Summary

• Work With Your Volume: Thick hair becomes easier to manage when your routine works with its natural density instead of constantly trying to flatten or control it.

• Think About Weight: Where and how you secure thick hair can make a big difference in how an updo feels after several hours.

• Don't Rely on More Tension: Pulling an updo tighter isn't always the answer when your hairstyle won't stay in place.

• Choose Accessories With Enough Capacity: Thick hair needs enough room. A claw clip that's too small can make even a simple hairstyle unnecessarily difficult.

9 Styling Tips Every Girl With Thick Hair Should Know

Having thick hair gives you plenty of volume to work with, but all that hair can also make everyday styling more complicated. Drying takes longer, updos can feel heavy, and a claw clip that looks enormous in your hand can somehow become tiny the moment you try to close it around your hair.

The trick isn't trying harder to control your hair. It's building a routine that actually accounts for its density, volume, and weight.

Here are nine thick hair tips that can make styling all that volume a whole lot easier.

1. Detangle Your Hair in Sections

Trying to brush through an entire head of thick hair at once can turn a simple step into a project.

Instead, divide your hair into manageable sections and work through them individually. Start toward the ends and gradually move upward rather than immediately pulling a brush from roots to ends.

Sectioning makes it easier to see where the tangles actually are and gives you more control over how much force you're using.

The same technique can help when applying products. Working in sections can make it easier to distribute product throughout dense hair instead of coating the surface while missing the layers underneath.

2. Work With Your Natural Texture Instead of Against It

Thick hair already has body, so you don't necessarily need to spend every morning trying to flatten it into submission.

Pay attention to how your hair naturally falls and which hairstyles complement that texture.

If your hair has waves or curls, styles that allow some of that movement to remain visible may be easier than repeatedly straightening everything. If your hair is naturally straight and dense, a loose twist or half-up style can take advantage of that fullness.

There's nothing wrong with changing your texture when that's the look you want. The point is that it shouldn't feel like something you have to do every day just to make thick hair manageable.

Sometimes the easiest styling routine begins when you stop fighting the volume you already have.

3. Be Strategic About How Much Product You Use

Having more hair can mean needing more product, but that doesn't mean every product needs to be applied heavily from root to tip.

Think about what each area of your hair actually needs.

For example, if you're applying a smoothing or conditioning product, your lengths and ends may need more attention than your roots. Starting with a manageable amount also lets you add more where necessary instead of discovering too late that you've overloaded your hair.

For thick hair, good product distribution can be just as important as the amount you're using.

Again, sectioning can help here. Applying a smaller amount through several sections can give you more even coverage than putting a large amount over the outside of your hair.

4. Give Thick Hair Enough Time to Dry

Thick hair can take a while to dry simply because there's more hair to work through.

If you're blow-drying, separating your hair into sections can help you work through the density more efficiently. Rather than repeatedly directing heat over the outside layers while the hair underneath remains damp, you can work through one area at a time.

If you're air-drying, plan for the extra time rather than putting soaking-wet hair straight into a tight updo because you're in a rush.

This is one of those thick hair tips that sounds obvious until you're standing in front of the mirror wondering why your hair is still damp hours later.

Give all that volume the time it needs.

5. Stop Pulling Your Updos Tighter Just to Make Them Hold

When thick hair starts falling out of an updo, the instinct is often to start over and make everything tighter.

That can work temporarily, but it doesn't necessarily solve the actual problem.

Your hairstyle may need better weight distribution, a different technique, or an accessory with enough capacity to support your hair.

A secure hairstyle doesn't have to mean pulling every strand tightly against your scalp. Try loosening your twist slightly or changing where your updo sits.

If the hairstyle immediately feels more comfortable but your accessory can no longer hold it, pay attention to that. The accessory may be the thing that needs changing—not your hair.

6. Pay Attention to Where the Weight of Your Hair Sits

With thick hair, you're not just dealing with volume. You're dealing with weight too.

Gather all that hair into one high, tight spot and you may start noticing the weight as the day goes on.

Experiment with placement.

A lower twist can feel different from a high bun. A half-up style reduces the amount of hair being supported by a single accessory. A claw clip can distribute your hair differently from an elastic.

You can also change your hairstyle throughout the week instead of repeatedly placing all that weight in exactly the same area.

Your favorite updo should feel good several hours after you create it, not only when you first look in the mirror.

7. Choose Hair Accessories With Enough Capacity

This one can completely change your relationship with thick-hair updos.

Stop trying to squeeze all your hair into a clip that doesn't have enough room for it.

When a claw clip is too small, you may compensate by twisting your hair tighter, forcing the clip closed, leaving part of your hair outside the clip, or repeatedly fixing the style when pieces escape.

None of those necessarily mean you're bad at using claw clips.

You might simply need a bigger one.

Mello's Jumbo Clip is designed for high-volume hair, including thick, curly, voluminous, and long hair. The larger size provides more room for the amount of hair you're actually trying to secure.

Your hair shouldn't have to become smaller to fit your accessory. Your accessory should be sized for your hair.

8. Don't Confuse a Stronger Squeeze With a Better Hold

When you have thick hair, it's easy to assume you need the strongest possible clip.

But hold isn't determined by squeezing force alone.

The size of the clip, shape and placement of its prongs, spring tension, and how your hair is positioned all contribute to how well the hairstyle stays together.

Mello takes a comfort-first approach with the Mello Clip. Its CloudFlex™ engineered material is designed to flex under pressure rather than remain completely rigid, while inward-curving prongs help support the hair.

That distinction matters because thick hair already brings plenty of volume and weight to an updo. You want enough support to keep everything together without assuming that more pressure is always better.

9. Build Your Styling Routine Around Your Volume

Your thick hair isn't something you need to defeat every morning.

It's something your routine should accommodate.

That may mean giving yourself additional drying time, detangling in sections, changing where you position your updos, using products strategically, or finally buying hair accessories that have enough room for all your hair.

Once your routine starts accounting for your natural density, styling can feel a lot less like a battle.

And that doesn't mean every hairstyle needs to involve your entire head of hair. Half-up styles can be particularly useful when you want some hair out of your face while still letting your natural volume be part of the look.

Thick Hair Needs the Right Support, Not More Force

The best thick hair tips aren't about making your hair behave like thinner hair.

They're about making styling decisions that work with what you already have.

Give your hair enough time. Work in sections when it helps. Pay attention to weight and placement. Avoid relying on unnecessary tension. And when you're putting all that volume into an updo, make sure the accessory you're using is actually capable of supporting it.

If your current claw clip barely closes around your hair, that's a pretty good sign that your hair isn't the problem.

Explore Mello's Jumbo Clip for a larger, comfort-first option designed to give thick, long, curly, and high-volume hair the space and support it needs.