Can a haircut leave you with thicker and fuller looking hair? After years of damage from colouring and heat styling, I was intrigued to find out if Hershesons new Hair Thickening Cut could live up to its name and work its magic on my increasingly dry and lifeless locks.
I booked an appointment at the salon to find out. My stylist explained that the cut had been developed in a bid to offer women with fine hair an alternative style that was both on trend and would also make hair look fuller.
But rather than following the belief that cutting layers into fine hair will make it lose volume, the cut is choppy with short, blunt layers that are said to be easy to style, maintain and has built-in volume.
Before: My hair had been left damaged from heat styling and bleaching
"The cut itself is an evolution of a '70s shag and builds in a complex structure of layers, creating mass in the mane. It's heavy in short, blunt layers at the front and sides, but balanced with longer, choppier ones at the back," the stylist explained.
After my hair was washed my hairdresser set to work on my hair transformation, starting with a long fringe and face-framing layers that skim my cheekbones, losing several inches of hair in the process. He continued to cut layers throughout my hair, with shorter, choppier pieces nearer the front which graduated into longer layers at the back. And as the cut is bespoke to each client, I'm assured that no two thickening cuts are the same.
"The trick is to balance the layers – injecting the perfect amount based on the client's hair and complementing their face shape," the stylist said. "The goal is to create width in the length of the hair versus height at the roots, which is what people commonly perceive as volume."
After: My hair looked healthier, thicker and was easier to style
With my hair transformed, the stylist set about rough drying my hair, moving it at the roots to add volume and let the layers fall into place. It didn't even need the plethora of volumising sprays, mousses and finishing products I would have expected this sort of cut to rely on.
But the real test came when I was left to wash and style my new 'do for myself. As promised it has been both easy to maintain and versatile, working just as well curly as it does straight, all the while looking naturally fuller and healthier. Success.