Is your hair flat and lifeless? Do you envy people with bounce and volume? Don't despair, it is possible to put more oomph in your hairstyle!

Tip #1 - Get Rid of the Gunk!

The first question to ask is - has your hair always been lacking in volume? A surprising number of people have good natural volume, but it's become completely flattened by the invisible residue from shampoos and mousses. Many shampoos and conditioners have polymers in them - plastic-like substances that coat each strand to make it shiny and smooth, but also weigh it down. In fact, volumizing products can be the worst culprits, because they have extra ingredients that coat each strand to make it thicker!

So your first step, before spending any money on new products or treatments, is to get rid of the build-up, and see what's really underneath! Clairol Herbal Essences have a Clarifying Shampoo which is very effective, but there are many other brands, too. Whichever shampoo you choose, lather twice, rinse well and see if your hair recovers its bounce.

You'll need to re-use your clarifying shampoo periodically, to prevent the build-up accumulating again. How often depends on how often you wash your hair and how many products you use on it.

Are you using your hairdryer and products correctly? Using too much mousse or gel, and/or bad drying technique can make your hair as flat as a pancake. We'll work on your technique next - but first, try this experiment:

Wash your hair just before you go to bed, towel dry it, and go to bed. Yes, it's OK to sleep with your hair wet, you're not going to catch pneumonia whatever your Mom said! If you're worried about getting your pillow wet, wrap a towel around your head.

Next morning, take a look at your hair (it's a good idea to do this on a day when you don't have to rush out the door, just in case...).

Is it is looking fresher and bouncier than usual? If it is, it's time to review how your drying method - because it looks like you're blow-drying the volume out rather than in!

I know some working mums who always wash their hair at night and let it dry on the pillow - it's a great timesaver and their hair looks great!

One common blow-drying mistake is that we don't dry our hair for long enough. If you stop blow-drying while there's still moisture in the hair, it will flop - no matter how much volume you've blown into it. If your arms are getting tired, you're more likely to give up too early - so follow the advice in this video, and get rid of at least half the water in your hair before you add product or start using a brush. A microfibre towel will get a lot more moisture out of your hair than a cotton one - then use the hairdryer to rough-dry all over your head, using your fingers to shake the moisture off the hair (you can hang your head forward if you like).

For a little extra insurance, when you think you've finished styling, give your whole head a quick once-over on the cool setting, then run your fingers through the roots - any lingering moisture will be more obvious once your hair is cool.

The other fact most people don't know is - hot hair won't hold a style. You can blow in all the volume you like, but if you stop without cooling the hair down, it won't last. So before you release each tress, hit the cool-shot button for a few seconds to cool and set it - if you don't have a cool-shot, hold the curl for a moment to let it cool (or get a new hairdryer!). Some hairdressers use two brushes, so they can leave one with the hair curled around it to cool down thoroughly while they move on to the next tress.

Personally, I always seem to be in a rush, so I always play it safe: after blow-drying, I catch my hair up in a clip on top of my head, to keep the roots lifted while I do my make-up. That way, if I haven't dried it properly, it will dry and cool naturally with lift rather than without.

Rollers are a boon if you're lacking in volume, because you won't be tempted to take shortcuts due to tiredness and you won't do your hair any harm by leaving them in place for longer than you think you need. So you can leave them in place till you're absolutely positive you're "cooked", without any concerns.

As with blow-drying, always rough-dry first before using rollers, removing at least 50% of the moisture from your hair.

If you use plain velcro rollers, sweep over them with a hot dryer. If you're using hot rollers, make sure you get them up to temperature before you put them in. In both cases, leave them in until you think your hair is completely cool - then allow another ten or fifteen minutes, just in case!

Believe it or not, it is possible to wash your hair too much. Over-washing makes it flyaway and floppy (stylists prefer to do up-do's on hair that's been washed the day before, because it's too soft if it's just washed).

If you get a good lather on the first shampoo, don't lather again, whatever the bottle says - unless you are using a clarifying shampoo to clear build-up.

If you're currently washing your hair every day, try to cut back to every second day. On your non-shampoo day, don't just clamp a shower cap on your head in the shower - it'll flatten your hairdo totally! Instead, gather your hair up into a clip, comb or elastic band on top of your head before you shower (now you can put on that shower cap)! Leave the clip/band in place until you're ready to leave the bathroom, or the steam will undo your good work.

When choosing shampoo, be cautious about volumizing products. Volume is really about lift and bounce. If a volumizing product is going to coat your hair to make it thicker, it may also make it heavier, which means it will be harder to lift. If a volumizing shampoo doesn't make a big difference in the first few shampoos - toss it, use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of any residue, and try something else.

If all these tips fail - or if they don't quite get you there - it's time to wheel out remedies that will need more maintenance - and involve more cost.

Colour is your friend. Colour causes the hairshaft to swell, so you literally end up with thicker hair. Because it penetrates rather than leaving a plastic coating on the surface, colour doesn't cause the same heaviness as volumizing mousses or gels.

It doesn't matter whether you choose a semi, a tone-on-tone or a permanent, home or salon. They'll all work. A good hairdresser can also create the illusion of volume with clever use of highlights and foils. If you don't want to change your colour, simply choose a shade that matches your natural hue.

A perm or body wave will solve all your volume problems forever - or rather, for six to twelve weeks, when you'll need to have it done again! However, if you don't want curls, you'll have to face the laborious task of blow-drying it straight after every wash. Old-fashioned perms can be hard on your hair, too, so do your research before you take the plunge.

Now you'll have no excuse to hide under that headscarf!

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All text copyright Marisa Wright. Photos courtesy of the photographers below.