How to Make Thin Hair Look Thicker

2. Let a bob or lob add instant oomph.

The trendy fast track to thicker hair? Cut it!

A chin-ish-length bob, or a lob that swings somewhere from mid-neck to just above the shoulders, will do it. I know the sassy toss of a Rapunzel-like mane is appealing, but keeping long hair looking lush at 50 is tough, especially when your genes and hormonal changes take charge. What you thought was adding a sexy vibe can quickly turn stringy.

Bobs and lobs both hug your face in a flattering frame, camouflage a saggy jawline and look impressively fashionable. Here’s the main difference: Bobs and lobs with a blunt-cut bottom line provide the thickest look, since all your ends hang together in a crisp, same-length unit. Lobs provide more coverage, but do your hair a favor and keep the bottom line an inch or two above the shoulders. This gives your neck a longer look and your hair a more defined shape.

Blunt cuts are more polished than choppier bobs and lobs with textured ends or subtle layers — those have a looser, tousled edginess. Blunt bobs and lobs require more trim maintenance; choppier versions give you more flexibility. Either way, you’ll achieve a swingy movement and a healthier, fuller appearance. Consider adding a long, full fringe or sideswept bangs to any bob or lob for extra camouflage of a receding hairline.

(From left) Sharon Stone, Kristen Wigg, Calista Flockhart.

AARP (Getty Images, 3)

3. Let highlights make thin hair look fat.

Contrasting your base color with highlights has a brightening effect on mature skin but also gives hair what colorists call dimension. Highlights make the skimpiest hair visually voluptuous.

Think of how a striped sweater enhances the appearance of your bust and torso, giving them a fuller look compared to a solid navy or black one. That’s not all. Color — even all-over hair color, not just highlights — coats the hair shaft. This physically increases each hair’s diameter, so your ’do feels thicker, too.

Choose low-contrast highlights. They give your hair a “blended” look that’s more flattering than high-contrast ones (the zebra-stripe effect!). A mix of tones, such as brown, gray and blonde, is a popular low-maintenance solution for many women.

Consider gray hair and its coarser texture a texture-building ally, whether you opt to go gray, color it or blend the silver strands with highlights as above. If you already have high-contrast highlights, discuss a color correction with your colorist to soften the mix.  Worried about adding highlights to fragile hair? A professional colorist can adjust the highlight placement, formula and maintenance schedule to keep your hair damage-free.

(From left) Carrie Coon (2); Madison Reed The Great Cover Up Root Touch Up + Brow Filler; L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover Up Temporary Root Concealer Spray.

AARP (Getty Images, 2; Ulta, CVS)

4. Change your part for instant density.

A wide part that reveals more scalp than usual is a sign and effect of thinning hair. Since most women wear their hair parted in the same spot every day, the problem is always visible. One effective solution is to keep moving the part from one side to the other, or from side to off-center. This not only hides the usual well-worn  “path” of your hair, but the flip-over creates some lift at the crown. 

You can also try scrambling the part in an imperfect zigzag instead of a straight line for a tousled look that disguises sparseness at the roots. One important tip: A side or off-center part will always provide a thicker-looking crown section than an even center part. You’ll also gain an extra thickness boost by applying a root cover-up, like Madison Reed The Great Cover Up Root Touch Up + Brow Filler ($36, ulta.com), Color Wow Root Cover Up in Blonde ($35, target.com) or L’Oréal Paris Magic Root Cover Up Temporary Root Concealer Spray ($14, cvs.com) along the part to minimize the widening effect of white or gray roots as they appear. And here’s another little-known visual trick: Amp up your brows with pencils and powders. Fuller, straighter brows create the illusion of thicker hair at the crown by enhancing definition to the upper face, thereby minimizing the space between the eyes and hairline. Sounds crazy? Try it and see for yourself!

(From left) Viviscal Thickening Shampoo With Biotin & Keratin and Viviscal Strengthening Conditioner With Biotin & Keratin; John Frieda UltraFiller+ Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner; Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer for Fine Hair.

AARP (Ulta, 2; Target, 2; CVS)

5. Switch to body-boosting shampoos and conditioners.

If you think hair products that promise lift, fullness and more abundant hair are a marketing gimmick, let me assure you they are not. While actual regrowth products and supplements require time and patience, everyday shampoos and conditioners can create healthier, more resilient hair even before you get to styling. 

Look for formulas with words like “volumizing,” “densifying,” “thickening” and “bond-building” on the label, and products that emphasize ingredients such as keratin, silk protein, amino acids and wheat protein (all a form of protein); biotin (vitamin B7), which encourages hair’s protein-building; and panthenol (vitamin B5), which attracts moisture to swell the hair from within.

Try moisturizing ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, aloe and glycerin, that restore dry, brittle or breakage-prone, thin hair to a more hydrated, supple, glossy texture. Be sure to add a leave-in conditioner/heat protectant as the final step in your shampoo routine. When applied to freshly washed and conditioned hair that’s been blotted, it detangles and prevents blow-dryer heat damage.

Try John Frieda UltraFiller+ Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner ($11 each, target.com) with biotin and hyaluronic acid; OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Volumizing Shampoo, Bergamot, Jasmine & Vanilla and OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Volumizing Conditioner ($10 each, walgreens.com); or Viviscal Thickening Shampoo with Biotin & Keratin and Viviscal Strengthening Conditioner with Biotin & Keratin ($20 each, ulta.com) instead of your usual duo, plus a primer/detangler/protectant like Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer for Fine Hair ($15, cvs.com), designed for fine hair. Do your hair a favor and toss the shampoos and conditioners that may be stripping natural oils from your hair (just like a detergent does) and causing it to go flat and limp. Any items that don't say volumizing, densifying, thickening, or bond building on the label should go.

Feel guilty? Repurpose the shampoos to hand-wash bras, makeup brushes and cashmere sweaters. Use the conditioner as a leg shaving cream, to buff salt stains from leather boots, or as a pre-manicure cuticle cream soak. Final tip: You’re seeing hair in your shower drain? Don’t panic. Shedding is part of the hair cycle of renewal and growth; it is temporary and normal for everyone. We shed between 50 and 100 hairs a day.

(From left) Color Wow Raise The Root Thicken + Lift Spray; Ouai Thickening & Volume Spray for Fine Hair; Conair Heatless Voluminous Curls Self Grip Rollers.

AARP (Ulta, 2; Target)

6. Use airy sprays or mousse to blow-dry in bounce. 

You don’t need a shelf full of styling products and a fancy $500 blow-dryer with six attachments. What you do need is the right volumizing styling product and a basic drugstore blow-dryer. Look for a weightless protein mist, like Ouai Thickening & Volume Spray for Fine Hair ($30, ulta.com) with amino acids; Color Wow Raise The Root Thicken + Lift Spray ($24, ulta.com), with keratin and silk protein; and light mousses like Pantene Pro-V Volume & Body Nutrient-Rich Mousse ($7, walgreens.com) with vitamin B5 (panthenol). All help thin or fine hair defy gravity and restore bounce, height and lift. 

Rough-drying your hair before using the dryer for styling is key to building in volume quickly, and it cuts down concentrated heat time. Here’s how: First, apply your volumizer to freshly washed, damp hair right over your leave-in conditioner/heat protectant. Mist your hair from roots to tips, or blend the mousse all over, for general plumping. For spot volume, apply either formula at the roots or the crown area.  Then rough-dry your hair on the medium setting until it is 75 percent dry. Keep the dryer moving and don’t get too close to the hair. Finish styling by adding a few Velcro rollers, such as Conair Heatless Voluminous Curls Self-Grip Rollers ($9, target.com), for shape, or use a round brush and your dryer for a final heat set and styling. What about dry shampoo? It’s great as a between-shampoos body-builder, it’s a quick root lifter, and it prevents bangs from going flat — but not as a daily routine. Despite what you heard, thin hair and dry shampoo buildup are not best friends.