After rinsing, these shampoos leave hair looking fuller or more volumized. (Plus some hair thickening conditioner picks too.)
If you have fine or thinning hair, the best thickening shampoos for men can help your hair look fuller, more voluminous, and more textured with every wash. They are not miracle workers (especially not for helping your hair grow thicker) but the right formula can make a very real difference in how much body, movement, and density your hair appears to have after you rinse, dry, and style it.
Below are the thickening and volumizing shampoos I recommend most after 14 years as a men’s grooming editor. I’m also including the matching conditioners where relevant, since the right conditioner can help with softness, smoothing, fortification, texture, and volume, depending on your hair length and type. (Conditioner is especially important for anyone with hair more than a couple inches, and also for anyone growing it out for the long haul.)
One important disclaimer before we get into the picks: A shampoo cannot make your hair grow thicker from the root. Most thickening shampoos work cosmetically, by coating strands with polymers, proteins, starches, or other body-building ingredients so hair looks and feels fuller. These are rinse-away products, not scalp serums or hair-loss treatments. The one partial exception on this list is Nizoral, which has ketoconazole, an anti-dandruff ingredient that gets discussed often in thinning-hair routines because of its scalp-health benefits. More on that below, though.
Quick Picks: The Best Thickening and Volumizing Shampoos for Men
- BEST OVERALL: Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Shampoo + Conditioner (JUMP)
- BEST FOR SHORT HAIR: American Crew Fiber Pre-Styling Cleanser + Fiber / Boost Pre-Styling Cleanser + Boost Powder (JUMP)
- BEST FOR FLAT, LIMP HAIR: Fatboy Volumizing Shampoo + Conditioner (JUMP)
- BEST FOR LONG HAIR: Sachajuan Hair Thickening Shampoo + Conditioner / Sachajuan Volumizing Shampoo + Conditioner (JUMP)
- BEST FOR THINNING HAIR: Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo 1% Ketoconazole (JUMP)
- BEST BUDGET: BLVD & CO Thickening Shampoo + Conditioner (JUMP)
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Best Hair Thickening Shampoos for Men (And Volumizing, Too)
Featuring all but one of the picks below.
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The Best Shampoo for Short Hair: American Crew Fiber Pre-Styling Cleanser + Fiber / Boost Pre-Styling Cleanser + Boost Powder
BUY ON AMAZON:
- American Crew Fiber Pre-Styling Cleanser + American Crew Fiber Styler (optional)
- American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Cleanser + American Crew Boost Powder (optional)
American Crew has three “pre-styling cleansers” in this lineup, but the two I want to call out here are Fiber and Boost, since they’re the most relevant for guys with shorter hair who want more texture, density, lift, or fullness. Also, important note: These are shampoos that have been formulated to work with the respective hair styling product with the same name (Fiber, Boost Powder, Forming Cream), but they do not need to be used with those stylers. It’s a mere suggestion of synergy, alright?
The Fiber Pre-Styling Cleanser is the thickening option. Like the Fiber styler itself, it’s built around separation, texture, and the appearance of density. The cleanser uses polymers that can lightly coat the strands, giving hair more grip and fullness even before you style it. Then the American Crew Fiber styler takes that further with high hold, low shine, and a gritty, texture-building finish that can make short, sparse, or fine hair look more substantial.
The Boost Pre-Styling Cleanser is the volumizing option. It’s the one I’d use if the problem is not just thin hair, but flat hair: strands that collapse, hair that has no lift, hair that needs a cleaner and lighter foundation before styling. The cleanser helps clear away oil and buildup while adding light fortification from ingredients like protein, panthenol, and polymers. Then the Boost Powder does the dramatic work, giving root lift, grit, and matte volume.
Again, you do not need to use the matching stylers with these shampoos, but the pairing makes a lot of sense if you want to “set it and forget it”: Fiber is for thickness, separation, and short textured styles; Boost is for lift, volume, and fine hair that needs help standing up.
BUY ON AMAZON:
- American Crew Fiber Pre-Styling Cleanser + American Crew Fiber Styler (optional)
- American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Cleanser + American Crew Boost Powder (optional)
And for what it’s worth, American Crew also has a nice shampoo that pairs with its smoothing, defining Forming Cream too; it’s less of a thickening or volumizing product, but worth knowing about, especially if you need a lightweight cream styler for your strands (it’s perfect for my coarse hairs when they are a few inches or longer).
The Best Shampoo for Flat, Limp Hair: Fatboy Volumizing Shampoo + Conditioner
BUY ON AMAZON: Fatboy Volumizing Shampoo // Fatboy Volumizing Conditioner
Fatboy is my pick for flat, limp hair that needs more lift, body, movement, and separation. (And there’s a good chance it’s your barber’s or stylist’s favorite choice for this too.)
The Volumizing Shampoo gives hair a thorough but lightweight rinse, so oil and buildup are not dragging everything down. It also has lightweight polymers that help with body, fullness, and definition, without making the hair feel stiff or coated. The Volumizing Conditioner rounds it out with nourishment and softness, but it still keeps the whole routine light enough for fine hair.
This is a great pick if you don’t necessarily have thinning hair, but your hair behaves like it’s tired. It falls flat, it has no shape, and it needs a little help staying alive after you dry it.
BUY ON AMAZON: Fatboy Volumizing Shampoo // Fatboy Volumizing Conditioner
The Best Shampoo for Long Hair: Sachajuan Thickening Shampoo + Conditioner / Volumizing Shampoo + Conditioner
BUY ON AMAZON:
- Sachajuan Hair Thickening Shampoo // Shampoo & Conditioner Set
- Sachajuan Volumizing Shampoo // Shampoo & Conditioner Set
Sachajuan is my long-hair pick because the formulas feel more like salon haircare as opposed to basic thickening or volumizing products (thus, really focused on strength, resilience, and all-day shape). This is a Swedish salon brand built around their proprietary Ocean Silk Technology, which brings algae-derived conditioning and fortifying benefits into the haircare routine.
The Thickening Shampoo + Conditioner is the better choice if your hair looks thin or less dense. The shampoo uses thickening technology, polymers, Ocean Silk Technology, and UV protection to give hair more body, structure, and fullness. It makes individual strands feel more substantial while keeping the overall finish soft and polished.
Sachajuan Volumizing Shampoo + Conditioner is the better route if your hair is fine, flat, or limp. That duo is more about lift and bounce than density. It keeps the conditioner lightweight, avoids heaviness, and gives longer hair more movement without flattening it.
Again, simple distinction: Thickening duo makes the hair itself feel bigger. The volumizing duo makes the hairstyle feel bigger.
BUY ON AMAZON:
- Sachajuan Hair Thickening Shampoo // Shampoo & Conditioner Set
- Sachajuan Volumizing Shampoo // Shampoo & Conditioner Set
The Best Shampoo for Thinning Hair: Nizoral A-D Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
BUY ON AMAZON: Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo 1% Ketoconazole
Nizoral is the odd one out here—and the one shampoo on this list that I did not feature in the video above. That’s because it is not really a thickening shampoo or a volumizing shampoo on impact. It’s an anti-dandruff shampoo with 1% ketoconazole, and its hair-thickening abilities play a longer game here.
Ketoconazole is, more or less, the one shampoo ingredient I would currently endorse for an ability to help hair grow thicker or fuller. Yes, “hair loss shampoo” is a myth–most of these products rinse out so quickly they can’t do anything to help regrow your strands from the root, but limited studies exist pointing to ketoconazole helping mitigate the accumulation of the follicle-shrinking hormonal byproduct (DHT, or dihydrotestosterone). Still, the ingredient is not FDA-cleared for hair loss, so keep expectations dialed in. I also outline as much in this video here:
More than anything, this shampoo is a Blue Ribbon winner from me, because I believe every guy should have an anti-dandruff shampoo in his shower, and deploy it once every couple weeks just to temper conditions up there. Added reason is that potential benefit: you can stymie DHT buildup in the process–just don’t pin all of your hair growing hopes on this one product, aye? (Check out my article on hair growth solutions that work.)
BUY ON AMAZON: Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo 1% Ketoconazole
The Best Budget Shampoo: BLVD & CO Thickening Shampoo + Conditioner
BUY: BLVD & CO Thickening Shampoo // BLVD & CO Thickening Conditioner
BLVD & CO is a newer brand that debuted first at Walmart, and they’re already gaining great traction. Consider them if you want a low-cost option with a high return.
Both the shampoo and conditioner formulas are chock-full of biotin, glycerin, and pea peptides to help hair feel fuller, softer, stronger, and more substantial. The shampoo gives you the lighter, buildup-clearing foundation you want from a thickening product, while the conditioner adds more of the slip and texture payoff.
The conditioner is especially important here because it uses conditioning polymers that add a light coating and smoother feel without turning the hair limp. Remember, this is not regrowing your hair. It is classic cosmetic thickening magic though: cleaner hair, lightweight conditioning, stronger-feeling strands, and a fuller finish – for not a lot of money.
The scent, Juniper Woods, is also really good: fresh, invigorating, and much more polished than you might expect at this price point.
BUY: BLVD & CO Thickening Shampoo // BLVD & CO Thickening Conditioner
The Best Overall Shampoo: Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Shampoo + Conditioner
BUY ON AMAZON: Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Shampoo // Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Conditioner // Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner Duo
Dr. Groot is my best overall pick, and this duo won a Blue Ribbon Award from Blue Print. This is probably my favorite thickening shampoo and conditioner duo of all time. It is also a huge global bestseller and a massive TikTok success story (though I am proud to say I did not need TikTok to tell me this stuff was great).
This is a Korean haircare brand, and the thickening duo feels like premium haircare first and a thickening shampoo second. It gives hair body, softness, smoothness, and a more built-up feel, without making it rough or dry. I’ve used it with short hair, medium hair, and longer hair, and it works across lengths. My partner has finer hair than I do and loves it too. I have coarser hair that tends to lie flat, and I also get great results from it.
The shampoo is built around ingredients like biotin, caffeine, rosemary oil, and prebiotics, some of which are housed in tiny capsules that release during use. It feels invigorating on the scalp and leaves hair feeling fuller without that stripped, squeaky, over-cleansed feeling.
The conditioner takes it further with 7 types of prebiotics, as well as niacinamide and salicylic acid to help tone and balance the scalp; plus 11 types of amino acids to smooth, strengthen, and soften the strands. So while the primary payoff is “bigger hair”, it achieves this with fuller, smoother, healthier-feeling strands rather than blanching it dry and leaving it poofy.
Dr. Groot’s duo is the easiest recommendation in the entire lineup. It costs more than some of the other picks here, but a little goes a long way, and the results are so worth it, especially if you have hair more than a couple inches long.
BUY ON AMAZON: Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Shampoo // Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Conditioner // Dr. Groot Hair Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner Duo