Many Type 2s and Type 3As with thin, flat hair yearn for more volume. Some find that even if they achieve great volume on Day 1, retaining that fullness and bounce on Day 2 is nearly impossible. Some curlies swear by the pineapple technique when they sleep, but we’ve also heard from many peeps for whom the pineapple doesn’t work, in terms of achieving second-day volume.
CurlTalker serasgf was so frustrated by her lack of volume, she invented a new method to give her short bob more life.
“I found this method through sheer luck,” she says. “And I hope it helps anyone else who’s struggling with volume.”
She says her new method works best as a nighttime routine, and doesn’t require anything more exotic than a t-shirt and some safety pins. Here’s what she does:
1. Cleanse & condition with volumizing products
I wash my hair with Sallé Revitalizing Shampoo Extra Body and condition with Herbal Essences Totally Twisted curl conditioner – but you can swap out the shampoo/conditioner with another volumizing shampoo and/or curl conditioner, or drop the conditioner entirely if you feel it weighs your hair down too much.
2. Scrunch in mousse
I lightly scrunch my wet hair with a cotton t shirt, so that the hair is still mostly wet but not dripping-everywhere-wet. Then I apply a bit of Aussie Headstrong Volume Mousse, just about the size of a cotton ball, starting at the roots and scrunching through the rest of my hair. DON’T add more mousse. I know it’s tempting, you feel like you don’t have enough in your hair, but unless your hair is a lot longer, this is all you need. Applying too much of voluminous products is always worse than having a little less than you could put on your hair, as it weighs your hair down.
3. Scrunch in cream
After I’m done working the mousse into my hair, I use Redken Curvaceous Ringlet Shape Perfecting Lotion, again in a very small amount, but depending on what curl shaping product you’re using, you might use a different amount if you find it works better for you. I scrunch the product into my hair thoroughly, NOT adding any more product than I used the first time I went over my hair.
4. Flip the part
I flip my hair to the opposite side of where I want to part it when it dries, and let it air dry.
5. Tie a t-shirt turban
After it has finished drying, I wrap a cotton t shirt around the front of my head like a headband. The goal of this is to keep the hair pushed back and upwards away from your pillow when you sleep, to avoid flattening.
To do this, I press the neck hole of the shirt to the back of my head near the bottom (where your hair starts to grow”> and grab the two sleeves, tying them together at the top of my forehead. You want this tie to be tight enough to stay, but not too tight that it is uncomfortable or restricting your hair. Once the sleeves are tied, the rest of the t shirt hangs over your head loosely, and isn’t keeping your hair in place upwards. So, using two safety pins, secure each side of the t shirt to where you tied your sleeves.
*Editor’s Note: We have a full tutorial on how to tie the turban for yourself here.
6. Scrunch & sleep
Now, just take a spray bottle and wet your roots, lightly scrunching and fluffing them. Go to sleep with the t-shirt headband on and when you wake up, take it off and you should have root volume from your hair being pushed up while wet (similar to drying your hair upside down or clipping your roots, but stronger and more evenly spread out.
Serasgf says this is a good method if you don’t have money for a diffuser or lots of products. She says you can substitute any products you like.
CurlTalker Therese1 tried the new method and liked it, too: “I did indeed get more volume, and I had more wave retained than usual!”
Serasgf says, “It’s worked a lot better for me than a pineapple, as whenever I’d take my hair out of the tight ponytail it would lose its shape and be a mess.”
To some curlies, the method is reminiscent of plopping or of using a buff (stay tuned for an upcoming article about this technique!”>. Great to have a similar option that might work even better for bob-length hair!
Try this new method and let us know what you think, in the comments section, below!
