How To Get More Root Volume In Curly Hair: Top Tips

Most people think curly hair will have plenty of root volume, but there are many reasons why your curls might lack volume at the roots. 

It might be due to your hair’s characteristics, like density or texture, or it might be the way you wash and style your tresses.

In this guide, I’ll share some tips and techniques that have helped me get more volume and curl in the root area. I’ll also suggest some recommendations for volumizing products that will give you the best chance of achieving gorgeous curly hair volume.  

Why Don’t I Have Volume At My Roots?

Your hair could lack volume for many reasons, ranging from its natural characteristics to the products and techniques you use.

If you have fine curly hair or low density hair, you might not have enough hair to easily create the kind of big hair that you want.

If you use heavy butters and oils, the weight of the products can elongate the strands and pull heavily on the roots. 

If you have wavy hair or loose curl types, you might have straight hair at the roots, which makes it harder to get good volume.  

Using harsh shampoos containing sulfates or not clarifying your hair regularly can both result in flat roots and limp curls. 

Some hair just doesn’t get good volume or hold a style well. If that’s the case with your hair, you may have to set more realistic expectations. You might be able to create root volume, but it probably won’t last beyond wash day. 

Pre-Styling Essentials

Before you start styling your hair, these essential steps will help keep your hair in top condition so that you can achieve great root volume. 

It’s important to tailor your routine to suit your hair type, hair density, and hair porosity. You might need a little trial and error to discover your ideal hair care routine.

Shampoo Carefully

A good shampoo is essential for healthy hair, so avoid shampoos containing sulfates that dry your hair out or silicones that will build up on your strands. 

Picking a good low-poo shampoo and alternating with co-washing is the best way to keep your hair beautifully clean. Remember that you may not need to shampoo daily, and our hair texture guides makes it easy to find the best frequency for your curly hair type.

Not sure which hair type you have? Our Quick Curly Hair Quiz will help you work it out.

Clarify Regularly

Many styling products build up on hair over time, and product buildup can weigh down your strands, making it hard to achieve good root volume. A good clarifying shampoo like Bumble and Bumble Sunday Clarifying Shampoo or Malibu C Un-Do-Goo will clear this product residue.

If you live in a hard water area or swim regularly in chlorinated water, minerals from the water can also accumulate on your strands. In this case, you’ll need a chelating shampoo to remove the residue. 

Using a clarifying or chelating shampoo once a month will improve your hair’s condition. Always follow up with a good deep conditioning treatment, as these shampoos also strip your hair’s natural oils. 

Add Moisture

Curly hair tends to be dry, and dry hair is more likely to be frizzy instead of forming gorgeous curl clumps. So, give your hair plenty of moisture with rinse-out conditioners, deep conditioners, and leave-in conditioners. 

Applying a lightweight leave-in conditioner like Maui Moisture Frizz-Free + Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Mist is a good way to hydrate your hair before styling. Avoid heavy creams containing rich butters and oils if you have fine hair that gets weighed down easily.

Add Protein

Hair strands are made of a protein called keratin, so they need protein for good health. Depending on your hair’s needs, using a deep conditioning mask containing protein, like EVOLVh UltraRepair Hair Masque, once a week or once a month should be enough for most hair

However, hair that feels gummy is a sign of hygral fatigue. This may need more intensive protein treatments, but remember that too much protein can make your hair brittle.

Get A Haircut  

If the weight of your mane is dragging the strands down at the root area, it might be time to go for a haircut.

You don’t need to do anything drastic. Just trimming a few inches or adding some layers will remove some weight and give your hair a bit of a lift. 

Styling Techniques For More Root Volume

Once you’ve prepared your tresses, you can start styling your curls for great volume. 

Start With Wet Hair  

Applying styling products to soaking wet hair is the best way to create beautiful curl clumps and prevent frizz, but it can also reduce root volume. So, if you’re struggling with the problem of flat hair, it helps to remove some of the water weight before you apply your products. 

Finding the optimal water balance in your hair will take some trial and error, so keep a spray bottle of water handy to mist your hair if it gets too dry. 

Try Micro-Plopping

Plopping involves drying your hair by wrapping your wet curls in a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt or microfiber towel. It’s popular among fans of the Curly Girl Method, and can give great curl definition.

However, I find that plopping can flatten my curls at the roots, especially at the front and back, where the wrap is tightest. 

Micro-plopping helps you define individual curls without losing root volume. You simply take your microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt and scrunch the hair all the way up to the root. This removes excess water weight so it can’t elongate your strands, giving you more lift in the root area. 

Do Everything Upside Down

Creating root volume means fighting against gravity as it tries to pull your curls downwards. One of the best ways to achieve this is by doing everything with your head upside down, which encourages curly hair roots to stand away from your scalp.

So, whether you’re doing squish-to-condish, applying styling products, or drying your curls, keep flipping your hair upside down and from side to side. This is one of the best tips for achieving more root volume.

Choose Lightweight Styling Products

It’s hard to add root volume to curly hair that’s coated in heavy styling products, especially if you have fine or low density curls.

Always choose lightweight gels and volumizing sprays for good hold without weighing down your strands. Heavy gels and creams will elongate your curls, which is the opposite of your goal. 

Application Techniques

It’s essential to apply your chosen products in the right place for good root volume. Many curly girls think they need to apply mousses and styling foams at the roots, but this actually weighs the strands down. 

You only need a small amount of styling product, and it’s better to apply it from the mid-lengths down to the ends rather than at the roots (unless it’s a root spray). I like to start by applying a little bit near the ends and then work my way up through the mid-lengths, then getting any remaining product on the root area. This gives good hold and frizz control but won’t weigh down your curls

Remember, you can always apply more product if you need it, but you can’t easily remove excess product.

Run the product between your hands to spread it and then either use the ‘praying hands’ technique or rake the product through your hair with your fingers.

Whichever technique you choose, pull the hair up and away from your scalp when you’re applying your products rather than smoothing it down, which elongates your curls.

Leaning to the sides while applying your styling products and scrunching your hair all the way up to the root area is an easy way to create extra lift. 

Brush styling is another good option for getting volume into the root area. Dividing your hair into small sections will give you better root lift than creating thick clumps.

Once you’re happy with your product application and curl clumping, don’t keep touching and messing with your hair, as this will cause major frizz. 

Splitting Curl Clumps

If you use brush styling to create curl clumps, it’s really important to split your thick clumps into smaller ones. This is particularly essential for low density or thin hair, where you don’t have as many strands of hair to clump together.

Although bigger clumps look beautiful when wet, they’re heavier and will take longer to dry. This means they’ll pull down the root area, which gives less volume. 

So, for better root volume and more root lift, use your fingers or a fine comb to split your clumps into smaller, lighter clumps.

You can also try brush that splits your hair into smaller clumps as you style, like the Bounce Curl Volume Edge Lift Brush pictured below.

The Best Products For Better Root Volume

Choosing the right products will make a huge difference to the results you see. The following products will all help create a lot of volume in curly hair, but be sure to choose products that suit your hair type, texture, and density.

Applying a lightweight root spray like Kerotin Root Volumizer Spray before styling will add long-lasting volume and texture, especially on fine texture hair. This is my favorite root spray and gives me the best results. 

Root sprays can be quite drying, so you could try a volumizing foam instead. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Featherlight Volumizing Foam adds volume and also stops your hair from developing major frizz in humid conditions. Just remember that foams don’t offer much hold so these should be paired with something else.

Adding a lightweight gel is another good option. I really like Curlsmith Hydro Style Flexi-Jelly, which gives medium-strong hold to define your curls without weighing them down or causing buildup. 

Mousses work well on all wavy hair and curly hair types, and Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Mousse will give you lasting hold and humidity protection with weighing down your curls. 

Finally, volume powders like SexyHair Big Powder Play create instant root volume on curly hair, almost like a magic trick. You can also use a dry shampoo in a similar way. 

Drying Tips For Maximum Volume

Once you’ve applied your styling products, choosing the right drying techniques will help create voluminous hair and bouncy curls. 

Diffusing For Volume

In my experience, diffuse drying always gives more volume in curly hair than air drying, because many styling products are activated by heat. 

Another benefit is that your hair will dry much faster, so there isn’t as much time for the water weight to flatten your curls. When you air dry your curls, all that water will pull down on your root area for however long your hair takes to dry. 

It’s essential to use the right techniques when diffusing your curls.

First, be sure to flip your hair from side to side while diffusing to lift the roots of your hair in the opposite direction from your scalp. 

Secondly, use the bowl of your diffuser to cup your curls so that the warm air circulates around your roots. The prongs in the diffuser will lift your roots, and you can use your free hand to give them an extra lift. 

This creates luxurious volume by encouraging your roots to dry away from your head rather than flat against the side of your head. 

If you prefer to use as little heat on your curls as possible, you can air dry your hair until it’s almost dry and then use the diffuser for the last 5% or so. 

Or, if you’re short on time, diffuse for a few minutes to remove most of the water and set the curl shape and, and then let your hair finish air drying. 

Clip Your Roots

Root clipping is a great way to add volume when diffusing or air-drying your curls. 

Use duckbill clips or claw clips and place them along your parting and around your crown area. Then, remove the clips when your hair is completely dry for gorgeous voluminous roots.

I’ve tried so many root clips and these Bounce Curl Volume Root Clips are the only ones that actually stay up and add volume to my roots. All others fall over or slides out within minutes. 

Flip Your Parting

You can add instant volume by simply flipping your hair over so that your parting is on the opposite side. 

If you don’t like to wear your parting on the opposite side, try parting your hair there before you dry it, and then flipping it to where you actually want the parting when your hair is dry. 

How To Enhance Root Volume After Drying

Once your hair is totally dry, these simple tips and techniques will enhance your root volume and keep it lasting longer.

Shake Your Roots

If you’ve used volumizing hair products, shaking out your roots is a simple technique to enhance the volume and texture they’ve created. Just slide your fingers against your scalp, lift your curls, and shake them to fluff up the root area. 

You can do this throughout the day to revive your style and give your mane an extra volume lift.

Use A Pick Or Comb

Using Afro hair picks or a wide-tooth comb is a great way to create added lift and movement in the root area, but be careful not to overdo it.

Try Root Clips

It also helps to hold your roots up after your hair as dried so it sets with volume. Again, I recommend these Bounce Curl clips, but any clip that holds your hair up will work.

Scrunch Out The Crunch

If your hair dries with a gel cast, you can ‘scrunch out the crunch’ for fuller hair. Be sure to wait until your hair is 100% dry, as touching damp hair too much can break up your curl clumps. 

Finish With Hairspray

A light spritz of hairspray like Kenra Platinum Finishing Spray will set your style and help maintain root volume. 

You can either mist all over your hair with hairspray or lift your curls away from your head as you spray the roots to enhance the volume you’ve created there. 

Protect Your Curls Overnight

Many curly girls find that their curls are flattened or lose shape overnight. 

Gathering your curls in a pineapple at the top of your head will help maintain your root volume, and you can cover them with a silk bonnet or scarf or sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase to reduce friction between the strands. 

Refresh Between Washes

You can refresh your hair between wash days by misting it with water and scrunching it. If you need extra hold, try adding a little extra styling product and use your diffuser to lift your tresses as they dry. Diffusing just for a few minutes helps get that root lift back in.

FAQs

If you’re looking for more info on adding root volume to curly hair, these frequently asked questions could help.

Why Are My Natural Curls Going Flat?

If your curls look limp, it may be because the weight of your hair is flattening them, especially if you have high density hair. 

Your strands could be weighed down by product buildup, or you might need to change your styling products and techniques. 

Does Diffusing Your Hair Make It Curlier?

Yes, diffusing curls will enhance your natural curl pattern and help dry your curls quicker.

How Do You Get Volume At The Roots When Air-Drying Curly Hair?

Using plastic or metal clips to lift your roots will help give your curls more volume when you air-dry them. For some extra oomph, try applying a little styling foam to curly hair roots. 

The Bottom Line

Although most people assume that curly hair always has plenty of volume, curly girls can struggle with flat roots and limp curls. Sometimes, that’s down to the characteristics of your hair, but it’s often caused by problems with your washday routine or styling choices.

Every stage of your hair care routine can affect root volume, from the shampoo you choose to how you apply your styling products and even how you sleep on your curls. A few simple changes to how you style and dry your hair can make a big difference to your final result.

Factors like hair density and texture will affect how much volume you can create and how long that volume will last. However, using the simple tips and techniques in this guide will help you achieve beautiful hair with more root volume.