How to Add Texture to Hair: Tips, Products, and Techniques

A good haircut is the best foundation for adding texture. The right cut gives styling products something to grip, making texture easier to maintain. The best ones for enhancing texture use layers, point-cutting and shape. On straight and fine hair this means bobs or lobs with textured ends. On thick hair, think shags and long, feathered layers. And on curly hair, the best haircuts for texture are structured, cascading layers.

Coined ‘beach hair in a bottle’ by beauty editors, sea salt spray is a lightweight, salt-infused styling mist designed to mimic the texture and volume you get after a swim in the ocean.The holy grail of texture products, it’s amassed a cult following for its ability to turn straight hair into effortless waves. This is a Sea Salt Spray adds just the right amount of texture and grit for a natural, lived-in finish.

If dry shampoo and hairspray had a lovechild, it would be the dry texturizer. Dry texture sprays and powders add hold, definition and separation to all hair types, making strands easier to manipulate without the stiffness of a hairspray. Plus they’re perfect for a quick refresh and instant root lift on second-day hair. This Is A Dry Texturizer gives the hair an instant full-bodied and tousled look and This is a Texturizing Dust adds long-lasting volume with workable texture.

The best product formula for maximizing your hair’s natural volume is a volumizing mousse. Mousses enhance the texture of all hair types, but work especially well if you have waves, curls or coils. Apply a volumizing mousse to damp hair before blow-drying for lightweight hold and enhanced definition. This is a Volume Boosting Mousse is perfect for giving your strands an airy body, with lasting shine.

Wondering how to add texture to straight hair? For a quick lift, apply a volume mousse to your damp hair, before rope braiding and setting with a blow dryer. Or add a texturizing powder at the roots of your dry hair, then add some waves with a curling wand. If you have a little more time, try easy overnight waves. Wash with a curl-enhancing shampoo before bed. Then section and apply a sea salt spray and put your hair into two braids while you sleep.

Adding texture to fine hair depends on using lightweight, residue-free products and some strategic styling. For maximum body, apply a volumizing mousse in sections to damp hair before blow-drying. Once your hair is dry, rub a texturizing powder into your roots for lift without weighing down your lengths. Finish by gently backcombing at the crown in sections, and smoothing your hair into place for added volume. 

Even wavy or curly hair can sometimes fall flat. In these cases, adding some texture can help. Start by detangling and sectioning, then scrunch your hair with a curl-building serum or sea salt spray while your hair is wet to enhance your natural wave or curl pattern. Plop, then diffuse on low heat with a hover-and-release technique for definition and added volume. Avoid touching your curls while drying to preserve clumps and prevent frizz.

If you have damaged hair or hot tools aren’t a part of your daily routine, you may be wondering how to add texture to hair without heat. The easiest way is by scrunching your wet hair with a texture product like sea salt spray or volumizing mousse and letting it air dry. Another tried and true method for heatless texture is overnight braiding. Wash your hair at night and put it into braids while it’s still damp to wake up with waves in the morning. Experiment with different types of braids (traditional, french, waterfall, etc.) and as many or as few as you want (single, double, multiple), for different wave patterns and results. Wearing your hair in twist-outs and bantu knots will also leave you with waves and curls when you take them out. This gives you two different styles back to back- essentially two styles in one!

When it comes to adding texture to your hair, you have to be mindful. Even the smallest mistake can weigh your hair down or ruin what you’re trying to achieve. Avoiding some common pitfalls is a must to get your best textured look. This is how to add texture to hair the wrong way.