How to Damage My Hair....

Clairol makes an Herbal Essence shine gloss that has no color but is applied the same way as home hair dye. I haven't used it but from what I hear, it gives your hair the same healthy look just without permanent color added.
One shampoo and conditioner that I think really worked well was Matrix Volumizing (teal bottle). When I had very short, layered hair I could tell the difference when I used them both (and you probably should use conditioner anyway. It will definitely make the condition of your hair improve). I had a lot of added body and volume after washing my hair. I've heard that volumizing shampoos open the cuticle more and let the hair expand, which might be exactly what you're looking for.

Dear Laura,
My first bit of advice is a good haircut. If you have very thin hair, try to lose the layers and go with a blunt cut. Layering just makes your hair even thinner. (Believe me, I know).
In my dreams I have a head full of long curly locks....I look great in my own mind when I'm sound asleep. lol
Try this....
Get a spray bottle and put RealLemon lemon juice in it. Spray it on your hair while it's still damp and leave it on overnight. It will start feeling a little crunchy, but just leave it alone and pull it back in a bun without brushing. It will help naturally lighten your hair and won't harm your skin or scalp or anything. Shampoo the next day and use a volumizing conditioner. You'll need the conditioner to get a comb through it so you don't break your hair off. My hair has been almost down to my waist and this is what I use to brighten up the color and give it a little volume. But, once it hits the "stringy" stage, it's time for a clip. That keeps your ends healthier anyway. You might not believe this, but my son cuts my hair when it's too long for me to reach the back. If you have a beauty college close by, go there. They have lots of services for very little money and they always do a good job. At least here they do.
Home coloring is not as scary as it sounds if you are choosing something close to your natural color. I'm a natural blond and have tried every shade imaginable. My hair always feels great afterwards. Just a word of warning.
Blond hair trying to go auburn will give you pink hair. lol.

Best wishes!

Hi Laura,

Naturtint brand hair color that you pick up at the health store gives my limpy fine hair plenty of body. It doesn't have any Ammonia or Resorcinol so it doesn't DO damage but the colors are natural looking and there's no stink. the color and the body lasts about 4 weeks and then I do it again....

M.

Ooh! Me too! I've got the limp, stringy, fine, blond hair. Or as my mother calls it, Ditchbank Okie hair. =) Although - lately I've been on Accutane (for adult-onset acne, how fun for me) and that has dried up ALL the oil. My hair has a crazy amount of volume and I'm loving it (not that I would recommend Accutane necessarily - it's hard core stuff).

But before that, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Fekkai volumizing shampoo and conditioner. You can get it at Sephora, and I think even Target these days? It's a little pricey, but much less pricey than salon highlights. =) I've never used a volumizing shampoo that was worth a darn, until I tried the Fekkai stuff. It really does work. I also second the Bumble + Bumble surf spray suggestion. That stuff is fantastic! Also I like Aveda Phomollient (it's a styling foam).

the saltwater spray from bumble and bumble works pretty well. It thickens your hair a little and give it the beach look.

Do you eat enough protein? Like peanut butter? Here's the scoop in our family, the vegetarians all have thin, stringy hair. The omnivores all have gorgeous, thick, curly, blonde hair. Go figure....

Also, have you tried heating olive oil for a leave-in, overnight conditioner, then washing out? Then use volumizing conditioners.

I've heard good things about those "beach" sprays. I think they're kind of a saltwater type spray.

Hi, I too have the thin blond hair. I recently went for the a-line cut with chunnky layers, it really works well for volume and styling. In the past I have used prell (original green) shampoo like how it gives that real clean feeling, another one that works well is head and shoulders (the one with yellow on the bottle, i think its lemon fresh or something like that). I also saw and tried the informercial for Wen products, I bought it off of amazon, it is like $30.00 dollars a bottle, but it really really works, you have to follow the directions to a T, soaking your hair in cool water for 2-3 mins, leaving it in for 5-10 minutes. I know if you order it and when your putting it in your hair you are going to say that woman on Mama source is crazy, this is junk but just wait till you rinse it out and dry your hair, you will be amazed. I have tried lots of informericals and have never had any with success but this one I have. One last suggestion for you also would be, try getting your hair done at a beauty school, I use the paul mitchell one in Pleasant Hill, If you don't live near by Im sure there are other schools near you, a hair cut there is 10.00 (cut and dry) and I get my hair highligted and low lighted for about 45.00, plus tip. They charge by length and product, so you might be a little more since your hair is longer.
Best of Luck
M.

Your request is worded in a rather odd way... 'how to damage my hair'... but I think I'm understanding what you're asking. In my opinion, the only way to deal with unruly hair is a good shampoo and conditioner. You may need to try a few different ones before you find the one that works best for you. I can tell you what I'm using that has done my hair the most good. I get my shampoo and conditioner from the Melaleuca company (only available online). I'm past sixty and my hair tends to be thin, dry and flyaway. Since using the Melaleuca products I'm finding my hair shines and seems to have a lot more body. I even have received usolicited compliments on my 'beautiful hair' recently. That certainly made me feel good after so many years of feeling that I had impossible hair.

well... from my experience go permanent, especially if damage is not a concern !! I used garnier and it really screwed up my hair, so try that :) Also the one thing that reminded me to be brave about color is if the color you put in is ugly, you can always dye over it, so go permanent, and the damage uh I mean body will follow! good luck

I used to have my color done professionally too, but am now relegated to the box. I just wanted to say that I've used L'Oreal permanent products with pretty good success. If you've got gray roots like me they'll be lighter in color, but the overall effect is pretty good. I did use a Garnier Nutrisse color and it turned my hair magenta and my roots were slightly purple. I washed my hair every day and the color faded to a beautiful shade that I was complimented on regularly. Too funny! Purple...

Maybe a volumizing conditioner would help with the limpness. Also, my hairdresser used a spray wax to give volume and for piecing.

Good luck, can't wait for the recession to be over.
S.