Possible to have soft, shiny moisturized AND voluminous hair?

It was a l-o-n-g search for me, but I do have the answer, for myself.

It is so hard to recommend hair things, because everyone is at a different place - with diet & exercise & overall health (which will always show up in your hair & skin) and general quality of hair, age, whether or not you color....quite a few parameters!

And sometimes you try new things, and they work great for a while, and then all of a sudden, boom! They seem to lose their punch!

For moisturization, S&C, my hair responds beautifully consistently to Carol's Daughter Cupuacu.

For lustre and strength, Chaz's styling creme and glossing serum.

I have normal, but heavy hair, I'm 61, root colored.

Thanks.

Hello, RachB.

I haven't used this, but Nick Chavez has products called Plump 'N Thick Shampoo and Conditioner, Advanced Plump 'N Thick Shampoo and Conditioner, and Advanced Volume Shampoo and Conditioner.

To make it easier for you, QVC sells a set called Nick Chavez Advanced Volume 8 oz. Shampoo & Conditioner with Hairspray. The hairspray comes in a spray bottle if you don't like the aerosol can. I use Nick Chavez' Velvet Mesquite Serum, too. Now that really, really helps to lock in the moisture. It's not oily or greasy, either.

I also just figured out how to use the recommend product button.

My Product Recommendations

Nick Chavez 3-Piece Advanced Volume Kit

Nick Chavez Velvet Mesquite Hair Serum, 2 oz

The only thing that has given me the shine I want is WEN. I have always had good hair to begin with but wanted more shine and bounce and that is what I found with WEN. With that said, the one that by far outshines (no pun intended) all the others is the summer honey peach wen. I don't need volume but it certainly gave me more softness, bounce and volume AND gave me the extra shine I was looking for. It is amazing! I know you mentioned you tried WEN but have you tried that particular formula?

I haven't tried SHP. I know the LAV is supposed to be best for volume but it was too drying. I've tried all the cores except for POM and the only one that doesn't cause some hair loss is BGT. I like the BGT but it doesn't give me much volume.

On 2/26/2015 RachB said:

I haven't tried SHP. I know the LAV is supposed to be best for volume but it was too drying. I've tried all the cores except for POM and the only one that doesn't cause some hair loss is BGT. I like the BGT but it doesn't give me much volume.

The lavender is drying for my hair too. I couldn't use BGT because it too was drying for my hair.

Good luck to you- hope you find something that works for you!

I have the exact same problem and have tried more products than I can count. I change my shampoo/conditioner occasionally so I hesitate to offer a suggestion there. Right now I'm using Hempz Volumizing and I like it, but I don't find it better than others I've used. As far as Wen, I'm not a huge fan, however, SHP did do a much better job for my hair than any of the others I tried (it definitely makes it shiny). I find that I only like Wen if I don't use it daily. The SHP is great occasionally but not every day for me.

My very favorite volumizing product is Alterna 48 Hour Sustainable Volume Spray. I love it. It gives nice body without any crunchiness or stiffness. My hair still feels soft but definitely has more body. It's rather expensive - $24 for 4.2 oz but I have bought it multiple times on Amazon for about $16 so you might want to shop around if price is an issue.

I will also second the recommendation for Nick Chavez Mesquite Hair Serum. It's wonderful. I use 1 pump on the bottom half of my hair when it's wet and sometimes use a pump on my hair when it's dry. It really helps keep my hair soft without getting greasy or weighed down at all. It's by far the best serum/hair oil I've used.

Good luck. It's really tough finding products that give you extra volume while allowing you to keep the softness and shininess of fine hair.

Real volume comes from styling techniques, not hair products. You won't get real lasting volume from a shampoo, conditioner, mousse, etc unless you're using a styling technique that adds the volume and the product locks it in.

On 2/26/2015 ChynnaBlue said:

Real volume comes from styling techniques, not hair products. You won't get real lasting volume from a shampoo, conditioner, mousse, etc unless you're using a styling technique that adds the volume and the product locks it in.

I agree that styling techniques are important but so are the right products. I use the same techniques every day and when I switch and use other products I still have in my closet I get different results. The same thing happens when my stylist tries out a new product on me. Her technique is the same, however, the amount of volume is sometimes different. The right products make a big difference in my experience.