Pump Up the Volume

Don't let summer's humidity take away your hair's bounce

Maybe it's the weather or your hair's genetic makeup, but whatever the reason, your locks are falling flat. The good news is, even if your strands are thin and fine, you can still take them over the top. Creating mile-high hair is achievable at home with the right techniques, tools and products. Here, advice from the pros for getting a look that's big on style and small on effort.

Lather Up
Larger than life locks start in the shower with a volumizing shampoo like Big Sexy Hair Extra Big Volume Shampoo (available in-store only). It adds body to fine, lifeless hair while it cleanses. A blend of natural ingredients including wheat protein, vitamin B5 and sage extract help nourish hair to thicken, strengthen and improve texture. After you shampoo, apply the volumizing conditioner of the same name, and rinse it out with cool water, says celebrity stylist Oscar Blandi. "This will seal the cuticle and remove any excess that could weigh hair down," he says.

Get a Lift
Flip your head upside down and remove excess water with a brush prior to styling, says Blandi. "This will give the roots natural lift and create a thicker base," he says.

"Spritz on a root lifter to damp hair, towel-dried hair," says Laura Boland of The Sam Brocato Salon in New York. Try Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus Mousse (available in-store only). A targeted spray nozzle applicator gives each strand rise and shine. Lift and spray onto roots as you blow-dry to create the biggest impact, Boland says.

And make sure you choose a blow-dryer that creates volume, such as the Sedu Revolution Hair Dryer that's known for its jet-engine like power—60 percent more than a conventional dryer. It cuts drying time in half while reducing frizz and pumping up the volume in your tresses.

Know When to Hold 'Em
Texas-sized tresses require just a few easy steps. After blow-drying, plump up the parts of your hair that tend to fall flat as the day wears on with the Marilyn Teaser Brush. This salon-style brush allows for frizz-free teasing in sections around the crown, creating stay-put lift that doesn't look like your attending an 80s-themed prom party.

Once you take your hair to new heights, keep it from falling flat by using a hair spray made to not just hold style, but also height. Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Volumizing Hair Spray (available in-store only) is your force field against humidity. And, as the name implies, it lets you keep on playing the day away while your volume stays put.