Best shampoo for thinning hair dermatologist recommended

So you've noticed your hair is thinning. The first thing you should know: Hair thinning in women is very common. "It's estimated that more than 50 percent of women will experience noticeable hair loss," according to Cleveland Clinic.

You should also be aware that it's totally normal for your hair to shed (the average person loses 50 to 150 hairs per day), but excessive hair loss could be caused by a variety of factors, including age and diet.

Meet Our Experts: Rhonda Klein, MD, partner at Modern Dermatology, Bridgette Hill, trichologist

So now to the real reason you're here: How do I reverse my thinning hair. Well, in order to solve the problem as to why your hair is thinning, you first have to know what's causing it to thin in the first place. The root of thinning hair actually starts at the scalp, not on your ends. “For most women, thinning hair is triggered by hormonal changes or acute events,” says Rhonda Klein, MD, partner at Modern Dermatology.

That's one reason why the key to healthy hair starts with finding the right shampoo—and if growth or volume is something you're currently struggling with, a shampoo for thinning hair is your best bet. These are shampoos that are specially made to improve volume, growth, and circulation of the follicles, creating an environment for your hair to thrive.

Whether you’re hoping to stop hair-thinning or take preventive measures, read on for 25 of the best shampoos for thinning hair.

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  Best Shampoo With Ceramides

  Kerastase Bain Densité Shampoo

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  Best Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair

  Andalou Naturals Argan Stem Cell Age Defying Shampoo

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  Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

  Dove DermaCare Scalp Shampoo

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  Best Thinning Shampoo With Peppermint

  Nioxin System 4 Cleanser for Fine Hair

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  Best Sulfate-Free Shampoo

  Alterna Haircare Clinical Densifying Shampoo

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1. Kérastase Densifique Bain Densité Shampoo

Improve your hair with this gentle but thorough cleanser that’ll restore resilience and strength. Ceramides protect against further stress while hyaluronic acid adds hydration and resilience.

Best Shampoo With Ceramides

Best Shampoo With Ceramides

2. Andalou Naturals Argan Stem Cell Age-Defying Shampoo

Combat breakage and age-related thinning while also maintaining your color with this sulfate-free formula. Enriched with argan stem cells, this formula offers up a much-needed dose of nourishment, smoothness, and shine.

Best Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair

Best Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair

Now 41% Off

3. Dove Dermacare Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

Looking to banish dandruff once and for all? Look no further than this affordable shampoo that’ll ensure your days of having a flaky, itchy scalp are finally behind you. The formula employs zinc pyrithione, which helps remove the build-up of skin cells around the scalp that hinder growth.

Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

Now 16% Off

4. Nioxin System 4

If you color your hair, you’ll want to reach for this formula, which employs nettle root extract, niacin, biotin, B vitamins, and saw palmetto to remove dirt, debris, and oil that can clog the hair follicle. Excess oil is an indicator of dihydroxy testosterone, or DHT, one of the main culprits for hair loss, especially in women with hormonal imbalances.

Best Thinning Shampoo With Peppermint

Best Thinning Shampoo With Peppermint

Now 22% Off

5. Alterna Haircare Caviar Anti-Aging Clinical Densifying Shampoo

This formula supports the reduction of DHT and eliminates residue that leads to thinning. The result? Healthy hair that’s noticeably thicker, fuller, and stronger.

Best Sulfate-Free Shampoo

Best Sulfate-Free Shampoo

6. ISDIN Lambdapil Anti Hair Loss Shampoo

Dr. Robinson recommends this formula for anyone hoping to reverse the signs of thinning hair. Formulated with biotin, zinc, and B vitamins, this shampoo helps boost volume and thickness for fuller looking hair.

Best Shampoo For Dry Hair

Best Shampoo For Dry Hair

7. OGX Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen Shampoo

Improve your hair’s texture for under $10, with this affordable formula that’ll thicken strands thanks to a blend of vitamin B7, biotin, collagen, and hydrolyzed wheat protein.

Best Shampoo With Biotin

Best Shampoo With Biotin

Now 22% Off

8. Kiehl’s Magic Elixir

This is technically a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment, but users rave about the way this hydrating product has improved their hairline, and it’s all thanks to rosemary oil. Studies show that it’s just as effective as the drug minoxidil when it comes to circulation of the scalp. Bonus: It also smells amazing.

Best Pre-Shampoo Treatment

Best Pre-Shampoo Treatment

Now 35% Off

9. Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo

If you’re missing the thick, luscious locks you had while you were pregnant, opt for this nourishing shampoo that will help you transition back to better hair days, thanks to its ability to deep clean your hair and scalp.

Best Thickening Shampoo

Best Thickening Shampoo

10. Keranique Scalp Stimulating Shampoo

This nutrient-rich cleansing treatment is the perfect preventative shampoo. The unique blend of ingredients includes a DHT-inhibitor that penetrates the scalp and follicles to deliver a keratin amino complex that protects the hair from further breakage. The result is improved texture and new growth.

Best Shampoo For Frizz

Best Shampoo For Frizz

Now 37% Off

11. Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo

Longing for glossy, healthy hair? Look no further than this strengthening formula that’ll revitalize your hair, thanks to healing extracts and oils, including cypress, argan, and maracuja. The brand’s bio-restorative complex works to balance the scalp while reinforcing the inner strength of each strand.

12. Viviscal Gorgeous Growth Densifying Shampoo

Suitable for everyday use on all hair types, this formula promotes thicker-looking hair thanks to Antrel, a proprietary complex that contains clinically-tested ingredients derived from natural sources. Biotin, keratin, and zinc nourish and strengthen your tresses.

13. Bosley BosRenew Scalp Scrub

Healthy hair starts at the scalp, which is why it’s imperative to ensure you’re getting a deep clean right at the root, where products, cells, and sebum can build-up and block new growth. Bamboo charcoal helps remove debris and purifies the scalp while rosemary leaf extract provides much-needed antioxidant protection.

Now 46% Off

14. Pura D’or Anti-Hair Loss Gold Label Shampoo

Dry, brittle strands—whether from heat damage or age—can definitely cause your hair to thin out. With more than 5,000 verified customer reviews, the Pura D’or Gold Label Shampoo gets top marks for its restorative, regenerative, and strand-strengthening properties. Among the shampoo’s 17 active ingredients are red Korean seaweed, which has been shown to treat alopecia, and scalp-stimulating black cumin seed oil.

Now 30% Off

15. Aveda Invati Advanced Exfoliating Shampoo

Natural salicylic acid derived from wintergreen helps exfoliate the scalp to help clear away build up on your pores that can prevent or slow down hair growth. Ginseng and organic turmeric are also used in the formula to help stimulate blood flow that work to promote hair growth as well. Use it in tandem with the line's conditioner and scalp treatment for even more benefits.

16. Jason Thin To Thick Extra Volume Shampoo

This blend of biotin and panthenol (a derivative of vitamin B that helps with elasticity) works over time to strengthen hair while aloe lightly moisturizes and quinoa fills in "holes" on damaged strands to give an instant volume boost.

17. Seed Phytonutrients Volume Shampoo

Grapefruit seed oil acts like a toner for your scalp to help remove impurities and keep oil production in check. Meanwhile, rice protein helps build up strands to look fuller while also making them stronger over time. Another bonus: The patchouli and orange peel scent.

18. VERB Volume Shampoo

Many volumizing shampoos can strip hair of everything—including moisture—so your hair feels fuller but also super dry and brittle. This one uses sunflower seed extract and soy protein to keep strands silky and smooth without the weight so you can have your volume and healthy hair, too.

19. Thicker Fuller Hair Strengthening Shampoo

Feed your strands their daily dose of vitamins and minerals with this blend of copper, magnesium, and zinc—all of which contribute to hair's shine, strength, and health. On top of that, organic quinoa works to repair your existing hair and protect it from damage.

Now 57% Off

20. VIRTUE Flourish Shampoo For Thinning Hair

Gentle yet powerful ingredients like rice-based humectants and sodium hyaluronate help clear the scalp of build up and soothe while the brand's signature keratin ingredient goes in to repair damage in each strand.

21. Rene Furterer Triphasic Strengthening Shampoo

This shampoo "addresses the factors that contribute to progressive and reactional hair thinning in men and women," Hill says. Hair will be visibly thicker, denser, and more resilient thanks to encapsulated essential oils like orange, lavender, and rosemary in the formula. "It promotes microcirculation when massaged in," she adds.

Now 30% Off

22. SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo

Over the years, castor oil has gained a reputation for promoting healthy hair growth, so it's understandable why SheaMoisture made it the star ingredient in one of its best-selling products. This shampoo works wonders on color-treated, permed, natural, or heat-styled hair by nourishing the hair from the inside out to reduce breakage and shedding.

Now 25% Off

23. Living Proof Full Shampoo

This shampoo gently cleanses the hair and frees it from feeling weighed down by dirt and oil while also leaving it with a fullness that'll make you feel like you just stepped out of the salon chair.

24. Biolage Advanced Full Density Shampoo for Thin Hair

A special combination of biotin, zinc, and gluco-omega blend all work together in this shampoo to deliver nutrients to the hair while cleansing the follicles of dirt and impurities that may impede hair growth.

25. Briogeo Blossom & Bloom Ginseng + Biotin Volumizing Shampoo

If you've noticed your hair looking on the fine or limp side lately, this is a good shampoo to turn to. It features hair saving ingredients like biotin, which is known for strengthening your strands, while other ingredients like ginseng and vitamin B5 support the follicles and encourage growth.

Why is my hair thinning?

As mentioned, hormones or acute events are usually the main culprits of hair loss.

But if you suspect that you’re losing more hair than the average, the first thing you should do is reach out to a dermatologist or doctor, as they can help screen you for any conditions that see hair loss as major symptoms. And if you're taking biotin or other supplements, Dr. Klein says it’s imperative to let your doctor know as it can skew thyroid results.

Another cause of hair loss that particularly affects those of African descent is Central Centifunga Ciccatricial Alopecia (CCCA). "It manifests itself on the crown radiating outward in a circular pattern," says trichologist Bridgette Hill. While the core cause is unknown she explains "there is a belief in the scientific community that possible triggers may be found in the chemical relaxers and straighteners."

Traction Alopecia is another hair loss issue especially among Black women wearing tight braids, ponytails, and other hairstyles. It's caused by "excessive tension on the hair follicle leading to follicular damage causing tissue and cellular erosion," Hill explains.

How do I prevent hair loss?

To prevent hair loss, it's key to not strip the hair and to use a lot of moisture. "I recommend applying a pre shampoo scalp oil. A proper scalp oil opens the follicles, encourages cellular turn over and increases blood circulation," Hill says "By awakening the scalp muscles it allows for the active ingredients in the thinning shampoo to have a greater efficacy."

Her go-to pre-shampoo treatments include Rene Furterer Complexe 5 Stimulating Plant Concentrate ("It detoxifies the scalp by removing any product build-up, encourages circulation and cellular turnover") and Rene Furterer Karité Nutri Intense Nourishing Oil ("It's a phenomenal treatment for medium curl textured to tightly coily textures").

Neha Tandon is the E-Commerce Editor of Women's Health—she's an expert in discovering the best products you can buy and giving recommendations. She discovered her love for magazines when as a teen, she started stealing her mother's magazines. Determined to see more women who look like her and her family members on the glossy covers of magazines, she was guided by seasoned editors and mentors to write for brands including New York Magazine, Bustle, BRIDES, POPSUGAR, Business Insider, Byrdie, and Well+Good. When she’s not grilling dermatologists about the latest skincare trends, she’s doing candlelit yoga or watching Humphrey Bogart movies over vegan pizza. Follow her on Instagram.

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