21 Excellent Strengthening Shampoos for Thinning Hair

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A head of full and luscious hair is often pegged as the beauty ideal, but it's not an attainable standard for everyone. Many women experience thinning hair and hair loss for a multitude of reasons: age, changes in diet, and product alterations, to name a few. Thin hair is nothing to be ashamed of — it's a fact of life shared by many.

Connecticut-based board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara says that thinning hair can be linked to many things. "It could be from over-processing color, medication, medical conditions like anemia and vitamin deficiency, menopause, or it could just simply be your genetics," she says. 

And more recently, your hair loss may be due to COVID-19, according to Papri Sarkar, a board-certified dermatologist who is based in Brookline, Massachusetts. "Everyone whom I've had any contact with throughout the pandemic has seen a huge, huge increase in hair loss," she says, referring to the many primary care physicians, allergists, and pediatricians who have reached out to her for consults on their telogen effluvium cases.  

Telogen effluvium is a form of temporary hair loss from excessive shedding due to a shock to the system, and it "does not discriminate," says Corey L. Hartman, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. "It can be seen across races, ethnicities, skin types, and hair textures," he previously told Allure. 

But if thin hair is an issue that really bothers you, you might want to consider modifying your hair routine with some of the best shampoos for thinning hair — hair products that are specifically formulated to enhance fullness and volume. "An ideal shampoo for thinning hair needs to not only improve the volume of your strands but also encourage growth and circulation of hair follicles," advises New York City board-certified dermatologist Neil Sadick. 

So, what should you look for in a shampoo for thinning hair? "Amino acids provide the building blocks to build new strands, while biotin, part of the B-vitamin complex, is required by hair to metabolize amino acids and can help strengthen hair," Sadick says. Additionally, he notes that antioxidants, such as vitamin E and ginseng, are beneficial for promoting hair growth "because they reduce free radicals from sun, stress, or overprocessing and have anti-inflammatory properties." 

Ginger King, a cosmetic chemist and founder of Grace Kingdom Beauty, also recommends looking for shampoos that tout their "styling" capabilities as they work more like styling hairsprays. These shampoos typically contain what King refers to as film formers, which are ingredients like acrylate copolymer. "There are also silk proteins and keratin proteins that can help to add a moisturizing layer for hair to look thicker," says King.

Lastly, King cautions against products containing silicones if your main concern is thinning hair. "Personally, I am not opposed to the use of silicones in hair care, but for people who have thinning hair, silicones can build up and weigh hair down," she says.

Below, find 21 of our favorite (and dermatologist-recommended) volumizing shampoos and thickening options that are made for thinning hair. Best of all, you don't need a prescription to scoop any of these up. 

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