Menu
 

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details

Best Shampoo for Fine Hair

Updated June 2023
Bottom line
Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
Matrix Biolage Volumebloom Cotton Shampoo
Matrix Biolage
Volumebloom Cotton Shampoo
Check Price
Customer Favorite
Bottom Line

A nourishing shampoo by a well known brand that works nicely for very fine, limp hair.

Pros

Contains cotton extract that's known to promote hair growth by providing nutrients to the follicles. Has a pleasant scent. Bottle contains 13.5 ounces. Not formulated with parabens.

Cons

Some consumers with naturally curly hair found that it weighed their hair down and left curls looking limp.

Best Bang for the Buck
L'Oreal Paris Everstrong Thickening Shampoo
L'Oreal Paris
Everstrong Thickening Shampoo
Check Price
Simple Yet Solid
Bottom Line

The best price for hair thickening shampoo from a name brand.

Pros

This L’Oreal shampoo is ideal for thin or damaged hair. It treats with rosemary extract to get your hair squeaky clean. It also moisturizes, and creates more thickness. No parabens or sulphates to worry about with this product, either.

Cons

A few users experienced some irritation and dandruff after using this shampoo.

Moroccanoil Extra Volume Shampoo
Moroccanoil
Extra Volume Shampoo
Check Price
Trusted Brand
Bottom Line

A good volumizing shampoo for fine hair from a trusted brand.

Pros

This Moroccanoil shampoo will help to give your hair more volume. It leaves hair shiny and has linden bud extract to increase hair fullness. It uses the scent of Moroccan oil and helps make your fine hair healthy and full.

Cons

Some felt that this shampoo made their hair dry.

Redken Volume Injection Shampoo
Redken
Volume Injection Shampoo
Check Price
High-Quality Brand
Bottom Line

A high-quality shampoo brand that makes an excellent product for fine hair.

Pros

This Redken shampoo is the perfect solution for fine hair. It uses Filloxane and a bodifying complex to help fine hair make a statement and look fuller. This fine hair shampoo has a 4.5 out of 5-star rating.

Cons

The scent of this shampoo can be overwhelming for some.

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo
Living Proof
Perfect Hair Day Shampoo
Check Price
Most Versatile
Bottom Line

We found that just a nickel-size drop of this shampoo will leave your hair with volume all day long during our testing.

Pros

Designed to work well for men and women who wash their hair every other day. The hydrating formula helps provide more shine. Lathers and rinses out quickly even in curly hair. Has a high end-feel that leaves hair feeling very soft.

Cons

Our tester noted that someone with a dryer scalp may not like this shampoo as much.

Why trust BestReviews?
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and all opinions about the products are our own. About BestReviews  
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.About BestReviews 
HOW WE TESTED

We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that's designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections.

51
Models
Considered
82
Consumers
Consulted
8
Hours
Researched
Category cover

Buying guide for Best shampoos for fine hair

If you struggle to get ready in the morning because your tresses always seem to be flat and limp, chances are good that you have fine hair. Because it lacks body and volume, fine hair can be pretty difficult to style, particularly if you want to get out the door in a hurry.

Finding the right shampoo for fine hair can usually help you banish bad hair days. However, given the number of shampoos for fine hair available, it’s no wonder that choosing one can get overwhelming in a hurry.

Content Image
Fine hair is fragile and prone to damage, so it’s important to shampoo with a gentle formula.

Fine hair vs. thin hair

The terms “fine” hair and “thin” hair are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing. Your hair might be fine and thin, but not all fine hair is thin, and vice versa. It’s possible to have fine, thick hair or thin, coarse hair.

  • Fine hair: If your hair is fine, the thickness or diameter of each strand is very small. Fine hair is usually the result of genetics.

  • Thin hair: This describes the density of the hair follicles or the number of strands on your head. Genetics might play a part in having thin hair, but you can also have thin hair due to damage, breakage, health issues, and other forms of hair loss.

How to tell if you have fine hair

You can usually tell if you have fine hair because your locks lack volume and body, leaving it looking flat. It often gets greasy more easily, too.

If you’re not sure whether your hair is fine, a strand test is the easiest way to tell. Hold a single strand of your hair between your fingers. If you can barely feel the hair, it’s likely fine.

Still not sure? Take a single strand of hair from your head and place it on a piece of paper next to a thread in a contrasting color. If your hair strand is thinner than the thread, your hair is likely fine.

Fine hair shampoo features to consider

Formula

When it comes to the best shampoo for fine hair, it helps to choose a volumizing or thickening shampoo. These shampoos, which are clearly labeled as such on the bottle, are designed to open your hair’s cuticle so the individual strands appear thicker. A volumizing shampoo is usually lightweight, so you don’t have to worry about it weighing down your hair and making it appear flat.

Fine hair is often fairly fragile, which makes it prone to breakage and even falling out. A strengthening shampoo formula can help repair the individual strands to restore their strength, so hair becomes healthier and appears thicker.

Ingredients

Even if a shampoo doesn’t advertise itself as volumizing or thickening, it might be a good fit for fine hair depending on the ingredients. The following are excellent shampoo ingredients for fine hair:

  • Polymers: These large molecules bond to the surface of your hair to make it look and feel thicker. Some common polymers to look for include polyquaternium 7, polyquaternium 10, and polyquaternium 11.

  • Hydrolyzed wheat protein: This can help strengthen hair strands so they aren’t as prone to breakage or other damage. It also forms a film on your hair that helps it look thicker.

  • PG-propyl silanetriol: This vegetable-based protein also helps strengthen and fortify hair to prevent breakage. Like hydrolyzed wheat protein, it forms a film on strands to bulk up the look of fine hair.
     

When you’re checking the ingredient list, it’s also important to keep an eye out for ingredients to avoid, such as the following:

  • Silicones: Shampoos for fine hair should be free of any type of silicone because it can weigh the hair down. You can usually spot a silicone by the “-cone” at the end of the name.

  • Sulfates: If your fine hair is also color-treated or damaged, avoid shampoos that contain sulfates. While sulfates help shampoo create suds, they can also be quite drying, which can cause hair breakage, frizz, and other damage.

UV protection

We all know how much damage the sun’s UV rays can do to skin, but they can also wreak havoc on your hair. UV rays can dry out your locks and weaken the protein bonds, leaving your hair more prone to frizz, splitting, and breakage. To help your fine hair look healthier and fuller, opt for a shampoo that offers UVA and UVB protection, so your hair is always protected when you step outside.

Scent

For many people, a shampoo’s scent is almost as important as its performance. Shampoos for fine hair are available in a wide array of scents, including crisp, clean fragrances, warm tropical scents, and fresh fruity options. Choose a shampoo with a scent that you like best.

If you have allergies or particularly sensitive skin, you might be better off choosing a fine hair shampoo that’s free of any chemical fragrances that could trigger a reaction.

Packaging

Like any shampoo, products for fine hair typically come in either a squeeze bottle or a pump bottle. Pump dispensers are often easier to use and enable you to better control how much shampoo you use. However, it can be hard to get all the product out of a pump dispenser bottle.

Content Image
Expert Tip
Apply fine hair shampoo right at the roots and massage it into your scalp. Massage some of the suds down the length of your hair to clean it as well, but don’t apply the shampoo directly to the ends of your hair.
STAFF
BestReviews

Fine hair shampoo prices

Shampoos for fine hair vary in price based mainly on the quality of the ingredients and the size of the container. In general, you can expect to pay between $7 and $180.

Inexpensive

Shampoos for fine hair that contain lower-quality ingredients and sulfates usually range from $7 to $27.

Mid-range

Shampoos for fine hair that feature sulfate-free formulas with average-quality ingredients usually cost between $27 and $60.

Expensive

Shampoos for fine hair that feature sulfate-free, silicone-free formulas with high-quality ingredients typically cost from $60 to $180.

Tips

It’s okay to wash fine hair more frequently. Fine hair tends to get greasier than coarse hair. Some people with fine hair find that shampooing daily provides the best results.

Use a quarter-size amount of shampoo if you have shoulder-length hair. For longer hair, use twice as much. For shorter hair, a dime-size amount is usually sufficient.

Concentrate the shampoo at the scalp and roots of your hair. Applying too much shampoo to the strands can leave you with flat, limp locks.

Content Image
A two-in-one shampoo for fine hair enables you to wash and condition your hair in a single step.

FAQ

Q. How often should I shampoo my fine hair?

A. Many experts recommend shampooing hair every other day or just a few times a week to prevent hair from drying out. However, if you have fine hair, your locks more easily become saturated with natural oils from the scalp. That’s why you might need to shampoo your hair daily. If you prefer the way your hair looks when you shampoo every day, opt for a sulfate-free formula to minimize dryness and damage.

Q. How long does it take to see results from using a shampoo for fine hair?

A. Shampoo for fine hair is typically designed to provide instant results because the formula instantly coats your strands to make them appear thicker and fuller. As soon as you rinse out the shampoo and dry your hair, it should look more voluminous.

Q. Should I use a conditioner after a fine hair shampoo?

A. Fine hair typically doesn’t require as much moisture as coarse hair, but it still helps to follow your shampoo with a conditioner to hydrate and smooth the hair. However, be sure to choose a conditioning formula that’s meant for fine hair and only apply it to the ends of your hair, not near the roots. That will keep your hair from getting weighed down and looking flat. If you find that conditioner weighs down your fine hair too much, a leave-in conditioning spray is a good alternative to rinse-out formulas.