How to Get Thicker Hair by Erin Quinn.

The saying "thin is in" may be true for laptops, cell phones, and, up to a point, models, but it's never been true for hair. Most women would happily have plump hair, but nature doesn't always work in our favor. Even those born with thick hair may be vexed by thinness at some point in their lives. Some hair thinning is temporary, such as the kind that occurs during pregnancy. When a woman reaches her 40s, hormones cause the diameter of each hair strand to shrink, while the number of active hair follicles starts to decrease. If your scalp is visible in patches or your part is noticeably wider, see a dermatologist to determine whether there's a medical cause. For less severe cases, products and styling techniques can make hair look thicker -- or fatter.

Wash
Wash hair with a volumizing shampoo that contains protein.
Follow with a lightweight conditioner labeled for fine or thin hair, and apply it just from the ears down. Once out of the shower, gently blot your hair with a towel.

Prep
Apply a volumizer that has panthenol or resins throughout damp hair.
Spritz on a heat-protecting spray, avoiding the roots, then gently untangle the hair with a wide-tooth comb, starting at the ends and working your way up.

Blow-dry
Remove your dryer's nozzle, then set the heat to medium.
Flip your head upside down and blow-dry while running a vent brush through hair. When hair is almost dry, flip your head up and finish drying with a medium-size round brush.

Add Volume
Working in small sections, lift your hair off your scalp with your fingers as you aim the dryer, set on cool, at your roots -- this roughs up the cuticle to build volume.
Do this all around your head, then lightly smooth hair with a brush.

Strengthen
Once a week, do a hot-oil treatment on damp hair -- it's lighter than a mask and won't weigh down hair.
Pick one with jojoba oil, which protects against breakage, and proteins, which fatten strands. Avoid applying to roots.

Products

Protein-containing volumizing shampoo and conditioner leave deposits to thicken each strand. We like Biolage Volumathérapie Shampoo and Conditioner and Garnier Fructis Body Boost Shampoo and Conditioner (Biolage, matrix.com; garnierusa.com).
To reduce breakage, use shampoo and conditioner with strengthening provitamin B5. Try Neutrogena Triple Renewal Volume-Boosting Shampoo and Conditioner or Pantene Pro-V Full & Thick Shampoo and Conditioner (neutrogena.com; pantene.com).
For fine hair that's color-treated, try Pureology PureVolume Shampoo and Conditioner (at left) or Nexxus Dualiste Color Protection + Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner (pureology.com; nexxus.com).
For maximum benefits, apply a hot-oil treatment before shampooing. We like Queen Helene Jojoba Hot Oil Treatment (queenhelene.com).
Cheat Sheet

Shampoo hair with a volumizing formula; apply a conditioner for fine hair from your ears to the ends. Blot hair with a towel.
Work a volumizing spray or mousse throughout damp hair, then spritz a heat-protecting spray everywhere but the roots. Gently comb hair, starting at the ends and inching up.
Flip your head over; blow-dry hair without the nozzle on medium heat with a vent brush. When it's nearly dry, stand up and finish with a medium-size boar-bristle round brush.
Switch the dryer to cool, then lift hair with your fingers. Point the air at your roots for several seconds to build volume. Repeat all around your head, then brush the hair.
Once a week, apply a hot-oil treatment containing jojoba oil and proteins from just below the roots to the ends.
Tricks of the Trade

The right haircut makes a difference. Ask your stylist for minimal layers (heavy ones can look flat), or try deep bangs.
Condition very fine or sparse hair before shampooing -- you'll get just enough moisture without weighing hair down.
To boost volume, set dry hair in Velcro -- not hot -- rollers for ten minutes
Revive limp hair with dry shampoo. then massage your scalp with your
When wearing a ponytail or the hair no more than twice to
Certain supplements help strengthen Doctors advise 500 milligrams 1,000 micrograms of biotin per hair loss, see your doctor.
Toolbox

Some volumizers bulk up hair; some weigh it down and end up being counterproductive. For lightweight lift, try Fekkai Root Lifting Spray, L'Oréal Professionnel Texture Expert Mousse, or Suave Professionals Volumizing Mousse (fekkai.com; lorealprofessionnel.com; suave.com).
Heat-protecting sprays work by coating the cuticle with a lightweight silicone. Redken Hot Sets 22 Thermal Setting Mist and Tresemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray won't weigh down fine hair (redken.com; tresemme.com).
Dry shampoo makes hair look thicker. We like Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Dry Shampoo (sexyhair.com).
A vent brush, such as the Goody Ouchless one, helps add fluffiness while you blow-dry (goody.com).
Scunci Smooth and Shine round brush, which is made with boar bristles, is gentle on fragile hair (scunci.com).
Battalia by Spornette Velcro rollers (below) add bounce but won't flatten the cuticle, as hot rollers can (folica.com).

First Encounters,Not a Time for Fairytales by Simeon Oaks

Everyone puts on a show to impress someone at the beginning of a relationship. You meet a guy, you feel connection, and you want the connection to develop into something stronger. You don't want him losing interest in you and moving on, so you exaggerate a bit to keep him interested. Guys get that. It's only natural.

But first impressions count with guys. You shouldn't come with fine print that he's going to miss and regret later. This is a key area where women shoot themselves in the foot, and it's so unnecessary. The balance of power in the world of dating belongs to women. You hold the power of veto. You are always the one who can say, "Thanks, but no thanks." However, he might walk away if he finds out your first meeting happened behind a facade. So don't give him a reason not to trust you.

Statistics say men lie five times more often than women. (Now ask yourself, is that true, or did I just make it up?) Despite human progress and enlightened times, we're still slaves to our genes. Males are hardwired to impress women. Watch the elaborate dances some birds go through to win over a female -- puffing up their chests and using their feathers to exaggerate how big they are. Human males are no different. They're going to tell you they're richer, stronger, taller and more important than the next guy to win your affections.

The problem is that our equal opportunity world has skewed the curve somewhat. The days of women sitting back, waiting to be picked up are over. Women can now go on the offensive and pick up guys if they desire. With these turned tables, it has become more important for women to impress men.

This new need for women to be proactive when picking up guys increases the chance that you might exaggerate, or fudge certain details to land your man. Don't try to be like us, ladies. Stay true to who you are and don't let the game turn you into an ugly player.

Don't false advertise. Make yourself interesting, but please don't invent stuff. Wild exaggerations backfire for two reasons. First, he feels pretty dumb for believing you. Second, you're not the person he's looking for. He wanted the person you pretended to be, not the real you.

So don't tell him that you're up for threesomes with another girl if you don't mean it, or he's going to be mightily disappointed. Trust me, he is. Don't portray yourself as a hard-drinking, party girl who likes to play fast and loose like Samantha from Sex in the City if that's not you. No man likes to discover his sex kitten is in fact a quiet cat that likes to sleep eighteen hours a day.

The problem kicks in when the exaggerations go beyond shaving a few pounds off your usual weight and using a pushup bra. A minor exaggeration shouldn't develop into a full-blown lie and you want to avoid the Cinderella syndrome. Sure, she ended up with Prince Charming at the end, but do you really think the Prince bought the whole glass slipper-thing hook, line, and sinker? Think again.

The Prince's Version

After the clock chimes twelve and he's left holding nothing but a glass slipper, he checks in with his boys to report on the night.

"Dude, did you see the hottie I was with?"

"Yeah, man. Who is she?"

"Calls herself Cinderella. She's got a real nice ride. Doesn't go anywhere without her entourage in tow. And she sports these tiny glass slippers. Where the hell do you buy glass slippers?"

"Don't know, bro. Did you get her number?"

"Nah."

"Reeejected!"

"No way, man. She was in a rush. I did get one of her glass slippers though. She'll be back for that bad boy."

After waiting around for the three-day no-call period, the Prince figures his glass-footed beauty must've forgot where she left her shoe, so he launches a full-scale search to show off his power.

It takes him a while, but he tracks down Cinderella. Only a whole lot's changed from the night of the ball. Her carriage has turned back into a pumpkin, her entourage is a pack of rodents, and her knockout designer number is just a bunch of rags.

He knows these are just superficial things, but he can't shake the fact that she lied. If she lied about all that, what else is she hiding?

Despite what the fairytale says, Prince Charming isn't going to be as easily forgiving. The issue here is that no guy likes to be deceived. He feels stupid. And regardless of what he previously thought about you, you just turned real unattractive real fast.

Now it sounds like I'm making guys out to be angels. They aren't. Just like you, when they first encounter someone who catches their eye, they're likely to exaggerate just as much, if not more. The key difference between you and him exaggerating is that you expect it. You have a heightened sense for bullshit. Your bullshit detector is NASA quality in comparison to his.

Just remember, be yourself. I know this sounds dumb, but it's not. If you're a quiet girl, then be a quiet girl. If you're a sassy lass, then be a sassy lass. Different men will be attracted to different kinds of women. There are men out there who prefer a quiet girl as much as there are guys who dig dangerous ladies. By not being yourself, you're not only attracting guys you won't like, but you're turning off the guys who would like you for being you.