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Who, what, hair: the best hair volumising products
In the past, achieving volume usually came at a price (products that gave you greasy roots and dry ends, and my own matted manual backcombing efforts). However, times have thankfully changed and today’s roster of body-boosters boast a bevy of root-lifting capabilities that work for a range of different hair types.
From budget to blowout, fine to thick hair, there’s an option for everyone and every bank balance. Which buys are the best of the bunch? Scroll through the gallery to find out more about the ones that carry mine and the GTG team’s seals of approval.
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Tresemme Beauty-Full Volume Shampoo, £5.49 (for 500ml) and Pre-wash Conditioner, £5.49 (for 290ml)
Turning your hair care regime on its head, this budget beauty friendly pick from Tresemme acts as the ideal root pick-me-up should you find that conditioner causes your final style to fall flat. With the conditioner designed to be applied first, it helps create a tangle-free base to lather from; plus, it helps prevent hair from getting too greasy, too early, for maximum blowout for your buck.
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Aveda Thickening Tonic, £21 for 100ml
Aveda is one of the best brands around for enhancing and adding volume, body and thickness to a range of different hair types. Its Thickening Tonic acts as a great styling spritz for adding extra oomph to finer hair types - simply apply to damp hair and blowdry to add density from root to tip.
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Batiste XXL Volume Spray, £4.29 for 200ml
Providing both volume and hold, this clever dry shampoo and body-building hybrid provides a purse-friendly fix for a range of hair types and hairstyles. Enriched with a blend of strengthening keratin and inca inchi oil, it conditions as it cranks up the volume to act as the ideal deskside or handbag companion when going from desk to dancefloor. One word of caution though - don’t use a curling tong afterwards to keep your curls crunch-free. It’s better put to use as the perfect finishing touch instead.
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Grow Gorgeous Back Into The Roots Scalp Masque, £24 for 240ml
If hair’s in need of a more intensive boost, this 10 minute specialist masque provides a unique way of getting it. Containing strengthening biotin, hydrating hyaluronic acid and energising caffeine, it also includes menthol to encourage better blood flow in the scalp and therefore, healthier hair growth, while also gently lifting roots too.
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Oribe Dry Texturising Spray, from £20 for 75ml
An industry insider favourite, this pick's perfect for adding non chalant texture to naturally straight hair types in particular. Just spritz onto roots and twirl and twizzle (technical term that) ends for extra movement and to give your blowdry a couple days extra longevity too.
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Ouai Soft Mousse, £22 for 190g
Think mousse belonged in the 80s? Think again. The styling product that defined a decade is now bigger than ever, but reformulated for a new era and new audience. Long gone are the formulas that would leave hair more crisp than silky, and this volume-boosting mousse exemplifies that point to a T. Created to be used on either damp or dry hair, it allows hair to reach new heights, while also helping tame flyaways too.
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Color Wow Style on Steroids Performance Enhancing Texture and Finishing Spray, £20 for 262ml
Great for adding extra guts to freshly washed hair, this pumped up spray gives roots gritty lift without leaving ends chalky. Ideal used pre-styling for better hold or afterwards for better malleability and manageability, it leaves lengths tousled and textured and ready to play with.
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Perachem Triple Impact Pre-Shampoo Treatment for Coloured Hair, £30 for 150ml
Akin to a salon blowdry in a bottle, this pre-wash treatment increases both shine and volume from the very first use. Reducing drying time too, it adds thickness and weight to finer hair types, allowing it to hold better in the humidity and stay frizz-free in the process too. Just smooth onto wet hair for five minutes before shampooing, rinse and commence with your usual routine to reap the rewards.
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Bumble and Bumble Thickening Full Form Mousse, £23 for 150ml
An intelligently formulated mousse that works with the heat of your hairdryer to inflate locks, this pick's great for fine hair types in particular. With a lightweight texture that doesn’t leave hair feeling weighed down nor straw-like, it delivers on its promises to add lift and definition and create fuller body.
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Rahua Voluminous Shampoo, £30 for 275ml
The most expensive volume booster in this edit, could this blowout sulphate-free buy convince me and our willing GTG tester that it was worth its pricetag? After putting it through its paces, we can say that it certainly did deliver on its claims. Providing great amounts of thickness from the first use, it's a pick best reserved for the most special of occasions. The brand’s signature oils are also sourced through Amazonian tribes using age-old techniques that help preserve the natural environment and rainforests.
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Percy & Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse, £12 for 200ml
Providing long-lasting volume without the stiffness, this mousse acts as a great way to take your blowdry skills to the next level. Leaving hair full of movement with natural looking bounce from root to tip, it’s a popular pick in the GTG office.
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Kiehl’s Rice & Wheat Volumising Conditioning Rinse, £19.50 for 200ml
This volumising conditioner adds height and hydration in equal measure. Best for fine to medium thick hair types, its softening properties act as the perfect way to add a smoothing touch to parched hair.
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Redken Beach Envy Shampoo, £9.55 (for 300ml) and Conditioner, £10.20 (for 250ml)
For a blowdry that’s more mermaid than Mayfair, look no further than this wave enhancing duo from one of my favourite brands - Redken. More for a matte, beachy finish than one that's high shine and high gloss, it helps mimic the effect of saltwater - so not one if your hair's already pretty dry and has a tendency to break. If you’re looking to recreate holiday hair though without having to rack up the air miles, they make for the perfect way to achieve it.