Best Shampoo for Thinning Hair And Hair Loss: 2018 Reviews & Guide

Updated 5 years ago

Thinning hair and baldness can make a person feel self-conscious and uncomfortable in their own skin. Their hair may be falling out for any number of reasons and they feel helpless to stop it. If this describes you, your situation may not be as hopeless as you think. Take one small step in the right direction by using one of the best shampoos for hair growth.

Depending on what is causing the hair loss, something as simple as the way you wash your hair can have a positive impact. There are formulas that stimulate your scalp, unclog follicles, and nourish your skin. Others block DHT, the derivative of testosterone that damages follicles and makes hair too thin.

Today we’ll review top shampoos for hair growth so you can find one that can help your hair recover and look healthy again.

The best shampoos for hair growth

We researched to find the top shampoos that will protect your hair and scalp, and encourage new healthy growth.

Jack Black True Volume Thickening Shampoo

Enjoy washing your hair every day with Jack Black’s True Volume Thickening Shampoo. It tingles your scalp as it eliminates flaking and dryness and strengthens your hair. Users say that their hair feels softer and thicker and they notice less shedding in the shower.

The formula contains Pro-Vitamin B5 to build volume and make your hair shine. Biotin, wheat protein, and creatinine strengthen and repair weakened and damaged hair. There are also a host of essential oils to revive your follicles and stimulate your scalp.

The oils in this shampoo include Tea Tree, Lavender, Nettle Leaf, White Lupine, Basil Leaf, Sunflower, and Sage. They are blended in a base that is free of synthetic fragrances, colorants, sulfates, and parabens.

After washing, use the companion conditioner below.

Jack Black Nourishing Hair and Scalp Conditioner

After you wash with the Jack Black True Volume Thickening Shampoo, apply this Nourishing Hair and Scalp Conditioner to get maximum results. Jack Black recommends leaving the conditioner on your hair for the rest of your shower.

The conditioner is the final step in getting rid of scalp itch and dryness. It also reduces frizz because it hydrates hair and adds shine. The conditioner’s formula contains a few other powerful ingredients that aren’t in the Jack Black shampoo, like Jojoba Oil, Silk Protein, Green Tea Leaf, Kelp, and Peppermint oil.

Of course, there are no parabens, colorants, synthetic fragrances, or alcohols. Both the conditioner and shampoo are vegan and cruelty-free.

TOPPIK Hair Building Shampoo

You may have heard about TOPPIK because their hair-building fiber products have been featured on the Today Show, and in beauty magazines like Redbook, Allure, and Essence. Besides the fibers, they sell a line of personal care products like this Hair Building Shampoo and the conditioner below.

TOPPIK says the shampoo uses the power of keratin to strengthen and repair thin and damaged hair while it cleans and nourishes the scalp. It does not contain either parabens or sulfates that could damage hair or exacerbate the problem.

Users have said they notice their hair feels thicker and seems to have more body when they use this shampoo.

TOPPIK Hair Building Conditioner

In conjunction with the shampoo, the TOPPIK Hair Building Conditioner works to make your hair feel and appear stronger and fuller. Besides the keratin in the formula, it also has aloe and meadowfoam seed oil for softness and shine.

TOPPIK recommends leaving the conditioner on your hair for 60 seconds before rinsing.

TOPPIK Hair Building Fibers

It may not be a shampoo, but while we’re covering TOPPIK, it wouldn’t be fair to leave out their Hair Building Fibers. The fibers come in a range of colors and are made of statically charged keratin. Once your hair is dry, you can shake or spray the fibers onto the thin spots, then pat your hair to help them settle into place. They stand up to sweat, wind, and rain until you shampoo your hair.

Molton Brown Indian Cress Purifying Shampoo

What is Indian cress? Tropaeolum majus is a flowering perennial plant that grows in Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia. Its leaves and flowers are used to make teas and treat wounds and infections as diverse as the flu and UTIs. Used on the skin, it can increase hair growth.

Besides this plant, the shampoo’s formula contains amino acids for shine, as well as jasmine, sandalwood, and honeysuckle for a soft fragrance. Molton Brown recommends it for all hair types.

Users say the shampoo makes their hair feel very clean and shiny, especially when combined with the conditioner below.

Molton Brown Indian Cress Purifying Conditioner

Based on the power of Indian Cress, this Purifying Conditioner from Molton Brown is designed to leave your hair soft and shiny.

Klorane Shampoo With Quinine and B Vitamins

Klorane is a brand known world-wide for quality products based on botanical ingredients. Their Shampoo with Quinine and B Vitamins was created to encourage new hair growth while it thickens thin, fine hair strands. It’s made for both men and women.

Quinine, a traditional treatment for malaria, is not a typical ingredient in hair care products. Klorane says quinine, with the help of B Vitamins, tones and strengthens hair, and stimulates growth by encouraging microcirculation in the scalp.

Without silicones and sulfates, their formula cleans your hair without weighing it down. Users comment that while the fragrance isn’t appealing to everyone, their hair feels fuller and has been growing back.

Klorane Conditioner with Quinine and B Vitamins - Thinning Hair

Use the Klorane Conditioner with Quinine and B Vitamins to accompany the shampoo. The conditioner adds shine and helps with detangling.

Rene Furterer Forticea Stimulating Shampoo

Rene Furterer’s Forticea Stimulating Shampoo is sold as a professional product for a reason. In Europe, their line is found in pharmacies, not in regular stores. This is powerful stuff.

The Forticea Shampoo combines essential oils like orange, lavender, and rosemary to revive your scalp and follicles and get hair growing. It has a fresh citrus scent and contains microbeads that dissolve while you wash. Users say their hair feels thicker after using it. They notice that they lose less hair while their strands feel stronger and fuller.

Rene Furterer Volumea Volumizing Conditioner

The Volumea Conditioner from French company Rene Furterer is designed to accompany the Stimulating Shampoo. The conditioner contains carob extract for extra volume, and inulin, a natural conditioner from chicory root. This combination gives body back to fine, limp hair and makes it easy to detangle.

MenScience Androceuticals Daily Shampoo

The MenScience Androceuticals Shampoo is great if you like to wash your hair every day. It’s scent-free and gentle. While it uses alpha and beta hydroxy acids to remove buildup from other hair care products and sebum, it repairs damaged hair and increases shine and body with panthenol and Vitamin E. The inclusion of wheat proteins and glycerin moisturize dry hair and add volume.

A unique feature of this shampoo is that there is no recommended conditioner for it. It’s an all-in-one product, perfect for the busy guy in a hurry.

Baxter of California Daily Protein Shampoo

Of all the shampoos we reviewed so far, the Baxter of California Daily Protein Shampoo is the one that specifically states that it removes DHT. That’s essential for keeping hair follicles healthy and functioning normally.

The formula contains Coenzyme Q10, aloe, tea tree oil, nettle, and panthenol to make hair strong and give it body. It removes buildup of hair products and DHT so follicles can breathe and grow new, healthy hair.

The Baxter shampoo is gentle enough to use every day. It has a mild minty scent, as does the companion conditioner. Unfortunately, it does contain sulfates, parabens, and methylisothiazolinone, all of which might cause reactions in a very small number of people.

Baxter of California Daily Moisturizing Conditioner

This is the conditioner that maximizes the effects of the Baxter shampoo. It also has a soft mint scent. Users say it gently tingles their scalp and leaves their hair soft and shiny.

Zenagen Evolve Unisex Treatment

Wait, you said you don’t like to wash your hair every day? Perhaps you hate seeing all the hairs going down the drain. Then here is a solution for you. The Zenagen Evolve Unisex Treatment is not shampoo. At least, that’s what Zenagen says.

They recommend putting it on your hair and scamp instead of shampoo, leaving it set for 5 minutes, then rinsing it with warm water. Then apply the Zenagen conditioner and follow the same steps.

While this sounds an awful lot like shampoo to us, we appreciate that the formulas do not contain sulfates, parabens, or formaldehyde. The Evolve Treatment uses ginger root, grape vine extract, and emu oil to speed up hair growth, defend against breakage, and repair hair damaged by chemical treatments and heat styling. The company says their treatment helps reverse postpartum shedding too.

Zenagen Evolve Unisex Conditioner

Use the Evolve Unisex Conditioner to add a finishing touch to your hair so it feels silky and looks shiny. It contains aloe vera to heal scalp and hair and make hair thicker and full.

Other hair growth accelerators

Besides shampoos and conditioners, you can encourage hair growth with a diverse number of items like essential oils, supplements, and even light therapy.

Certified ORGANIC Argan Oil For Face, Hair, Skin, Beard, Cuticles & Nails - USDA Organic - 100% Raw Extra Virgin Argan Oil of Morocco - Cold pressed…from Lagoon Essentials

Argan Oil is an ancient cure for dry and brittle hair and nails, as well as eczema and psoriasis. This particular product is cold-pressed from kernels harvested from mature trees in southwestern Morocco. It’s certified to be 100% organic.

Lagoon Essentials recommends placing a few drops on your palm and rubbing it gently into your hair. If you’ve never used Argan Oil before, start with a small amount to see how you react. It takes time to see results, but you may notice some improvement within days.

PHYTO PHYTOPHANÈRE Hair and Nails Dietary Supplement

Taking the PHYTO PHYTOPHANÈRE supplement by mouth helps your body work to restore your hair from the inside out. It can also help you grow stronger nails. It contains biotin, omega 3 and 6, and vitamins A, B, C, and E. They recommend taking two caplets once a day for 4 months to see the results you desire. It’s especially important to supplement your diet in the spring and fall when more hair loss tends to occur.

What causes hair loss?

If you’re experiencing hair loss and you don’t know why, a trichologist, a hair restoration surgeon, or dermatologist that specializes in hair, could help you determine the reason. A regular physician can discuss your medical history and order tests to narrow down causes, too. If you know why your hair is thinning and balding, you’re better prepared to treat it successfully. Here’s a list of some of the many reasons why people lose their hair:

  • Genetic conditions like androgenetic alopecia, or hereditary baldness
  • Malnourishment or lack of essential vitamins, or too much Vitamin A
  • Illnesses like anemia and thyroid disorders
  • Medications like chemotherapy
  • Skin problems like psoriasis
  • Chemical products like dyes
  • Age
  • Menopause
  • Pregnancy
  • Overstyling
  • Sudden weight loss
  • Environmental conditions

Hereditary baldness is one of the most common problems on the planet. Androgenetic alopecia means that as hair falls out, the new hair that grows in will be thinner and finer in texture. As this progresses, the follicles are also getting smaller in size. In the end, the follicles stop producing new hair altogether. Both men and women can be affected by this.

This condition is linked to a hormone imbalance caused by the testosterone derivative called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT binds to hair follicles and makes them shrink and stop producing new hair.

Treatments to reverse hair loss

In the case of androgenetic alopecia, a shampoo may not be all you need to reverse the condition, but it can help. You can also try Minoxidil, a FDA-approved treatment for male and female hair loss. This drug was invented to treat high blood pressure, but causes extra hair growth as a side effect. Unfortunately, clinical trials saw “moderate regrowth” in less than of the patients treated with it.

Another product that may slow hair loss is often found in the formula of shampoos that fight dandruff. It’s called Ketoconazole. It slows down the damage that DHT does to hair follicles by reducing the production of testosterone. Although a 1% solution is easy to find, you’ll need a prescription to purchase the more effective 2% concentration.

Washing your hair is not the problem (probably)

Some people will tell you that washing your hair every day will make your hair fall out, but there’s no scientific evidence for this. Yes, you may lose hairs while washing it, but serious hair loss and balding doesn’t come from a daily shampooing.

If you have fragile or thin hair, use high quality products. Avoid sulfates and parabens. Use shampoos that revitalize your scalp and hair.

Conclusion

We hope we helped you find the perfect treatments to reverse your hair loss. We wish you good health and a full head of hair. Visit us again soon to see more reviews of the best in personal care products.