True life: I have terrible hair. And not in like a “oh my gooossshhh I hate my hair because it’s SO THICK and takes SO LONG to dry.. ugh” way. No. I mean in the “I have terrible thin hair for real” way. It’s thin and stringy and terrible. I say all that to say, when it comes to creating an optical illusion with my hair.. I’ve had PLENTY of practice. Here’s what I’ve learned after multiple years of trying to make my hair look thicker, fuller, and more… va-va-voom. I mean who are we kidding, we’re all going for that VS angel hair look, right? Also, if you are in the Raleigh area I FINALLY found an INCREDIBLE hair gal 🙂 I recommend her times ten!
I keep a wide tooth comb in the shower to comb through when there is conditioner in. That way I don’t aggressively try to de-tangle right after the shower and damage my hair.
I’m not really a product junkie, but I really do love this stuff. It makes it possible for me to just blow dry my hair and not necessarily straighten/ curl with a wand if I don’t have time. It makes my hair much softer than it really is and much smoother too.
all my favorites: a roll brush // indie hair powder // smoothing spray // oil // wide tooth comb
I use the NuMe straightener and the Nume curling wand (p.s. they are offering the Megastar straightener for $79 right now with free shipping and Argan Oil if you use the code: GIFTS79 at checkout)
ahhh the wand curl – years of being in a sorority + my college dance team really taught me how to perfect this. I hold the NuMe wand curler upside down with the opposite arm and over my head. I always wrap the hair around the wand going away from my face. It’s hard to explain without a video but essentially you always want the piece of hair you are curling to be held between your face and the wand. Don’t take the piece of hair behind the wand and curl it towards your face…. go in front of the wand and away from your face. Does that make sense? I’m attaching a video that shows this more clearly. (start at 3:30 in..) When people curl towards their face it looks like Goldilocks in a middle school beauty review. #truth
I then use the NuMe straightener to do any touch-ups / curl even higher up (here’s a video for that too) When I curl with a straightener it definitely lasts SO much longer. If you are one of those “my hair always falls” girls – curl your hair with a straightener. I can almost guarantee the curls will be there the next day.
probably one of the most important parts is to take hair from each side of your part and straighten the roots forward. If you have a side bang, this is what creates the “swoop” –
my favorite hair product on the face of the earth is this Indie powder. It’s not dry shampoo, it’s a texture powder that I put just in the roots then work it in to create volume. This stuff works. It’s a little waxy, but just the tiniest bit adds so much texture and volume. If you tease with this stuff in the roots – it won’t move 🙂
not sure if it’s because I’m from Mississippi or because I was on the dance team and we always teased but I still LOVE a good tease. Here’s a video for that as well. (start at 1:20 in…)
I don’t always use this since it can make my hair oily quickly but sometimes just a touch of this on the roots adds shine and makes my hair softer. Plus it smells good.
and there you have it. I would give anything for longer thicker hair but for now this is what works for me. Hope it was helpful! Also, a big thank you to Amy for snapping these pics while I was at her house this weekend! And thank you so much for reading!

Ugh I feel you on the thin hair front – I am always jealous of people who complain about having too much hair. Get some real problems ya know? 😉
I never would have guessed that you have such “terrible” hair though because it always looks amazing! Guess you figured out what works for you!
I use the Nume wand too and absolutely love it, it’s made such a difference. I also use clip in extensions whenever I wear my hair down. I have them cut to the length of my hair so they are just for volume. You can find them for a decent price and they last a long time, you should look into it!
Also, those texture powders are the BOMB!
xo Mary-Katherine | http://www.goldhattedlover.com
I’ll be saving this and trying it tonight! Amazing review and tips, thank you for sharing!
I have the same sentiments about my hair that you have about yours! Thanks for the tips and product recommendations! 😉
Ooh I love this!! I must try those products!
http://www.maggiealamode.com