Eliminating Towel – Lavender
With increased surface areas from the layered fabric, Hair Remedie Towels are designed or thick, coarse and porous hair. Dries hair to a damp stage fast, with less friction, to minimize frizz and damage.
Read next: 20 Products For Fine Curly Hair
This article was originally published in 2005 and has been updated for grammar & clarity.
