Coloring your hair, according to most stylists and several news articles, may help it look a little thicker. In fact, if you apply permanent color, it will temporarily make each hair strand become as much as a third thicker in volume. You have to understand what applying color, rather than stripping color from the hair, actually means, however.
In most cases, if you’re going many shades lighter, you will have to bleach your hair, which actually strips the hair of some of its density. Sometimes, people first bleach and then apply color, which may restore the hair’s look to its original density. You still may look like you have about the same thickness of hair if you use this dual process. When you actually color your hair by adding color deposit, you are increasing the weight of each hair strand. This means you’re not bleaching first in most cases, but instead merely applying color in a shade similar to your own, and not significantly lighter than your hair color.
You can still apply lighter shades when coloring your hair, but doing so without bleaching may not result in the shade you want. If you’re making a dramatic transition from very dark hair to blond, for example, you often end up with more reddish tints. While your newly colored hair might technically be thicker, it wouldn’t necessarily be what you expected.
For those who want hair to appear thicker, there are a number of ways to get the appearance of thickness, some of which don’t involve adding color. When you do use color, one way to add the appearance of thickness if you’re going lighter is to use highlights and lowlights. When hair appears all one shade, it generally appears thinner and flatter. By adding different complementary colors, hair looks more natural and multi-dimensional. So if you want lighter hair, consider highlights, lowlights, or color weaves to make it look thicker.
Of course, if you don’t like color, another way of making hair appear thicker is to choose cuts that will give hair more body. Typically, layering hair will make it appear thicker than it truly is and can give you added body and style. Other women turn to hair replacements like extensions or small hairpieces or tracks, which can be added to hair to make it look less sparse and more voluminous.