What’s the enemy of youthful-looking hair? Flattened hair. And flattened hair becomes more of a factor in life if your hair is thinning and showing signs of sparseness by the scalp. Of course, some of us are born with fine hair and have been well acquainted with root-lifting sprays and strategic haircuts for many moons, but if this is all new to you and you aren’t sure how to handle it, we’ve got some great tips.
Starting with: haircuts you should absolutely avoid if your goal is hair that isn’t flat. Here are three cuts that can be flattening, along with three alternatives that bring on the volume.
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Heavy Layering
Layers are great — layers are flattering and give you hair lift and body. So why is layering our “cut” to resist if you don’t want flattened hair? Because, all too often, layers are cut into hair with a heavy hand that winds up cutting so much into the hair that its ends can appear choppy and thinned out.
A more chic approach is light layering where you need it and a bottom that is on the blunt side, which helps create the illusion of thicker hair. And if you want to boost your hair's texture even more, try adding heatless waves and curls that expand the width of each strand and make hair look thicker.
A Blunt Bob
The classic bob is one of the best haircuts you can turn to if you are experiencing flat, thin hair and want to make it look fuller and healthier. And while a blunt bob can look chic, it can also fall flat if your hair is on the finer side. Keep the bob — but add long, graduated bangs, face-framing layers, and a few longer layers in the back to give your hair more movement.
Long Hair That’s All One Layer
It’s not that you have to cut your hair short when you turn 40 or 50 — it’s that super-long, one-layered hair is rarely the most flattering way to go (at most ages!). If you feel like your best self with hair that falls beneath your shoulders, great — keep the length. But prevent this cut from falling flat on top by avoiding middle parts and zero layers — both of which can make sparseness look more obvious.
Simple Solution: Add Long Layers
It’s incredible what a few long layers can do for formerly long, one-layered hair: it’s an instant lift. Speak with your stylist about where you’d like your shortest layer to start — many choose the jawline or even the cheekbone to put more emphasis on facial features. From there, layers should gradually cascade until they meet the rest of your hair.
Don’t feel like there’s no hope left when it comes to your hair — avoid these three haircuts and styles that don’t work as well and give these three chic alternatives a try instead.
