I've always been one of those people, who, when getting my locks trimmed gets compliments on how 'lovely and thick' my hair is. Thick it may be, however, along with thick comes not only the burden of having to detangle the rats nest left over after a good shampoo and condition but also the quest of trying to obtain some volume without being left with the worst case of 'flathead' imaginable.Mid-length hair seems to be the current trend within the 'blogosphere', and as much as I like how it looks on other people, I haven't quite been converted to having the chop myself as yet. I have waist length tresses and I love them - they may not be the easiest to handle or to style, but they're like a comfort blanket to me and no matter how rubbish I might feel about my chunky thighs or my less than perfect skin that day, I know I'll always feel good about my hair.I've always been a fan of a 'big' bouffant - and I will admit, that on occasion, I may have taken it to a whole other level (a level to which it should never have been taken truth be told). However, after much trial and error, I think that I may have finally nailed the key to obtaining voluminous hair without their being a back-comb or a blow-dry in sight!
Wash and Go
I never blow dry my hair unless I'm in a serious rush. It's not a conscious decision, most of the time I'm too lazy to do it - though the damage that too much exposure to heat can do does not escape me. I nearly always wash it in the evening so that I can settle down afterwards and give it a good couple of hours to dry on it's own. My shampoo and conditioner of choice lately have been the Redken All Soft duo - the only duo that I have ever made a conscious effort to repurchase. They leave my hair feeling soft (as the name would suggest), smell incredible and don't leave my locks weighed down at all.
Mask It
Once a week I'll add some sort of treatment into my routine. Volume is nice but not at the expense of frizzy hair (or in my case dry ends) and so I like to smother on something intense. Lately I've been using the Macadamia Deep repair Masque. It's probably my favorite mask to date that I have tried as there is a noticeable difference in the condition of my hair after using it, but there are still a lot of others out there that I'm hoping to give a go - the much spoken about Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer being top of my current wishlist.
If my hair is feeling like it is in particularly bad nick, I might also use a few pumps of my Kerastase Nectar Thermique, running it through the ends to help in giving them a new lease of life.
Styling
I think if it's volume you're after, then this is the step you need to keep as simple as possible despite the temptation to indulge. If you're not after a super sleek finish, then personally I find the best way to achieve natural looking volume is simply by sticking damp hair up in a messy bun the night before, then once you take it down in the morning, just give the waves this produces, a quick boost with one of the much talked about texturising sprays out there. The three pictured here are probably the most popular amongst bloggers that I have seen - Bumble and Bumble's Dryspun Finish, the infamous Oribe Dry Textruising Spray and my personal favorite the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce. If anyone has any alternatives that they think do an equal if not better job though, please do let me know as I would be eager to try them!
And that's it! A routine which requires very little effort in my opinion (that's the way I like it!) in order to obtain the big bouncy mane that you're after.
