How to Get Volume in Fine Curls

Fine curls can look great on wash day and be gone by breakfast the next morning. That's not because your hair is difficult. Fine strands are thin, so there's less to hold each curl apart, and curls still need moisture to form. Getting volume is about balancing those two things. It's not about buying everything with "volume" on the label.

I've been doing this for over 40 years and I see the same mistake all the time. People treat fine curls like they need either loads of moisture or none at all. Neither works for long. Your curls need moisture for shape and softness, but too much richness, or putting it in the wrong place, flattens the roots.

What "fine" actually means

Fine is about the width of each strand, not how much hair you've got. You can have fine hair and plenty of it. You can also have fine curls that look full at the roots until you put moisture in, then drop.

Fine curls get weighed down easily by oils, butters and rich conditioners. Those ingredients aren't bad. It just means how much you use, where you put it and how often all have to suit your hair. A rich mask through dry, coloured ends might be exactly right. Rub the same mask into your roots and they'll look like they've had a lie down.

What you want is light roots, moisturised mid-lengths and ends, and curls that clump without going stiff.

Clean roots first

Volume starts at the scalp. If there's build-up of styling product, oil, dry shampoo or heavy conditioner at the roots, no styling trick will fix it.

And forget the idea that curly hair should never get a proper wash. Some curls can go longer between washes, sure. Fine curls usually look better with a fresh scalp. How often depends on how oily you get, how active you are and what you style with. For some people that's every few days. For others, once or twice a week is plenty.

When you wash, use your fingertips and take your time on the scalp. Don't scrub the lengths into a knot. Let the lather rinse through them. If your hair feels coated, limp or dull even though you're using good products, it probably wants a more thorough cleanse, not another leave-in. My AMPLIFY Volumising Wash is the lightweight wash in my range.

Keep the water lukewarm. Very hot water can leave your scalp unhappy and your hair rougher. Boring advice, I know. But hair responds better to boring and consistent than to dramatic rescue missions.

Condition the lengths, not the roots

You still need conditioner. Skip it to chase volume and you'll end up with dry, fuzzy hair with no shape. Just put it where it's needed.

Apply it from about ear level down. Whatever's left on your hands, run lightly over the top only if it needs it. Rake it through with your fingers while your hair's soaking wet. That helps curls clump without dragging conditioner up to the scalp.

My AMPLIFY Volumising Conditioner is the one I'd go for when fine curls are clean but flat. If your ends are dry, QUENCH Hydrating Conditioner might suit you better. Use a small amount and keep it off the roots. Fine hair doesn't need to feel stripped to look full. It needs to feel clean, flexible and properly conditioned.

Rinse more thoroughly than you would with coarse curls. You don't have to get every last trace out of dry ends, but keep the scalp and top section light.

Treatments need a reason

A weekly treatment can help, but it shouldn't be automatic. If your curls are dry, coloured, damaged or snapping, a nourishing treatment can improve how they feel and behave. Repair Potion is my deep nourishing mask for dry, curly, damaged or coloured hair. On fine hair, keep it to the mid-lengths and ends.

If your hair needs strength rather than more softness, my Anti Ageing Reconstructive Treatment is the one to look at. The difference matters. Hair that feels too soft, limp and won't hold a curl probably doesn't need another rich mask. It might need a break from heavy conditioning, or a strengthening treatment, depending on its condition.

There's no prize for using the most product. Your hair isn't marking your effort.

Style while it's still wet

This is where a lot of fine curls lose volume before they've even dried. Put product on hair that's only damp and you get uneven clumps, frizz and a heavier finish, because you keep adding more to make up for it.

Style while your hair is still very wet. Gently squeeze out the excess water first. Start with less than you think you need. Spread it across your palms, glaze it over the surface, then scrunch up through the mid-lengths and ends. Keep it off the first few centimetres at the scalp unless it's made for root lift.

Fine curls do better with one light styler than with creams, oils and gels stacked on top of each other. A bit of hold helps the curl keep its shape as it dries. A foam like my Curvy Curls Foam is a good place to start on fine hair because it gives you hold without much weight. If the finished hair feels coated, sticky or flat at the roots, use less next time before you change anything else.

Lift the roots before they dry

Roots that dry flat stay flat. If you want more volume, change how you dry, not how much product you use.

Flip your part to the other side while it dries, or gently clip the roots up with small clips. You can also dry with your head tipped side to side, moving the roots off the scalp as you diffuse. You want air at the root, not a roughed-up curl.

If volume's the goal, a diffuser usually beats leaving fine curls to air dry. Use low to medium heat and a lower airflow. High heat on full blast dries you fast, but it throws fine curls around and makes frizz. Hover the diffuser around the roots first, then cup the ends in the bowl once a light cast has formed.

Hands off while it dries. I know it's tempting, especially when you're checking whether your curls have vanished again, but touching breaks up the pattern and puts oil on the hair. Let the cast set, then scrunch it out once your hair is completely dry.

Be realistic about day two

Fine curls rarely look the same on day two, and chasing day-one hair every morning usually ends in build-up. Refresh only what needs it.

Flat roots but the lengths still look good? Lift the roots with dry hands, a cool diffuser or by moving your part. A few curls lost their shape? Dampen just those bits and scrunch them back. A light mist of Curlicious does this job. Don't soak the whole head and add another full layer of product unless you're washing soon anyway.

Sleeping with your hair loosely piled on top of your head helps keep the pattern if it's long enough. A smooth pillowcase cuts down friction too. Neither will make volume out of nothing, but both mean less work in the morning.

When to change things

Your hair will tell you when the balance is off. Greasy roots, limp curls and a coated feel usually mean too much product, not enough rinsing, or a scalp that needs a proper wash. Dryness, frizz and curls splitting into wisps can mean you need more conditioning, gentler handling or better styling on wet hair.

Seasons, colour, humidity and hard water all change what your hair needs. That's why I don't believe in a routine you never touch. Keep the method the same and change one thing at a time: how often you wash, how much conditioner you use, where the treatment goes, or how you dry.

The goal isn't the biggest hair possible. It's curls that feel light at the roots, hydrated at the ends and easy to live with tomorrow morning.