MAXIMIZING VOLUME WHILE MINIMIZING DAMAGE

Let’s face facts: Most of us fine-haired ladies just love a big, bouncy finish. BUT, those of us with fragile locks understand that creating such volume often comes at the expense of hair health.

Polished volume without the damage can be difficult to achieve, which is why we’ll be discussing ways to get the volume you crave without sacrificing condition in this edition of the Boldify Blog!

THERMAL PROTECTION

Before you so much as THINK about blow drying or taking a curling wand to your strands, you absolutely must apply a thermal protectant. 

These products help to retain your hair’s moisture, guard against the damaging effects of heat styling - and, in the case of Boldify’s Hair Boost Serum, plump strands for maximum fullness and aid in achieving an ideal finish. 

Just do yourself a favor and apply the dang protectant...your hair will thank us later!

SAFE, EFFECTIVE BLOW DRYING

For many of us, blow drying is an essential part of our daily routine...but, when done improperly, it can place undue stress on strands, causing ailments like excessive dryness, frizz, split ends - and even hair fall. 

The GOOD news is that blow drying CAN be done in a way that minimizes such effects!

First and foremost, pick a dryer that suits your styling needs and your hair type. (Not sure how to do that? Read all about it on the Boldify Blog: Choosing the Best Styling Tools for Your Hair!)

Fast forward to your next shower. You’ve washed and conditioned your hair, gently towel-dried it (or, if you’re like us and want to reduce breakage and frizz, used an old t-shirt to wick away excess water) and have applied your thermal protectant as instructed. Now your focus turns to the small details that will make a big difference!

-Let your hair air-dry until it’s only semi-wet whenever possible. The less water there is to remove, the faster drying will be; faster drying means less heat exposure, which equals less damage.

- You should only ever be utilizing the “Low” or “Medium” heat settings, regardless of the airflow setting you use. The airflow being greater will help to dry hair faster, even when the heat is lowered, to avoid scorching strands. 

- When blow-drying for volume, using a round brush can be a great help - BUT, make sure you’re starting with small sections of pre-detangled hair, and using the brush properly as to avoid breakage and strand loss.

- Once the hair is dry, use the “Cool Shot” button to set your style. One last pass with cool air will help to lock in volume and shine, meaning your ideal style will stick around longer!

Struggling to manage a dryer and a round brush at once for volume? Blow Dry Brushes are a great way to simplify the drying process! Start by using a regular dryer to remove most excess moisture; once locks are barely damp, section hair off and work your way from the bottom to the top, rolling strands over the brush to direction ends under or under the brush for a sassy flip!

CURLING/WAVING/STRAIGHTENING IRONS

Unlike blow-dryers - where direct, intense heat can mostly be mitigated with quality tools and customizable settings - irons meant to straighten and smooth curly strands or give body to limp, lifeless locks are all direct heat, all the time. 

BUT, that’s not to say that you can’t make good use of their benefits and minimize damage! 

Firstly, make sure you’re using a quality tool with settings that are easily adjustable to suit your hair. (In case you didn’t check it out earlier, you can find details on the Boldify Blog: Choosing the Best Styling Tools for Your Hair!) 

Remember, to avoid scorching strands, it’s vital that hair be completely dry before using an iron or wand of any kind...while there are tools made specifically for “Wet to Dry” applications, they generally are not recommended for use on fine/thin/fragile hair. Also, ensuring that hair is detangled before you begin straightening/curling will help to minimize the length of time the tool has to be in contact with your hair - in turn, minimizing damage.

When sectioning hair for straightening or curling, be sure you’re creating reasonably small sections; while it’s tempting to take bigger sections of hair that fine or thin, fewer strands per pass/curl means more attention from the tool to each individual strand - which means your hair will style more quickly/easily. Again, the less time strands stay in contact with intense heat, the better.

When applying the tool, be sure not to put too much pressure on the plates/clamp; hair should glide easily through the tool, at a moderate pace, and you shouldn’t feel excessive pulling or tugging. Clamping too tightly intensifies the heat - which means a higher likelihood of damage - and pulling/tugging creates breakage and can even cause strand loss.

Pay special attention to getting the desired effect with the first pass. Think of it like waxing your eyebrows; when you’re doing it right, you shouldn’t have to hit the same spot more than once. Be sure you’re using a moderate pace, especially with lower temperatures; you don’t want to linger too long, however not allowing enough time for the tool to do its job will result in frizziness or lack of curl. 

Strand ends are particularly susceptible to damage and dryness - which makes it all that much more important to be aware of how much heat you’re applying, and for how long. While it may not be possible with straightening, you may want to avoid the last inch or so of the hair altogether when curling; this creates a beachy, relaxed wave and eliminates the possibility of damaging ends altogether! 

Lastly, if you’re using a heated styling tool to refresh your style on no-wash days, make sure you’re re-applying thermal protection directly beforehand; the serum you applied yesterday post-wash simply won’t protect from another styling sesh.

ROLLER SETTINGS

Feel like exploring ways to build in volume without having to heat style daily? Rollers are a great tool for creating lasting volume and soft, supple curls!

Those who shower at night might have great luck in setting wet hair on soft velcro rollers before bed; with the right products (and sleep position), you’ll wake to lusciously full volume that’s ready for shaping into your ideal style - no heat required.

Another excellent option for those looking to volumize pre-dried locks are heated rollers, which -  unlike hot styling tools - utilize lower heat settings. Such rollers are applied to hair while they’re warm, and left in place until they’ve cooled; during this process, hair is heated up to take the shape of the roller, and set in place as the rollers and strands cool simultaneously. 

Whether you opt for the low-tech velcro rollers or the finest curling wand that money can buy, just remember...the benefits of your bodifying efforts can be well enhanced with Boldify products!