The Super Simple Hair Hack That Promises The Perfect Amount Of Volume

We're all about hair hacks for volume, and the most recent phenomenon involves a little pinch. Since the middle part is everything right now (sorry, side part gals), the pinch hack works best on middle parts since it allows hair to frame the face. It also works beautifully on the waterfall cut, the ultra-textured hair trend that's straight out of the '70s.

The pinch hair hack looks best on styled hair, so bring out the flexi rods for defined, heatless curls or your favorite flat iron for smooth, beachy waves. But however you like to style your hair, volume is always a welcomed element, and we're after all the methods we can find to achieve it. And thanks to the wonderful world of TikTok, which is packed with beauty and hair tips, we've tried and tested this simple little trick and are here to report that it's a good one.

The pinch hair hack is incredibly simple, but takes the hair from flat to full in seconds. The best part of this hack is that it requires no heat, hot rollers, or fancy teasing combs. It also means no need to smooth out frizz or worry about breakage from backcombing. As explained by Pantene, repeating that traditional teasing process actually harms the cuticle.

Best of all, the clip hack is pretty easy to learn. Begin by styling your hair as usual. Don't get too carried away with products; all you really need to use is a textured mousse in your styling regime. In fact, overdoing it with products can weigh your hair down, counteracting the goal of getting volume and lift.

Once you've styled your hair as you like it, take the two front sections around your part and simply pinch them together. While holding the two sections together, spray the area with hairspray to hold the lift. The look became hugely popular on hair stylist Emma Chen's Instagram and TikTok pages, where she shared her client's looks and showed the pinch technique in action. Chen used the pinch at the face-framing part of the hair on her clients, spraying it with hairspray, but she also frequently uses the pinch a few more times as she works her way up the middle part until she reaches the crown of the head. Simply gently pull those two sides of the part together and give it a healthy spritz of hairspray. It's a perfect way to frame the face and add some much-desired volume.

Some hair stylists use the pinch technique but add a clip while applying hair spray to the lifted section. Tiktok, stylist Brendnetta, who goes by @edgybgirl, shared that this technique allows the hold to set while she works on the rest of the hair. In one video, she demonstrated this approach works well when trying to create volume on curtain bangs when someone has a middle part style.

Brendnetta pinches the front of the hair together with a single-prong clip and then sprays it with a flexible hairspray. Note: This is different from firm hold hairspray, which freezes hair in place. Once the hairspray dries, Brendnetta removes the clip, revealing an impressive amount of volume in the pieces around the middle part. The best part about the pinch trick is that you can re-do the process throughout the day as needed, even if your hair does fall. Humidity and climate can impact how long hairspray can hold hair, so you may need to touch up your hair with the pinch.