Flat Hair With No Volume at the Roots?

Flat, tired strands by the afternoon? Let’s give your roots some lift. Often it’s just weight, and that’s something you can change today.

Woman seen from behind, lifting long straight brown hair at the roots

Flat is often weight sitting at the roots: product, build-up or conditioner. Roots with nothing on them have the best chance to lift.

First, a Few Tips

  1. Move your part. Roots trained flat on one side can lift when you switch. Two seconds, no tools needed.
  2. Keep conditioner from the ears down.
  3. Blow-dry your roots first, against the way they fall, then flip it back.

Your Routine, Step by Step

  • Wash: lightweight, at the scalp.
  • Condition: light, from the ears down.
  • Leave in: the smallest amount, ends only.
  • For lift: a dime-size amount of curl gel through wet hair. Let it air-dry, set it in curlers, let them cool, then brush out loosely.
  • Styling: texture spray on dry hair, sprayed under lifted sections.
  • Lift between washes: a little dry shampoo at the roots. Wait a minute or two, then brush it through.

Flat is a habit, not a sentence. Let’s find a routine that fits how you wear it.

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Related: Greasy · Fine

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology, dry shampoo tips (updated 26 Mar 2024) · American Academy of Dermatology, leave-in tips (updated 26 Mar 2024). Checked 17 Oct 2026.

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