As someone with long, fine hair, I know the struggle of lifeless locks. No matter how many dollops of mousse I pump into my hair, or how many spritzes of extra-strong-hold hair spray I spritz into my strands, the result is the same: A head full of hair that looks perfect for all of two seconds before sighing deeply and falls flat.
After struggling with my ultra-fine strands for what feels like forever, I thought it was about time to go beyond styling products to find a solution for my hair and look to shampoos instead. With high hopes and dozens of products before me, I took it upon myself to test out all the volumizing and thickening formulas I could find. After I sorted out the fakers -- the products that promise lofty results without really delivering -- I narrowed it down to the top 13 shampoos on the market for fine, lifeless hair. To all my fellow flat-haired ladies, this one's for you.
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Best Fine Hair Shampoo No. 13 Honey'Do Shampoo, $16
I'll be honest, I chose to try this shampoo because of the adorable packaging. I also wanted to test-drive a few organic products that aren't technically designed for volume, just to see how the ingredients benefit fine hair. The precious packaging did not lead me astray. Not only is this shampoo #shelfie worthy, the organic honey and tangerine essential oil make for incredible shine, bounce and softness. Now, often shine and fine hair don't go together, but this teddy bear bottle added luster without weighing down my hair. With every wash you can expect a head full of luscious locks that look anything but lifeless. You can also expect a traditionally soapy, non-shampoo smell, but the results make it well worth it.
Best Fine Hair Shampoo No. 12 Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Body-Building Shampoo, $34
Boasting "caviar" in the name, this luxe-sounding shampoo gave me high hopes right off the bat. While I'm unsure how I feel about consuming fish eggs (I've never tried caviar, TBH), I did love this shampoo. In just one wash my hair felt softer and more manageable while still looking full of volume and life. On a downside, I did notice that my scalp felt a bit drier with this formula. Mind you, I have sensitive skin so that could've been part of it. Had there not been those slightly adverse side effects, this could easily have climbed the ranks.
Fine Hair Shampoo No. 11: Matrix Biolage Volume Bloom Shampoo for Fine Hair, $25
One of the best ways to combat fine, flat hair is with a volumizing. Created with nature's expanding fluffy cotton flower, this shampoo plumps fine hair from the roots all the way down to the ends for an expanded look that makes it seem like you've grown thicker hair overnight. To really test its claims, I tried air drying with this fresh-scented shampoo and found that, while it still kept my hair from falling flat, it didn't look nearly as voluminous as when flipped and blow-dried.
Fine Hair Shampoo No. 10: Strivectin Hair Max Volume Shampoo, $23
As a beauty editor, I pride myself on knowing the latest and greatest in beauty. As you can imagine, it was much to my dismay then that I was totally unaware that a brand that I know to be a powerhouse in skin care actually has a line of hair care products, too. All unknowing aside, I was pleasantly pleased with the way this shampoo pumped up my fine, flat hair without weighing it down, though I wasn't particularly fond of the scent, which was reminiscent of face cream. My favorite part, however, was the way it really targeted scalp buildup because I was able to go a day further in between washes with this formula. And for someone with fine hair that tends to get greasy in less than 24 hours, that's really saying something.
