The 4 Best Products for Thinning Hair, According to Our Tests, Beauty Chemists, and a Hair Transplant Surgeon (2024)

If you’re reading this, you probably take pride in your luscious locks. So when you notice your hair starting to thin, it’s normal to want to spring into action.

We’ve been testing products for thinning hair for over 44 weeks, employing women all across the country, of varying ages and hair types, to put hundreds of popular shampoos for thinning hair, conditioners, solutions, and more to the test.

While many didn’t supply much outside of a nice scent and a tingling sensations, others improved our strands before our very eyes — filling in previously patchy spots, boosting thickness, and restoring the confidence from our good hair days of yore.

Read on for the best products for thinning hair that we’ve discovered in our lab and in real people’s homes.

Experts Also Recommend

Our test results gave us the winners above, but our haircare experts recommend these products to round out your regrowth regimen.

What to Know About Products for Thinning Hair

Source of Hair Loss

The first thing to consider when looking for a solution to thinning hair is to find the root of the problem (no pun intended).

“Hair loss can be genetic or can be caused by medications or underlying health issues; this is why it is very important to consult with your doctor if you are experiencing it for unknown reasons,” says Rivera.

According to the Mayo Clinic, several factors can contribute to thinning or loss of hair. Some include alopecia, physical or emotional shock, chemotherapy, or something as rudimentary as changes in diet or sleep. Consult with your doctor before starting a new treatment for hair growth.

Types of Products for Thinning Hair

When looking for the right product for your thinning hair, there are generally two categories to consider: leave-in or wash-out treatments.

Ingredients

Active ingredients are the star components of the formulas we love, such as minoxidil for regrowth in Rogaine. Other key ingredients to look out for include vitamins, amino acids, and natural chemicals, which work to strengthen, hydrate, and regrow your hair.

On the other hand, there are some ingredients worth avoiding, such as alcohol, sulfates, heavy oils, and silicones.

“I would avoid scalp barrier-disrupting ingredients, such as alcohol,” says Popova. “If a formula has a small amount of alcohol, that is okay, but if the base consists of a high amount of it, then the likelihood of scalp barrier disruption is greater and could lead to the opposite effect.”

Sulfates and parabens are also likely to irritate the scalp, which can lead to more thinning or hair loss. “These ingredients can strip natural oils from the scalp and weaken the hair’s overall structure,” explains Dr. Kopelman.

Behind the Scenes

We pored over our previous tests of products for thinning hair, where we put shampoos, conditioners, and miscellaneous hair growth treatments to the test with real women in their everyday lives. Each test required robust product and ingredient research and required hundreds of hours of real-world testing.

• Shampoos for Thinning Hair: 21 popular shampoos for thinning hair were tested for six months by a team of women at home. They rated each formula based on its lather and feel, the amount of growth during the period, and how effective the shampoo was at improving their hair density.
• Conditioners and Masks for Hair Growth: Testers took 25 different conditioners and hair masks home to test over six weeks, taking their effectiveness, consistency, and overall results into consideration before casting their votes. Success meant nourished and noticeably lengthier strands.
• Hair Loss Treatments: More than 960 hours were spent testing 20 hair loss treatments over a 12-week span, where testers followed the directions of their assigned solutions and came back with their results. They took ease of application, effectiveness, and overall growth and feel into consideration to make their final decisions.

Why Trust PEOPLE?

Alyssa Brascia is a staff shopping writer at PEOPLE who specializes in fashion and beauty. Her content spans from eyeliner roundups to first-person skincare reviews, though she has ample experience writing about products that combat hair loss and hair thinning. Brascia has previously contributed to a number of other digital publications, including InStyle, Real Simple, Southern Living, Shape, and Food & Wine, to name a few.

For this piece, she tapped a group of hair stylists, cosmetic chemists, trichologists, and hair surgeons to explain the do’s and don’ts of products from thinning hair — from the ingredients and purposes of each to the aesthetics.

What Is PEOPLE Tested?

We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.

But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.

In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.