Fine or thin hair tends to show through under harsh lighting, strong opinions, and, crucially, the wrong color choice. But before you overhaul your entire haircare routine with "miracle-working volumizers" (which can help, BTW), know this: the right hair color can do a lot of the heavy lifting.
As hairstylist Jordanna Cobella explains, "hair coloring can absolutely be strategic in placement to create the illusion of thickness." In practice, this often means "keeping the external part of the haircut and perimeter of the hair slightly darker in depth to the rest of the hair," while also "contouring around the front of the hair around face-framing layers" or "adding depth on the underneath of a fringe." Small shifts in color placement, she says, can make "a huge difference."
The theory behind it is simple: "darker depths slim shapes and lighter depths can highlight or frame a feature (much like makeup)." In other words, your colorist is doing far more than just switching up your shade. As Jordanna puts it, "your colorist is contouring, shading, designing and maximising your features, the shape of your cut and the texture of your hair," which is exactly what makes color such a powerful (and transformative) tool for fine hair.
This is all about working smarter, not harder–and in other words, using strategic color placement to fake fullness, add depth, and create the illusion of more hair than you technically own. No extensions, no emotional commitment, just clever techniques that work with what you have, not against it. Hair catfishing, but make it chic.
So if you're ready to add dimension, movement, and a convincing sense of density to your hair, read on for the best color tricks to try–from subtle highlights to low-effort glosses.
Baby highlights
Tiny, barely-there, ultra-fine highlights that are closely placed together can trick everyone into thinking your hair is naturally thicker. This is because the stands mimic natural dimensions without harsh contrast; the color variation is subtle, hair looks denser and more blended at the roots, rather than flat or see-through. AKA, it's an optical illusion!
Shadow roots
A slightly deeper shade at the root of your hair can create instant depth and contrast, making the mid-lengths and ends appear fuller by comparison. A blended shadow root is the coloring technique for nailing this illusion as it eliminates harsh lines and provides a low-maintenance, lived-in look.
Lived-in balayage
Balayage is a popular French, freehand coloring technique where a lighter shade is swept onto longer sections of the hair. It results in a soft, blended gradient, with less harsh, more blended roots, making it a low-maintenance option as the hair grows out. No stark stripes here, folks! Top tip: It works well when done with low contrast tones, as it adds movement without exposing sparse sections.
Strategic lowlights
If you don't want to lighten your hair but still want to try a strategic coloring technique for a fuller look, lowlights are the option for you. Adding a few darker strands underneath and throughout the body of your hair can create shadow and depth; this can be especially helpful for hair that's gone too blonde or one-dimensional. Why does it work? Well, the shadow tricks the eye into seeing more volume and texture.
Hair glossing
A godsend for commitment-phobes who recoil at the idea of full color, but still want hair that looks like it has its life together, is hair glossing. A multi-tonal gloss subtly enhances your natural shade with barely-there variations, delivering mirror-like shine without the emotional baggage of permanent dye. This works well as light bounces off strands and therefore, people assume thickness! You get all the praise with none of the responsibility.
Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from viral celebrity hair and makeup news to the latest trend predictions, she’s an expert in recognising the season’s next big beauty look (before it ends up all over your social media feeds). You’ll usually find her putting TikTok’s recent beauty hacks to the Hype Test, challenging the gender-makeup binary and social stereotypes, or fangirling over the time Kourtney Kardashian viewed her Instagram Story (yes, it’s true). Find her also on LinkedIn.
