As someone with naturally curly hair, it took me a long time to realize I have fine hair. I'd been so conditioned to associate curls with thick, resilient strands I was left somewhat baffled when the products that worked on my friends with full, fluffy manes weighed my ringlets down. It wasn't until I started to pay attention to my individual strands, rather than my mane as a whole, that I realized my fine, fragile hair had very different needs than my friends’ heads of hair. My first order of business was swapping out my shampoo for a formula to set my fine hair up for styling success.
While I settled on a clarifying and moisturizing formula, there are so many shampoos for fine hair that suit every need. Below, I've rounded up a list of the best shampoos for fine hair under the L’Oréal Professional portfolio—whether you have limp strands or an oily scalp, one of these pro-approved shampoos can help address your unique hair concerns.
What kind of shampoo is good for fine hair?
The best shampoo for fine hair is a formula that makes your hair look and feel its best. That will be different for everyone depending on hair type, texture, and desired hair goals. However, there are a few things that most people with fine hair should look for in a shampoo. Gentle clarifying formulas will help to remove product build-up and sebum without compromising the look and feel of your fine strands. A volumizing shampoo also gives hair a thicker, more full appearance.
How often should I wash my fine hair?
There is no one-size-fits-all hair care schedule, but people with fine hair typically benefit from frequent wash days. As days go by and the sebum on your scalp builds up, it can begin to weigh down your roots and make your strands look dirty. While dry shampoo can give your mane a refreshed appearance, we recommend washing your hair with shampoo for fine hair at least once a week.
Our 12 Best Shampoos for Fine Hair
Mizani Moisture Fusion Gentle Clarifying Shampoo
If you have fine curly hair, chances are good you rely on several products to coax flawless ringlets out of your strands. While you may have perfected your bespoke cocktail of leave-in conditioner, gel, and oil, the sheer amount of product can lead to build-up that causes your strands to look dull and your curls to fall flat.
Give your mane a clean slate with Mizani Moisture Fusion Gentle Clarifying Shampoo. This clarifying shampoo for natural hair leaves strands feeling refreshed and prepped for whatever you have planned.
Mizani Moisture Fusion Gentle Clarifying Shampoo, $30.00 MSRP
Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo
Dry, fine hair can feel hard to manage. For fine strands that need moisture, quench them with Pureology Sheer Hydrate Shampoo. This lightweight formula deeply hydrates dry hair without weighing it down. The result is a touchably soft and voluminous mane.
Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo, $36.00 MSRP
Redken Volume Injection Shampoo
Big hair requires lots of volume, but if you have fine hair, you may lack the thickness necessary to make your style truly pop. Lucky for you, with every wash using Redken Volume Inject Shampoo, hair will appear thicker.
Its lightweight milk-like formula contains Redken's Bodifying Complex powered by Filloxane, a bodifying agent that adds thickness to hair. Unlike other heavy formulations that weigh down and create oilier hair, this shampoo gently cleanses the scalp and removes oil to create a lightweight feel, all while enhancing volume.
Redken Volume Injection Shampoo, $25.00 MSRP
Matrix High Amplify Shampoo
Solve the challenge of fine, limp hair with Matrix Amplify Shampoo formulated with Full Boost Technology™/MC. This shampoo adds instant body for thicker-looking hair with lasting volume.
Matrix High Amplify Shampoo, $18.00 MSRP
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo
Excessive heat styling, chemical services, and rough styling can damage your strands, causing them to look and feel finer than usual. If you're dealing with damaged hair, consider swapping your regular shampoo formula for Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo.
The sulfate-free shampoo is Redken's most concentrated all-in-one formula for strength repair on all types of damaged hair. This formula featuring citric acid contains a concentrated bonding care complex that reinforces weakened bonds within your hair to improve strength.
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate, $32.00 MSRP
Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Izumi Tonic Strengthening Shampoo
Fine and fragile hair go together hand in hand. The Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Izumi Strengthening Shampoo gently cleanses, repairs, and helps fragile hair appear thicker. Formulated with rice water to strengthen and repair, it leaves hair feeling stronger, healthier, and smoother.
Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Izumi Tonic Strengthening Shampoo, $52.00 MSRP
Biolage Bond Therapy Shampoo
Because fine hair is so fragile, it can become damaged from hair services, products, and styles that may not affect people with thicker hair. If you’re dealing with fine hair that looks and feels damaged, you need a shampoo formula like Biolage Bond Therapy Shampoo.
This sulfate-free shampoo for overprocessed, damaged hair gently cleanses and builds volume. Reap the complete benefits of this shampoo by using it with the rest of the Bond Therapy system for ten times stronger hair.
Biolage Bond Therapy Shampoo, $28.00 MSRP
Kérastase Bain Densité Shampoo
It’s normal to lose some hair density as you get older, but if you already have fine hair, you likely want to hold on to as many strands as possible. Kérastase Bain Densité Shampoo helps to increase hair density and strengthen strands for hair that looks fuller from root to tip.
Kérastase Bain Densité Shampoo, $40.00 MSRP
L’Oréal Professionnel Volumetry
If you rely on too much dry shampoo to stretch your style throughout the week, you need a shampoo that will banish sebum and build-up before it can weigh your hair down. L’Oréal Professionnel Volumetry shampoo gently cleanses and clarifies your scalp and strands to remove oil and build-up for added volume and lift that makes hair appear thicker.
L’Oréal Professionnel Volumetry, $33.00 MSRP
Biolage Volume Bloom Shampoo For Fine Hair
Are you having difficulty styling your fine, limp strands? Biolage Volume Bloom Shampoo plumps fine hair with a long-lasting, volumizing bounce. This gentle formula cleanses strands without stripping the hair and provides root lift for sky-high style—even for the finest of strands.
Biolage Volume Bloom Shampoo For Fine Hair, $23.00 MSRP
Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Muroto Volume Shampoo
If your current volumizing shampoo leaves your strands looking and feeling dry, you need a shampoo formulated with nourishing oils to help restore the softness of your strands. Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Muroto Volume Shampoo gently cleanses and infuses hair with long-lasting volume. The nourishing formula helps to re-balance hair with natural oils and leaves strands supple with a weightless finish.
Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Muroto Volume Shampoo, $52.00 MSRP
Pureology Pure Volume Shampoo
Pureology Pure Volume Shampoo is the perfect formula to take your fine strands to new heights and protect your salon color. It not only lifts your roots but also clarifies build-up, resulting in a refreshed scalp and soft volume. The brand's patented Antifade Complex® also helps to prolong and protect hair color, keeping it vibrant for longer.
Pureology Pure Volume Shampoo, $36.00 MSRP
Searching for the perfect stylist to cut your fine hair? Use our salon locator to book a consultation at a salon near you. Explore Hair.com for more expert advice on fine hair.
