If you’re new around here: I’m the Fine Hair Spokesperson for Marie Claire. I have a decent amount of hair, but each strand is itty-bitty and my volume is pretty much non-existent. As such, I’ve made it my life mission to discover the best shampoos and conditioners, styling products, mousses, and dry texturizers that give lift and body to fine hair so it doesn’t fall flat. One thing I’ve learned is that you should never, ever give yourself a blowout without using one of the best root lifters.
They come in a few different formulas—micro-fine sprays and mousses being the top two. And while all of them will focus on lifting, most come with other benefits, too. Some offer heat protection and can be used throughout the body of your hair, others make my hair feel like it doubled in thickness, and a handful even offer protection against humidity. I’ve rounded up my favorites, spanning a range of price points, ahead.
For Thickening
While all of these products will provide lift at the roots, I often want my hair to feel denser, too. What does that mean exactly? I want my ponytail to feel like it doubled in size. These products work well throughout the hair shaft and won’t leave a tacky residue.
One of my biggest gripes with volume-boosting products is that they tend to take away natural shine in favor of texture and grit. This guy is my Goldilocks—it’s packed with vitamin E, so in addition to adding volume and thickness, it adds a pretty shine to my hair.
Living Proof’s Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner are some of my favorites when it comes to cleansing, and this styling product is no different. I focus on my roots, put around five spray throughout the body of my hair and then make sure to comb through before blowing it out.
Volume, Baby
For major volume—like ‘90s blowout volume—I often find that a mousse works best. The sheer amount of product looks intimidating, but trust me, the payoff is worth it. The only exception is ColorWow’s spray; the brand does volume right.
I can’t even articulate how much I love this product. It’s my number-one pick from this list; it has a light floral scent that lasts 24 hours, doesn’t leave a sticky residue, and gives my hair noticeable lift and volume. Per founder Mara Roszak, you can even use it on day two hair as long as you blow-dry your roots post-application.
During my hair growth journey, I exclusively used Vegamour. This has good-for-my-scalp ingredients and didn’t cause any irritation or itchiness. Plus, it uses a natural plant extract called sopora root to plump the hair follicle temporarily so my hair feels fuller.
Heat Protection, Too
I’m a firm believe that your hair routine doesn’t have to be five steps long. Most styling products are designed to be mutli-benefit—and that includes heat protection. These guys will provide next-level volume and defense up to 450 degrees.
I really love the results I get from this, but application is a bit of a learning curve. It’s easy to go too heavy on the application and when that happens, hair can end up feeling pretty sticky. I’d really concentrate this on your roots and ends—skip the mid-shaft sprays.
I’ve been loyal to ColorWow’s volumizing mousse for years, but I recently tested this root lifter and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s impossible to overdry it, and the texture is so fine and natural that it works even on air-dried hair.
Humidity-Proof Heroes
Everyone loves to talk about how humidity makes their hair frizzy and puffy. But for many people with fine hair, moisture in the air actually has the opposite effect. When I don’t use one of these, my hair ends up looking like a greasy mess and goes flat against my scalp.
I’ve really struggled with K18—most of their products, including their bond builder, are way too heavy for my fine hair. This is the only product I have from the brand and it’s a huge win. The volume I get from this lasts for two whole days, and it also holds up even in humidity. (I put it to the test in Florida, FYI.)
Ok, hear me out: this is technically for medium to thicker hair types, but it’s the best humidity proof styler I’ve ever tried so I’ve learned to make it work. I use a very small amount of product and focus it exclusively on my roots—if I use to much my hair feels super heavy.
Drugstore Staples
If you don’t want to spend more than $25 on a hair product, you certainly don’t have to. These drugstore buys are frankly just as good as their luxury counterparts.
Niacinamide isn’t just for your skin. It’s actually in this root lifting formula and has two main goals: to strengthen and thicken your hair. Use it consistently, and I promise you’ll start to feel and see the results.
This isn’t a traditional root lifter—think of it as if hairspray and a dry texturizer had a baby. Spray it on fully styled hair, and you’ll be left with nice volume and body from roots to ends, without the sticky, tacky residue.
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