Aveda Thickening Tonic

I used this Aveda Thickening Tonic after preparing my hair and scalp with the Aveda Invati (original) range.

Directions are to spray onto towel-dried hair, comb through then blow dry and style as desired. I seldom blow dry my hair so I did the first two and left my hair to dry naturally.

It was strange for me as I usually put in a curl cream or a leave-in conditioner but that probably would have affected how the thickening tonic worked.

The Aveda website makes the following claims:

Instantly thickens for a fuller style.

• thickens hair instantly with just one use
• expands strands from roots to ends
• powered by botanicals—including certified organic amla fruit
• wheat helps boost thickening
• corn helps hold your fuller style
• 97% naturally derived*

*From plants, non-petroleum minerals or water. People-tested.

When my hair dried it looked fuller! I don’t think I could say each strand was thicker but the overall look was full. Where I missed out some of the spray my hair looked dry but that was easily fixed with some extra spritzes. I had to be very generous with the application to make sure no hair was left out. I was worried my hair would be left dry-looking or feeling sticky because I hadn’t used any moisturising products and the Tonic feels sticky on the skin but my hair felt soft and was shiny. My curls were defined and held well throughout the day but the curl pattern was more random than usual. Did the Tonic reveal my true curls?

I’ve used products with hydrolysed wheat protein before and they also make hair look thicker. It must be something to do with absorbing the moisture on the surface of the hair which is why it needs to be used wet.

I like the Aveda Thickening Tonic for wash-day volume, especially compared to having to get the volume from a can of hairspray and some form of backcombing or upside down blow-drying! It’s very easy to use and gives me the result I want.