.jpg "The Best Shampoos for Thinning Hair to Boost Volume and Fullness")
Combating reduced hair density can feel like quite the uphill battle; luckily, experts say turning to the best shampoo for thinning hair can aid your journey—alongside powerhouse hair growth products and supplements, that is.
Best Shampoo for Thinning Hair
Causes of Hair Thinning
To start, it’s helpful to address why you might be experiencing thinning in the first place. “A big cause nowadays of telogen effluvium (diffuse temporary hair loss) is stress,” says trichologist Angela Onuoha. She additionally cites COVID, chronic infections, certain medications, metabolic changes, hormonal irregularities, postpartum, and diet as potential causes. “It occurs due to a disturbance of the hair cycle; this causes the hairs to fall out prematurely. The positive thing is that, in the short term. Telogen effluvium is rarely permanent, meaning that the hair will grow back eventually.”
Solutions for Hair Thinning
Onuoha explains that identifying the cause of thinning can inform your treatment. “The priority is to normalize the hair cycle again,” she says. “Regrowth usually begins three to six months after treatment.” Essentially, you want to ensure your hair is in the best health possible—this means alleviating signs of damage. According to her, this can happen through bond repair treatments or ingredients like peptides (which have been “shown to help with slowing down hair loss and improve both the quality and density of the hair over time”), azelaic acid (“which helps reduce inflammation”), pyridoxine HCL, and zinc PCA. Celebrity hairstylist Peter Burkhill recommends anything that can encourage hair to grow back faster and thicker—from DHT blockers for men or iron, biotin, and caffeine supplements for women. “You want to avoid anything with silicone or sulfates as they suffocate the scalp; it’s a little bit like wearing a hat!” he says.
That being said, Onuoha details that the best shampoo for thinning hair is often lightweight so as not to weigh the hair down and is enriched with exfoliants to remove excess buildup on the scalp. These properties combined allow for hair that looks fuller and healthier. Here, I’ve tapped five hair experts for the best shampoos to consider based on your hair type—plus a couple of favorites that have earned Vogue editors’ stamps of approval. Read on to find the best one for you.
Best for Growth
Vegamour GRO Revitalizing Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Hairstylist Laura Rugetti is partial to Vegamour’s assortment: “They have an abundance of serums and capsules to help alleviate hair loss and help promote hair growth,” she says, citing this shampoo as a great addition.
- Key Ingredients: This is powered by vegan silk keratin, microencapsulated silk proteins, marula, baobab, and ximenia oils to promote thicker, longer-looking hair.
Best for Mature Hair
Isdin Lambdapil Hair Density Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Crafted for men and women, Isdin’s Lambdapil takes a three-pronged approach to revitalizing thinning hair. The shampoo promises to improve volume, aid hair growth, and control oil production at the scalp for overall healthier hair.
- Key Ingredients: This supports hair health through a blend of Serenoa serrulata fruit extract, biotin, zinc, and vitamin B.
Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Clinical Densifying Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Get the look of denser hair with this Alterna treatment. The gentle shampoo promises to remove impurities from the scalp while protecting against stressors that make hair appear older—from dullness to dryness.
- Key Ingredients: Caviar is the leading ingredient in Alterna’s Densifying Shampoo for its elasticity and moisture-boosting properties. Here, the fatty acid-rich ingredient works alongside red clover and amla Indian gooseberry to treat mature hair types.
Best for Fine Hair
Ouai Fine Hair Shampoo
- Why We Love It: “[Ouai’s Fine Hair Shampoo] makes the hair feel very light, which gives you the perfect canvas to create volume with,” explains Onuoha.
- Key Ingredients: Safe for color-treated tresses, the formula is enriched with hydrolyzed keratin, biotin, and chia seed oil to promote stronger, bouncier hair that appears fuller.
Philip Kingsley Density Thickening Shampoo
- Why We Love It: The goal of this Philip Kingsley shampoo is thicker, stronger strands for those with fragile hair. Expect reduced breakage, improved hair health, and hydrated strands after working this into a luxurious lather.
- Key Ingredients: Onuoha is a fan of this shampoo because it “contains pea peptides which have a thickening effect, [plus] BHAs to gently exfoliate the scalp.” These work in tandem with hyper-branched polymers and strengthening molecules, too.
Best for Scalp Health
Nutrafol Root Purifier Scalp Microbiome Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Rugetti also recommends Nutrafol’s Scalp Microbiome Shampoo, which can also be used in tandem with its Hair Growth Supplements. The cleanser is designed to balance oily production for improved volume in two weeks.
- Key Ingredients: Free of sulfates and parabens, the formula is enriched with vegan proteins, prebiotics, and a biosurfactant for optimal scalp health and hair moisture.
Nioxin System 1 Scalp Cleansing Shampoo with Peppermint Oil
- Why We Love It: Burkhill recommends Nioxin’s range of shampoos for those experiencing thinning. Just choose the formula depicted for your hair type. For example, this option, step one of the brand’s three-part regimen, is suitable for fine, natural hair experiencing light thinning.
- Key Ingredients: Peppermint oil is the essential ingredient here, which helps keep the scalp fresh.
For Damaged Hair
Redken Extreme Shampoo
- Why We Love It: “Redken Extreme Shampoo has a protein technology that nourishes the hair from root to tip,” says pro-Venner James. It is lightweight, which is needed for fine hair but also rejuvenates and hydrates each strand.”
- Key Ingredients: The formula uses a strengthening complex featuring amino acids, arginine, and citric acid to revive damaged hair and prevent future breakage.
Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
- Why We Love It: “This is great for maintaining hair health and is not too heavy for thinning hair,” says hairstylist Glenn Ellis.
- Key Ingredients: The buzzy shampoo is known for its bond repair technology that seeks to repair broken bonds to reverse damage, split ends, and breakage. Not to mention, it’s vegan, cruelty-, sulfate-, and paraben-free.
Best for Curly Hair
Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Venner James recommends Mielle’s shampoo for curly, thinning hair types. As the name suggests, it expertly delivers moisture for brittle and coarse strands.
- Key Ingredients: “This shampoo is infused with biotin, which strengthens and thickens, and also rosemary, which helps to stimulate the scalp,” says the pro. There’s also a handful of botanical oils (coconut, peppermint, castor, and babassu seed, to name a few) for additional nutrients.
Pattern Hydration Shampoo
- Why We Love It: As Onuoha previously mentioned, a lightweight shampoo is key for cleansing thinning hair. The formula works into a moisturizing lather that leaves coils bouncy and ready for styling.
- Key Ingredients: Free of harsh surfactants (SLS and SLES) and parabens, Pattern’s shampoo features a nourishing blend of aloe vera leaf juice, coconut oil, castor seed oil, shea butter, and honey.
Best for Volume
Briogeo Blossom & Bloom Ginseng + Biotin Hair Volumizing Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Briogeo’s volumizing shampoo seeks to promote long-term fullness by not only coating the hair shaft with a natural starch but boosting blood flow and the vitamins that spur hair growth.
- Key Ingredients: Ginseng, biotin, maltodextrin, and witch hazel are just a few of the 94% naturally derived, vegan ingredients that make up this formula.
Davines Volu Shampoo
- Why We Love It: For Ellis, the draw to Davines Volu Shampoo is because it’s “great for adding volume while hydrating and nourishing [the hair].” With its light and foamy texture, this surges softness, shine, and body to limp hair.
- Key Ingredients: Led by Caprauna turnip extract harvested from Italy, this shampoo is rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins to keep hair in tip top shape.
Best for Daily Washing
Living Proof Full Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Dubbed one of the best hair-thickening shampoos, Living Proof’s Full formula is a Vogue editor favorite. “I love how voluptuous and full my hair looks after every wash,” commerce producer Clarissa Schmidt previously said. This is known to energize flat and fine hair types, while expertly removing residue and hydrating for your daily wash.
- Key Ingredients: Vegan, color-safe, and free of parabens, sulfates, and silicones, this features slip modifiers that reduce surface friction along the hair shaft, as well as lightweight sugarcane to reduce frizz and damage.
Rhyme & Reason Volume & Boost Shampoo
- Why We Love It: Smelling of fresh bergamot, lemon, and honeysuckle, Rhyme & Reason’s shampoo is an aromatherapy treatment in a bottle that also manages to boost flat hair.
- Key Ingredients: This vegan, 92% naturally derived shampoo is another favorite of Onuoha’s. “[It] contains Bamboo fibers; these fibers give the hair texture and help to lift the hair from the scalp creating more volume,” she says. Moisturizing lilly pilly and oat-derived peptides also make up the formula.
How to Style Thinning Hair
Your styling methodology can also make (or break) your strands—meaning avoid tension and friction as much as possible. To do so, Onuoha recommends using detangling sprays, leave-in conditioners, oils, and serums to create a protective film around hair strands. For fullness, you might rely on volumizing stylers by Aveda or Philip Kingsley. To incorporate one of these, James says: “Use sprays to lift your roots whilst using the comb to tease and create texture.” Otherwise, he leaves us with two pro tips. The first: “Roller setting your hair instead of doing blowouts will create volume giving the illusion of fuller hair.” For afro hairstyles, consider “twist outs using minimal heat sealed with a lightweight product.”
Meet The Experts
- Peter Burkhill is a celebrity hairstylist who has worked with Victoria Beckham, Millie Bobbie Brown, and Chrissy Teigen.
- Glenn Ellis is a celebrity hairstylist whose clients include Aubrey Plaza, Behati Prinsloo Levine, and Josephine Skriver.
- Venner James is a celebrity hairstylist and loctician who specializes in curly, coily, and afro hair types.
- Angela Onuoha is a trichologist and cosmetic chemistry student specializing in scalp and hair care.
- Laura Rugetti is a celebrity hairstylist whose clients include Noah Cyrus, Emily Alyn Lind, and Delilah Hamlin.
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