2000s Volume Is Back — Here’s How To Get The Look Without Wrecking Your Hair

Big hair energy, but make it modern.

The 2000s called, and honestly? We’re answering.

Big, bouncy, glossy hair is officially back — the kind of hair that looks expensive, full, styled, and a little bit dramatic in the best way. Think round brush blowouts, lifted roots, face-framing volume, soft movement, and that “I actually did my hair today” finish.

But here’s the difference: we know better now.

Back then, we were teasing, frying, spraying, flat ironing, curling, re-teasing, and locking everything into place with enough hairspray to survive a windstorm. The hair looked big, yes — but it often felt dry, crunchy, damaged, and one brush-out away from a full identity crisis.

Now? We can get the volume, the bounce, and the drama while keeping the hair soft, shiny, touchable, and healthy-looking.

Because 2000s hair is back.

The damage does not need to come with it.

Then: We Backcombed Everything

If you were around for true 2000s hair, you know the routine.

Flip your head upside down, tease the roots, spray each section, smooth the top layer, then pray nobody touched your hair.

Backcombing gave instant lift, but it also created tangles, breakage, roughness, and that dreaded matted crown situation by the end of the night.

Now: We Build Volume Into the Blowout

Today, we create lift before the hair is fully dry.

The modern way is to apply a volume mousse or root-lifting spray to towel-dried hair, then blow-dry the roots upward and away from the scalp. This gives the hair memory and structure without needing to aggressively tease it later.

At Moda, we love volume products like Davines Volume Mousse and KEVIN.MURPHY BODY.BUILDER because they create fullness, shape, and hold while still letting the hair move.

Stylist tip: focus your product at the root and through the mid-lengths. If your ends are dry or fine, avoid overloading them with mousse. The lift starts at the scalp.

Then: We Used Heat Like It Owed Us Money

Curling irons, flat irons, hot rollers, crimpers, blow dryers — sometimes all in the same day.

And heat protection? She was not always invited.

That high-heat styling gave us shape, but it also left hair dry, dull, fragile, and more prone to breakage. Especially if your hair was already highlighted, coloured, or fine.

Now: We Prep Before Heat

Modern volume starts with prep.

Before you blow-dry, curl, or set your hair, use a heat protectant or leave-in that supports the hair instead of just styling over it. The goal is not only to create shape — it is to keep the hair soft, shiny, and strong enough to style again tomorrow.

For fine hair, choose lightweight sprays or milks. For thicker or drier hair, layer in a cream or oil through the ends before blow-drying.

The goal: heat styling with protection, not heat styling with regret.

Then: We Wanted Hair To Stay Frozen

2000s hair did not move unless there was a serious weather event.

Strong hairspray was the final boss. We sprayed every curl, every tease, every side bang, every bump. The result was hold, yes — but also stiffness, flakes, and that crunchy feeling no one misses.

Now: We Want Hold With Movement

Today’s volume looks better when it has softness and movement.

A flexible hairspray or texturizing spray gives shape without making the hair feel like a helmet. You can still use a strong hold spray when you need it — especially for events, curls, or updos — but the modern approach is layering lighter products instead of blasting the whole head at the end.

Try this:

1. Mousse or root spray before blow-drying
2. Texture spray through the mid-lengths after styling
3. Hairspray only where you need extra hold

That creates lasting volume without the crunch.

Then: We Teased the Crown Into a Bump

You know the bump.

Sometimes it was subtle. Sometimes it was a full architectural feature.

The crown tease was iconic, but it could also look a little too separated from the rest of the style — and it was not exactly gentle on the hair.

Now: We Use Rollers at the Crown

Velcro rollers are the modern volume secret.

After blow-drying, place 2–4 large Velcro rollers at the crown while the hair is still warm. Let the hair cool completely before removing them. This sets the volume into the hair without backcombing, over-spraying, or creating breakage.

Stylist tip: the cooling step matters. Heat shapes the hair, but cooling locks the shape in.

If you pull the rollers out too soon, you lose half the lift. Let them sit while you do your makeup, get dressed, or pretend you are not running late.

Then: We Thought More Product Meant More Volume

A palm full of mousse. Three layers of hairspray. Shine spray. Serum. Dry shampoo. Maybe a little wax if we were feeling dangerous.

The problem? Too much product can collapse fine hair and make volume disappear faster.

Now: We Use the Right Product in the Right Place

Volume is about placement.

For fine or flat hair:

• Mousse at the roots and mid-lengths
• Lightweight heat protectant through the ends
• Texture spray after styling
• Minimal oil, only on the very ends if needed

For thick hair that needs lift:

• Root spray at the scalp
• Smoothing cream through the mid-lengths and ends
• Round brush blowout
• Stronger finishing spray for hold

For curly or wavy hair:

• Lightweight curl mousse
• Diffuse with the head tilted
• Lift roots with fingers while drying
• Finish with texture spray or light hold spray

The goal is not more product. It is smarter product.

Then: We Washed, Styled, and Hoped for the Best

There was not much conversation about scalp health, buildup, hard water, or product residue.

But here’s the thing: volume starts with a clean, balanced scalp.

If your roots are coated with oil, dry shampoo, minerals, styling product, or heavy conditioner, your volume is going to struggle before you even pick up the blow dryer.

Now: We Rotate Shampoos

A volume routine is not just about styling products.

You may need to rotate in a clarifying or chelating shampoo occasionally to remove buildup, minerals, and residue that can make hair feel heavy, dull, or flat.

This is especially important if:

• Your roots get oily quickly
• Your hair feels heavy even after washing
• You use dry shampoo often
• You live with hard water
• Your blonde looks dull or brassy
• Your style falls flat by lunch

Clean hair lifts better. Fresh roots behave better. Your blowout will thank you.

How To Get Modern 2000s Volume At Home

Here is the Moda-approved version:

Step 1: Start with the right cleanse

Use a volume shampoo and conditioner if your hair is fine, flat, or limp. Keep conditioner mainly through the mid-lengths and ends.

If your hair feels coated or heavy, rotate in a clarifying shampoo as needed.

Step 2: Apply mousse to towel-dried hair

Use Davines Volume Mousse or KEVIN.MURPHY BODY.BUILDER through the roots and mid-lengths.

Do not apply too much to the ends, especially if your hair is fine.

Step 3: Rough dry the roots first

Flip your head or lift sections with your fingers while drying the root area. You want the hair moving up and away from the scalp.

Step 4: Round brush for polish

Use a round brush through the front, crown, and top layers to create bounce and shape.

Focus on the areas people actually see: fringe, face frame, crown, and ends.

Step 5: Set the crown

Pop in large Velcro rollers while the hair is warm. Let them cool completely.

Step 6: Finish with texture and hold

Use texture spray for that airy, lived-in body. Use hairspray only where you need hold.

Soft. Bouncy. Touchably dramatic.

That is the vibe.

Our Favourite Volume Products For The Look

Davines Volume Mousse

Perfect for soft, touchable body and natural-looking lift. It gives beautiful fullness without making the hair feel stiff or sticky.

Best for: fine to medium hair, blowouts, soft root lift, bouncy styles.

KEVIN.MURPHY BODY.BUILDER

A Moda favourite for big, flexible volume with movement. This is the one when you want your blowout to feel fuller, bouncier, and more “done.”

Best for: salon blowout volume, body through the lengths, flexible fullness.

Texture Spray

Texture spray is your modern replacement for aggressive teasing. It gives grip, shape, and airy fullness without roughing up the hair as much as backcombing.

Best for: second-day hair, soft volume, undone waves, crown lift.

Strong Hold Hairspray

For events, curls, humid days, or hair that refuses to hold, strong hairspray still has its place. We just use it more strategically now.

Best for: finishing, special occasions, long-lasting styles.

The Bottom Line

2000s hair is back, but she has grown up.

We still love the volume, the bounce, the glamour, and the drama. We just do not need the breakage, stiffness, or overprocessed feeling that used to come with it.

The modern version is healthier, softer, shinier, and way more wearable.

Prep the hair. Protect the hair. Build volume at the root. Let the style cool. Finish with touchable hold.

Big hair is back.

This time, we know what we’re doing.