Top 10 Drugstore Volumizing Shampoos

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: The citrusy scent of this shampoo will transport you to a beachside bungalow, and the formula, rich in bamboo and Kakadu plum, will transform flat hair for the better. Both ingredients are root lifters.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: As with all Aussie products, this shampoo is paraben-free.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Consider this shampoo a nutritious fruit smoothie for your strands. The formula is enriched with multiple fruit extracts and fruit oils, all proven to help nourish and boost fullness.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: It wouldn’t be complete with the brand’s standout ingredient, calming cannabis sativa seed oil. 

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Redken is renowned for its salon-quality products at a fraction of the price. This shampoo, a must-have for flat hair, includes Redken’s exclusive Bodifying Complex, rich in volume-boosting filloxane.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: The complex also includes silicone polymers that increase softness.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: On the other hand, if you want a shampoo free of silicones that still softens and volumizes, try this option from Matrix. Instead, it uses protein to strengthen and lift the root of each strand.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: It’s also concentrated with salicylic acid, an effective ingredient for maintaining scalp health. 

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: John Frieda’s volumizing solution is armed with “air silk technology” that smooths as much as it lifts. It’s also safe for color-treated hair.

SHOPPER REVIEW: “I am always dubious about claims made by shampoo companies. Most are just short of miraculous—according to their descriptions, that is. I have super straight hair, which is getting thinner as I get older. So I am always on the lookout for a shampoo that will give my hair some volume, not weigh it down, not over-moisturize, and not dry my hair out. This is the best one I've found so far.”

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Here’s a volumizing shampoo that solves more than one problem. The brand’s Tri-Level Thickening Complex is a blend of coffee and collagen that boosts blood circulation in the scalp for growth and strengthens the strands for fuller, bouncier hair.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: The formula is surprisingly clean and free of many common ingredients: drying alcohol, gluten, and artificial color, to name a few. 

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: If your hair is prone to buildup, a sulfate-free shampoo will be a lot gentler while making it easier for your hair to retain water. The lotus botanicals in this affordable shampoo also restore volume to flat hair.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: It’s also salt- and surfactant-free to prevent the complete stripping of moisture from the hair. 

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Reviewers love that this shampoo is more prevention than treatment. Rich in collagen and antioxidants, it helps prevent protein loss so your hair can retain volume through multiple stylings.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: It also includes panthenol, a lightweight volumizing agent.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: OGX went all out with its volumizing cleanser, a multitasking beast of a treatment stacked with some of our favorite haircare all-stars. There’s wheat protein for keeping the hair strong, biotin for promoting growth, and collagen, an essential building block for healthy strands.

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: It also contains vitamin B7, which acts as a secondary thickening agent.

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Since this shampoo is water-based, it provides a gentle cleanse but remains adept at removing dirt and grime. Paraben-free and color-safe, it’s also infused with root-lifting properties like hydrolyzed soy protein.

SHOPPER REVIEW: “I have very long but thin hair, which gets pretty greasy really quick and in return makes my hair very flat and sad. I needed to find a shampoo that would give my hair some life, even between washes, and I have found it! I love how many bubbles this produces as I feel that deep clean and makes the greasiness stay away and allows me to have a good voluminous hair day. I no longer have to hide my hair under headbands at work every day."