5 Actionable Tips to Get Soft, Voluminous Hair Like Mine

Last Updated on August 25, 2021

It is okay to desire soft, long and shiny hair. Why? Because these are signs that you hair is in a healthy condition.

I am blessed with better hair than skin. And hence I take great care of them to keep them healthy, soft and voluminous.

Not to brag, but my friends and cousins often ask me about my hair care routine and the products I use. And I have to explain that it is all due to following some basic principles of hair care.

After going through a long duration of bad hair phase, I have figured out the key steps required to get healthy, strong and soft hair. This is where most of us go wrong in some way and end up with hair damage.

The Bad Hair Phase

Yep, despite being blessed with good hair genes, I went through a long bad hair period. My scalp would turn so oily, I had to do a hair wash on alternate days. Or atleast wash the front section of my hair over the sink on the 3rd day to avoid a greasy look.

At the same time, my hair also felt super dry, frizzy, and lacked volume. After shampoo, they looked poofy all day and bam! Flat the next day. So I had a super oily scalp with dry, frizz hair.

via GIPHY

This went on for almost 2 years until I finally figured what went wrong. So I made changes to my routine accordingly and brought them back to their former healthy state(**touch wood**).

And now, when someone asks me the secret for my soft, long hair I share these 5 tips with them. I decided to pen it down into a detailed blog post for anyone going through a similar phase and looking for a reliable solution.

I am pretty sure you will find some useful tips here. Follow them consistently and your hair will definitely looks softer and shinier.

5 Ways to Get Soft, Bouncy Hair

1. Oil Your Hair Regularly

Every time I wash my hair without oiling, I can notice the extra frizz and roughness. So oiling has become a must for me now.

There isn’t a hair problem oiling cannot fix. Be it dandruff, dry hair, frizz, balding or something else. Oiling your hair fixes it all.

Oiling hair is a centuries-old hair care ritual In India that has stood the test of time. So trust your moms and grandmothers on this one.

Applying oil to your hair and scalp helps nourish your roots. And when you double it up with some gentle massaging it helps stimulate the circulation of blood to the scalp. This helps keep your hair strong, long and soft.

I keep alternating between different oil combinations based on my hair conditions. But this one is my all-time favorite hair oil recipe for soft and nourished hair.

( These are approx ratios and you don’t have to follow it to the T. Just use what you have)

• 50% coconut oil

• 25% almond oil

• 20% castor oil

• 5% Vitamin E oil

I even found the Juicy Chemistry Marula, Argan And Lavender Oil work quite well in keeping my hair soft and frizz-free. It is very lightweight and has a calling aroma too. You can use the code DEMURE10 to get 10% off.

2. Pick Your Shampoo Wisely

My mom never let me use conventional shampoos when I was in school. But once I entered college, I turned to drugstore shampoos which made my hair super dry and frizzy.

2 years ago, I started using gentle, sulfate-free shampoos again when I switched to clean beauty. And thankfully, my hair once again became softer and way less frizzy. ( The humid climate in Mumbai won’t let the frizz go away completely).

Although shampoos just cleanse your scalp, choosing the wrong one could lead to severe damage and even hair fall if they are too drying and harsh.

You can choose any shampoo brand or variant. But make sure the formula is gentle, non-drying, sulfate-free and silicone-free.

Here are my top picks:

Vilvah Goatmilk Shampoo

Earth Rhythm Coconut Shampoo Bar

Also Read: 6 Simple Ways To Get Rid Of Frizz Naturally

3. Stay Away From Silicones.

While silicones are good at taming frizz and adding shine to your hair, if your hair tends to be on the drier side, it can aggravate the problem. Because silicones coat your hair to prevent moisture from escaping hair.

But they may prevent moisture from entering your hair too!

Silicones did help me control frizz and make my hair silkier and shiny. But they fell flat a day after washing them. It was a temporary fix that weighed down my hair.

So I let go of silicones when I switched to natural shampoos. (Since silicones need sulfate-based shampoos to cleanse). Initially, my hair felt awfully dry. But after 3-4 weeks, they turned soft once again.

Now they don’t look limp and are much more voluminous and bouncy. And I need to shampoo once twice a week now.

Here are some good silicone-free conditioners to try:

Earth Rhythm Solid Conditioner Bar

Mamaeath Argan Hair Mask

The secret to my thick, voluminous hair- skipping the silicones and sulfates!

Also Read: Best Silicone-Free Conditioners to Try in India

4. Air Dry Your Hair.

I know blow-drying makes our hair look super-sleek and shiny. But even after using a heat protectant spray, it damages the hair strands to some extent.

And when done regularly, it leads to a lot of dryness, frizz, split ends, and even hair breakage. So it’s best to let your hair air dry.

Same with hair straightening and curling which I recommend restricting to super-important functions only.

How I Air Dry My Hair?

Once out of the shower, I squeeze out(not rub) excess water with a microfibre towel. And then I wrap the towel around my hair for 15- 20 minutes.

Then, I apply 5-7 drops of lightweight oil on wet strands to tame the frizz and use a wide-toothed comb to smooth out the tangles. You will see there aren’t many tangles left if you have oiled and conditioned your hair well.

I even avoid combing hair when they are wet to avoid breakage. They are very weak when they are wet and hence, best left untouched.

Also Read: How To Remove Product Buildup From Your Hair

5. Choose Your Tools Wisely.

Yes, combing your hair with a fine-toothed comb or even a hairbrush makes them look straighter and slekk. But I found them to cause a lot of hair breakage due to friction and thus stopped using them completely.

I use only wide-toothed combs on daily basis now. They are way gentler on hair, especially when you pick a wooden or bamboo comb.

If you do like a straight hair look, comb with a wide-toothed comb first and use a hairbrush only to set them at the end.

How To Get Soft Hair With These Tips

My hair did not turn soft and bouncy overnight. It took me months to reach the healthy stage again.

So the key is to follow these tips regularly to see results(I lost track multiple times but keep coming back again.) The wrong choice of hair products, heat styling and not oiling hair are the 3 most common mistakes we all make.

If you want your hair to be softer, shinier, and healthier once again, you have to fix these 3 mistakes.

And yep, no colouring or chemical treatments too!

These are probably the worst 2 things you can do to your hair. Your hair may look great but will be severely damaged, even beyond redemption when done over and over again. So try to embrace your natural hair color and texture if you want healthy hair.

Hope you found this post useful. If you have more questions on hair care, do post them in the comments below and I will answer them all.