The Routine for Fine Hair
Less product, in the right places.
Fine hair needs less of everything, and almost nothing at the roots.
Is It Fine?
Take one hair off your brush and roll it between your fingers. If you can barely feel it, it’s fine. Try two or three from different spots and go with what most of them feel like. Fine is the width of each strand. You can have plenty of it.
The Routine
- Wash. About a dime of shampoo, on your scalp. Wash twice, then rinse for two full minutes.
- Condition. The smallest amount, from the ears down.
- Leave-in. A light spray on your ends.
- Oil. Two drops, ears down, on dry ends, or skip it.
Source: shampoo makers’ washing directions.
Roots feel coated? A clarifying wash now and then.
At the Roots
Only dry shampoo, texture spray and hairspray go on the hair at your roots. Products made for the scalp, like a scalp oil or a scalp serum, go on the skin itself.
Drying
Blow drying? Dry your roots first, against the way they fall. Keep the dryer moving, about six inches away.
Six inches: one lab study on hair samples (Lee et al., Annals of Dermatology, 2011; re-checked 17 Oct 2026). More in how to blow dry.
Sources: Shampoo makers’ washing directions · Lee Y et al. Annals of Dermatology 2011;23(4):455-462 (re-checked 18 Oct 2026)
Spot something we got wrong? Tell us and we’ll fix it.