Buying guide for Best hair volumizing products
There’s no such thing as having too much body in your hair. Whether you’re already blessed with thick hair, are struggling with thinning hair, or are shedding strands from stress, adding a volumizing hair product to your daily routine can create fuller, thicker hair that’ll make heads turn and add bounce to your step (and hair!).
While volumizing hair products are ideal for fine, wispy hair, anyone looking for a root boost or a way to strengthen existing strands can benefit from these products. Volumizing hair products don’t prevent hair loss, but some do stimulate hair growth, and others plump up what you already have and make a huge (so to speak) difference.
Types of volumizing hair products
Volumizing hair products can be spritzed, lathered, dabbed, or rubbed into your hair depending on what form they take.
Sprays
These aren’t just limited to hair sprays. Volumizing sprays focus more on lift and texture than on hold, though they certainly can provide a light hold, too. Some sprays work as dry shampoos while others are formulated to spray onto wet hair before styling either with a hairdryer or without.
Shampoos
Formulated to create volume and body, volumizing shampoos include ingredients that thicken the hair while you wash it. These may include panthenol (vitamin B5) to increase the diameter of the hair or biotin (vitamin B7) to promote hair growth. Other common ingredients in volumizing shampoos are keratin, rice or wheat protein, and caffeine.
Conditioners
Similar to volumizing shampoos in their ingredient list (B5, biotin, keratin), volumizing conditioners are designed to be used after cleansing the hair. There are also more natural options that contain botanical ingredients, such as algae, that are designed to strengthen and add body to fine hair.
Lotions and creams
These are designed to add volume by coating the entire hair while damp. They also add softness, smoothness, and some shine. Many of these double as styling products.
Serums
With a liquid consistency, volumizing serums are designed as leave-in treatments, often for overnight application. Serums work gradually to thicken hair and stimulate hair growth, so give these products a few weeks to see results.
Mousses
Also known as foams, these are fluffy, light hair products that provide lift to the roots along with hold and texture. Traditionally, these are designed to apply to wet hair, but there are newer products on the market formulated to plump up dry hair.
Gel
Hair-volumizing gels thicken strands by binding to proteins in each strand and providing structure to weak or thin hair. Unlike regular gels, a volumizing gel shouldn’t feel sticky or stiff or leave behind a “gunky” residue.
Volumizing powders
These work on dry hair. Simply sprinkle some of the white powder onto your hands and scrunch it into your roots. The powder should feel slightly tacky, then waxy as you apply it, providing invisible lift and hold as it drys translucent.
Other products
Other volumizing products on the market include clay pastes, masques (masks), and soufflés, all of which tend to be high-end items.
Spray bottle hair volumizer, when made with quality ingredients, is a convenient and user-friendly way to give hair a lift. We look for this type of product in our research.
We look for products that can deliver a volumizing effect at the root level.
We research a wide range of volumizing product types, including serums, powders, creams, sprays, mousses, gels, shampoos, and conditioners.
Volumizing hair products that help make fine, thin hair look thicker win bonus points. That said, we appreciate products designed for all hair types.
We take note of the different ingredients used in volumizing products to make hair look thicker. Top ingredients include polymers, caffeine, keratin, biotin, panthenol, and protein.
We appreciate hair volumizing products that do not weigh down the hair. A lightweight texture is one of our top considerations.
Some hair volumizing products are made without artificial additives. We take this into account when looking for quality options.
Men may have specific needs for thinning hair. We think about this when selecting products, often leaning toward serums, shampoos, powders, and foams that boost volume in thin, short hair.
We look at volumizing products that should be applied throughout the hair as well as those that work best when applied specifically to the roots.
We think about the different ways products add volume to the hair. These methods include coating, strengthening, lifting, texturizing, and holding hair.
Ingredients in volumizing hair products
Panthenol
Panthenol, aka vitamin B5, has been scientifically proven to thicken hair by increasing the diameter of individual hair fibers. Strands thickened by panthenol are also more resistant to breakage. It can be taken orally as well to stimulate hair growth.
Biotin
Another impressive B vitamin, B7 (biotin) rebuilds hair shingles that have been damaged by shampooing, sun exposure, and heat styling. It can be taken orally as well to promote hair growth.
Keratin
This protein is naturally found in your hair and will strengthen it when added topically, making it less prone to breakage. It bonds to the rough edges of the hair cuticle, resulting in smoother, shinier, thicker hair.
"Female-pattern baldness affects 30 million American women. Biotin is a natural vitamin found in many volumizing hair products that helps combat hair loss."
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Proteins
Other proteins, such as rice or wheat, are common ingredients in thickening products. They strengthen hair strands and fill in gaps, working especially well for those who have porous (aka curly/kinky) or damaged hair.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a popular volumizing ingredient that has been proven to stimulate and extend the life of hair follicles.
Polymers
Either synthetic or naturally derived (from cellulose and starches), these molecular chains “stick” to your hair, coating individual strands from root to tip and creating overall thickness and fullness.
Did you know?
Starches are a popular ingredient found in volumizing products. Starches perform effectively as “root lifters” because they contain zero moisture and are able to keep the volume up all day long.
STAFF
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Hair volumizing product prices
You can find hair volumizing products in a wide array of price ranges.
Inexpensive
A basic volumizing mousse or shampoo that can be purchased at drugstores or online starts at $7 and goes up to $14. Low-priced sprays and gels also fall at the higher end of this price range.
Mid-range
A mid-priced volumizing product can range from $15 to $24. The products in this range encompass a good variety of thickening products.
Expensive
High-end hair volumizing products, typically shampoos and foams, range from $25 to $35. Luxury hair volumizing products can cost upwards of $40.
Tips
- Select a volumizing product that’s lightweight and doesn’t cause buildup. You don’t want your hair to be weighed down by a product that’s supposed to lift it up!
- For bombshell hair, use a volumizing mousse on wet hair from roots to mid-length and then immediately hit it with a hair dryer, scrunching hair upward with your fingers as you go.
- Excess oil on the scalp can cause hair to fall flat. Using a shampoo for oily hair may help pep up limp hair.
- For many hair-volumizing products, blow drying your hair immediately after application will heighten the effects. Some stylists even recommend blow drying your hair upside down (by flipping your head over).
- For best results, use a volumizing shampoo paired with a volumizing conditioner. Note, however, that you should only condition from mid-length down to the ends so you don’t weigh down your roots.
FAQ
Q. What’s the difference between a volumizing spray and a hair spray?
A. The main difference is hold. A hair spray is designed to hold styled hair in place; by default, it maintains voluminous styles. Hair spray is used after hair is dry and styled — not before like volumizing products typically are. A volumizing spray may or may not be formulated to hold a style in place, but it will definitely add volume. To make matters more confusing, volumizing hair sprays exist and will add substantial hold and substantial volume.
Q. I’m a man with short, thinning hair. What’s the best volumizing product for me?
A. We recommend a thickening serum that you can apply at night to work on hair growth while you sleep. A volumizing shampoo is also a great product for that. Depending on how “styled” you want your hair to appear, foam or powder could give your roots a little boost as you go throughout your day.
