The Best Shampoos for Fine Hair

Some people love to fuss all day over their hair while others would rather wake up and have it look exactly right. Whichever personality you have, nothing is more frustrating than waking up with a bad case of bedhead. 

In some cases, the issue with your hair might just be down to the type of shampoo you use. Each hair type comes with its own challenges, and fine hair is right up there in terms of needing good maintenance products. 

As a result, we have compiled a list of the best shampoos for fine hair, as well as come up with a list of frequently asked questions and answers so you’ll only have the hair days you deserve. 

1. Blu Atlas Shampoo

First on the list is the shampoo from Blu Atlas. Although this is a men’s hair care brand, their products work on people of all genders, so don’t be shy! In addition, it’s a gentle all purpose cleanser that makes first place on the list due to its specially formulated ingredients. 

On top of being all vegan and made from natural products, this shampoo also has a list of stunning products involved in the formulation. These include hard hitters like jojoba protein for repair, and aloe vera to soothe the scalp. 

People with fine hair frequently have issues with over-shampooing their strands, so this gentle shampoo also has ingredients like saw palmetto and vegan biotin for fortification. It also includes coconut oil for a healthy, nourished end result. 

All things considered, the Blu Atlas Shampoo really is the best shampoo for fine hair. 

2. Ethique Sweet and Spicy Shampoo Bar to Add Volume

Coming in next on our list is the sweet and spicy volumizing bar for fine hair from Ethique. This shampoo bar has earned its place on our list by being both carefully formulated for fine hair as well as having a waste reduction strategy. 

Ethique shampoo bars keep waste in mind as they make their product, with a single bar lasting for at least 80 uses. Additionally, they have necessary ingredients such as coconut oil to maintain fine hair. 

In addition to keeping climate change and waste reduction in mind, these shampoo bars also work fantastically at making your shower and bathroom look more tidy. In particular, these shampoo bars are sized to ensure that your shower isn’t cluttered up with 101 different products, and are perfect for those with moderate amounts of available space. 

Finally, these shampoo bars address a common concern within the community of people with fine hair, in that they add a touch of salt to help rough up the hair and give it extra volume. 

3. Avalon Organics Natural Biotin B Complex Thickening Shampoo

Avalon Organics is a well known brand, which has a fine hair specific shampoo in the form of the Avalon Organics Natural Biotin B Complex Thickening Shampoo. This shampoo is specially formulated for fine and thinning hair in order to give it a bit of a lift. 

Although shampoo is unable to actually increase the amount of hair on the scalp, the different formulas of shampoo are able to help build volume. In this shampoo, the gentle cleanser and nourishing ingredients hydrate and build volume to give the hair a more full shape. 

In addition, the formula is certified organic and plant-based, and includes essential oils for scent. No parabens or synthetic colors or fragrances are used in this shampoo brand. 

Perhaps most importantly, this shampoo is also certified cruelty-free and undergoes no animal testing. This makes it an amazing shampoo for those who have a vested interest in reducing their own impact on animals. 

4. OGX Nourishing + Coconut Milk Shampoo

This liquid shampoo boasts an ability to transport your hair to the tropics with its coconut milk formula promising to strengthen and hydrate hair. Thus, this shampoo is great for users with fine hair, where that extra strength helps maintain healthy and non-frazzled looking hair. 

In addition to coconut milk, this shampoo has extra proteins from egg white extracts, which are responsible for creating smooth and healthy strands. The formula is also sulfate and paraben free for your scalp health. 

This all-purpose shampoo is suitable for all hair types, so if you have a mix of fine hair and other hair types, it’s still suitable for you. The creamy formulation helps deliver all the moisturization you need without creating stringy and weighed down locks. 

5. American Crew Daily Deep Moisturizing Shampoo

This is a male-specific shampoo company that focuses on creating shampoos that men will love. The daily deep moisturizing shampoo is great for men with fine hair because it’s formulated to improve hair health while stopping build-up and greasy hair. 

Most men may not know this, but hair actually requires quite a bit of maintenance in order to look its best. Many hair types may require multiple shampoos in order to reduce build-up of product on the hair, which can cause it to look heavy and greasy. 

However, American Crew aims to make an all-in-one product by creating a moisturizing shampoo that doesn’t result in build-up, even with everyday usage. The ultra-hydrating formula includes vitamins and minerals in order to promote healthy hair. 

The formulation is also silicone free, which is especially important for fine hair as silicone can form a sheath around the hair and stop products from penetrating to provide the desired effect. This silicone sheath leaves hair looking greasy and unwashed. 

This shampoo is made with only 84% naturally derived ingredients, which is why it’s slightly further down our list. 

6. Bumble and Bumble Thickening Volume Shampoo

This liquid shampoo made by Bumble and Bumble gives hair that extra “Oomph!” to achieve that desired volume. No hair type requires volume more than fine hair, which often lies flat when over conditioned. 

As such, the Bumble and Bumble thickening shampoo works like a treat, with a good mix of ingredients to remove oil and grease without stripping the hair of all the natural oils that help it to stick together to give good volume. 

This shampoo is formulated with a mix of panthenol, wheat proteins, and aloe vera so it works to make even fine hair look thick and full. In addition, the soothing action of the aloe vera helps reduce the dry scalp issues that can come from over shampooing. 

This shampoo is especially well formulated to be among the best for fine hair, which often becomes greasy again shortly after a wash. A combination skin type sometimes results in dry and scratchy feeling hair with weighed down roots, which this shampoo is designed to work against. 

7. Wow Skin Science Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo

This cream shampoo has a unique feature ingredient of apple cider vinegar. It’s especially suitable for people with dry hair and functions as a scalp skin health booster. It also gives hair a clean feeling without the use of strong synthetic chemicals. 

The Wow apple cider vinegar shampoo is a clarifying shampoo, which means it’s not suitable for daily use. Instead, it functions to help clean the scalp of product build-up over the week, so is used once or twice a week. 

The formulation of apple cider vinegar mixed with saw palmetto stops split ends and leaves the hair with a lovely shine. In addition, it reduces breakage, particularly while washing your hair in the shower. 

Hair loss while washing is a common issue, especially for people with curlier hair. For people with fine curly hair, it can be difficult to find a shampoo that won’t cause your curls to fall flat. Wow apple cider shampoo is both paraben and sulfate-free, making it a curly-girl-hair approved method. 

Wow shampoos are also hypoallergenic, cruelty free, and vegan, making them an excellent choice for those who have sensitive scalps or skin and who are conscious of social issues. 

8. Moroccanoil Extra Volume Shampoo

The Moroccanoil extra volume shampoo has the added ingredient of argan oil, which has been formulated to help create a weightless and volumizing shampoo. This is also one of only a few products formulated for fine hair while remaining color safe, meaning that it won’t make your carefully created, perfectly colored hair lose its shine too soon. 

In addition to argan oil, this shampoo also has keratin supplementing its function. That shields hair from breakage while helping to keep it hydrated. This is essential for fine hair, which is prone to split ends and breakage as a result of its thin strands. 

Another star ingredient of this particular shampoo is tilicine, which is a clean and natural ingredient that helps the shampoo penetrate into the cuticle of each hair strand and promotes the thickening of the strand itself. 

These ingredients help fine hair look more plump and full, and give lots of volume and body to any hairstyle. In addition, they’re excellent at removing static, which makes the hair full and lustrous without having lots of hairs wisping around to ruin your hairdo. 

The ingredient list also manages to leave off any sulfates or parabens, which makes this shampoo suitable for people with both fine hair and sensitive skin.

9. L’oreal Professionnel Volumetry Shampoo

L’oreal, a very well known brand worldwide, has come out with a Serie Expert Volumetry shampoo. This shampoo was created especially for helping decrease the incidence of fine, flat hair, allowing people with this hair type to walk around with joy and confidence. 

Although this shampoo is specially formulated for making the hair light and voluminous, it doesn’t neglect the roots. In fact, it purifies the roots in order to increase the tonicity of the hair from the base to the root. 

In addition, it uses intelligent polymers infused directly into the shampoo. These polymers interact with charged molecules known as ions on the surface of the hair, which stops them from creating static and frizz. 

Instead, the hair is free to have natural volume, without the need for heavy smoothing products to weigh it down. This allows the hair to maintain its natural oils and conditioners without the need for it being stripped down to remove build-up over time. 

Although this product isn’t sulfate/paraben free, it is designed with the fine hair type especially in mind. As such, it makes this list of the best shampoos for fine hair, although it might not be suitable for those with sensitive skin or curls. 

10. Sachajuan Ocean Mist Volume Shampoo

This is a liquid shampoo for all hair types that nonetheless stands out for fine hair. It’s acceptable to use on colored, curly or permed hair, dry normal or oily hair types, and fine hair. 

This shampoo is designed to deal with issues of fine hair falling flat when it comes to your expectations. It aims to give a full, shiny and glossy finish and focuses on promoting the volume of your hair with a variety of interesting ingredients. 

The ingredient list of this shampoo is packed with natural vegetable proteins that help your hair build up a solid structure. Other ingredients are designed to penetrate the hair shaft and improve the strength of the hair.

These ingredients are essential for fine hair, which is prone to breakage. In addition, this shampoo has a unique ingredient in the form of the Sachajuan Ocean Silk technology. This is the inclusion of all natural algaes to help form that natural shine and calm the frizz. 

All in all, this is an excellent shampoo specifically designed for fine hair of all scalp types. However, it is not paraben or sulfate free, and may not be suitable for people with sensitive skin or allergies. 

Fine Hair vs. Thin Hair

It may seem a bit strange, but fine hair and thin hair are actually two different things. And before we can learn how to take care of our hair, we first need to know what it actually is. 

The difference between fine hair and thick hair has to do with the thickness of the individual strand. When taken one by one, your hair strands can either be thin, or thick, or somewhere in the middle.

Another difference is between fine hair and thin hair. Fine hair is hair with strands that have a small circumference, so it’s actually thin as a strand. Thin hair is hair that doesn’t have many individual strands on a head, as in it’s not very densely packed onto the scalp. Confusingly, hair that is both very round as a fiber, and dense is both described using the word thick. 

Fine Hair Management: Shampoo and Conditioning Routines

Fine hair has its own special way of being managed in order to give the best hairdo on an everyday basis. Although you can probably pull off a good hairdo with enough products without looking after it, making sure to treat your hair according to its type will help you to make every day a good hair day. 

Fine hair is particularly prone to accumulate dirt and grease. Because of how thin the hair is, when these substances come to rest on the hair strand it can cause the hair to slowly become weighed down. This is why it’s a common look for someone with fine hair to have flat hair that sticks to their scalp. 

Daily shampooing can help to keep this accumulation of grime in check, but it can also be harmful and strip your hair of all its natural oils, which protect your hair and help it grow. That’s why it is important to choose a shampoo that helps you protect your hair by being well formulated for your specific hair type. 

In addition to a daily shampoo with the right shampoo, conditioning can be a great boon to fine hair. Conditioners are to be treated with caution though, as the wrong one can lead to the build-up of product leading to limp, listless locks. Also, you don’t necessarily need to condition every time you shampoo. 

Some conditioners have ingredients that help penetrate and hydrate the individual hair strands. This is great for people with fine hair as the conditioner helps with the illusion that more hair is on the head than there actually is. 

One basic yet essential rule of conditioning is to make sure that the hair is not over conditioned. The best way to do this is to only use the amount of conditioner specified on the bottle, and to use it only on the mids and ends of the hair. This ensures that the conditioner only goes to the areas that need it the most and helps to avoid flat hair. 

How To Avoid Frizz With Fine Hair

Another common problem for people with fine hair is the issue of frizz. This is particularly an issue for people with fine hair because of how fragile it is, even though all hair types can struggle with frizz at times. 

Frizz might be a well known phenomenon, but what’s actually happening to cause it? Well, it comes down to what hair actually looks like. Hair is made up of a sheathe (cuticle), which is made up of many interlinking layers (like chainmail or roofing tiles). When we get our hair wet, water can enter under the cuticle layers and get into the actual core of the hair. 

So why is this a problem? In short, the hair ends up expanding due to the absorption of water. Once the hair expands, it pushes out against the cuticle layers, and ends up bending and distorting them. 

Fine hair is especially vulnerable to the issue of frizz because of its thinner diameter. The hair is simply more susceptible to water damage. Compounding this issue, thin hair is also more vulnerable to heat, sun, and mineral damage, all of which lead to more frizz. 

Management of frizz begins as soon as you start getting your hair wet. You should make sure to use the right shampoos and conditioners, use the correct wash day routines, use the appropriate styling techniques and much more. 

Hair is a very complex topic! 

Haircuts for Fine Hair

If all of this seems like too much bother and everyday management is just too much work, try taking a more direct approach and getting a low maintenance style for your hair type. With fine hair, medium to short length hair styles are the way to go. 

Because of the fragility of the hair itself, the actual length of your hair will likely be restricted by how far you can get it to grow before it breaks. If you do this, you’re left with a whole lot of split ends and poor hair appearance towards the ends. 

As such, try keeping your hair shorter than its natural breaking point. While this is different for each person, and can be different based on how well you can look after your hair, a good rule of thumb is to keep your hair at or above your shoulders. 

If you desperately want longer hair, you can try having hair extensions or other such products layered into your hair, especially if you want long hair for a special occasion. Doing this will also help protect your hair long term. 

In addition, try having hairstyles that don’t require a lot of pinning or updos. This can help reduce hair breakage, which can reduce the amount of frizz. 

All in all, these tips should help you to have the best looking fine hair that you can! We also have some frequently asked questions that we’ll go through for issues that fine haired people frequently come across. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have fine hair or thin hair?

Fine hair is the actual diameter of the hair, while thin hair has to do with the density of the hair on the scalp. As a general rule of thumb, you have fine hair if you can’t feel a strand of hair between your fingers, and you have thin hair if you can see your scalp easily through your hair. 

What causes very fine hair?

Fine hair is simply down to genetics, although you can also strip your hair and cause it to become finer if you don’t look after it. 

Can fine hair be thickened?

Hair is fine due to the actual diameter of the hair strand itself, and thus is not easily thickened. However, some shampoos have the appropriate ingredients to get inside the hair strand and cause it to plump up. 

It’s important to be wary of causing excessive damage to the hair shaft when you do this as the plumping action may result in frizz later on. You should look for products that are able to soothe the hair as well as thicken it in order to reduce the potential for breakage. 

What’s good for fine hair?

Fine hair is prone to breakage, so using products that have volumizing or thickening abilities may make you more able to show off more exciting hairstyles without causing undue stress on your hair. You should also reduce the amount of sulfates you use because these can weaken and break your hair over time. 

What does fine hair look like?

Fine hair is like all other hair, except thinner. It has a great deal of variety and can be many different colors, textures, or combinations. However, if you can feel your hair between your fingers, or visibly see texture on it, it’s unlikely to be fine. Fine hair is usually difficult to feel between your fingertips. 

Does fine hair fall out easier?

In short, no. Fine hair may look thinner if it isn’t being propped up by volumizing products, but that doesn’t mean that it’s automatically less healthy. The hair may be more fragile and prone to breakage or damage, but if you look after your locks, they’ll be no more prone to falling out than any other hair type. 

How often should you wash fine hair?

Now, the answer to this question really depends on whether you have dry, normal, or oily skin, as well as what products you’re using and what kind of water temperatures/hardness you’re using. You also have to consider how your individual hair reacts to its climate. 

A good rule of thumb is that if you have fine hair, you should be shampooing somewhere around four times a week, or every other day. This prevents your hair from accumulating dirt that can lead to greasy hair. Also, with less frequent shampooing, you don’t wash out all the natural oils your hair needs. 

However, conditioning should only be done on fine hair one to two times a week. Over-conditioning fine hair reduces its volume. Most importantly, you should develop a routine that works for you and your hair!