Greasy or unwashed hair tends to clump together, making the hair look flat and deflated.

Hot water can damage your hair follicles and exacerbate the appearance of thinning hair.

To achieve the best results, try pairing a volumizing shampoo with a volumizing conditioner. You can find thickening shampoos and conditioners at your local grocery store.

Having longer hair doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily look shaggy. You can keep the back and sides short, and just grow out longer hair on the top of your head.

It’s most important that you find a product that works well for your particular look. Try out a few mousses—and maybe even a gel or 2—until you find a product that you like.

It’s best to follow the label’s recommendations for applying a volumizing product. Use the amount of the product that is recommended on the label.

Applying a volumizing styling product to the roots of your hair can have an adverse effect on the appearance of volume. This is because applying products to the roots of your hair will tend to cause a clumping effect and give your volumized hair a patchy look. [9] X Research source

Combs have a tendency to pull and tear at the roots of the hair and can pull hairs in an unusual direction, which opens up larger patches of visible scalp.

Most styling products recommend applying them to damp or moist hair. This helps the product to uniformly coat your hair. If your hair is wet when you put the products in, wait for your hair to dry and run your hands through it a few times to lift the hair.

If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, try breaking up the curls and waves with your fingers to give your hair as much volume as possible. Separate each curl 2 to 4 times to make your hair appear fuller. Try to disperse styling products evenly throughout your hair: top, front, back, and sides. This should help ensure that the application of styling products leaves your hair looking naturally thick and not oversaturated with product.

Burning the top of your head will also make the hairs themselves brittle and thin, which decreases the amount of volume in your hair.

Wearing a tight hat every day can also damage your follicles and cause your hair to thin.

The two most popular hair growth products on the market contain minoxidil (found in products such as Rogaine) and finasteride (found in products like Propecia). Minoxidil is a topical treatment and finasteride comes in pill form.