My Essential Volumising Hair Products

I've been going on about tackling fine hair recently, writing in-depth reviews on individual products. However, how many of these have remained a favourite of mine after I hit the 'publish' button?
Here is a compilation of my favourite products that I use on a daily basis to give my hair that much needed volume boost:

(1) Percy & Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse - Percy & Reed, £12
This is one of my favourite volumising mousses due its weightless feel. The lift isn't as drastic as others, but it achieves a substantial amount without leaving your hands feeling sticky or your hair feeling heavy. It's the mousse I use the most regularly, as it leaves my hair feeling versatile and lighter than air for when i'm rushing to lectures every day.

(2) Charles Worthington Front Row Rough and Tousled Sea Salt Spray - Boots, £5.49
This is the perfect product for when you want to add effortless texture to a polished style. With a few sprays, a light mist quickly brings out your natural waves and adds a bit of depth to fine, limp hair. I like to tip my hair upside down, spray salt spray into the roots and rough my hair up a little after I curl or straighten it - it gives it that tousled 'bed head' look.

(3) Batiste Dry Shampoo Big and Bouncy XXL Volume - Boots, £2.99
I don't know of a single girl who hasn't tried, or at least heard of, Batiste dry shampoo. However, this combination of dry shampoo and volumising spray makes this an essential product for me. Usually my roots and the shorter hair that frames my face gets greasy quite easily, due to being constantly touched and swept to the sides, therefore this shampoo is perfect for keeping my hair looking 'fresh-out-the-shower' clean as well as give it the lift it so desperately needs. I usually keep this can in my bag for whenever my hair falls a bit flat during the day.

(4) L'Oreal Professional Tecni Art Full Volume Volumising Mousse - Boots, £10.50 (250ml)
Being one of the strongest holding volumising mousses I own, there's no surprise that this was a stylists favourite at Fashion Week. Although it took me a few tries to get the amount I needed right before it made my fine hair heavy, I loved just how huge it made my hair look after blow drying. I use this mousse in wet hair before a night out, when I want extra lift that lasts until the lights come on.

(5) Roots Hair Treatment - Lush, £9.95
This is one of the most irritating but most effective volumising hair treatments I have come across. Its instructed to be worked into your scalp for 20 minutes which essentially activates the treatment, which as you'd understand can be quite annoying. However, the end result leaves my fine hair feeling heavier (but not unmanageable) and gives my roots the boost they would have if my hair was naturally thick. I use this pre-shower treatment as part of my preparation for a night out, helping my flat roots lift up ready for even more volume with the addition of a mousse!

(6) Big Sea Salt Shampoo - Lush, £11.25
Out of all of the products mentioned, this is by far the favourite. It's packed with sea salt, has the consistency of sleet and lathers like you wouldn't imagine. After the advised two shampoos my hair feels well nourished, extremely soft and my hair resembled an untamed lions mane. I achieve all-over lift that lasts all day, along with the adopting the lingering scent of mandarin and vanilla. I've attached the link to a full review of this product - I won't bother repeating myself with how much I love this product!

So there you have it, my favourite volumising hair products. What are yours?

Lush's 'Big' Shampoo

Since i've decided to grow out my fringe and attempt a middle parting, i've been obsessed with adding volume. Keeping your hair sleek and straight is great with a fringe, but it's difficult to pull of that look without your hair looking like a pair of curtains. I'd had recommendations of Lush's 'Big' Shampoo from various other bloggers who had used it, due to its inclusion of actual sea salt.

Yes, I know what you're thinking: "Sea salt shampoo?! How is that even possible?" To be honest, I thought the same thing. Sea salt spray is designed to help you achieve a tousled look, giving you beachy waves. However, this shampoo promised to give you both amazing volume and super-soft locks that are easy to get a brush through.

 

The extremely rich shampoo is packed to the brim with real sea salt, however it is carefully balanced with seaweed, coconut, and fresh lemon and lime to ensure shine and softness, which enables you to have the volume of sea salt shampoo without the rough texture you would expect. It is most definitely the most fragrant shampoo I own, with extracts of vanilla, mandarin, neroli and orange flower. With all of the brilliant reviews this product had been given, it was safe to say I could not wait to get in the shower and give it a go!

Here are some photos to show you how it went:

This is how my hair usually looks. Although i'm going to do an in-depth post on what products I use to give my hair more volume, i've used a standard volumising shampoo, followed by a volumising mousse and finished off with a bit of sea salt spray at the roots. This is what I do to my hair on a regular basis in my constant battle with my limp locks to add more volume!

 

There isn't a lot of difference from my hair here to the previous picture, but here I have used the 'Big' shampoo and no other products. The fact that the same amount the volume (If anything, a little bit more!) with a single product as opposed to three is incredible. I had to refrain from using volumising mousse and seasalt spray to achieve even greater results, but I wanted to show the difference a single product can make. 

This is most definitely an all-time favourite product of mine. You are instructed to shampoo twice, and the lather is so moisturising it feels like it can almost double up as a shower gel.  It is so fragrant it makes shower a really relaxing experience, and massaging it in feels almost like a spa treatment! Once you've finished shampooing, it does get a bit worrying as you find yourself picking out the odd bit of sea salt that hasn't dissolved, and your hair hair is so squeaky clean it sounds like your cleaning a window - your hair literally squeaks. However, once i'd blow-dried my hair, I was shocked at how much lift it had. It was incredibly soft, smelt amazing (Thanks to two shampoo's!) and had just achieved a great amount of volume. Obviously with more products such as a mousse or thickening hairspray it would have achiever greater height, but sometimes the more product you use adds more weight to the hair so ideally less is more.

The only slightly negative comment I have on this product is that you must prepare for an insane amount of lather! However, as Lush products are much more environmentally friendly than other manufacturers it doesn't bother me as much. As well as this, the lather is very rich and moisturising, as opposed to just bubbles!

Salt is a natural preservative, so this shampoo requires no synthetic preservatives, which is just one of the many reasons why I love this product. In my personal opinion this product feels like it could be a bit taxing on the hair if used every day, so I usually use this once or twice a week for a sort of treatment. I could be wrong, but it just feels very thick, and could weigh my hair down if used more regularly. Overall a really impressive product at a reasonable £11.25 for a massive 330g (The lather is so thick only a small amount is needed each time!). A must have for anyone with limp or fine hair - pop it on your Christmas list!

You can purchase 'Big' Shampoo from your local Lush store or online here for £11.25.

Mark Hill 'Vava Voom' Volumising Blow Dry Mousse

Ever since i've been in London, i've become quite obsessed with changing my hair. I've always had it styled exactly the same: side fringe, layers and poker straight. However, since my side fringe started growing out i've decided to have a centre parting and start working on making my hair thicker and generally have a lot more volume! 

Mark Hill 'Vava Voom' is part of the Mark Hill Love Big Hair range, aiming to add body, volume and bounce to your hair.  A volumising mousse is one of the foundation products for achieving bouncier locks, due to it being so simple to apply, its versatility and is generally quite inexpensive for the results you can achieve.

When I first applied the mousse, I was hesitant as to how much the product would expand in my hand, so getting the perfect amount took a bit longer! I could rub it in both my hands with ease and apply evenly through damp hair without leaving my hands feeling sticky. As you can see, one pump distributed a reasonable amount of product which I found perfect for my mid-length hair. It's got quite a fresh fragrance, but didn't weaken the scent of my shampoo and conditioner.
I applied throughout the lengths of my towel-dried hair, paying particular attention to the root, and then tipped my head upside down and blow-dried.

When I lifted my head up after drying, it looked like i'd been electricuted - volume wasn't the word. My hair had been lifted at least 3-4cm, and I loved it. Even when I wanted to wear my hair straight, the extra lift gave a completely different finish to my regular style. I was seriously blown away by it. However, I have a feeling that i'm going to be constantly on the lookout for the product that gives me the most lift and I know there will be better ones out there. But for £5.99, it's incredible. It really does lift your hair from the root, making my limp hair look like i've just had a professional blow-dry. However, I saw no difference in my hair when I left it to dry naturally, so ensure that you blow-dry it to activate the mousse. I was afraid it would make my hair greasy, but ensuring that it was properly distributed and rubbed in that did not happen. I now use this product after every shower as it does everything it says in the bottle: Gives my hair bounce, versatility and reduces the need to pay over the odds for a professional blow-dry!

You can purchase Mark Hill 'Vava Voom' Volumising Blow Dry Mousse for £5.99 at your local Boots or Superdrug or online here.