How to Make Fine Hair Thicker: Four Experts Share Proven Methods

Fine hair can be both a blessing and a challenge. While it dries quickly and feels silky-soft, it also lacks the volume and fullness that many of us crave. For those who dream of thicker, luscious locks, the journey to get there can be filled with countless products, tips, and advice. But with so much information out there, where do you even begin?

Together with hair care experts, we explore the most effective methods to transform fine hair. We provide you with practical solutions and professional insights, with both immediate and long-term solutions for hair loss and thinning hair.

Whether you’ve always had fine hair or find it thinning as time goes on, there’s hope for achieving the fuller look you crave. From the latest hair care technology to tried-and-true remedies, our experts share their secrets and recommendations made just for you.

At a Glance: How to Make Your Hair Thicker and Fuller Instantly and Long-Term

• Ask for a thicker haircut to create the illusion of density – a blunt bob or a haircut with volume at the ends can do this.
• Consider invisible hair extensions. By adding a few local tapes, you can get instant thickness.
• Take a vitamin B supplement (biotin). Experts often recommend Viviscal for its nutrient-rich formula.
• Choose the right products: volumizing mousses and sprays provide temporary effects with polymers that coat the hair strands, making them appear fuller, while thickening products provide the hair with specific ingredients such as protein, collagen and keratin to improve hair density immediately and in the long term.

Read more: ‘I’ve tested hundreds of hair treatments and this £7.50 one gives me glass-like locks’

Ask your hairdresser for a thicker cut

If you’re looking for a quick fix to adding volume, you can significantly improve the appearance of fine hair with a smart haircut. “Textured haircuts are essential, adding movement and dimension that creates the illusion of fuller hair,” explains Gennaro Dell’Aquila, owner of GA Salons. “For some clients, a blunt cut or bob can make hair appear significantly thicker by concentrating the weight at the ends.”

Since many of us with fine locks assume that keeping length is the best way to fake more hair, a short and blunt cut can make a world of difference. For inspiration, look to Keira Knightley and Nicole Richie – both have fine hair, but use clever cuts to disguise it.

Book It: Visit the experts at GA Salons in London, where appointments start from just £85.

Consider ‘invisible’ extensions

If your hair and scalp are healthy, there’s no reason you can’t cheat on thickness with some discreet extensions. Fake hair gets a bad rap due to outdated application methods, but these days they can give you the thickening and confidence boost you’re looking for without compromising the condition of your hair.

Those with fine hair will benefit most from ‘invisible’ extensions. “These small tapes are about 20% smaller than traditional tapes, making them much less visible on the scalp,” explains Olja Cutz, founder of London-based salon The Extensionist. “If you’re looking to add volume and thickness for an event where you’re wearing an updo, the smaller sizes of these also work better for ponytails and half-up looks.”

Olja also explains that for clients with very fine hair, a combination method of small tapes and microbonds is needed to ensure that they blend perfectly. “Sometimes we apply small bonds around the front and sides of the hair, and then we apply tapes to the back sections where the hair is thicker and can better hide larger extensions. This combination is also great for anyone who tells us that they tie their hair up a lot,” she explains.

Book It: If you’re getting extensions purely for thickness, you can probably get away with half a head of tapes – £400 at The Extensionist, including washing and styling. It starts at £550 for a full head. Maintenance appointments are needed every 8-10 weeks.

Look at the products you use

There are two types of products that are targeted at fine hair types: volumizing sprays, mousses, and creams, and thickening treatments. Volumizing products generally give temporary results to hair with ingredients like polymers that coat the strands and create more space. Thickening products make each strand physically wider and stronger with additives like protein and collagen.

A word of caution about trends that have emerged on social media that promise to increase the density of your hair. “Oils do not promote hair growth, specifically there is no evidence that castor oil and rosemary oil increase the thickness of your hair. Oils do serve a purpose in conditioning hair care products, they help add shine and smooth the hair cuticle to lock in moisture and improve combability,” explains Anabel Kingsley, brand president and trichologist for Philip Kingsley.

Best Volumizing and Thickening Hair Products

These drops are clinically proven to reduce hair loss and slow hair loss. “If you are experiencing hair loss in women or men, topical scalp drops with Minoxidil are very effective,” says Anabel.

If you’re looking for temporary volume from roots to ends, this is the product to give you that. With added heat protection, it also helps reduce heat-related damage over time.

Formulated with Stemoxydine and Hyaluronic Acid, this shampoo hydrates strands, while a blend of glucopeptide and ceramides helps hair appear fuller.

Work on hair density from within

If you’re really serious about improving the quality of your hair, although it may take a few months to see results, you should look at the vitamins you’re taking. Perimenopause Doctor and Viviscal Ambassador, Dr Shahzadi Harper, recommends taking a supplement that contains both iron and biotin.

“Iron plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells, which affects hair health,” she says. “It’s also important that the supplement contains certain ingredients, such as biotin. This is the most common B vitamin and one of the most common ingredients in beauty supplements to support healthy hair, skin and nails. Biotin is a protein that strengthens hair strands, meaning that hair is less likely to become damaged and break off. Biotin improves the infrastructure of keratin, a protein in our hair that forms hair, skin and nails.”

Buy it: Viviscal Healthy Hair Vitamins, buy a three month supply for £66.50 (on sale from £132.99)