I've made a lot of mistakes over the past few years in pursuit of voluminous, shampoo commercial hair. From overdosing at the salon on layers, more layers, and still MORE layers ON TOP of those layers to wasting tons of money on products that actually damaged my hair, I've tried everything. And though I'll never have Beyonce's hair, once I calmed down, put my credit card away, and was open to learning -- and following -- just a few simple tricks, my normally medium-to-fine hair is sometimes even referred to as "big" by my husband.
1. Your haircut is everything and anything longer than below-the-shoulders should be rethought. Don't hate me for stating the obvious thing we long-hair women never want to hear. I've never, ever had hair shorter than above my shoulders, though I know a bob would really pump up the volume. Nevertheless, cutting my hair when it reached nearly to my breast to the tip of my shoulders made a huge difference in its texture. It's difficult for fine hair to bounce when it's being dragged down by so much weight.
2. Lots of layers are not the answer. It took me a long time to learn this lesson because I assumed the more layers -- the more textured hair appears. The moment a great hairstylist began cutting fewer, longer layers into my hair and leaving the back nearly blunt, it started to look a lot thicker and healthier.
3. Highlights are key but should be used sparingly. As someone with super-dark hair, I've never felt like highlights looked natural or right on me -- but that was because stylists overdid it with color or placed them so that they looked stripey (which can make your hair appear thinner). A few strategically-placed highlights around the face gives color dimension and makes hair look a lot thicker.
4. Invest in a few really great sprays and lotions. I want to marry Phytovolume Actif spray ($29 at Sephora). I don't care that it's expensive -- it lasts forever, never makes my hair feel sticky, and actually works. And if it won't have me, I'll gladly take my other fave voluminizer -- Redken Thickening Lotion 06 ($15.79 at Amazon.com). All you need to do is apply two to three pumps to wet hair and blow dry with your head upside down. Or, better yet, if you have time, let your hair air-dry for really great volume.
5. Get thyself acquainted with a dry shampoo. Fine-haired gals 
are forever jealous when our thick-haired peers say they can get away with washing their hair once a week. That's so NOT happening for me. But I can go at least three days -- and my hair looks even better than right after I shampoo it -- when I use my Sachajuan Volume Powder ($25.69 at Amazon.com). It will lift your roots, make your hair more manageable, create volume you didn't know was possible, AND save you time in the morning. It is a miracle product.
What tips do you have for making fine hair appear more voluminous?
Images via Oleksiy Maksymenko/Corbis/Ada Summer/Corbis