Add Body and Volume to Hair with a Flat Iron
Lift and Boost Roots to Create Thicker, Fuller Looking Hair
Sep 7, 2008
Follow these steps to boost roots of any hair length quicker than using a rounded brush.
Products Required to Add Volume to Hair
- Blow dryer: ionic and/or ceramic is best to reduce dry time and damage. Recommended product: Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dry v.1
- Comb: professional combs have no seams that tend to break hair. Recommended product: CERAM-ION Wide Tooth Rat Tail Ionic Comb
- Styling product and Thermal Protectant: medium to high hold depending on hair length, and protection from high heat. Recommended products: ghd creation spray, Nioxin Volumizing Reflectives Root Lifter, and Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Serum are formulated specifically for heat styling and weightless root lifting support
- Clips (for long hair): jaw clips hold large amounts of hair securely. Recommended product: Dannyco Expandable Jaw Clips
- Flat iron: look for one with ceramic plates to seal and smooth strands of hair, and with rounded plates to create smooth edges. Recommended product: ghd IV styler
Prepare the Hair
Apply chosen styling product to wet hair, focusing root lifting product on the root area. Thermal protectants like Super Skinny Serum are applied to wet hair, but ghd’s creation spray that provides hold and heat protection is sprayed on dry hair right before applying heat.
Dry
Hair must be dry. Flat irons called ‘wet-to-dry’ claim they can be used directly on damp hair, but do not give the best results. Excess moisture prevents hair from holding style. Let hair dry naturally for less clheat damage, or blow dry thoroughly.
Protect and Style
- Comb hair gently to remove any tangles.
- If hair is long, clip top ¾ of hair with jaw clips, leaving the remaining bottom ¼ in a fringe around the head. If hair is short, no clipping is necessary.
- Take a small section of hair and spray lightly with a thermal protectant, such as ghd’s creation spray (if one was not applied to wet hair) or root booster product, holding hair 90 degrees away from the head.
- Clamp flat iron close to the scalp and hold for 3 seconds. Keeping the section of hair at a 90 degree angle, turn iron 180 degrees (half a full turn) and pull swiftly through short hair; if hair is long hold turned barrel another 2 seconds and release. Wait for hair to cool before styling further or re-clamping the same section of hair. Trying to heat-style warm hair won’t work, and trying to accessorize or style with product will cause the volume created to loosen and droop.
- For short hair, take another section of hair where volume is desired and repeat.
- For long hair, repeat steps around fringe. Let a ¼ of pinned hair down each time a fringe is boosted, and repeat all steps until all hair has been styled with the iron.
When hair is cool, style the rest of hair as desired. This effect can be used to create volume in specific areas, such as the back of the crown for short styles, or for the crown of long hair for a little body.
Experiment with a flat iron to straighten, curl, and make waves.
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