How To Quickly Add Volume to Short, Medium, and Long Hair

The dry winter air draws moisture from your hair — often leaving strands limp and flat. Using hair-volumizing products is an option if you're short on time. But, those commercial products likely contain a wax called paraffin, which builds up on hair and eventually causes breakage. Fortunately, there's an alternative method for infusing volume and body into limp, lifeless strands: heat. Surprising as it might sound, gentle heat tools are typically preferable to harsh products. Here are three easy tips for using heat hair styling tools to quickly add volume to short, medium, and long lengths.

For Long Hair: Build Volume at the Crown

Hair volume mag image
Hair volume mag image

Hair that cascades past shoulders can weigh down roots, making even the thickest tresses look limp. The quick fix: Make a middle part, then wrap a 2-inch section of hair at the hairline around a Velcro roller; repeat, moving back along the part (three rollers should suffice). Let sit 10 minutes, then unroll. The rollers help prop locks up and off of the scalp for added fullness.

Try: The T3 Volumizing Hot Rollers Set (Buy from Amazon, $139.99) adds long-lasting volume, body, and shine to your hair in four easy steps. The rollers also have two heat settings to accommodate a variety of hair textures and types.

For Short Hair: Add It in Near the Brow

Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren

A short cut can put a spotlight on sparse spots and thinning around the temples and hairline. The quick fix: The movement and texture of deep, side-parted wispy fringe gives the shorter style oomph while also masking any thinning.

Try: The Revlon One Step Volumizer PLUS 2.0 Hair Dryer and Hot Air Brush (Buy from Amazon, $38.24) gives you a shinier blowout with less heat exposure and frizz. Plus, the tool's ceramic titanium barrel offers a smooth glide as you're using it.

For Medium Hair: Focus It in at Mid-Length

Regina King
Regina King

Shoulder-skimming bobs tend to be one-dimensional, sapping any life from locks. The quick fix: Create wavy texture by placing 2-inch sections of hair between the plates of a 2-inch flat iron; twist your wrist back and forth as you move down to ends. The bends create hair-plumping depth.

Try: The VOLOOM Hair Volumizing Iron (Buy from Voloom.com, $139.99) is perfect to use if you want big, bouncy hair that'll last for days. This means you don't have to use the volumizing iron as often — resulting in less heat damage to your hair.

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This article originally appeared on our sister site, First for Women.