Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. Why Trust Us?
Let's face it, we've all had a bad hair day (or several) involving sad, limp tresses that look plastered to our heads. While the slicked-back ponytail is always a solid option on those flat hair days, sometimes you don't want to resort to a pulled-back look. That's when the best hair volumizing products, including shampoos, sprays, leave-in conditioners, and mousses, can turn a limp look into bright, bouncy height.
Of course, the last thing you want is a "volumizing" product that only weighs your hair down further. That's why we spoke with a hairstylist and dermatologists to find the best products to add major volume to even the finest, straightest strands.
What are volumizing hair sprays?
Hair volumizing products are designed to add airiness and height to hair that may have a tendency to sit flat against the scalp. According to dermatologist Azadeh Shirazi, MD, the ingredients in these products "are designed to lift the hair up and away from the scalp. They’re intended for those with fine or thin hair looking to achieve a more full hairstyle."
Key ingredients in hair-volumizing sprays include polymers or resins designed to coat the hair and stiffen it up and away from the scalp. Others feature "oil-absorbing compounds like dry powders to soak up sebum (oil) and prevent it from weighing hair down, and still others work by strengthening and thickening each individual hair strand making them appear thicker," says Dr. Shirazi. To find the absolute best hair volumizing products, we consulted with Dr. Shirazi along with three other board-certified dermatologists, and combed through hundreds of customer reviews. Read on for our final list.
NatureLab. Tokyo Perfect Volume Thickening and Conditioning Hair Masque
Dermatologist Dendy Engelman, MD, recommends this to her patients who want to thicken the appearance of their manes. "It is formulated with rice starch and rice bran, which helps stimulate hair growth and add volume," says Dr. Engelman. We're big fans of its formula—a combo of glycerin and vitamins B5 and E—which Dr. Engelman says can deeply hydrate hair strands. "I love that this mask also focuses on scalp health because healthy, voluminous hair starts at the scalp," she says.
| Key Ingredients | Glycerin, vitamin B5, vitamin E |
|---|---|
| Best for | All hair types |
This scalp serum is a favorite product of dermatologist Dr. Shirazi. She loves that it effectively promotes hair thickness, thanks to key "hair growth ingredients like Procapil 3%, which is clinically shown to increase hair density."
The product "also has other hair-supportive ingredients such as rosemary, caffeine, and aloe vera," says Shirazi. This serum should be applied directly to the scalp twice a day. In addition to promoting hair thickness and reducing hair loss, the serum also moisturizes dry or itchy scalps.
| Key Ingredients | Aloe Vera, procapil 3%, miacinamide, vitamin E, rosemary oil, tea tree oil |
|---|---|
| Best for | Thinning hair, itchy scalps |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
This leave-in treatment helps prevent oils from building up at your roots, which can drag down hair, especially thinner strands. The unscented formula is applied directly to the roots after shampooing. As your hair dries, naturally or with a blow-dryer, the spray adds a natural lift from the roots.
This spray is a great option for thin hair or people prone to an oily scalp. One satisfied customer writes that the product, "Adds a little more volume and lift to my hair without weighing it down."
| Key Ingredients | Intra-clyane, hydralight |
|---|---|
| Best for | Thin or oily hair |
Dr. Engelman recommends this hair spray for people who need some extra life in their strands. Its star ingredient: caffeine, which can help stimulate hair follicles to give you extra volume and lift at the roots. Even better, it's super easy to use: simply spray this on your towel-dried hair from the roots to the mid lengths. Then follow your normal blowout routine, says Dr. Engelman.
| Key ingredients | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Best for | Thin hair |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
This drugstore find works as a powerful thickening spray and a leave-in conditioning treatment that turns flat hair full and bouncy for a full day (and beyond, depending on your hair type). It's designed with fine hair in mind, so it won't drag down thinner strands, and contains biotin and vitamin C to nourish and hydrate dry hair.
The spray is unscented, so you don't have to worry about an overpowering perfume. It's also free of paraben and silicone, and is cruelty-free and vegan.
"This spray adds body to my fine hair, and it's easy to use because it's not oily or sticky," says dermatologist Hadley King, who regularly uses this spray. "It also adds heat protection, and it does not contain silicones."
| Key Ingredients | Biotin, vitamin C, blood orange extract |
|---|---|
| Best for | Fine hair |
This mousse is made from mostly organic ingredients and comes in an eco-friendly non-aerosol can, but beyond that, it adds major volume with just a small pump of product. This foam is great for frizzy hair, in particular, because it adds structure and hold that will smooth flyaways and add hold. We love that the mousse comes in a small five ounce bottle that travels easily.
| Key Ingredients | Hydrolyzed quinoa, organic acacia senegal gum, soy protein |
|---|---|
| Best for | Frizzy hair |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Living Proff Full Dry Volume & Texture Spray
This spray does more than add long-lasting volume. It also serves as a light-hold hairspray to keep your style looking natural without losing its shape. The spray also adds grip for easier styling and acts as a heat protectant to shield your tresses from blow dryers, straighteners, and curling irons. In short, this is a reliable product that you can add to your daily haircare routine or keep in your purse when you need a little extra lift.
| Key Ingredients | Microporous minerals and modified starches, hydrophobic resins |
|---|---|
| Best for | Oily, flat hair |
Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray
Dr. Shirazi likes that this "thickening spray is lightweight and contains hydrolyzed wheat protein and other copolymers to volumize and strengthen the hair." The product is designed to be used on damp hair before styling. "To get the most bang be sure to blow dry the hair after to maximize hair fullness," Dr. Shirazi says.
| Key Ingredients | VP/VA Copolymer, polyquaternium-11 |
|---|---|
| Best for | Flat, heat-styled hair |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Ouai Fine Shampoo
This shampoo is beloved by users for its impressive thickening powers. It has a floral fragrance and is free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. Though this shampoo will work for all hair types, it really shines when used on fine hair, as the keratin in the formula strengthens and thickens strands with regular use.
It's safe for color-treated hair and many customers with dry or itchy scalps report that the shampoo has helped their conditions.
| Key Ingredients | Hydrolyzed keratin, Biotin |
|---|---|
| Best for | Fine hair |
Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray
This sleek-looking product is a winning volumizing hair spray that also absorbs oils at the scalp. It's a favorite of Dr. Shirazi's because "it’s designed to not only add volume and texture but it also acts as a dry shampoo."
The spray contains VP/VA copolymers, which coat hair strands and help strengthen them so they stand up, rather than fall flat against your scalp.
"This one is one of my favorites for adding an instant lift and hold to my hair between wash days," says Dr. Engelman. "It is super buildable and absorbs oil on the scalp and at the roots without leaving a heavy residue on the hair."
| Key Ingredients | Watermelon, lychee, edelweiss flower, VP/VA Copolymer, Glycerin |
|---|---|
| Who it's Best for | Between shampoos, flat or oily hair |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Spritz this texturizing spray over the lower half of your damp or dry hair to unleash luscious natural-looking beachy waves, no heat styling required. This product adheres to the eco-friendly ingredient standards that Credo holds, so it comes in sustainable packaging, and is never tested on animals.
This product is designed for use on all hair types, from thin to thick and straight to curly. Reviewers love that it doesn't weigh hair down and provides natural texture that's not crunchy.
| Key Ingredients | Sodium chloride, glycerin, guajava fruit extract |
|---|---|
| Best for | All hair types |
The name of this product says it all: it creates volume. This is a cream, rather than a spray, which gives you a little more control over where it's applied. The product is made with organic honey, which adds moisture and hold, plus aloe vera for stronger, fuller strands. Dr. Shirazi likes aloe vera in volumizing hair products because it "provides hydration and volume without weighing down thin hair."
This cream is designed for use on damp hair before blow drying. As it dries, your hair will be lifted and full from the roots. Reviewers with curls are especially fond of this product, as it leaves their hair soft and defined, not dry or crunchy.
| Key Ingredients | Organic honey, aloe vera, rice amino acids, eucalyptus |
|---|---|
| Best for | Curly, dry, or flat hair |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Jonathan Van Ness' line of cult-favorite hair products includes this lightweight non-aerosol foam that adds fullness to all hair types. It's formulated with hemisqualane, which strengthens and hydrates hair, as well as biotin to enhance hair thickness, and marshmallow root extract, which softens strands and helps keep your style in place.
The spray has a sandalwood and amber scent that users love. However, many note that it's easy to use more than you need of this foam, so start with a tiny pump, even if you have thick or long hair.
| Key Ingredients | Hemisqualane, biotin, marshmallow root extract |
|---|---|
| Who it's Best For | Thinning or flat hair, all hair types |
This dry shampoo is a powder that comes with a brush for application, just like a finishing powder for your face. It's made from tapioca starch, rice starch, and persimmon powder, which absorb oil and grease and leave your hair smelling fresh. But most importantly, this dry shampoo perks limp, flat strands right up from their roots. After application, give your hair a good shake upside down, and flip back up to find gorgeous volume.
| Key Ingredients | Tapioca starch, persimmon powder |
|---|---|
| Best for | Oily hair |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
This is a cult-favorite product for a reason. Not only does it come at a wallet-friendly price point, but this volumizing mousse also adds impressive height and hold to hair without weighing you down.
If you apply this mousse to damp hair before blow-drying, you'll get the most dramatic home blowout of your life, whether you have curly, dry, or straight hair. It has a bright, citrusy sent and leaves your hair with a bit of extra shine as a bonus.
| Key Ingredients | Panthenol, emollients |
|---|---|
| Who It's Best For | Blow-dried hair, flat hair |
When you want to add some extra oomph to an updo, make this volumizing hairspray your go-to. It provides a light hold, so there will be no crunchy bits in sight, and a matte finish that looks natural and lived-in, not too perfect.
In addition to hold, the spray also adds texture to help give sleek or thin strands extra grippiness. Users love that the product smells good and can turn even the most curl-resistant straight hair into ringlets.
| Key Ingredients | Keratin, pea protein |
|---|---|
| Best for | All hair types |
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
OGX Thick & Full + Biotin & Collagen Volumizing Conditioner
Now 25% Off
This drugstore conditioner is a total steal, when you consider how effective it is at boosting volume and thickening fine strands. The formula contains biotin, collagen, and wheat protein to nourish and strengthen hair. This conditioner is best for oily, damaged, frizzy, and color-treated manes, as it provides hydration and protection against heat tools.
| Key Ingredients | Biotin, collagen, wheat protein |
|---|---|
| Who It's Best For | Oily, damaged, or color-treated hair |
What to look for when shopping for the best volumizing hair products
Formula
If you have fine hair, you'll want to prioritize a lighter product that won't weigh your hair down, says Ryan Sanger, founder of Hair Lingerie, a aalon in Los Angeles. "The lightest formula on your hair will be a spray or a mousse, [since] they are formulated lighter on the hair to not weigh it down," says Sanger. "Any cream is going to naturally be heavier on the hair, weighing your hair and its style down."
Ingredients
"The key is to look for gentle on-the-hair ingredients that give you the biggest bang for fullness," says Dr. Shirazi. Many volumizing hair products contain proteins derived from wheat and soy. These can add texture, but Shirazi warns that adding too much protein to your hair can cause buildup and lead to breakage.
He recommends ingredients like keratin, rice protein, and collagen, because these bind to the hair shaft to make it appear thicker.
If dryness is an issue, aloe vera is great for hydrating hair, and "hyaluronic acid helps maintain hydration and add volume without weighing down the hair shaft," says Dr. Shirazi. Caffeine also acts on your hair just like it does for your energy levels, waking up the follicles for a fuller, more airy style.
Ingredients to steer clear of include phthalates, which "some studies suggest may impose health risks," says Shirazi. In addition, he says to avoid sodium chloride, which is often used as a texturizing agent, but can be drying to the hair and scalp.
Application
Certain volumizing products are designed for use on wet hair, and others can be used on dry. If you don't wash your hair regularly, a product for dry hair may be more practical for your routine. On the other hand, products for wet hair can help set your style in place so it lasts longer, especially if you blow dry or heat style your hair after application.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
How to use hair-thickening and volumizing sprays
As Dr. Shirazi notes, hair volumizing products work from the scalp to lift strands away from your head. To get the most out of your product, spray it from the roots to the ends of your hair.
Most hair volumizing products are best used on wet hair, but some, such as dry shampoos, can be used on a dry 'do. If spraying wet hair, lightly saturate your strands after toweling them dry. For extra lift, flip your hair over while spraying.
Then you can either let your hair dry naturally for enhanced height and texture with little extra effort, or you can blow dry your hair to set a style in place. As the volumizing product dries, it will strengthen and lift your hair. Many products also have holding properties that will help keep your style in good shape all day, if not longer.
How we chose the best volumizing products
WH editors dug though hundreds of popular haircare products, thousands of customer reviews, and consulted dermatologists and beauty editors for their tried-and-true products. Our list of the best volumizing products include options for all hair types, budgets, and styling concerns.
Lizzy Briskin
Food Editor
Lizzy is the Food Editor at Food Network Magazine and a contributor to The Pioneer Woman Magazine. She loves writing about food, cooking it, eating it, and thinking about it, especially if the food includes caramelized onions, pickles, or whipped cream (but not necessarily together).
