Emerson Salon – Capitol Hill Seattle

I am frequently asked “what can I do with this fine, limp hair”? If you keep letting your hair air dry and don’t accept my product and styling recommendations, there is nothing I can do for you. Fine hair is oily by origin. It lacks protein and the density it needs to do anything but fall down. How you combat this is achieved in part by how your hair is cut but also in how you manage your hair at home. It also depends on what kind of maintenance you are willing to do. Most clients want no maintenance, and they don’t own a hair dryer. They also don’t want to use styling products. This is a recipe for hair fail!

I cut my fine hair clients’ hair to suit their lifestyle and desires. I can cut a good shape for my fine hair clients and I can texturize their hair within the cut to give them some internal volume. This is only part of the remedy. I recommend professional volumizing shampoos and conditioners that I know that work in the salon I work in. My favorite is Alterna’s Bamboo Abundant Volume shampoo and conditioner. For light styling, their Plumping Strand Expand cannot be beat!

Once your hair is shampooed and conditioned, towel dry hair to get the excess moisture out. Dispense a couple of pumps of the Strand Expand into your hand, rub your hands together and run your fingers through your hair, from roots to ends. Blow dry your hair with medium heat on a medium setting. Heat activates the product and dries it into your hair. No matter what your blow drying technique is, make sure to get the root area of your hair completely dry. This will give your hair the most support. Your ends will dry soon enough.

Once your hair has been adequately blow-dried in the style you are happy with, let your hair cool down. Any kind of heat, including the heat from your hands, will restyle your hair and flatten it. Once your hair is cool, you can use a wide-toothed comb or hairbrush with spaces between the bristles to finalize your style. Don’t be heavy-handed- a light touch is all that is required and one can over-do! It is better for your hair to be a bit bigger than you’d like at the style finish, because hair flattens during the day, when you put a coat, hat, and/or a scarf on, and when you step outside in any sort of humidity.

Use a volume-locking hairspray at the end to finish and set your style for the day. You can take a mini hairspray can with you to work. Bamboo Volume Root Blast can also be used instead of hair spray. It adds volume to dry hair without the stickiness some hair sprays can have. Should your style fall, simply bend your head downward, spray lightly underneath your hair, shake your head and lift your head up. You can lightly use your comb or brush again to calm down any rogue hairs J

Posted by Hair Guy Lancer, specializing in custom cuts and colors for 20+ years.