This Is It: The All-Time Best Products to Hack Your Way to Super-Thick Hair
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(Image credit: @mishti.rahman)
By Maya Thomas
last updated
in Buying Guides
No matter where you are in your hair journey, paying attention to how your hair responds to particular products can make a huge difference in your relationship with your strands. I'm not suggesting that you dedicate a good chunk of your life to testing and reviewing products like I have (although, I will always welcome new beauty fanatics with open arms), but taking some time to comb through your current hair collection and determine what your strands need help with the most is a game changer.
When I made the decision to allow my hair to revert to its natural, tightly coiled texture from the chemical straightening I had undergone, the last thing I was ready to confront was how I would have to reevaluate my entire product lineup, from serums and treatments to shampoos and conditioners. As a "newly natural" girl, I was reintroduced to my hair in its kinkiest and finest state and had to relearn how to style it.
Suddenly, I was playing around with products I had never even taken off the shelf in my childhood days and noticing how close they got me to the end result I wanted the most: smooth, defined curls with a whole lot of body! Since I've finally gotten the hang of how to create the appearance of super-thick hair with my fine strands, I've pulled together a list of the elite products that helped me reach my goal across my favorite brands. Below, discover the best of the best for faking full hair.
After dealing with years of weak strands after chemically straightening my hair, finding thickening shampoos and conditioners to use as part of my washday routine became a must. This set by L'Oréal Paris is one of my favorites to recommend since it's gentle on damaged, thin hair while injecting strength. I noticed less frizz and breakage after a couple of uses.
Customer Review: "Absolutely love this shampoo and conditioner, on my second bottle now. I love trying new conditioners and after running out of my first bottle purchased a different product and noticed a major downgrade in my hair's health, look, and feel within days. Since switching back to this my thin, flat hair looks and feels so much better, gets greasy less frequently, and has much more volume. Will forever use this product."
BondiBoost
Thickening Therapy Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner Duo
Finding shampoos that cleanse without stripping and conditioners that add volume without adding weight can be tough, so why not stick with the products that you know will 100% work? This set by BondiBoost has performed wonders for my hair. Its formula features hyaluronic acid and plant actives that offer instant life, thickness, and volume.
Customer Review: "The BondiBoost Thickening Therapy Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner Duo is a game-changer for thicker, fuller hair. The shampoo cleanses without stripping, while the conditioner adds volume and softness. Together, they've transformed my hair for the better. Highly recommend!"
Healthy-looking hair starts from the inside, so adding vitamins to help support it can make a huge difference in its thickness. The Purifying Vitamin Shampoo uses pro-vitamin B5, vegan keratin, and aloe vera to gently cleanse and purify the hair while the Nourishing Vitamin Conditioner deeply infuses the hair and scalp with vitamins C and E, vegan keratin, and argan oil to keep your strands healthy.
Customer Review: "I actually look forward to washing my hair now. The 2-step vitamin haircare smells divine and the results of beautiful healthy conditioned hair that shines speaks for itself. I am becoming more use to the amount of times I am asked if I just visited the salon."
My mother swears by the Plumping Wash and Rinse Set to give her fine, previously chemically straightened hair the extra oomph it needs. The Plumping Wash provides an effective cleanse and stimulates the scalp for growth while the Pluming Rinse works overtime to amplify the texture and fullness of your tresses.
Customer Review: "I’m a product junkie so I’ve tried every brand out there, this is probably one of my top three shampoo and conditioners. Aside from the fact that it smells absolutely wonderful, I can actually feel my hair plumping up, in a non-heavy/clean way. I’ve used his styling products in the past but this is my first time using his shampoo and conditioner. I definitely will purchase again in the future!"
Kérastase
Densifique Bain Densité Shampoo and Fondant Densité Conditioner
Whether your hair is growing fine due to age or it's always been your hair type, using a shampoo and conditioner that encourage density can completely transform your look. This volumizing set is enriched with stemoxydine (a densifying molecule) paired with hyaluronic acid, which plumps up the hair fiber for a fuller and thicker appearance.
Customer Review: "I have very fine aging hair and this shampoo and conditioner is amazing. It gives my hair the appearance of thicker looking hair, with body and shine. I have tried others that did nothing for me but this shampoo and conditioner is a game changer for me."
R+Co
Dallas Biotin Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner Set
R+Co Dallas Biotin Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner Set, like the rest of the brand's high-performance products, has absolutely transformed the health of my strands post–chemical relaxer. Dallas nourishes and strengthens my hair from root to tip and adds body where I need it when I'm opting for a straight style. It's also perfect for use with hot rollers and curling irons.
Customer Review: "I am so pleased with the Dallas shampoo/conditioner set. I have been using Television for a while and really like that, but decided to try the Dallas line for a change. I have very fine, thin, shoulder length hair. It does not hold a curl. Since I've been using Dallas, my hair feels much more full and soft. I have also noticed my curls stay a bit longer. I will definitely be re-purchasing!"
2. The Best Hair Masks
Function of Beauty PRO
The Lift Legend Volumizing Hair Goal Concentrate Mix-In
This is less of a traditional hair mask and more of a concentrate but offers everything you could want out of a customizable formula. The Hair Goal Concentrate can be added to your Function of Beauty Pro Shampoo or Conditioner Mask to encourage bounce while boosting volume and body using amaranthus plant extract. It's also color-safe and great for all hair types and textures.
Customer Review: "These Mix-Ins by Function of Beauty have been such a nice addition to my haircare routine. I do love that I can choose when I want to add these into my routine, and when I'd rather wait. I love how soft my hair is and how much more volume there is after using this product. Many times I would dry my hair and it would turn out so flat. Not with this concentrate! Love!"
Thickening and plumping? Sign me up. Here's a lightweight hair mask that delivers all-day volume by instantly thickening and plumping each strand in two minutes. Its revitalizing formula includes hydrolyzed rice protein to add volume and bounce as well as kukui seed oil and coconut oil to help condition and smooth strands without weighing them down.
Customer Review: "I tried a sample of this mask and immediately had to buy the full size. It really does feel like it plumps you strands. I have fine hair, but a lot of it and this made it look and feel thick and full. It smells good and doesn't flatten your hair. I use this after shampoo alone or after shampoo and conditioner for a little extra moisture! This is definitely a must buy."
Natural-hair washdays are not for the weak, no matter how long or short your hair is. Designed to support long hair with thin ends, this mask uses new patented L'Oréal technology featuring amino acids to add volume and shine while minimizing the appearance of split ends. It works by creating a protective layer for the hair against harsh external aggressors.
Customer Review: "I love this hair mask! I use this once a week and leave on my towel dried hair for around five mins. The mask is slightly thicker than the conditioner and the scent is kind of floral but not overpowering, pleasant scent. I color my hair and I have dry hair with split ends along with fine hair. The mask makes my hair look so much healthier and fuller. Love this!"
I can't imagine a day when I won't have this Oribe mask securely in my haircare collection. Its ultra-nourishing formula combines heat-activated keratin, conditioning panthenol, balancing Japanese bamboo, and more to restore my dull hair to its luster. In addition to being color- and keratin treatment–safe, the Signature Moisture Masque also provides UV protection for the hair.
Customer Review: "After trying the Beautiful Color Masque I was obsessed, and this one was easily hands down just as impressive. It's a lot thicker than the beautiful color one and I really love that it's totally different because they are both amazing for different reasons, I love them both. Perfect. Hate how much I love it."
Shu Uemura
Izumi Tonic Strengthening & Thickening Rice Water Hair Mask
Yes, this Shu Uemura hair mask comes with a hefty price tag, but it also offers major benefits for the overall health of your hair, so I'm more than happy to make the investment. Ideal for fine to medium hair, the Izumi Tonic hair mask targets split ends, damage, and breakage with Japanese rice water. It thickens fragile hair while also leaving the strands soft, smooth, and shiny.
Customer Review: "I’ve used this product consistently over the past month and I absolutely love it! My hair is soft and noticeably stronger. It’s shiny, but not heavily weighed down. It feels the way my hair is meant to feel! I’d absolutely recommend I won’t use anything else now."
Hair of all types and textures can benefit from addition The Ordinary's Multi-Peptide Serum to help boost density. While transitioning my hair from being chemically straightened back to its natural coils, I saw a major difference in its fullness after using this lightweight, water-based serum daily over the course of three months. Simply add a few drops to the scalp, and massage in for healthier-looking hair.
Customer Review: "Ive been using this serum for just over a month and its been a game changer. My hairline has noticeably filled in and my hair feels thicker. I'm losing the same amount of hair in a month that I used to lose every week. It doesn't feel heavy or have a strong smell either."
I love treating myself to Aavrani's Hair Density Boosting Treatment as part of my Sunday beauty refresh. It's a weightless leave-in serum that visibly improves hair density, addresses fallout, and has a lightweight texture with a non-greasy or -sticky feel. The formula includes turmeric stem cells to help "reset" the hair bulb, vegan collagen to boost hydration, and ashwagandha to strengthen to roots and alleviate scalp irritation.
Customer Review: "The Hair Density Boosting Treatment is my new holy grail product. After eight weeks of daily use, my wavy hair is noticeably fuller and sheds less. The serum is lightweight, easy to apply and leaves no greasy residue—just a pleasant fragrance. A must-have for healthier, thicker hair!"
While I use a number of Briogeo's products, its Destined for Density Peptide Hair Serum is by far one of my favorites. Perfect for use on all hair types and especially effective for fine textures, this lightweight serum promotes thicker, fuller hair with a non-greasy finish. Its formulated with the Briogeo Nova Complex, which works to stimulate the scalp and strengthen hair while combating shedding and loss of density.
Customer Review: "I’m really loving this product! I’ve used the serum consistently for almost two months. I’m seeing my baby hairs filling in around my temples where I had thinning hair. I have fine hair so after I apply the serum I use a little dry shampoo to lift my root and I think it works great!"
As someone who absolutely loves Nécessaire's line of body products, I had high hopes for the brand's haircare line that were easily met. The Scalp Serum, for example, has a formula that combines vitamin B3, B5, and hyaluronic acid among other superpowered ingredients to address dryness, shedding, and dry scalps for all hair types and textures.
Customer Review: "This is one of the nicest hair serums I have used! The scent is very light and clean and the packaging was great! The serum is not super thick or oily, so it really penetrates to the scalp rather than just sitting on your hair. I’ve been struggling with hair loss after having my baby and I already see some progress being made with the Nécessaire serum!"
Shu Uemura
Izumi Tonic Strengthening & Thickening Rice Water Hair Serum
If you're using Shu Uemura's Izumi Tonic Hair Mask, you might as well add its rice water serum to your product lineup. Like the hair mask, this serum is infused with Japanese-sourced rice water clinically proven to leave hair 30 times stronger and reduce split ends up to 91% while protecting against future damage.
Customer Review: "This serum is great, super lightweight, smells great, leaves no residue. It leaves your hair feeling thicker and hydrated. I use this on my dry hair after blow drying and it has greatly protected my ends from damage. I would buy this product over and over again!"
Trust me—don't look at the price tag; look at all the benefits! Dr. Barbara Sturm's innovative Scalp Serum uses nourishing ingredients like ATP, algin, and papaya extract to restore the scalp's moisture balance and sooth irritated skin. After all, the health of your hair will always be impacted by the health of your scalp.
Customer Review: "I'm on a mission to heal my hair and this has been a critical item in my lineup. I usually put it on pre-workout and let it do its magic for about an hour. It washes out cleanly and leaves my scalp feeling refreshed."
When styling fine hair, volume-and-lift sprays should be your best friend. This one is non-sticky and offers volume, built-in heat protection, and hold for bigger, fuller results. Not only is it incredibly lightweight and long-lasting, but it's safe to use on colored tresses. The formula's use of hydrolyzed keratin and panthenol provitamin B5 are behind its ability to reduce breakage, prevent damage, and moisturize the hair from within.
Customer Review: "The product gave me lift and volume without changing the texture of my hair. I usually can only use a product every other day wash. I can go two days now. My hair is very fine but thick. This product is a game changer! Gives my hair lift and volume! Will always be in my regimen."
The Hair Thickening Therapy Spray is a must for anyone looking for thicker, fuller, and healthier-looking hair in minutes. Effective for use on all hair types and textures, this lightweight product thickens and expands each strand while adding volume and preventing future damage with a blend of biotin, vitamin B3, and amaranth extract (a natural hair strengthener).
Customer Review: "Love this thickening spray for my dry thin hair. It thickens without any residue feeling and without drying it out too much. It's a staple in my routine. I have short, bleached hair and I love using a couple sprays while it's wet and drying with a roller brush."
If you need a little more lift at the root, give Living Proof's Full Volume & Root-Lifting Spray a try. Designed to extend the hold and wear of a style while creating two times the volume of untreated hair, the spray uses a resin blend, amaranth peptides, and Time Released Styling Technology for long-lasting body, hold, and shine. I'm also a huge fan of the bottle's clean-looking, minimalistic design.
Customer Review: "I use Living Proof shampoo and conditioner and was gifted by Living Proof the full volume & root lifting spray and love the combination of using it with my shampoo and conditioner. This provides so much volume and fullness in my hair now."
Bumble and Bumble's Thickening Dryspun Volume Texture Spray is an easy favorite among Who What Wear's beauty editors. Best for fine to medium hair types, the translucent dry finishing volume spray is formulated with a texturizing blend of zeolite and silk powder for volume, hold, and texture. Plus, your hair will smell amazing with a fresh scent of lemon, bergamot, apple, and water lily.
Customer Review: "Bumble and Bumble gifted me this product and I'm so excited to finally have a product that actually works for my straight hair! I use it before I blow dry my hair and the volume it gives me hair is unreal. It also doesn't make your hair feel dirty."
Adding texture is a quick and easy way to restore volume to otherwise tired-looking tresses. This weightless sea salt mist is safe for colored or chemically treated hair and adds weightless volume and texture using a mixture of nourishing aloe vera and quandong fruit extract indigenous to Australia. Simply shake and spritz a small amount on dry hair from root to tip for a salon-worthy, windswept hair look.
Customer Review: "Flexible hold with just enough grit. I curl my hair, wait for it to cool…give it a light spritz and shake it out. Perfect! Also fantastic on next day hair. Even if my hair is straightened the day before, add some spray and scrunch it up."
One of the biggest qualms I hare about texturizing salt spray is that the wrong ones will leave hair feeling dry. Verb's Sea Spray, however, adds effortless texture and separation to styles without drying out your strands thanks to a formula that features cleansing seaweed extract and kelp, sweet almond extract to seal in moisture, and sunflower seed extract to nourish the hair while providing natural UV protection with every spritz.
Customer Review: "This is my all time favorite! I have very fine and mostly straight hair. I use this and scrunch when I'm drying and it looks like I have beautiful, natural curls. I have tried others and always come back to Verbs! It amazing! It smallest great too!"
Ideal for those with wavy or tight hair textures, the R+Co Rockaway Salt Spray delivers tousled beach strands without having to book a seaside escape. It uses a combination of yarrow plant extract, balm mint, sage, vitamin C, and more to protect the hair from radical damage while strengthening and revitalizing it. The yarrow plant extract, in particular, is the secret behind the body and fullness you'll get with this one.
Customer Review: "I had tried several salt sprays before this one and had the same problem with all of them: too much texture and feeling your hair so dirty and sticky you needed to wash it at the end of the day. This salt spray is different. It has a fantastic smell, and gives the exact amount of texture to my hair I was looking for. And you don't need to wash your hair afterwards! Its composition includes some ingredients that protect your hair. Highly recommended."
IGK's Beach Club Volume Texture Spray gives you that salty, beachside hair look without salt ever making contact with your tresses. It's formulated without salt, instead using a mixture of hydrating glycerin for texture and nourishing sunflower seed extract for buildable texture and volume without any crunchiness. It also offers hold and extended styling for the days you don't want to spend playing with your hair.
Customer Review: "I’m impressed by this Texture Spray. It’s great for beach waves and acts like a combination of a dry shampoo and light hairspray. A little goes a long way, so use it sparingly. I tried two of the mini size and immediately bought a full size when I ran out."
Using Olaplex's Volumzing Blow Dry Mist is one of my favorite ways to create body and volume while also providing heat protection up to 450°F, eye-catching shine, and strength and style retention. The bouncy blowouts you create at home will never look better.
Customer Review: "I love all the Olaplex products and my latest addition of this Volumizing Blow Dry Mist does not disappoint. Gives my hair weightless lift and protects it from heat as I’m blow drying to keep my hair looking it’s healthiest best."
It's always smart to have a mousse on hand for a finishing touch to your style. The Hair Plumping Mousse boosts volume and softness without leaving a stiff finish using Oribe's Signature Complex (a blend of watermelon, lychee and edelweiss), panthenol, and vitamin E.
Customer Review: "I've had a great experience with other Oribe hair products, so I decided to try this mousse. A little goes a long way to add volume to my fine hair, and it smells great, too! Highly recommend."
Clinically shown to support hair growth and hair density in as little as 12 weeks, The Nue. Co Growth Phase Hair Supplements diminishes the effects of thinning, weak, or slow-growing hair using a drug-free supplement formula containing growth-factor proteins and peptides, collagen, adaptogens, micronutrients, and vitamins.
Customer Review: "I take these every morning and have noticed fuller, longer and healthier hair! Additionally, my nails have been growing and my baby hairs are even thriving! I’m very pleased with the ingredients and always am looking forward to taking these every morning to promote healthy, fuller hair!
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Maya Thomas
Assistant Beauty Editor
Maya Thomas is Who What Wear's assistant beauty editor based just outside of Seattle, Washington. Her strong love for all things beauty and fashion stems from a strong childhood interest in the fine arts. During a gap year spent in Paris studying the history of French fashion, she shifted her focus to English literature and journalism as a student at Loyola Marymount University with the goal of one day pursuing a career in fashion. After graduating in May 2021, Maya began freelancing for Parade.com as a contributing commerce writer while also building a following on her lifestyle blog, Itsmayalala.com. When she's not writing, Maya spends her free time catching up on reading, perusing art galleries, and enjoying a night out at the ballet every now and then.
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