The Best Shampoos For Fine Hair, According To Experts And Our Editors

Forbes

16-04-2025

Finding the right products for fine hair is a delicate balancing act—you want something that cleanses and hydrates without stripping hair or weighing it down. The best shampoos for fine hair gently and effectively clean the scalp and strands, add moisture without being heavy, and leave hair soft and shiny. The carefully selected products on our list, like Ouai's Fine Hair Shampoo (our best overall pick) and Odele's Volumizing Shampoo (an excellent drugstore option), battle greasiness and lay the foundation for lasting volume.
Fine hair is prone to getting oily easily (and showing it) in addition to falling flat—two looks you're probably not going for. When shopping for the right formula, pay attention to the ingredients, as you'll want to avoid anything with heavy oils, which can weigh your strands down, and instead look for hydrating and strengthening elements such as biotin or polymers. If you color your hair, look for a color-safe formula that won't strip your color. Below, the best shampoos for fine hair that add weightless volume and shine.
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Biotin, hydrolyzed keratin, chia seed oil | Size: 10 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $3.20Best for:
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Oaui's fine hair formula is a great choice for everyday use—it cleanses and hydrates effectively, so it won't leave hair feeling like straw, even if you wash it often. A combination of keratin and biotin strengthens the hair shaft and reduces breakage, while chia seed oil nourishes, prevents overdrying and boosts shine. The result? Strands that are bouncy and soft, not flat. This formula is also color-safe and cruelty-free.
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Amaranth seed extract, hydrolyzed rice protein | Size: 13 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $.92Best for:
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Odele's Volumizing Shampoo is designed to eliminate greasiness while adding lift to listless hair. The cleansers in this affordable formula are gentle, so they are unlikely to irritate your scalp and cause uncomfortable dryness. Amaranth seed protects against hair damage and breakage, and hydrolyzed rice protein helps retain moisture so your ends don't dry out and become frizzy.
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Body building polymers, botanical extracts, hydrolyzed vegetable protein | Size: 8.5 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $5.76Best for:
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Oribe's formula uses a variety of high-impact ingredients. Coconut- and sugar-derived cleansers gently clean the scalp and hair, while lupine protein and saw palmetto extract work to energize the hair follicle. A blend of high-tech polymers are designed to plump the hair shaft, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein helps prevent heat damage. Plus, moringa seed extract increases shine. I have used this shampoo on and off for years and find that it cleanses well without drying out my strands, and a shiny, bouncy blowout always follows when I use it. This is also one of my favorite smelling shampoos of all time.
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Camellia seed oil, meadowfoam seed oil, rice protein | Size: 8 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $4.75Best for:
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This shampoo from clean beauty brand Crown Affair contains several hardworking, hair-healthy ingredients: Camellia seed oil works to hydrate and strengthen, meadowfoam seed oil helps prevent moisture loss, and rice protein adds thickness to hair and reduces breakage. Coconut-based surfactants also offer gentle cleansing so hair doesn't feel stripped. 'It has a lovely, fresh scent and lathers well,' says commerce editor Katherine Louie. 'But it's not as thick or rich of a lather as other shampoos I've tried.'
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Plant extracts, sunflower seed oil, apricot kernel oil, coconut oil-derived surfactants | Size: 8.5 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $3.76Best for:
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Hair that's parched and crispy from heat styling or coloring is especially prone to split ends and breakage. That's where this cult favorite shampoo comes in: The proprietary formula is designed to repair broken bonds in the hair shaft, create a smoother texture and increase shine. Reviewers report that it lathers well and moisturizes the hair without causing it to lay limp and flat, and they like that it's concentrated so a little goes a long way.
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Caffeine phytoceuticals, niacinamide | Size: 8.45 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $4.38Best for:
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Not only does Davines Energizing Shampoo effectively cleanse your oily scalp and hair, the brand's proprietary Hair Energy Complex works to bolster fragile strands, prevent breakage and invigorate the scalp to promote new growth. Star ingredients include niacinamide, which reduces sebum production and improves hydration, and caffeine, which stimulates cellular metabolism and boosts circulation.'I love how this shampoo cleans my hair without stripping my scalp and leaving it feeling dry or itchy,' says Louie. 'The formula leaves my strands feeling light and refreshed, and it does a great job of removing product buildup. It has a minty scent and leaves a slight tingling sensation on my scalp after I use it. I've also noticed less shedding when I use this shampoo consistently.'
Sulfate-free: No | Key ingredients: Aloe, honey, biotin | Size: 6.76 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $3.10Best for:
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If you have fine hair that's curly, you're in luck because that can help with volume—but the key is achieving weightless curls that are bouncy and defined instead of frizzy and haphazard. Pattern Beauty focuses on natural ingredients and locking in hydration. The key elements in this formula are aloe and honey, which attract hydration to hair while giving it a soft feel. Users love that this shampoo tames frizz and provides moisture without overdoing it and weighing hair down, and they report it has a nice scent. One reviewer says it 'does a great job of removing buildup without compromising hydration.'
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Body building polymers, botanical extracts, hydrolyzed vegetable protein | Size: 8.5 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $5.76Best for:
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Color-treated hair is often stressed and dried out from lots of processing. Oribe's formula uses a variety of high-impact ingredients: Coconut- and sugar-derived cleansers gently clean the scalp and hair; lupine protein and saw palmetto extract work to energize the hair follicle; a blend of high-tech polymers promise to plump the hair shaft; hydrolyzed vegetable protein prevents heat damage; and moringa seed extract increases shine. I have used this shampoo on and off for years and find that it cleanses well without drying out my strands, and a shiny, bouncy blowout always follows when I use it. This is also one of my favorite smelling shampoos of all time.
Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Rosemary oil, plant proteins, ceramides | Size: 8.4 ounces | Price per fluid ounce: $3.57Best for:
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Fine hair that's also thinning can be frustrating, so using an effective cleanser that's not overly harsh and lays the foundation for less shedding and new growth is important. Nécessaire's Rosemary Shampoo has a gel-cream texture and is both non-stripping and non-drying. It features rosemary oil to stimulate the scalp alongside plant proteins and ceramides that promise to strengthen the hair shaft and prevent breakage. 'This creamy, rosemary-scented shampoo lathers well and leaves my hair feeling clean and moisturized,' says Louie. 'It doesn't irritate my scalp, even after lathering twice, and leaves my strands shiny and healthy.'
At Forbes Vetted, our team of beauty experts meticulously researches and tests products so that we can be sure we're providing the absolute best product recommendations. We have covered everything from the best bronzers to the best vitamin C serums, and we have tested things like the best hair straighteners, best curling irons and the best blow dryer brushes.
For this list, we began by casting a wide net and researching all of the popular shampoos for fine hair on the market, including well-established favorites and newer-to-market products.
For fine hair in general, you're looking for formulas that are lightweight, boost texture and effectively rid hair of greasiness without making it dry.
Seek out the inclusion of gentle surfactants, which will cleanse hair without stripping it and drying out strands, making them more prone to breakage. Also, ingredients like witch hazel can be a good natural astringent that reduces irritation and alleviates product buildup and excess sebum, according to trichologist Kerry E. Yates. She also recommends looking for aloe vera: 'It's a great material in the sense that it offers protection for the physical hair strand and scalp.'
Some shampoos for fine hair feature biotin and keratin to help build up hair and make it strong and resilient, but ultimately, 'it will not thicken the diameter of the hair,' says Yates. Bear in mind that 'in general, too much protein is not always good for fine hair because it can cause you to lose body,' says stylist Nataya Smalls. 'Too much can also cause hair to break because hair can't withstand the extra weight.'
Sulfate-free formulas are often a positive when it comes to shampoos for fine hair. However, 'the presence or absence of sulfates in a shampoo for fine hair can be complicated,' says Smalls. 'It can be difficult to feel that fine hair is clean when you consistently use a sulfate-free shampoo.' Sulfates can be good detergents, but on the other hand they can strip hair color, so bear that in mind if you color your strands.
'If you have fine hair, avoid anything with heavy oils because they can weigh hair down,' says Smalls. Similarly, Yates advises staying away from silicones like dimethicone, because while they give hair softness and slip, they can also be heavy. Instead, look for natural oils, such as moringa oil, tamanu oil, baobab or chia seed oil, says Yates.
Typically people with fine hair wash their hair more often because it tends to show oil more easily, and many feel that if hair is clean it holds shape better. 'The challenge with washing too often is that it can dry out strands and strip natural oils,' says Smalls.
The most important thing, Yates says, is focusing on your scalp when shampooing. 'Put a dollop of shampoo in your palm, create a lather in your hand, then massage from hairline to crown to nape, then back again,' she says. When rinsing, gently massage your scalp and keep your head under water for longer than you think necessary to make sure all the residue is being rinsed. 'Any shampoo residue will exacerbate the feeling of being heavy and oily, and will leave your mid length and ends looking dry and frazzled,' says Yates.
The purpose of a shampoo for fine hair is to promote healthy hair and scalp, and help give strands body without weighing them down. Our pick for the best shampoo overall for fine hair is the Ouai Fine Hair Shampoo for its cleansing and hydrating properties, and its ability to leave delicate hair soft and shiny.
'When we refer to 'fine hair,' we're really referring to the diameter of the hair shaft,' says Yates. 'Somebody with coarse hair has strands that have a physically larger diameter than someone with fine hair strands.' In general, the terms fine hair and thin hair may be used interchangeably. Interestingly, people with fine hair typically have more hair follicles and more physical strands on their head. It's also possible to have both medium and fine hair, she says, with finer hair at your hairline or on the nape of your neck.
Conversely, if you have thinning hair that may mean that hair is not growing out of some of your follicles. 'Hormones and diet changes can significantly impact how your hair follicles perform,' says Yates, who describes a hair follicle as its own 'little engine.' As you age, some follicles will peter out and have a longer resting phase than growth phase, and new growth can decrease over time. 'You get the best follicle fitness from both internal support—like a healthy diet and no vitamin deficiencies—and external support, which includes good hair hygiene like washing your hair regularly so that you exfoliate the skin from your scalp,' says Yates.
Our pick for best drugstore shampoo for fine hair is Odele's Volumizing Shampoo. This affordable, hydrating shampoo has keratin and biotin to strengthen hair and reduce breakage. It's also color-safe and cruelty-free.