It’s the wedding hair consultation everyone dreads. The hopeful bride settles into your chair, opens her Pinterest wedding hair board and shows you pin after pin of plump, luscious, luxurious bridal styles. But as you release her pencil-sized ponytail and rake through her oh-so-slender strands, your heart sinks. How are you ever going to give this fine-haired girl the wedding hair of her dreams?

“I do it all the time!” declares Sara Caroline, owner of three Aura Hair and Makeup Salons in the Atlanta area, and a Bosley Professional educator. How does Sara send her fine-haired clients down the aisle with gorgeous, long-lasting fullness? Here are 12 of her secret strategies.

1. Consult with Care. “I never tell someone they can’t have a style they want because their hair is thin,” says Sara. “This just makes them feel bad and that’s a bad way to start. Instead I’ll say something like, ‘We can create the appearance of fullness if we add texture to expand your hair.’”

2. Have Your Own Photos on Hand. Those pins on her board? We know they’re all extensions and Photoshopping. So be ready with photos of your actual work on actual clients with fine hair. “This shows them what is achievable,” says Sara. (All of the hair shown here was done by Sara without extensions on fine-haired clients.)

3. Start them on Supplements. If there’s enough time between the consultation and the wedding, Sara will recommend a hair-enhancing supplement like Bosley Pro Vitality Supplements for Women. “It makes hair grow like a weed,” says Sara. “After three weeks, they won’t see any hair in the shower.”

4. Prescribe Protein. Hair is made up of protein, so it stands to reason, if your client wants more hair, she needs more protein. Sara starts her brides on regular protein treatments—done in the salon or at home, or both.

5. Start Trimming. “If hair is splitting, updos are harder to do,” explains Sara. So, set her up for trims every month or two, leading up to the event.

6. Order Extensions. Extensions are great if the hair is strong enough. For fine-haired clients, Sara loves halo-type pieces that are positioned on the crown and the hair is woven through. “I don’t like clip-ons,” she comments. “They’re so tight that they can break hair that is fine or thinning.”

7. Suggest A Down or Half-Up Hairstyle. This season, many brides are opting to wear their hair down, or in half-up hairstyles, which is actually better for fine hair. “It’s easier to get fullness with teasing if you don’t have to pin the hair up,” Sara says, “plus it’s easier to use extensions.”

8. Texturize, Texturize, Texturize. The number one strategy for styling fine hair is to use a texturizing iron to expand strands. The tiny ridges in the iron greatly swell each section. “If the client doesn’t want to see the texture, just texturize the hair at the roots,” advises Sara. Otherwise, use the iron roots to ends.” The deeper the grooves in the iron, the more noticeable the texture. Sara recommends keeping several types of texturizing irons in your kit. “The more tools you have,” she says, the better you are set up to serve everybody!”

9. Prep and Spray. The right prep formula goes hand in hand with the texturizing trick. “My favorite is Bosley Pro’s new BamBoom Volumizing and Cleansing Powder,” says Sara. “I apply it roots to midlengths and then massage it in with my fingers. It lifts and fluffs the hair and soaks up oil on the scalp so the hair doesn’t separate. If you BamBoom, then crimp, you can really get a nice fluffy braid.” The final step? “Bosley Pro Volumizing and Thickening Styling Hairspray,” says Sara. “It locks in anyone’s hair, it doesn’t get dull or sticky, it adds shine, it protects from humidity and from heat. It’s my absolute go-to.”

10. Accessorize with a Scarf. Pins and clips can weigh fine hair down, so if a client wants some accessory pizzazz, Sara might braid a scarf into the hair instead of using a heavy ornament. “It actually makes the hairstyle look fuller,” she explains.

11. Pin Properly. Some people think the flat side of the bobby pin goes against the head, but it’s actually the ridged side. Pins stay longer if you create a good base—that’s where your texture iron comes in. And be sure to place pins upward. “It’s about gravity,” Sara explains. “If the pin is down and the hair drops, it drags the pin down with it. If the pin is up and the hair drops, it falls into the base of the pin and stays put.”

12. Prepare an Emergency Kit. Sara sends all her brides off with extra bobby pins and some extra hairspray. “I’ll show one of the bridesmaids how to re-pin if necessary,” says Sara. “And if she’s wearing her hair down, I may actually leave it in the pin-curl set and have one of her friends take it down right before the ceremony.”

Win Sara Caroline’s Fine-Hair Wedding Must-Haves!

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