8 Best Volumizing Shampoos, According to Over 50 Lab Tests
Make fine hair look fuller, starting in your shower.
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We all aspire to have that lush, thick, commercial type hair—myself included. Unfortunately, not everyone is born with thick, shiny strands (again, it's me!) so we need some extra helping achieving that look. While some people have fine hair, others experience hair thinning (think an expanding part or shrinking ponytail) at some point in their life.
"The diameter of the hair shaft diminishes as we get older," explains Zoe Draelos, M.D., a clinical and research dermatologist in High Point, North Carolina. That means you may have the same number of follicles, but thinner individual strands will make it look like there's less volume. Thin hair is also more prone to breakage, and since hair growth slows as you age, the damage becomes more apparent.
While you can't permanently restore thickness to individual strands, there are plenty of ways—and hair thickening products—to help you fake it. The first (and easiest) step: a volumizing shampoo. According to our Good Housekeeping Beauty & Personal Care Lab experts, these cleansers can help make hair appear fuller and thicker since they typically contain fewer conditioning ingredients, so they’re less likely to weigh hair down.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: Kérastase Densifique Bain Densité Shampoo
- Best Value: Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume Shampoo
- Best for Curly Hair: Briogeo Destined For Density Caffeine + Biotin Peptide Density Shampoo
- Best for Colored Hair: Vichy Dercos Collagen Peptide 17 Ultra-Repairing Shampoo
To find the formulas that really work, our scientists evaluated hair thickening and volumizing shampoos both in the Lab and with consumer testers at home, analyzing various factors including ease of application, scent, cleansing ability, weight, and thickening effects. We tallied over 6,254 data points in our most recent test, combining those results with insights from our editors to create this list of the best hair thickening shampoos.
Best Deal
Pros
- Most thickening formula we tested
- Thorough cleansing
- Lightweight
- Easy to apply and rinse
Cons
- Some testers didn't love the twist-off caps
This Kérastase formula was a winner across the board in the GH Beauty Lab's hair thickening and volumizing shampoo test. It scored highest for making strands feel thicker, best at leaving hair feeling clean, and earned top points for being lightweight. The only negative? A few testers didn't love the twist off cap.
TESTERS SAID: “They truly worked!" a tester marveled. "My hair has so much volume and bounce when I use these products!” Another loved that her hair "never felt weighed down and didn’t go limp by mid-day."
| Main ingredients | Hyaluronic acid |
| Best for | All types of thinning hair |
| Size | 8.5 oz. |
Pros
- Very conditioning formula
- Boosts fullness
- Good value
Cons
- Can be hard to rinse out
An affordable Pantene powerhouse, it can transform fine or flat hair that's also dehydrated and in need of extra conditioning. Testers loved the “clean,” “fruity” scent and how well it conditioned hair, which made for easy combing after towel-drying. While they generally liked the formula, there was one consistent complaint: a few testers found it hard to fully rinse the shampoo out.
TESTERS SAID: One commented, “This shampoo made my hair so nice and full, and considerably cut down the frizz.”
RELATED: Best Drugstore Shampoos
| Main ingredients | Pro-V nutrients, antioxidants |
| Best for | Fine hair |
| Size | 25.4 oz. |
Pros
- Great value
- Lathers well
- Deeply cleans
Cons
- Strong scent
Despite being made without sulfates, bargain-priced OGX was beloved in GH Beauty Lab testing for its "luxurious" cleansing lather. The formula rated highly at applying and rinsing easily, effortlessly providing sufficient lather, and leaving hair feeling cleansed and easy to comb. It does have a strong scent which had mixed reviews amongst our testers.
TESTERS SAID: "It helped give my hair more body," a tester commented. "I loved the scent and that I didn't need to use a lot to produce a nice lather," said another.
RELATED: Best Sulfate-Free Shampoos
| Main ingredients | Biotin, collagen |
| Best for | Fine, color-treated hair |
| Size | 13 oz. |
Pros
- Not heavy on hair
- A tester favorite for volumizing strands
- Gave long-lasting volume
Cons
- Doesn't lather well
Those with fine hair that are concerned about products making it feel heavy can turn to Paul Mitchell’s shampoo. Testers rated the formula best for not weighing hair down. However, it didn't lather as well as some others.
TESTERS SAID: “This definitely added a good amount of volume to my fine, limp hair," a tester reported. "I didn’t have to put any product in to help with volume.” Another shared that her "hair was thicker looking and the volume lasted the whole day."
| Main ingredients | Panthenol, wheat-derived ingredients |
| Best for | Fine to normal hair |
| Size | 16.9 oz. |
Pros
- Boosts microcirculation at scalp
- Lightweight
- Good for curly hair
Cons
- Could be irritating on a sensitive scalp
Briogeo's shampoo boasts a powerful combo of caffeine, biotin, and peptides to stimulate microcirculation at the scalp and nourish and strengthen strands. Curly girls with fine hair really like the formula. A few reviewers noted that it didn't dry out or weigh down their curly hair. Although a few others noted scalp irritation, so proceed with caution if you have a sensitive scalp.
EXPERTS SAID: "It's light, smells good, and rinses easily," one GH editor said. "Plus, it leaves my hair bouncy and full when I blow dry it."
RELATED: Best Hair Oils for Curly Hair
| Main ingredients | Caffeine, biotin, peptides |
| Best for | Fine, thinning hair (including curly) |
| Size | 8 oz. |
Pros
- Made with plant-based ingredients
- Makes hair feel thicker
- Quick results
Cons
- Botanical scent may be polarizing
Made with natural ingredients like wheat protein and aloe, Aveda’s shampoo earned top marks from GH Beauty Lab testers for making their hair feel thicker. It has a natural, botanical scent that some loved, while others found it too intense.
TESTERS SAID: “This product gave my hair volume and thickness—and created the appearance of actually having more hair!” one exclaimed. Another loved the instant effect: "When lathering the shampoo it felt like my hair was already pumping up with volume."
| Main ingredients | Wheat protein, aloe |
| Best for | Fine, limp hair |
| Size | 8.5 oz. |
Pros
- Has both instant and long-lasting benefits
- Strengthens strands
- Light, sweet scent
Cons
- Some found it drying
A powerful combination of apple stem cells and rice and soy protein help strengthen strands and add lift and bounce in NatureLab Tokyo's sweetly-scented formula. While it has serious volumizing power, some reviewers felt it was drying at the same time.
EXPERTS SAID: "This is one of the only shampoos I've tried that made my hair instantly feel fuller once it was dried," says GH Senior Beauty & Style Director April Franzino. "Even the next morning, my hair still has visible lift and volume—it's light and bouncy instead of going flat."
| Main ingredients | Apple stem cells, rice and soy proteins |
| Best for | Flat, limp hair |
| Size | 11.5 oz. |
Pros
- Safe for color-treated hair
- Makes hair more manageable
- Leaves hair feeling stronger
Cons
- Heavy scent
Collagen peptides in Vichy's shampoo help to reduce breakage and strengthen hair bonds to prevent fallout. It's part of a three-step routine which includes a pre-shampoo treatment and complementary conditioner. Testers gave it high scores for being gentle on hair color, making hair more manageable, increasing volume, and leaving hair feeling stronger. While some testers liked the scent, others felt it was too strong.
TESTERS SAID: "My hair felt thicker, looked like it had more volume, and I didn't have as many hairs fall out during the styling process as I usually do," one shared.
Features at a Glance
| Main ingredients | Collagen peptides, citric acid |
| Best for | Fine to normal color-treated hair and sensitive scalps |
| Size | 6.76 oz. |
How we test hair thickening shampoos
GH Beauty Lab scientists tested label-masked hair thickening shampoos and conditioners of various price points on 308 consumer testers nationwide in home-use trials for attributes like application, scent, cleansing, hair feel, and weight, plus volumizing effects.
In the Lab, the Instron machine (pictured here) is used to measure conditioning ability (how smooth and strong hair felt after use) of each pair on human hair samples. In total, 6,254 data points combining consumer ratings and Lab measurements were tallied in the most recent test to identify top performers.
What to look for when shopping for the best hair thickening shampoo
When it comes to product selection, Chiara Butler, GH's Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab Reviews Analyst, suggests focusing on certain buzzwords on the packaging.
"Look for keywords like 'thickening,' 'volumizing,' 'lifting,' or 'for thin hair,'" she says. "Avoid products with keywords such as 'deeply moisturizing' and 'deep conditioning' since these can feel heavy on fine hair." Ingredients may vary within this category; Butler doesn't feel there are specific ones to look for or avoid.
Does hair thickening shampoo really work?
Yes, thickening shampoos can help make hair temporarily look and feel fuller and thicker.
Products that make hair thicker usually refer to increasing volume within hair. "Volume is used to describe the 3D state of hair," Wnek explains. "There are a number of hair properties that influence volume which include curvature of the hair strand, the amount of hair on one’s head, the diameter of the individual strand, and the friction between strands—the more curls in your strands, the more hair on your head or the larger the diameter of the hair strand, the more space it will take up and the more voluminous it will look."
Currently the GH Beauty Lab is not aware of any ingredients that can permanently increase the diameter of hair, she says. Only a handful of products claim to actually increase the individual diameter of hair strands; most refer to increasing volume. "We believe that the thickening claims echo volume in the sense that the overall hair appears and feels thicker," Wnek adds.
In that sense, thickening shampoos can "work" to impact the appearance and feel of the hair. "They can work in different ways: one being by coating hair so strands repel each other and hair appears fuller overall," adds GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann. "Plus, they usually have less conditioning agents not to weigh hair down and they can help reduce breakage."
Wnek shares one more piece of advice: “It’s important to use shampoos with their matching conditioners as a pair. Companies test how well shampoos and conditioners work in tandem, so to get the benefits promised by either, you’ll need to use them together.”
How often should you shampoo to thicken hair?
"I think hair should be washed daily or every other day to keep the scalp and, consequently, hair healthy," says Wizeman. "Shampoos are designed foremost to clean the scalp and keep hair follicles clean, allowing them both to function properly by removing accumulated sebum, dead skin, and microorganisms (such as the dandruff-causing yeast Malassezia), as well as dirt, air pollutants, and styling products from hair which can weigh strands down."
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
GH Contributing Beauty Editor Dori Price wrote and updated this article, working alongside the GH Beauty Lab experts.
For the most recent update, GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann shared her expertise. Wizemann added a new product pick and details about how thickening shampoos work and how best to use them.
Dori also worked closely with GH Beauty Lab Senior Chemist Danusia Wnek, who contributed her expertise on top Beauty Lab-tested product picks and how the shampoos work.
GH Beauty Lab Reviews Analyst Chiara Butler added her knowledge about hair thickening shampoos and how to shop for them.
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