Best Overall

Living Proof Full Shampoo

$36 at Amazon$36 at Sephora$36 at Ulta

Key Ingredients: Sili-CLONE™ HairTech| Hair Type: Fine, thin, flat | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Scent: Light citrus scent | Size: 2, 8, 24, 32 oz

Ocando confirms that sulfate-free formulas are the gentlest option for fine hair and this shampoo proved it. The moderately lathering formula replaces sulfates and silicones with Living Proof’s silicone-mimicking technology, designed to deliver the same slip and softness without buildup. Our tester, Kelsey, who has fine, frizzy hair, noticed results right away: “After the first use, my dry, frizzy hair looked refreshed and silky smooth,” she says. The benefits lasted even when she used heat tools, such as a hair dryer, curling iron, or straightener. Overall, this formula boosted Kelsey’s shine and volume while soothing her dry, itchy scalp.

Kelsey, tester with fine and frizzy hair: “I sometimes struggle with dandruff and noticed the shampoo left my scalp feeling more balanced and less dry and itchy. I also struggle with frizz in my hair, but noticed my hair felt lighter and smoother after using the shampoo.”

Best Budget

L’Oréal Paris Thickening Shampoo

$11

$10 at Amazon$10 at Target

$15

$10 at Walmart

Key Ingredients: Rosemary, arginine| Hair Type: Fine, thinning, flat | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: No | Scent: Fresh and neutral with notes of jasmine and juniper berry | Size: 8.5 oz

The affordable price isn’t the only thing to love about this shampoo. For thinning or flat hair, the boost in volume after just one wash is truly transformative. As a thickening formula, it works so effectively that our tester’s barber even remarked on how soft and full his hair felt during a recent haircut. Bonus: it also helps repair hair breakage, leaving strands stronger and healthier over time.

Alfredo, tester with straight, thinning hair: “Compared to other products I’ve tried before, this one has to be one of my favorites. I loved the thickening results, the scent, and how my scalp felt after each use.”

Best for Damaged Hair

Ouai Fine Hair Shampoo

$32 at Amazon$32 at Sephora$32 at Ulta

Key Ingredients: Biotin, chia seed oil, hydrolyzed keratin| Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Scent: Italian lemon, Turkish rose, white musk | Size: 10 oz

According to Ocando, biotin, niacinamide, and hydrolyzed silk are among the best ingredients for fine hair and this shampoo delivers, especially with its biotin-rich formula that nourishes brittle, damaged strands from root to tip. You can often gauge how hair responds to a formula by its hold, fullness, and how long it stays fresh between washes. After our tester added this shampoo to her routine, she noticed her strands felt noticeably plumper. “My hair held up great after styling, whether I left it curly or used heat,” our tester Anna shares. “It gave my fine hair a more lifted, voluminous look.” The formula cleanses gently without stripping natural moisture, whether you double cleanse or wash frequently, and it’s keratin-safe, too.

Anna Traver, writer with fine and curly, 3A/3B hair: “I love the lather of this product and how clean my scalp and hair felt after washing. The lightweight formula really helped to lift my stands, not weighing them down at all.”

Best for Volume

Virtue Full Shampoo

$44

$30 at Amazon$44 at SephoraView on Ulta

Key Ingredients: Phospholipids, pink pomelo, alpha keratin 60ku| Hair Type: Straight, wavy, fine | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes| Scent: Fresh, fruity| Size: 2, 8 oz

If you want to maximize your volumizing results in the shower, this thickening shampoo is a must-try. It creates a rich lather and is highly concentrated, so even though it’s a bit pricier for its size, a small amount goes a long way, cleansing thoroughly without any residue. “It’s hard to find a shampoo that gives me a rich lather without stripping moisture from my curls,” our tester, Ashley, shares. Along with the extra hydration this formula provides, she noticed that after a few washes, her air-dried hair looked more hydrated, voluminous, silky smooth, and noticeably fuller.

Ashley, tester with curly, thin, and dry 2C hair: “I can’t say enough good things about this shampoo. This is hands down the best-smelling shampoo I’ve ever used. From the lather in the shower to the bounce it leaves afterward, this shampoo is a must.”

Best for Frizz

Kérastase Gloss Absolu Anti-Frizz Shampoo

$42 at Sephora$42 at Kohls.com

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid, wild rose oil| Hair Type: Fine, medium, frizzy hair | Sulfate-Free: No| Cruelty-Free: No | Scent: Citrus forward, grapefruit | Size: 2.7, 8.45, 16.9 oz

This shampoo is packed with hydrating powerhouses, including hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid, and wild rose oil, everything frizzy hair needs. As Ocando explains, focusing on hydration to fight frizz doesn’t mean weighing your hair down. When a formula uses mild surfactants, like this one, it helps lock in moisture and reduce static. Our tester, Chelsea, immediately noticed its gentle, low-lather formula—an early indication of its mildness. “Some shampoos lather a lot because they use stronger surfactants like sulfates, which can strip moisture. Less lather usually means the shampoo is gentler and better at preserving hydration,” she says. After incorporating it into her routine, Chelsea found she could go longer between washes and even noticed her color looked more vibrant. “My hair felt clean for three-plus days, my blowouts lasted longer, and my texture felt smoother,” she shares. However, she did find her hair to be slightly less manageable during testing. If you choose this shampoo to tame frizz, be sure to pair it with a good detangler for optimal results.

Chelsea, tester with fine and frizzy hair: “My hair did NOT feel weighed down after washing it with this product; I believe the product itself is incredible for fine and ultrafine hair, because its consistency and suds power hits the mark for a lightweight finish.”

Best Exfoliating

Goop G.Tox Himalayan Salt Scrub Shampoo

$55

$39 at Amazon$55 at SephoraView on Credo Beauty

Key Ingredients: Himalayan pink salt, moringa oil, rosehip oil | Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Scent: Herbal | Size: 0.8–6.7 oz

It’s a good idea to use a scalp scrub every few weeks to really cleanse your scalp and hair of buildup and oil (which can feel itchy and make hair look dull). That’s where this Goop G.Tox comes in. Think of it as a whipped, exfoliating, scrub-style hair wash you can call on whenever you need to get rid of a week’s worth of dry shampoo. The formula is packed full of Himalayan pink salt (which works as a physical exfoliant), moringa oil, and rosehip oil (which restores hair with nutrients and oil). It can be worked right into the scalp to dissolve grease, remove product buildup, and add serious volume. As far as that “clean hair feeling” goes, this shampoo can’t be beat. It can be somewhat intense on the scalp, though, so we suggest using it once a week.

Kathleen, tester with 1A hair: “After the first wash, I could feel and see a difference immediately! My hair had a post-blowout look—volume, shine, and smooth. The next morning after an intense workout, I also noticed that my scalp had minimal flakiness. Usually, the day following a wash and sweaty workout, my scalp has noticeable flakiness.”

Best Budget, Runner-Up

Monday Haircare Volume Shampoo

$7

$7 at AmazonView on Ulta$7 at Target

Key Ingredients: Coconut oil, ginger root extract, glycerin, vitamin E | Hair Type: Fine, thin, damaged | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Scent: Floral | Size: 12 oz

This cutely packaged offering from New Zealand-born Monday Haircare is everything we want in a fine hair shampoo at an affordable price. The volumizing formula claims to add body and shine to limp hair with a ginger extract-, vitamin E-, and coconut oil-infused formula. It gives your hair that added volume you’re after without weighing it down. We also appreciate the handy pump bottle, which you can recycle once it runs out. It can be a bit drying, especially if you have dry hair to begin with, so we recommend following up with a deep conditioner on the ends of your hair.

Adi Giesey, beauty editor with 1C hair: “This is my favorite drugstore shampoo because it reminds me of an expensive product in a fun, value-sized bottle. Over the years, it has quickly become one of my most recommended products and garnered the most compliments.”

Best Lightweight

Shu Uemura Muroto Volume Lightweight Care Shampoo

$56 at Sephora

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, deep-sea water| Hair Type: Fine, straight, medium hair | Sulfate-Free: No | Cruelty-Free: No | Scent: Black fruit top notes, sandalwood, vetiver | Size: 10 oz

First and foremost, we dedicate this pick to individuals with fine, straight, or thinning strands. Not only is the texture of this shampoo weightless once emulsified onto the scalp and rinses seamlessly across several hair types, but it could also be your source for extra volume at the roots. Our tester had fine, curly hair and since her feedback leaned more toward the fact that this shampoo did less for her curl pattern than good, we recommend our fine, textured hair readers opt for another shampoo on this list. What our tester appreciated most about the product was its lather and cleansing abilities. Sadly, it fell flat on the effect it had on her styling efforts.

Sarah, tester with fine and wavy, 2A/B hair: “I think this shampoo definitely gives volume, but for me, it messed with my curl pattern. Straight hair, I’m sure, would love this shampoo.”