My “Hide the Hairloss and Add Major Volume” Hair Styling Routine

Carlene S. wrote in and asked me what my exact routine is to hide the hairloss and give my hair volume. It only takes me about 15 minutes to apply my products (both volumizing and disguising) and dry and style my hair, so I’d say this routine definitely works for me. Here is what I use, step-by-step:

Nioxin System 4 Cleanser & Scalp Therapy Conditioner Fine Treated Set Duo: I use level 4. I started back on it about two months ago. With the conditioner, I only apply it mid-shaft down, and use a pea-size amount. Any  more than that (as with all conditioners), my hair is too soft and becomes unmanageable.
DOES IT WORK? I can’t say for certain if it helps or not, but, they were cheap on Amazon and they are huge, so I’ll be using them for a long time!

Rogaine 5%, non-foam: Yes, I use the men’s version. I haven’t read any compelling evidence that states that women must stick to the women’s formula. I think I remember hearing that Rogaine in general can cause excess hair to appear in some cases (especially if the product drips) in women, but I haven’t found that to be the case for me. What I do is brush my hair straight back while it’s still wet, and gently squeeze the Rogaine onto my scalp. I try to avoid getting it onto as much hair as possibly, since it is a bit greasy.
DOES IT WORK? I use this way less than is recommended. I only use it on days I wash my hair and the night before I wash my hair—I wash my hair every second day (I think I said that right); so, if I wash it on Monday, I don’t wash it until Thursday. Several people think that those with excess DHT should wash their hair every day to clear it away; I simply don’t. I used to wash it every other day, and then when I started Spiro, my oil production decreased to the point where I can now skip an additional day. My hair looks like crap, though, when I wear it down on any day in which it’s not freshly washed; you’ll always find me in a pony on days I don’t wash my hair.

Nioxin Diamax: I found a good price on Amazon for this and have been using it for about two months. It claims to increase the diameter of your hair by 4%.
DOES IT WORK? I do see a slight improvement when I wear this. Plus, since this product is sprayed right onto the scalp, I like that it’s by Nioxin; I feel better having a hair-loss product right up against my scalp. I found the Diamax also adds quite a bit of shine…and it smells good!

Garnier XXL Thickening Mousse: This is just a volume-building mousse that you can buy anywhere. It helps to give a bit of structure to my hair, particularly mid-shaft to the ends.
DOES IT WORK? If I don’t apply something down the entire hair shaft, my hair will hang even worse than usual!

Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus: This is my secret weapon—it gives me awesome structure at the roots and adds tremendous volume. I only use this on the sides and back of my head—simply lift up a good chunk of the top layer of hair and spray. A little goes a long way, here. I can feel this a bit in my hair after it’s dry. I’m sure not to touch it so that it all stays put nicely.
DOES IT WORK? Can’t live without it.

Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder: This is what I use to really hide the hairloss. What I do is take a very tiny amount of hair right next to my part and cover my part with it, in essence creating a new part. Then, I lightly spray this product onto my scalp. It’s a matte finish, so it’s not super-believable if your hair has any shine to it. But, it works brilliantly if you can flop some bio hair over it. I do this in three different places:

1) Right next to my part (as described above)

2) Diagonal—I create another “part” (best way to describe it) at about a 135 degree angle from my actual part (if you imagine my part is about a 90 degree angle). I have a bit of loss here, so I cover it up.

3) Diagonal again—about an inch down from #2. I don’t really need to do this one, but I do it for good measure.

Before I flip my hair back over each of these sections, I lightly tease it and give it a spritz of hair spray.
DOES IT WORK? See pics of my final result after I hide the hairloss—I think so! It does a great job of concealing for me.

Tresemme Hair Spray: In my opinion, this is one of the best hairsprays for fine hair. It really does keep things in place and is lightweight. I happen to like the feel of a little hairspray in my hair (is that weird?), but if you want to feel absolutely nothing you can run a brush through it once it’s sprayed.
DOES IT WORK? My hair stays fairly in place the whole day, and the product does not build up.

There you have it folks! Start to finish what I use. What products can you not live without?

Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.”
–Charles Reader

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