How to Get Thicker Hair: A Simple Routine for Fuller Hair
If you want thicker-looking hair, the honest formula is: maximise the hair you have. That means a lightweight thickening wash routine that adds body without weighing hair down, weekly moisture to stop breakage stealing your volume, and protecting strands from the heat damage that leaves hair flat and thin-looking. You cannot change how many follicles you were born with, but you can absolutely make every strand look and feel fuller. Here is the simple routine.
Key takeaways
- Thicker-looking hair = healthier strands + more body + less breakage.
- Use lightweight, volumising formulas, heavy products flatten fine hair.
- Weekly deep conditioning keeps strands strong so they do not snap thin.
- Heat damage is the enemy of volume, protect before every styling session.
- If thinning is sudden or patchy, see a GP to check the cause first.
What actually makes hair look thicker?
Three things: the condition of each strand (healthy, hydrated hair is plumper and reflects more light), the number of strands you keep (less breakage and shedding means more hair on your head), and body (lift at the roots reads as volume). A good routine works on all three at once, and it only takes three steps.
Step 1: Use a thickening shampoo
The foundation. Choose a lightweight formula that hydrates and adds body without the heavy silicones that drag fine hair down.
Grow Me® Hair Growth Shampoo
Our award-winning sulphate-free shampoo with biotin, caffeine, niacinamide and argan oil. It nourishes the scalp and supports the look of thicker, fuller hair with added volume and bounce, without weighing it down.
Shop Grow Me ShampooStep 2: Condition for strength, mask for rescue
Conditioner replenishes moisture and smooths the cuticle so strands stay flexible instead of snapping thin, apply it to the lengths and ends, not the roots, to keep volume.
Condition Me® + Masque Me®
The Condition Me conditioner deeply moisturises, detangles and helps prevent breakage after every wash. Once a week, swap in the 8-in-1 Masque Me mask for intense nourishment that leaves hair glossier and healthier-looking.
Shop Masque Me Mask
Step 3: Protect from heat
Dry, heat-damaged hair looks flat and lacklustre, and hot tools reach 230°C. A heat protectant is the cheapest volume insurance there is: our Protect Me spray shields from heat and UV while helping hair retain moisture, so styling adds body instead of stealing it.
Bonus habits that add fullness
- Blow-dry upside down on a low setting for instant root lift.
- Sleep on satin to cut overnight friction and breakage.
- Eat protein, iron and zinc, hair is built from what you feed it, see the best foods for hair growth.
- Trim regularly so split ends do not travel and thin your lengths.
- Instant fix: for special occasions, hair building fibres create the look of density in seconds.
Watermans is a UK family business that has sold over 5 million bottles since 2012. The range is vegan and cruelty-free.
A quick reality check
Products can make each strand healthier, stronger and fuller-looking, but no shampoo changes your follicle count. If your hair has thinned noticeably or suddenly, work out why first, our guide to why hair thins walks you through it, and a GP can test the medical causes.
Frequently asked questions
Can you actually make hair thicker?
You can make every strand you have healthier, stronger and fuller-looking, and keep more strands by cutting breakage. What no product can do is create new follicles.
What makes hair look thin?
Breakage, dryness, heat damage and product build-up are the everyday culprits, all fixable with a kinder, lighter routine.
How long until my hair looks thicker?
Condition improves within weeks; fullness builds over months as breakage drops and healthier hair grows through.
Does a thickening shampoo work?
A good one genuinely improves body and the look of density, choose lightweight, nourishing formulas over heavy ones.
Should I condition my roots for volume?
No, keep conditioner to the lengths and ends. Product at the roots weighs fine hair down.
What if my hair is genuinely thinning, not just fine?
Work out the cause first, stress, hormones, nutrition and genetics all thin hair differently, and a GP can test the medical ones.
Thicker-looking hair is a routine you can start today: a lightweight thickening wash, moisture where it matters, heat protection every time, and a few volume-friendly habits. For the foundations, see our six tips for healthy hair and how to reduce breakage.
