The best shampoo for thinning hair can keep your precious hairs hydrated and looking fuller, and in some cases, even help prevent further loss. From pills to plasma injections to transplants, you’ve got a bunch of options for treating and preventing hair loss, but having the right shampoo at the ready is essential. Regardless of how you decide to address a receding hairline (if you do anything at all), one of the best defenses is a proper hair care regimen.
Before we go any further, it should be noted that here at GQ, we are, for the most part, shampoo skeptics. The fact is that most men grossly overwash their hair. This is counterproductive for most guys. But sometimes you’ve got to audit your priorities and choose accordingly, and if you need voluminous, fuller hair, then perhaps you should shampoo daily. (We suggest aiming for every 2 or 3 days, though, and conditioning daily.)
So, which shampoos will serve you best? We tested a ton of them so that we could answer that question. Again, we like them for different reasons: Some of these stimulate circulation and promote healthy growth, some block hair-suffocating DHT, and some are adept at adding volume to the hair you’ve already got. So, stop scratching your head on the matter and peruse this list—surely one of them is best for your particular case.
See also: Do Hair Growth Supplements Actually Work for Hair Loss?
The Most Restorative Shampoo for Thinning Hair
Evolis’ uses some obscure hair-restoring ingredients: great burnet flower, swertia chirayita, and Japanese rose. These three, when combined with proteins and keratin, help restore hair to a fuller, vibrant state. The result is thicker, healthy hair—both immediately and for the many months ahead.
The Best Thickening Shampoo for Thin or Thinning Hair
A longtime GQ favorite, this volume-building shampoo works its powers opposite of most: While many washes parch the hair and leave it plumped but dried out, this one hydrates and nourishes with Sachajuan’s proprietary “Ocean Silk” blend that gives hair body, movement, and healthy shine.
The Best Shampoo to Give Your Hair Some Volume
Run those hands through your hair after using Sisley Paris’ volumizing shampoo, and you might mistake your head for an expensive fur coat. This shampoo gives limp, lifeless hair an instant lift.
The Best Everyday Shampoo for Thinning Hair
Brickell’s gentle wash is specifically engineered for hydration—and thus for daily use. It’s packed with aloe, tea tree oil, vitamins E and B5, and peppermint. That last ingredient stimulates circulation in the scalp, too, so it encourages hair growth. It’ll leave your hair looking fuller, and not dried out like a standard shampoo.
The Best Vitamin-Rich Infusion for Thinning Hair
If you’ve got thinning hair, keep an eye out for Vitamin B whenever you’re perusing ingredient lists. This family of vitamins is known for its hair-strengthening powers, and Klorane’s shampoo employs a roster of them: B5 hydrates and fortifies the hair shaft, b6 minimizes sebum production, and B8 stimulates circulation and nutrient delivery.
The Best Shampoo for Scalp Stimulation
Caffeine wakes up your scalp, too: It’s pumped into Davines’ shampoo, and boosts circulation to the scalp and into each hair follicle. This increases nutrient delivery to each strand, and in turn strengthens hair as it grows. The gradual effect is that it slows future loss, and prevents breakage along any of the strands.
The Best Shampoo for Busting DHT
We love hims’ entire lineup of hair-growth products, and its shampoo is a great supplement to any aggressive regrowth regimen. This one targets DHT—the hormonal byproduct that leads to hair loss. By reducing the synthesis of DHT, the shampoo then reduces the rate at which your hair falls out. A nice perk is its lovely peppermint and tea tree scent.
5 More Shampoos We Love for Thinning Hair
If you’re shampoo-averse, this cleansing conditioner is a gentle hair-thickening alternative to any detergents. Besides, it’s time everyone learned about co-washing as a means to having a very hydrated, healthy head.
R+Co’s formula boosts volume, delivers a subtle shine, and shields hair from environmental damage (like heat, UV rays, salt, and chlorine). It also fortifies and strengthens hair with an extra kick from biotin.
With vitamins like biotin (B7), C, E, and B5, Peter Thomas Roth’s shampoo stimulates hair growth and gives your scalp a hydrating, nourishing scrubdown.
OK, so it’s not a shampoo. And technically it’s not even a dry shampoo, but Oribe’s grease-absorbing spray sure acts like one. It does wonders to soak up excess grease while thickening and volumizing hair. Better yet, it gives a healthy shine—not oily, just lustrous—to add definition to second-day hair.
Living Proof’s entire line of “Full” products—from conditioners to creams—is exceptional for adding body and texture. This shampoo washes without using any of the typical resins that many other shampoos use—those which can weigh hair down and reduce volume.
