31 Volumizing Hairstyles for Thin Hair that Will Boost Your Confidence
You don’t need thick hair to keep your hair looking stylish and fresh. Hair texture and volume varies from person to person. Regardless of your hair type, you can have effortlessly beautiful hair if you know what styles work best for you.
If you struggle with hair that feels flat when styled, there are specific hairstyles for thin hair that can make your hair appear thicker. Volumizing products can also help your thin hair stay healthy and full. An experienced hair stylist can recommend tips and tricks to keep your hair and your confidence high when you leave the salon.
1. Layered, Choppy Bob
Photo source: Annie Trang, a women’s haircut Pro from Brea, CA
A layered, choppy bob is a great hairstyle for thin hair. Adding layers to thin hair may feel like you’re cutting away valuable real estate, but it actually creates the illusion of volume. You can liven up your choppy bob with volumizing mousse to create a fierce look, or you can leave it product-free for a daytime look.
2. Long A-line Bob
Photo source: Ashleyann, a women’s haircut Pro in Charlotte, NC
A long A-line bob is another hairstyle that works well for thin hair. When you cut one side of your hair longer than the other, the longer side will appear thicker. You can add a deep side part to this hairstyle to make the longer side of your hair look heavier as well.
3. Curtain Bangs and Curls
Photo source: Whitney Porter, a women’s haircut Pro from Houston, TX
Curls are one of the best tricks to add volume to thin hair. You may think having thin hair means you need to keep your hair short, but you can achieve a longer hairstyle that looks voluminous by adding curls and curtain bangs. Curtain bangs styled flip outward, which will make your hair seem bigger than it is.
4. Sleek Bob
The straight bob can work well with thin hair since the straight ends make the hair look fuller. You can part your hair in the middle with this look if you want it to be more modern, but a deep side part and slightly curled ends can add some volume to this hairstyle.
5. Beachy Waves
Photo source: Bri Claire, a women’s haircut Pro from Glendora, CA
When you have thin hair, the key to making it look fuller is adding texture when possible. Beachy waves on shoulder-length hair will give you effortless volume. To get beachy waves, you can try using a sea salt spray or a large-barreled curling iron.
6. Straight Bob with Bold Color
Photo source: Pepper Pastor, a women’s haircut Pro from Austin, TX
This straight bob has a similar effect to the choppy, layered bob. With thin hair, adding length isn’t always necessary to add volume. By reducing the length of the hair with this look and angling the cut toward the back of the head, the hair appears fuller. The bold color of this bob will also help you stand out!
7. Straight Hair and Long Bangs
Photo source: Mary Tran, a women’s haircut Pro from Santa Monica, CA
If you’re devoted to your long hair but want a hairstyle for thin hair that upgrades your look, you can try long bangs. Long bangs will stretch down to your jawline, while the rest of your hair stays one length. This will give you added texture and variation without drastically changing your look. Sometimes a minor change is better than a drastic makeover. If you want, you can also add some extensions made for thin hair for even more length. For instance, tape-in extensions are an ideal solution for thin hair since they can give you added length and volume.
8. Feathered Pixie Cut
Photo source: John George, a women’s haircut Pro in Chicago
If some of the other hairstyles for thin hair feel too choppy for you, then you can ask for the feathered technique. This is a layering technique that looks great on a pixie cut or a short bob cut. Instead of noticeable layers, feathered layers are more delicate. You may not see significant volume with feathering, but it can add dimension to your hair that you didn’t have before.
9. Feed-In Braids
Photo source: Tenille Boyd, a women’s haircut Pro from Temple Hills, MD
If your hair is short and thin and you want to overhaul your look, then feed-in braids can be a good option. Feed-in braids add length to your hair by feeding in extensions to the hair you already have. With these braids, your hair options are endless. You can choose your braid style, braid length, and braid color.
10. Cornrows
Cornrows are a protective hairstyle for thin hair that won’t require extensions. Even if you have short hair, there is a lot of variety in both size and length of cornrows. These braids can protect your hair from breakage if you feel like your hair is too thin or fragile to style in other ways. Cornrows can be stylish, easy to manage, and can last for weeks at a time.
11. Finger Waves
Finger waves are a 1920s-inspired hairstyle that can do wonders for thin hair. Although this hairstyle can take a while to create, the outcome is simply stunning. If you have very short hair, you can use styling gel to make finger waves on your scalp. If you have longer hair, you can use clips to make your finger waves.
12. Classic Ponytail
If you have thin hair, you may have trouble getting a naturally thick ponytail, but there are ways to make your ponytail appear fuller with little effort. One trick is to prop up your ponytail. You can do this by doubling up on ponytail holders, adding bobby pins below your ponytail to hold it up, or by doubling up on ponytails and hiding one of your ponytails below the other.
13. Bob with Side Bang
Sometimes the best way to bring the attention away from your thin hair is to cut your hair in a way that pulls the eyes toward your face. This straight bob is cute and classy. This hairstyle doesn’t need a lot of volume since the emphasis is on the face. Adding a side-swept bang to this simple bob brings the attention directly to your eyes.
14. Undercut
It may require some courage to get an undercut hairstyle, but the outcome will boost your confidence! A stylist will shave the bottom part of your hair, which gives this cut an edgy vibe. Thankfully, you won’t need thick hair for this style because you can use styling gel or mousse to style the top part of your hair.
15. TWA
A TWA — a teeny weeny Afro — is a trending hairstyle for many reasons. The TWA is easy to maintain, stylish, and will keep your hair healthy when properly moisturized. To make your TWA appear thicker, you can use a thickening or definition cream. The best thing about this look is that it’s flattering for all hair textures!
16. Low Bun
A low bun is a hairstyle for thin hair that you can use when you don’t want to think too much about your look. The trick to making a low bun look chic and full is to brush your hair back so that it’s smooth against your scalp. Once you gather your hair in the ponytail holder, you can tease the gathered hair. You can also pull apart the hair in your low bun to add volume.
17. Short and Curly
If you’re unsure of how to style your naturally curly hair, then a short haircut can give your curls added height. You can also curl your hair if it’s naturally straight. Adding hairspray to this look will keep your curls in place and make them look more voluminous.
18. Long Bob with Loose Waves
Photo source: Oanh Truong, a women’s haircut Pro from San Dimas, CA
Loose waves add fullness and texture to the hair, but they look natural. The trick to getting natural-looking waves is to let gravity do its work. You can use a large-barreled curling iron for this style, but make sure you let the curls loosen up before leaving the house. Once the curls are loose, you can hairspray them in place.
19. Pixie Cut with Long Bangs
When you have short and thin hair, you can create a subtle and feminine look by cutting your hair into a pixie with long, side-swept bangs. You don’t need thick hair to make this hairstyle look good since your bangs will brighten up your eyes and give the top of your hair a wispy texture.
20. Middle Part with Highlights
Photo source: Angela Chen, a women’s haircut Pro from Fountain Valley, CA
There are long hairstyles for thin hair that can make you feel more confident in your look. When you part your long hair in the middle, your hair will flow to each side, which can make it appear fuller. Highlights will shine in the light and will give your hair dimension that it didn’t have before.
21. Long Hair with Blunt Bangs
Photo source: Taylor Norrid, a women’s haircut Pro from Fort Worth, TX
Blunt bangs are a bold look that work well on thin hair. With thin hair, your bangs will sit flat against your forehead. These bangs can transform your long hair from traditional to modern and pull attention from your hair’s ends up to your eyes and smile. If you have short hair and want extra length like this, you can ask your stylist about how you can blend extensions with your short hair to achieve a similar look.
22. Asymmetrical Pixie Cut
Another variation of the pixie cut is an asymmetrical pixie. This hairstyle will enhance your look giving one side of your hair textured, side-swept layers. You’ll trim the other side of your hair short, which makes this style modern and chic.
23. Messy Bun
Similar to a low bun, a messy bun is another fast hairstyle for thin hair. The difference between a low bun and a messy bun is that this hairstyle has tousled volume on both the scalp and in the bun. To create this volume, run your fingers through your hair as you gather it into the bun at the back of your head.
Don’t smooth down any minor bumps against your scalp. Simply twist your bun into a knot and spread it apart with your fingers to add volume.
24. Choppy Bob
Photo source: Bri Claire, a women’s haircut Pro from Glendora, CA
You may notice the pattern with making thin hair look fuller — adding texture. Whether you add bangs to your hair, add layers, or add a deep side part, texturizing your hair will create the illusion that your hair is thicker and has more depth. This choppy bob has many layers and also has flipped out ends. To add extra flair to this trendy women’s cut, you can dye your ends a bold color.
25. Bandana-Style Headscarf
There may be days when you want to keep your hair out of your face, and thankfully on these days there are still ways to create a stylish look. You can create a headscarf by tying a bandana in a knot and wrapping it around the front of your head.
You can also change up the texture and color of your bandana based on your outfit. With little effort, you’ll have a quick and fashion-forward hairstyle.
26. Braided Updo
You can customize braided updos in many ways, and they look beautiful for casual and formal events alike. You don’t need thick hair to create a braided updo. An experienced hair stylist will use hairspray and bobby pins to make your hair look full. The braids in this look will also add volume to the style! You can recreate this hairstyle for weddings, date night, and even Sunday brunch.
27. Balayage
Photo source: Oanh Truong, a women’s haircut Pro from San Dimas, CA
Coloring your hair is a magic weapon when you’re adding depth or brightening up your look. Balayage is a hair coloring technique that involves hand-painting the hair with color.
This technique usually highlights the hair in a gradient from top to bottom. With this look, you can create the illusion of length and depth to thin hair, especially if you have curls near the ends of your hair.
28. High Puff
If you want a full-bodied hairstyle but don’t have time for your normal styling routine, then you can try throwing your hair in a high puff. This hairstyle is essentially a high ponytail, but your curls will puff out the top of your ponytail holder.
While your hair may not look as full when it flows freely by your shoulders, it may suddenly look thicker when gathered together in a puff. Creating volume is all about styling the hair in the right way!
29. Crown Braid
Braids of all kinds are great hairstyles for thin hair since they don’t require thick hair to pull off. This crown braid, for example, can be accomplished with thin hair and will give you an elegant look for any occasion.
30. Mullet-Inspired Pixie Cut
Mullets were popular in the ‘80s and are inspiring hairstyles in modern day. This pixie cut has wispy bangs in the front and hangs longer on the nape of the neck. You don’t need thick hair for this cut because it’s meant to hang close to your head. Bangs will frame your face and the back will shape up your look.
31. Curly Pineapple
Similar to the high puff, the curly pineapple involves gathering your hair on top of your head. However, for this hairstyle, you’ll pull your puff forward so your curls hang towards the front of your face.
You may think you need thick hair to achieve this look, but this look will make your hair appear thicker by giving your curls added height. Adding a headscarf to this hairstyle will also protect the back of your hair.
Everyone is born with different hair textures, but you can still have a stylish hairstyle that’s full of volume and personality. The key to getting the perfect look for you is choosing the right hairstyle that adds both hair texture and depth. If you need help taking care of your thin hair, speak with one of the stylists from our community.
Photo source for header photo: Jamie Chan, a women’s haircut Pro in Chicago
