Nobody would quibble how cool a bob is right now. When even long hair lifers like Demi Moore are going for the chop, you know it’s both ultra-fashionable and chic on mature women. Yet one thing holds many of us back: the fear that a chin-skimming new style might look flat, limp and, dare we say, boring if you have naturally fine, thin hair.
To which we offer two words of reassurance: Hannah Waddingham. The Ted Lasso actress just showed us how to make a bob look impressively bouncy and bountiful, despite her having quite naturally fine-textured hair.
The secret? It’s all down to one simple element of the cut – a thickening ‘feature point’ – and it’s something all fine-haired ladies can ask their stylist to incorporate.
‘You want to be wary about layering fine hair throughout – that can make your hair look finer overall. Your ends will be much thinner than the roots,’ says hairdresser and MDLondon founder Michael Douglas.
‘What really makes Hannah's style work is that it's mostly one-length for thickness. Then she's got what’s essentially a long, concave fringe, with layers that start about the nose and go down to the edge of the bob. That’s really good for making thin, fine hair look fuller.’
‘You’ve kept body throughout most of the cut, then you’ve got this little "feature point" which also makes it easier to add body and lift at the top, which generally makes the hair look thicker and fuller.’
Hannah’s bob makes the most of her ‘feature point’ with a very easy bit of styling. ‘It’s super-nice to put a little flick into a bob like this, says Michael. For fine hair, he recommends blow-drying first, prepping with The Numbers The One and The Two for smoothing and heat protection, then using his Size 3 Radial brush to shape the hair.
Then to add a flick for instant volume, all you need is a good straightener, like his MdLondon Straight. ‘As you pull the straightener towards the ends, just put a 90-degree turn on it, going away from the face. Don’t turn the iron 180 degrees because you’ll get a curl. Just a 90-degree turn, then pull it through the hair in one sweeping movement.'
‘You’ll make a bob look fuller and thicker, just by having this little feature wave that sits on top of the bob. Finish with a texturising spray to add a bit of extra padding.’
You’ll also want to follow Hannah’s lead and go with a centre parting, he notes. ‘That works best when you have this feature point, because you want to evenly split the hair at the front of the face. If you put in a side parting, you end up with a tiny little wisp on this side and a thick lump on that side.' Not the effect you're aiming for.
