Not to rain on anyone’s hair care parade, but even the best conditioners for thinning hair won’t spur magical regrowth where there wasn’t any before. “Conditioners cannot grow hair,” Christine Shaver, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Bernstein Medical Center in New York City, tells SELF. Nor can they directly improve your hair’s density or generate thicker hair, she adds.
However, products made with lightweight ingredients that strengthen and moisturize (without turning your hair into an oil slick) can improve its volume and fullness. The tricky thing is avoiding conditioners that are too heavy and leave thin, thinning, and fine hair looking limp or flat—and that’s most conditioners on the market, Dr. Shaver says.
To save you a little trial and error, we tested some of the most popular products on the market and pored over past SELF Healthy Beauty Award winners. The result? A selection of truly great options to try if you think your hair could use a boost. Read on to find your new go-to conditioner and learn more about thinning hair from experts.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: Method Pure Peace Volumizing Conditioner, $11
- Best Splurge: Oribe Serene Scalp Densifying Conditioner, $55
- Best Volumizing Pick: Living Proof Full Conditioner, $34
- Best Deep Conditioner: K18 Leave-In Molecular Hair Mask, $75
- Best for Natural Hair: Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Conditioner, $11
- Best for Dry, Flaky Scalps: Nécessaire The Conditioner, $30
- Best for Curly Hair: Herbal Essences Apricot Oil Curl Define Conditioner, $12
- Best Budget Pick: Being BIG HAIR Volumizing Conditioner, $7
In this article
Shop the best conditioners for thinning hair
Achieve lift-off with these lightweight—but effective—conditioners.
Best Overall: Method Pure Peace Volumizing Conditioner
method
Pure Peace Volumizing Conditioner
This 2024 Healthy Beauty Award–winner won’t just pump up the volume—it’ll add texture to your hair too. That’s because it contains hydrolyzed quinoa protein, an especially useful ingredient if you want defined, bouncy curls. And you don’t have to sacrifice hydration for said volume: Our awards tester said their hair dried nice and soft, with plenty of body.
“I was especially pleased with how strong my hair was after using this product,” our tester said. “Other conditioners can sometimes make my hair feel thin and wispy; this did the opposite—it was restorative and made me feel like I had a nice, lush mane.”
Other notable ingredients
Argan oil and coconut oil (two highly nourishing, plant-derived hydrators)
Best Splurge: Oribe Serene Scalp Densifying Conditioner
Oribe
Serene Scalp Densifying Conditioner
If you hate how thick conditioners feel in your hair, give Oribe’s Serene Scalp Densifying Conditioner a try. Our tester, who has fine and frizzy hair, describes its consistency as “milky” and “just thick enough to detangle and condition, without adding any extra gunk to your hair or scalp.” She also noted that it left her hair feeling silky-soft.
This conditioner contains a blend of plant extracts to hydrate hair, plus fortifying agents like pea sprout extract, which may improve your hair’s fullness. It comes at a higher price point than other options on our list, but its dreamy consistency makes it worth the splurge.
Other notable ingredients
Glycerin, vitamin E (another common—and highly effective—moisturizer)
Best Volumizing Pick: Living Proof Full Conditioner
Living Proof
Full Conditioner
Our tester, who has naturally thin hair, saw an immediate change after using Living Proof’s Full Conditioner. “My hair had noticeably more texture,” she says. “It definitely made my hair feel fuller and gave it some extra heft.”
Living Proof uses a proprietary ingredient that has similar properties to silicone, a common ingredient in hair care products that some people like to avoid because it can contribute to buildup. This version is formulated to help your hair feel sleek and shiny without adding weight or excess product.
One caveat is that this really is a conditioner for flat, thin hair—not dehydrated strands. “It didn’t make my hair super soft and silky, so if you want that, this isn’t the product for you,” our tester says. “But if you’re going for max fullness, it really does boost your hair.”
Other notable ingredients
Glycerin (a reliable moisturizer for all hair types)
Best Deep Conditioner: K18 Leave-In Molecular Hair Mask
K18
Leave-In Molecular Hair Mask
Using a deep conditioner might feel like self-sabotage to someone who struggles with thinning—wouldn’t such a rich, creamy product just turn your hair into a lifeless mess? However, if your hair’s loss of density is due to breakage, it can be worth your while to incorporate an extra-nourishing conditioner into your weekly or monthly routine.
Elizabeth Houshmand, MD, a double board-certified dermatologist based in Dallas, previously recommended K18’s leave-in conditioner to SELF, noting its reparative formula. The star ingredient is wheat protein, which can help address structural damage to your hair strands’ shafts.
Other notable ingredients
Vitamin E, a peptide complex that may further help strengthen hair
Best for Natural Hair: Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Conditioner
Mielle
Rosemary Mint Strengthening Conditioner
Rosemary oil isn’t a surefire hair loss treatment (despite the hype), but it does have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, which can help maintain hair and scalp health. Oh, and it smells fantastic too, as our tester noted when they tried Mielle’s Rosemary Mint Strengthening Conditioner for the 2023 Healthy Beauty Awards.
“The rosemary mint smell is heavenly, and it really feels like a breath of fresh air on your scalp,” our tester said. “The product is light in texture, but really permeates my hair, leaving it soft and silky. It’s a great deep conditioner if you leave it on for a prolonged amount of time, and it makes it super easy to detangle coily hair.”
Just steer clear if you have a super sensitive scalp—rosemary oil can be irritating for some.
Other notable ingredients
Glycerin, olive oil, avocado oil
Best for Dry, Flaky Scalps: Nécessaire The Conditioner
Necessaire
The Conditioner
Here’s another Healthy Beauty Award–winner from 2023: The Conditioner from Nécessaire has a simple-yet-effective formula that our tester loved. “It’s a 10/10 for me. It’s not only made with good-for-you ingredients, but it also doesn’t weigh down my fine strands or leave my roots greasy,” she said. “It left my hair feeling soft, smooth, and silky after each wash.”
Those good-for-you components she mentioned include hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and panthenol, all of which can help address hair elasticity and scalp dryness.
