This Classic Updo Is The Best For Fine Hair

If you have fine hair, you know the struggle of styling it in any way that requires a little obedience. Not the same way curly hair has a lovable unruliness but in a way that flat-out doesn't want to style. Despite this testy demeanor, fine hair is a little misunderstood. It's often confused with thin hair, but the terms refer to two totally different characteristics.

Fine hair references the diameter of the individual strand of hair, while thin hair refers to the density of your hair as a whole. Hence, you can have fine hair that isn't thin. You can have thick hair, but it's so fine that ponytails, updos, or clips have difficulty staying put, thanks to its overwhelming weight and fine texture. Luckily, a few styles that work for fine hair are also all-time classics. Learn a little more about styling fine hair.

How To Determine If You Have Fine Hair?

Your hair stylist has probably already let you know if you have fine hair. But, if not, you can use a handy little at-home test to determine if your strands are fine, medium, or coarse. Grab a single strand of your hair and hold it between your fingers. If you can't feel it at all, then you most likely have pretty fine hair.

If you have coarser hair, you'll definitely still be able to feel it between your two fingers. Even simpler, you usually can tell whether it's super fine or coarse by holding up a single strand and seeing if it looks almost invisible—brunettes and blondes with very fine hair will barely be able to see the strand. While these techniques might not sound very technical upon explanation, it's the fastest and easiest way to get an idea of your hair type in a matter of seconds! You can always ask your hair stylist at your next appointment if all else fails.

What Are Characteristics Of Fine Hair?

If you have fine hair, volume is the problem. Whether thick and heavy or thin and light, fine strands don't get the natural volume and body it needs to help hold hairstyles easily, and it goes flat fast. Fine hair is also more prone to greasiness, as the many strands (with fine hair, there's room for more!) each have their own follicle that produces oil. These two characteristics are the largest factors when deciding which products to use and how to use them when making an updo work.

What Updo Will Always Work For Fine Hair?

Ah, what you've been waiting on. Professional insight shows that a classic chignon is the most reliable updo when you have fine hair. Lucky for those who have fine hair, chignons are stylish, elegant, and not too tricky! Why chignons work the absolute best for fine hair boils down to a few things. First, it's a low updo, which fine hair's lack of volume and holding power can handle the best. Second, it only requires a few pins. Thick or not, fine hair (due to its super small diameter) will be different from bobby pins and coarser hair, making them precarious at best to rely upon for holding up a style. Lastly, you can manipulate your roots with products and tools to feign the appearance of voluminous hair—and it'll stay that way because you're quickly sweeping it into a low chignon without too much fussing or pinning. And with a bit of finishing hairspray, of course.

How To Do This Updo Yourself?

We have the easiest, most stylish chignon that works for holiday parties and casual affairs alike—and you can do it in four steps. But, for starters, you can get your fine hair ready for the 'do with a couple of extra initial tricks.

First, products are imperative. Use a root volume product, such as Living Proof Full Root Lifting Spray, before blow-drying hair to get touchable volume. Then, after drying, if you want to ensure a root lift that will last, use big-barrel rollers on just your top section of roots as you curl the rest of your hair with a curling iron or wand (included in the tutorial).

Follow the rest of our handy steps to get a classic chignon, and you can tailor the process to fit your needs, event to event, to make it even faster. Never sacrifice the volume of products, though! If you can follow visual cues better than written instructions, this tutorial is extremely similar but features some guiding photos of the steps.

WATCH: 3 Easy Holiday Hairstyles

Do you have any tips for styling fine hair? We're always looking for the best tricks for party-ready hair without the hassle, so let us know.