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I have fine hair, and it’s hard not to burn with envy when a friend tells me they only have to wash their hair “once a week or so.” As I have smaller, less porous strands of hair (which often betray me by glistening with oil at the root mere hours after washing), it feels like I’m stuck in a constant time loop of washing and drying my hair — and that’s before I even factor in how long it takes to will some body into it.
However, I know tracking down the perfect formula takes time — with fine-hair shampoos especially. That’s because fine hair often has the tendency to be both flat and dry, so the shampoo has several jobs. You need to look for formulas that are rich in peptides and protein to thicken the hair, ingredients such as turnip extract to give the hair a boost from the scalp, and then also acid-, ceramide-, and vitamin-rich formulas to hydrate the hair and even promote growth. It’s a tall order, so along with sampling half a dozen shampoos over the last six months, I also turned to 13 stylists and hair-care experts to find the best shampoos for all types of fine hair. (And if you’re looking for more hair-care recommendations, read my guides to best shampoos and conditioners.)
What we’re looking for
Sulfate free vs. non–sulfate free
Sulfates are basically powerful detergents that help to clean the hair. They are safe to use but can be stripping, particularly on fine, thinner hair types. For the most part I’ve avoided them, besides in one formula where I think they’re a good addition.
Scent
Like any beauty product, shampoo is often scented. Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to scent, so I’ve jotted down what each shampoo smells like so you can pick one that takes your fancy.
Size
If budget is an important factor, you’ll want to keep an eye on the total ounces of shampoo you’re getting per dollar.
Best shampoo for fine hair overall
Sulfate-free | Scent: Fresh | Size: 8.45 oz.
I recently rediscovered this shampoo — beauty writer Linda Dyett was the one to put it back on my radar. “[It] contains the same hyaluronic acid that hydrates and plumps the skin. It has a similar effect on my hair,” she says. I’ve been using this shampoo for several weeks now, and have wondered how I’d ever named any other as the best shampoo for fine hair (but more on that below). Here’s the twist: It contains sulfates, but my hair hasn’t felt stripped at all. (And I do like the nice lather that the sulfates provide.) Instead, my hair feels healthy and soft thanks to the hyaluronic acid and ceramides included in the formula. It also feels notably more plump: The bodifying shampoo contains gluco peptide, which is an ingredient that strengthens your existing hair by thickening the hair follicles.
Dyett adds, “It’s also got a complex called intracylane that, intriguingly, was inspired by a chemical process used in glassmaking. It appears to fill in surface gaps on and thicken individual strands of hair.” Intracyclane is a molecule that enters and strengthens strands of hair, from root to tip. It also has that salon-smelling fresh, musky, floral scent — the final touch to help me name it our best shampoo for fine hair overall.
Best less expensive shampoo for fine hair
Sulfate-free vs. non-sulfate free: Sulfate-free | Scent: Fruity | Size: 12 oz.
If you’re on a budget, Monday has become my most recommended drugstore hair-care line. It’s a quarter of the price of the Kérastase shampoo, and it’s also sulfate-free (in fact, every other shampoo in this list is sulfate-free, if you know that’s something that you want to avoid). Though it’s cheap, the ingredients list is packed: It contains ginger extract and coconut oil, the fatty extracts and nutrients from each nourishing thinner hair. It also contains vitamin E, a natural antioxidant that actually promotes hair growth. Strategist writer Dominique Pariso has sworn by this shampoo purchasing it over a year ago. “My hair is very oily, and while I’ve tried lots of expensive shampoos before — from Oribe to Sachajuan — this is the only one that ever gets my hair compliments,” says Pariso. “It adds a good amount of body and, most important, a lot of shine without weighing my hair down or making it look greasy (and for only $7 a bottle at that).”
Best volumizing shampoo for fine hair
Sulfate-free vs. non-sulfate free: Sulfate-free | Scent: Fruity, woodsy | Size: 8.5 oz.
Before Kérastase came along, Davines Volu was my favorite shampoo for my thin hair. I was curious about it since Strategist beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton (who also has fine hair) recommended it. In the few months that I used it, it did not disappoint. When I let my hair air-dry, it was far less limp, but after blow drying I could clearly see the bounce all the way from the root. This is thanks to the turnip extract, which gives body. It lost the top spot as I believe that Kérastase just has far better thickening qualities. But if your hair is super flat no matter how you attack it, this shampoo is a great volumizing option. It’s still a favorite of Brooke Jordan, owner and master stylist at the Bird House in Gowanus, who told me that the shampoo is a favorite of his as it’s free of parabens and sulfates, gentle enough to use every day, and detangles the hair so you don’t need to use conditioner (though if your hair is superlong, he suggests using a very small amount of conditioner on just the ends to get rid of knots; otherwise, he says, skip it altogether).
Best shampoo for dry fine hair
Sulfate-free vs. non-sulfate free: Sulfate-free | Scent: Floral | Size: 8.5 oz.
If your hair falls under the fine and dry category (maybe it’s natural, maybe you’ve fried it with bleach), it’s a careful balance to address those concerns. You want ingredients that are hydrating but not so heavy they’ll weigh your thinner hair down. Moroccanoil Moisture Repair (another solid drugstore option) does just this. It hydrates the hair by using argan oil, which is an ingredient you’ll definitely have heard of (and maybe even moved on from), but as it’s so antioxidant-rich, I think it’s a dry-hair-care staple. This shampoo then addresses the thinning aspect by using keratin, the protein that’s naturally found in hair, to coat and thicken from root to tip. And although it’s not a budget option, stylist Jon Carlos De La Cruz advises using the product sparingly (“a little bit goes a long way here,” he says), meaning your bottle will last.
Best shampoo for oily fine hair
Thin and oily hair is a recipe for frequent washing. “It’s easy to say that you shouldn’t wash your hair very often, but a lot of my clients with fine hair tell me it drives them crazy to wait too long,” says Jordan. I know that frequent washing can be super stripping, so I reached out to expert stylist Gregorio Ruggeri of Salon Ruggeri to ask what he recommends in that situation. His solution was New Wash. “My clients who have fine hair and wash their hair every day have found the right type of body-boosting components from using New Wash,” he says. New Wash is technically a shampoo-and-conditioner replacement, which means it’s more like an essential-oil-based hair cleanser that washes hair without any suds. It’s formulated without detergents or synthetic compounds, doesn’t dry hair out, and leaves hair conditioned and tangle-free. Because it’s a two-in-one product, it’s no-fuss and ideal for someone looking for a streamline, low-maintenance routine. For those who need more convincing, former Strategist writer Molly Young gave the shampoo a ringing endorsement, writing, “The results are wild. My long hair air-dries perfectly, with no ‘squeaky’ texture. It is shiny and falls in loose waves, like it did when I was a kid. I don’t need to blow-dry it. My chronic flaky scalp is gone forever.”
Best shampoo for curly fine hair
Sulfate-free vs. non-sulfate free: Sulfate-free | Scent: Citrus | Size: 8.45 oz.
Curlier hair can trap oil at the root, which is why a lot of people with thick curls find that their ends become dry and brittle — and crave heavy moisturizing ingredients in their hair products. For thinner hair, those formulas aren’t appropriate, as they’ll actually weigh your hair down. Instead, I recommend Eufora’s sulfate-free formula for curly hair. It hydrates, but gently so, using tomato extracts and nourishing Moringa-seed oil. It also has keratin amino acids, which we know work with the keratin in the hair to strengthen it. I got the recommendation from Angela Taormino, of Brooklyn-based Union Beauty Salon: She adds that the formula is color-safe and can be used daily without stripping hair or leaving it feeling over-shampooed.
Best less-expensive shampoo for fine curly hair
Sulfate-free vs. non-sulfate free: Sulfate-free | Scent: Almond | Size: 12 oz.
If you’re on a budget, Texture ID’s shampoo is a third of the price. It’s worth noticing that this is a clarifying shampoo, though — so it’s less focused on nourishing the hair. Instead, it works by removing any product buildup, “freeing your fine hair curls from the constraints of oils, silicones, waxes, and butters,” explains Patterson. And while it’s not packed full of those hydrating ingredients, the removal of this buildup means your hair can receive moisture from the root, “which helps spring your curls into action,” he explains.
Best shampoo for tangle-prone fine hair
Sulfate-free vs. non-sulfate free: Sulfate-free | Scent: Sweet and nutty | Size 8.5 oz.
If your fine hair often ends up in tangles (or knots), the right shampoo can help you prevent those tangles from ever forming. This one was brought to my attention by fellow Strategist writer Katherine Gillespie. She finds that most shampoos make her hair too dry and fluffy. But the Bumble and Bumble shampoo is “so lightweight yet moisturizing that I can use it every couple of days with no problem.” She adds, “My hair always looks great afterward — I just air-dry it, and I always get compliments.” Even though this shampoo is free of sulfates, Gillespie reports that it lathers in an “extremely satisfying way,” leaving her hair feeling “clean but not squeaky” and not dry or fluffy, which she attributes to its namesake blend of “invisible oil” — including grape-seed, sweet-almond, coconut, safflower, macadamia, and argan oils. It’s these oils that smooth out the hair gently, preventing it from snagging up as you’re towel drying.
Some more shampoos for fine hair we’ve written about
Our experts
• Siobhan Benson, founder of CutLoose BK
• Maria Elizabeth Burns, owner of Salon deZEN
• Fred Connors, owner and creative director of FRED Salon
• Jon Carlos De La Cruz, stylist
• Katherine Gillespie, Strategist writer
• Fiona Guidice, owner of Fiona Hair NYC
• Brooke Jordan, owner and master stylist at the Bird House
• Rochelle Hunter Mosley, trichologist
• Samantha Musco, hairstylist and founder of Beautébar
• Gregory Patterson, stylist and color expert
• Gregorio Ruggeri, hairstylist and founder of Salon Ruggeri
• Marco Santini, hairstylist
• Angela Taormino, hairstylist at Union Beauty Salon
Additional reporting by Dominique Pariso and Tembe Denton-Hurst.
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