REVIEW: Hair Falling Flat? Buy it a Cup of Coffee

I heard once that caffeine can kind of 'prop up' fine hair at the root, giving it lots of volume, but I wasn't sure how exactly to apply it. Intravenously? Like a hair mask? Just...drink a lot of it? None of those ideas sounded either positive or FDA-approved, so I forgot all about it.

As I perused my local Rite-Aid, the rainforest-green bottle was the first thing that caught my eye. "Thicker Fuller Hair," it's called. It was a serum that looked so thick a Pepperidge Farm Pirouette could probably stand up in it. It sounded straightforward enough so I bought it. The first time I tried it after a shower, I noticed the consistency and was a bit worried: it felt very like a gel, which weighs down my fine hair like an anvil. I didn't have the time to wash it out so I shrugged and blew it dry, blazing a trail where I had never gone before.

If you want lift at the roots, push through your doubts and try Thicker Fuller Hair's serum. I don't know if it's the caffeine or the plant extracts, but as soon as I finished blow-drying, I looked like I'd taken a round brush to it. Running my hands through my mane, I definitely noticed a difference; it had texture to it and a lot of body. My ends did look thicker, but not by much; this serum focuses mainly on the roots. The smell is strongly organic in the bottle, but I don't notice any residual fragrance on my dry hair, which, to be honest, is a relief; I prefer the smell of my shampoo. It's not expensive: $7.49 a bottle where I live, although I use several pumps a day for my length. If your hair is shorter, a bottle will probably last you longer.

I will personally be stocking up on the Thicker Fuller Hair serum. I am really pleased with it. My hair is definitely thicker-looking than it used to be, and that is all I ask of the world.

Have you tried Thicker Fuller Hair products? Did they work for you? Let us know in the comments or by emailing the editor at caleigh.cross [a] gmail.com or find us on Twitter!

Eww, Shower Hairballs: How to Minimise Shedding

Hi everybody! I'm sorry I haven't posted in over a week; my little brother just graduated high school and became an Eagle Scout. It was a big week for our family (and my hair, of course)! I straightened it (I know, I know) to see how long it was and right now, it seems to be growing like a weed; it's about an inch past my collarbone. I'm really pleased with it. I think I owe a lot of its new fullness to my diminished shedding.

The average woman sheds about 50-100 hairs per day. I'm not quite crazy enough to collect and count all my shed hairs at the end of the day, but I'm sure I used to shed much more than that. Because our fine hair tangles so easily, with the slightest movement, it's also more prone to hair breakage and eventual loss when we brush it out. My brushes used to have abhorrent, messy hairballs clinging to all the bristles, but lately I've noticed less shedding. If you want your hair to look fuller, the first step is to take care of what you have and cling to it like grim death, so read on for my suggestions for doing that.

The first thing you should do is get a wide-toothed comb and a brush with a cushion, if you don't have one already. The comb should always be used first because it's gentler for removing bigger tangles. The brush can take care of the rest, but you should still be careful and try to minimise the amount of times you brush per day. Over-brushing hair can rough up the cuticle, which will weaken the integrity of your strands.

This tactic gets mixed reviews, but I think it's working for me. I braid my hair loosely before I go to bed every night and make sure to use a soft elastic. I look like a Treasure Troll when I wake up, but I have noticed no hairs at all on my pillow when I used to have quite a few. Make sure to braid loosely or you will stress your roots, which can actually cause more breakage.

Do you reach for the hair towel when you step out of the shower? Yes? Well, stop that. Don't towel-dry your hair, ever. (The towel turban is still fine.) As I've mentioned before, your hair is at its most damageable when it's wet, and any roughness on it can only do more harm than good. Wring it out when you step out of the shower and then let it air-dry. If you're worried about wet spots on your clothes, cover your shoulders with a towel. There are no excuses.

My last suggestion to minimise shedding has to do with the way you condition. I used to run my hands through my hair to spread out the conditioner and they would always come away tangled up in a bunch of hair, which I would then have to struggle to get off. Now, I just rub the conditioner over my hair and use a lot of it. I lose maybe one hair in the shower now.

That's it! That's my pro advice this Thursday. It should be noted that even I am pleasantly surprised by how much difference simply taking the time to take care of your hair properly can make. Consider your hair's feelings: if it looks like it's bad for it, it probably is. Good talk, guys. See you Saturday! We'll be doing an adorable hair bow.