Your Healthiest Hair Ever

Pump Up the Volume

Shelve the heavy hairstyling products and stow strand-damaging irons. "Aim for volume and texture," says Cutler. "Together they exude health and youthfulness."

TEST: Wash your hair and let it air-dry. If it naturally lies limp -- and a flatiron is the last tool you'd use -- your style will benefit from these root-boosting tips.

Condition Strategically
Bouncy hair begins in the shower. After thoroughly washing, reach for a volumizing conditioner (like L'Oreal Professionnel). "Traditional conditioner has a positive charge, which adheres to hair's negative charge," says Ryan Nickulas of Ryan Darius Salon in New York City. "Volumizing versions have a decreased positive charge, which means less product remains on strands." Pull hair into a ponytail and apply conditioner to hanging tresses, leaving the scalp area bare.

Thicken All Over
If you think of gels and pomades as for your ends only, think again. "These formulas add thickness to hair and are ideal for boosting volume at the scalp area -- and holding them in place all day," says Chrystofer Benson, artistic director of Logics. Put a dime-size dollop of product in palms and rub vigorously; the heat thins out the formula. Apply to roots first and distribute to ends.

Do the Wave
Dry hair on high heat at the slowest speed. "Think of the lighter strength of a hotel blow-dryer -- that's what you need to prevent hair from being wind-blown and flattened," says Michael Shaun Corby, global creative director for Altern . For a beachy texture, scrunch hair as you dry. For more dramatic bounce, wind small sections of hair around your finger; set in place with the heat of the dryer.