10 Body-Building, Volumizing Shampoos That Will Leave Your Hair Looking Like You Just Left the Salon
Volumizing shampoo is awesome for making flat hair feel full and bouncy, and it's especially great when you want that post-blowout feel without the salon visit. The best volumizing shampoos can make your hair look fresh, healthy, and of course, voluminous, without weighing down or stripping your hair, scalp, or hair follicles of moisture.
“The formula in volume shampoo is designed to clean the scalp and not add any extra weight,” explains Shelly Aguirre, stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. To help boost volume, the formulas will have protein-derived ingredients, as well as something unexpected: lightweight oils. “Seems odd, but just because you want volume, you should not have to sacrifice shine,” says Aguirre.
The stylist also stresses that, like all products, it’s important to look for the right formula for your hair type. “Since everyone has such different hair texture, it is important to find a shampoo that works for you,” she says. “Just because someone has thicker hair, it doesn’t mean they don’t want volume, and clients with finer textures don’t always crave volume.” And, a pro tip from someone who does this for a living: “If it’s volume that you’re after, first off, make sure your cut and color is fresh.”
While volumizing shampoos are a great first step, they don’t work solo. “Shampoos are designed to cleanse the hair, but you will still need to add a mousse or another type of volume styling product to achieve the look. Blow drying is a must,” advises Aguirre. “Velcro rollers are also a great volume builder. Ask your stylist for tips on how to achieve full and shiny hair that looks great on you.” Looking to give your hair a volume boost? We've rounded up the best volumizing shampoos for every hair type so you can flaunt your best hair yet.
1. Best overall:
LIVING PROOF Full Shampoo
The brand’s Healthy Hair Molecule helps give hair a fuller look and texture, while the sulfate-free formula lathers up to remove product buildup and keep hair feeling cleaner, longer. It’s also safe to use on color- and chemically treated hair, making this formula a solid option for just about anyone with finer strands.
2. Best for bounce:
IGK 30,000 Feet Volume Shampoo
We all like to have a little spring in our strands. This ultra-lightweight shampoo not only provides the dose of volume you’re looking for, but it also helps detangle and gives it that added bit of bounce, no matter if you have straight, curly, or wavy strands.
3. Best shampoo bar:
SUPERZERO Shampoo Bar for Thinning or Aging Hair
Shampoo bars are a great way to cut down on excess packaging, but if you’re not used to them, they can be a bit intimidating at first. Consider this bar your gateway product: It develops the rich lather you’re used to, while also infusing the hair and scalp with invigorating ingredients like vitamin B5 and rosemary oil. Plus, one bar lasts as long as two to three bottles of traditional shampoo normally would!
4. Best for mature hair:
ALTERNA Caviar Anti-Aging Multiplying Volume Shampoo
As we get older, our hair tends to lose some of its natural fullness. Packed with caviar extract (which is rich in omega fatty acids), this formula helps plump up hair while also protecting against outside stressors. Better yet, it’s sulfate-free and safe to use on fine hair types from straight to coily.
5. Best exfoliating shampoo:
BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo
We love our styling products, but using them on repeat can create buildup that weighs down your roots, making it harder for your hair to look lifted and full. Give fine hair the reset it needs with a deep clean, thanks to this revitalizing exfoliating treatment that’s safe for color-treated, keratin-treated, and relaxed hair types. Healthy hair starts at the scalp, so if you’re concerned about thinning hair or hair loss, this detoxifying charcoal treatment will clear away yesterday’s dry shampoo without stripping your hair follicles of natural oils. Bonus: It’s sulfate-free, paraben-free, and loaded with panthenol, which will strengthen and nourish fine hair. One Ipster says it “Made my hair feel great all day.”
6. Best for smoothing:
BUMBLE AND BUMBLE Thickening Volume Shampoo
Dreaming of bouncy hair that won’t give way to frizz? Meet this thickening shampoo that thickens and keeps hair manageable. Not only is it a cult favorite of the stylist set, but the lightweight formula will allow you to plump up the volume, softness, and shine, while also providing nourishment with a unique combination of vitamins that balance moisture. It’s best suited for medium to fine hair that’s straight or wavy. For best results, use it with the brand’s thickening volume conditioner for maximum styling benefits.
7. Best for strengthening:
ANDALOU NATURALS Lavender & Biotin Full Volume Shampoo
This volumizing shampoo is a multitasker that gets an A+ in our book. Made with a fruit stem cell complex and lavender, this thickening shampoo refreshes and stimulates your scalp while biotin B-complex nourishes your hair with essential proteins to foster hair growth and strength. At the same time, aloe vera (which is rich in amino acids) soothes and hydrates. Even colored hair can benefit from this sulfate-free, silicone-free formula that delivers thicker, fuller-looking hair and incredible lift, body, and shine. It’s a total win for thin-to-medium hair types.
8. Best for fine hair:
TRISSOLA Chia Volumizing Shampoo
This nourishing shampoo is one of the best shampoos for fine hair. It enhances each hair strand to improve thickness and volume with a color-safe, paraben-free formula that contains everything your hair needs for full volume. A unique combination of chia seed oil, argan oil, and sunflower oil protects and hydrates for shiny, frizz-free hair with major bounce that lasts all day.
9. Best shampoo and conditioner pair:
NATURELAB.TOKYO Volume Shampoo & Conditioner Duo
Treat your hair to a body-building treat with this two-in-one duo that lifts and volumizes fine hair. Infused with rice and soy protein to hydrate and lift, plus apple stem cells to keep your hair follicles healthy at the root, this shampoo and conditioner fosters healthy hair growth while turning up the volume and prolonging the life of your hairstyles.
10. Best for curls:
TWISTED SISTA Luxurious Clarifying Shampoo
Curly hair deserves head-turning volume, too. That’s where this volumizing shampoo comes in to give your curly hair strands a deep clean, thanks to natural ingredients like coconut oil, avocado oil, and almond oil, which wash away buildup from hair products, nourish roots, and hydrate curls, leaving you with fuller hair without the frizz.
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