Get healthy volume

I like to think about volume as a building process: lay the foundation first, then work your way up. That’s what happens when you start with a volumising shampoo and conditioner – like the Pantene Sheer Volume collection – then use styling products to make a kind of structure for your style. Volumising shampoos help hair in two ways. First, they cleanse away build-up from styling, dirt from the environment and excess oils from your hair that may be weighing it down. Then, they rinse clean to help hair look thicker and fuller. Volumising conditioners provide protection against styling – that’s something you really don’t want to be without. Some women skip conditioning because they fear it will weigh their hair down, but if you choose a volumising conditioner – which tends to be lighter than intensive or deep conditioners – you’ll get hydration and protection and still be able to create volume. So if you think of shampoo and conditioner as creating a healthy foundation for volume, think of styling products as what actually build your look. They take what the shampoo and conditioner have begun and add polymers—lengthy molecular chains holding ingredients—to develop a kind of network that supports the hair and maintains space. The best products for volume are usually mousses since they can provide lift to each strand right at the root. When you add heat to these products from blow-drying and styling, you’re able to “set” the network the polymers create. And that’s what gives you hair that’s really full.