When your hair feel and looks flat — or too long or too short to suit your face shape and features — everything else can feel a little .. blah. Conversely, a great cut and style gives you oomph and can even take the place of things like contour makeup or a strong, bold lip. Professional Hairstylist Nova Storm, the founder of BurstFadeHair.com, and Celebrity Hair Stylist Marcus Francis, a partner with vegan hair color and hair care brand Better Natured, explain why they swear by these three life-changing hairstyles for thick and healthy hair that gives you an instant facelift. Whether your love your hair cascading around your shoulders or up and away from your face, you’ll find a gorgeous style that works for you.
Layered Haircuts
Gone are the days where long hair past your shoulders meant trading lift around the face for one-layer length. Layered haircuts are highly recommended by professionals for creating the illusion of thicker hair, Storm confirms. “By strategically cutting varying lengths of hair throughout the layers, the overall volume and texture are enhanced,” Storm says. “Layers remove bulk from the ends, resulting in hair that looks fuller and more voluminous. This technique also adds movement and dimension to the hair, giving it a healthier and thicker appearance.”
Textured Hairstyles
“Textured hairstyles, such as beach waves or tousled curls, can work wonders in making hair appear thicker,” Storm says. “These styles create the illusion of volume and fullness by adding texture and dimension.”
To achieve textured hairstyles, Storm recommends using a curling iron, a curling wand, or even braiding your hair overnight for natural waves. Applying a texturizing spray or mousse before styling can further enhance the texture and increase the appearance of thickness, she adds.
Try: Textured ‘70s Asymmetrical Style
For an out-of-the-box sexy textured style, Francis recommends the ‘70s Asymmetrical style — with one side pinned back, he says you can either apply the Better Natured Fresh Dry Shampoo Powder on dry hair if your hair is at the desired texture, or on damp hair, spray Better Natured’s Beachy Texture Spray, and air dry, diffuse and rough dry with your hands.
“Made a side part opposite your natural side to give more lift,” Francis says. “On the less hair dominant side, pull that side back and up toward the top corner and twist up and over to form a twist against the hair. Finally, use two bobby pins to crisscross through to secure!”
Updos and Ponytails
Updos and ponytails are versatile hairstyles that can instantly make your hair look thicker, Storm raves. “By gathering the hair and securing it tightly, you create the illusion of density,” Storm says. “For updos, adding backcombing or teasing at the crown area before styling can add extra height and volume. For ponytails, positioning them higher on the head and wrapping a small section of hair around the hair tie can create the appearance of fuller, more voluminous hair.”
Try: a Bardot Half-Up
You have even more volume-building options than completely up or totally down when it comes to your hair — take inspiration from retro screen siren Brigitte Bardot and tease your roots before setting hair in a sexy half-up hairdo.
“For the Bardot half-up, spray the Beachy Texture Spray lightly at the roots and throughout the hair,” Francis says. “Either rough dry with your hands or with a round brush. Make a center part and tease the section at the crown and slightly at the top corners to connect and soften the height.”
Next, Francis recommends sprinkling some of the Better Natured Fresh Dry Shampoo Powder at the crown, then smoothing and softening the sections, keeping the height. “By slicing the side sections of hair from the temples and bringing it to the back, you’re creating a half-up hairstyle by overlapping the sections in the back and crisscrossing them with bobby pins to secure,” Francis says.
Feeling inspired? Try one of these instant volume-building hairstyles to add lift to your face and look so refreshed.
