Fine to medium hair that is limp or lacks root lift. Best for people who blow-dry style at home and want to shape volume by hand rather than set it rigidly with a powder or heavy mousse. Suited to styling beginners since the application is simple (apply to towel-dried roots, blow-dry, shape). Not aimed at thick or coarse hair, which doesn't need this kind of root lift, and not a professional-mix product — it's a finished consumer styling product.

The main reason to reach for this over a standard root-lift powder is the liquid delivery: it grips hair at the root the way a texturizing powder does, but without the dust, and because it never fully sets, the volume it creates can be reshaped by hand throughout the day instead of being locked in place after the first brush-through.

Apply to towel-dried hair, concentrating the product at the roots. Work it through with fingers or a brush, then blow-dry while lifting and shaping with hands or a round brush to build volume. Reshape with hands later in the day as needed without reapplying.

• Pro: Gives root lift without the loose, airborne mess typical of powder volumizers
• Pro: Liquid format can be reshaped by hand later in the day rather than needing a fresh application
• Pro: Lightweight enough for fine hair, without the stiff, coated feel of some root-lift products
• Pro: Vegan formula
• Con: Needs a blow-dry to activate the lift effect — it does little applied to hair that's already dry and styled
• Con: Formulated specifically for fine/medium hair; not intended to control thick or coarse hair
• Con: 50 mL (1.7 fl oz) size is modest for a product used only at the roots