Shampoo and Conditioner for Thinning Hair

While most of us pop a bottle of shampoo into our shopping cart without giving it a second thought, knowing which hair products to buy can be an important part of hair maintenance--especially when dealing with thinning hair. As our hair ages, it gets dry, less dense, and more brittle. Thinner strands of hair are prone to breakage and the products we put on it can often actually add to the thinning problem. ²⁸⁷

When dealing with thinning hair, how can you know which shampoos and conditioners to choose? While there is no perfect answer, many dermatologists recommend the following tips for choosing a product for thinning hair: ^{74, 281, 287}

• Rotate your brand every few months to ensure maximum shine.
• Analyze your styling practices and your products. If you find that a shampoo or conditioner is damaging you hair, ditch it--regardless of how much you paid for it or how much it promised.

• Try a volumizing or thickening shampoo. But remember, these are only temporary fixes, and may leave hair looking dull since they have less conditioning ingredients. For this reason, experts recommend alternating between a volumizing and a moisturizing shampoo.
• Use a protein conditioner which may strengthen thinning hair by 10% by temporarily filling in the hair’s cuticle.
• For color-treated hair, give your hair a moisture-treat with a deep conditioning mask once a week. Some of these can be applied and left on while you sleep.