The 8 Very Best Shampoos for Fine Hair (2024)

Sulfate free vs. non–sulfate free

Scent

Size

$42

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.

$7

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).”

$34

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).

$26

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.

$54

$32

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.

$10

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.

$28

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.