Mary-Kate and Ashley's Hairstylist Told Us 9 Ways to Fake Thicker Hair

Perhaps it's a beauty editor thing, but growing up, I worshipped celebrity makeup artistscolourists and hair stylists almost as vehemently as I did actual celebrities. I devoured glossy magazine pages while armed with a red pen and snip-happy fingers, keeping organised lists and looks precisely organised in colour-coded binders. I've always been product-obsessed, (I owned sticks of Clé de Peau before a car), and my dream was to one day become a beauty editor—an amazing perk of which is talking to and collaborating with said celebrity experts.

I feel extremely lucky that dream panned out, and even two-plus years into the job, I get just as excited to talk to artists who work regularly with members of the A-list and who are artistically responsible for the most double-take worthy hair and makeup looks walking down the red carpet. And, being the beauty-passionate '90s baby that I am, celebrity hairstylist Mark Townsend (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's longtime mane man) was at the top of my list.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

A while ago, I had the amazing opportunity to attend a local event with Dove at West Hollywood's Mare Salon where I was lucky enough to meet Townsend and experience his hair magic firsthand. Of course, I had roughly 1.2 million things on my agenda to discuss, but gleaning his best tricks for how to get thicker hair was at the top of my list. During my haircut, (one of the best I've ever had, I might add) we chatted all things products, cuts, celebrities and supplements, and after a follow-up phone interview a couple of weeks later, I'm officially equipped with Townsend's tips, tricks, dos and don'ts for getting (or faking!) thicker, healthier, lustrously voluminous strands. Curious to learn more? Keep scrolling! I'm spilling all the details just ahead.

1. Nail Your Haircut

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The Chin-Length Bob
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"I love a classic bob—right at the chin," opens Townsend. "For fine hair, especially, it should be slightly longer in the front, and shorter in the back, which creates so much more volume. For me, length equals weight, so when you're working with a shorter-length cut like this, your stylist can incorporate a lot more volume into it. Plus, it's so chic, and the style really elongates the neck."

Of course, Townsend tells me you can part your hair any way you want with this kind of cut, but a deep, dramatic part with almost all of the hair pulled over to one side creates the illusion of more hair and fullness. 

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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The Shoulder-Length Lob
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According to Townsend, the next best haircut for those looking to make their hair look thicker would be a longer version of the above—a lob that falls just at the shoulder. 

"I love what Natalie Portman's been doing with this cut, because she really demonstrates all the different ways you can wear it and how wonderfully it works for different hair textures," Townsend explains. "She's worn it curly, straight, sleek—by graduating to the shoulder, you still have enough length for updos, chignons, or even top-knots, so you get a little more flexibility and versatility with styling.

"Also, when it's right at the shoulder and blown out straight, I love the movement it gives the hair when it hits the shoulder—it has to break either in the front of or behind the shoulder—which gives really beautiful movement and is a really great way of faking the look of fuller hair."

Townsend also explains that for bobs and lobs, the ends should be blunt. There are layers in there, but they're cut from the top which gives lift and movement at the root without making the ends look thin. The blunter the ends are, the thicker the hair will look. 

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The Crop
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"I love that we're seeing short hair as really, really cool right now," says Townsend. "There's pixie short like Michelle Williams and Joey King have done—and I love Joey King because she's been doing it with her natural, curly hair. We're seeing girls with curls keeping their curls no matter what their length us, and I love that."

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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The Fringe
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"Bangs—bangs are a really good way to fake thicker hair because the cut gives you so much hair around the face, which creates an illusion of having more hair in general," Townsend adds. As far as the type and length of the fringe, that really depends on face shape and will depend on your unique features.

"If you're often short on time, fringes are a really great way to have a quick but chic hairstyle," Townsend tells me. "Even if you pull the rest of your hair up into a knot or ponytail, just blow out your bangs and you're ready to go."

Plus, as he points out to me, bangs can be a really a great compromise for women who have fine texture but still want long hair—Townsend's longtime client Dakota Johnson being the perfect example.

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2. Dry Shampoo Should Be Your Most-Used Styling Product

3. Only Use Volumising Shampoos and Conditioners

4. Learn to Love Mousse

5. Avoid Towels Like Your Life Depends On It

6. Don't Be Afraid to Tease the Heck Out of Your Hair

7. Choose Hair Creams & Serums Wisely

8. Try a Supplement

9. Pencil in Regular Hair Dustings

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According to Townsend, regular cuts—even if it's just a dusting—are essential for helping your hair to look and feel as thick as possible.

"There's no saving a truly split end," he says point-blank. "Yes, there are products that can mask runs and fish hooks, but you really have to snip them off to get rid of them for good. And the longer you wait, the more hair you'll have to part with down the road."

Trimming off those ends isn't something you have to do every three to four weeks, however, just heed Townsend's advice and book an appointment every eight to 12 weeks or so. 

Up next, 9 hairstyles people are actually asking for in salons right now.

Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.