Fashion

Texas Hair Is In — Here's How You Get It

by Julia Teen

Who doesn't want big, tousled, Texas-style hair? Thick is in — all year 'round, baby. Fortunately for those of us not born with Dolly Parton's locks, there are several easy ways to heighten your hair's volume, no matter your texture. Try these seven tricks on for size:

START WITH THE RIGHT PRODUCTS

You won't get anywhere using any old shampoo. Start puffing your hair up as you wash it with a volumizing shampoo, whose proteins will coat and pump up the shaft for fuller strands. Upsize your locks further by applying a volumizing mousse on damp, towel dried hair before blow drying.

It's a 10 Shampoo, $14, Amazon

Moroccan Oil Volumizing Mousse, $22, Amazon

GET VERTICAL

When blowdrying, take your top section of hair (from the top of your ears all the way around) and hold it vertically by the ends. Only apply blow dryer heat to this section of hair at the roots, and allowing to cool completely before letting go. Instant lift!

FLIP OVER

For a rush volume job in the morning, trying flipping your head upside down while you blow dry and let gravity take its course. Avoid frizziness by aiming the dryer downwards from the roots, and pull hair gently away from your scalp to help the lift. Continue your blow out upside down until your roots are completely dry, then you can flip back up to dry the ends as usual.

1950'S CHIC

For a heat-free finish, go old school and sleep in hair rollers. Apply to damp or dry hair before bed, then remove and gently shake out in the AM. Rule of thumb: the bigger the roller, the looser the wave/body.

Conair Foam Rollers, $8, Amazon

DOUBLE UP ON THE BARREL BRUSHES

Here's a hairstylist trick that emulates the action of hair rollers, just in a much quicker time period. Divide your hair into 2-inch sections and blow dry with a barrel brush until sleek and smooth, then roll the brush back up to your roots and leave it sitting against your head for about 10 minutes until the hair is completely cooled down. In the meantime, grab a new brush, and continue around your head in sections. Allowing the hair to cool down in the curled position before brushing out all of your sections gives great lasting body. You may look as silly as I do in the salon pic below, but it's worth it.

Cricket Technique Barrel Brush, $14, Amazon

POWDER UP

Lot's of people use aerosol dry shampoo in an attempt to amp their volume fast. Amateurs! The trick is applying a dry shampoo powder. If your hair is flat, a little bit on the oily side and you can't make the wash, tapping this powder into your roots will give a cool, gritty texture and heightened roots.

Bumble & Bumble Pret A Powder, $28, Amazon

BACKCOMB

If all else fails, you can backcomb (aka tease). Try backcombing on dry hair after you've applied a volumizing mousse or tapped on a powder. Using a wide-tooth comb will inflict less damage on the hair and give good lift. To maintain a smooth surface sheen, clip up your top section of hair, and backcomb the roots of the under sections only.

Swissco Tortoise Wide-Tooth Comb, $11, Amazon

Viola! Everyone in Dallas is now jealous of your hair.

Image: Getty Images

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