8 Best Conditioners for Thinning Hair in 2025

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, she adds.

Dr. Shaver notes that many conditioners are too heavy for thin, thinning, and fine hair: They can leave your hair looking limp or flat. However, ones made with lightweight ingredients that strengthen and moisturize (without turning your hair into an oil slick) can improve its volume and fullness.

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

1. Best Overall: Living Proof Full Conditioner, $34
2. Best Budget Pick: Being BIG HAIR Volumizing Conditioner, $7
3. Best Splurge: Oribe Serene Scalp Densifying Conditioner, $55
4. Best Volumizing Pick: Method Pure Peace Volumizing Conditioner, $11
5. Best for Natural Hair: Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Conditioner, $11
6. Best for Dry, Flaky Scalps: Nécessaire The Conditioner, $30
7. Best for Curly Hair: Herbal Essences Apricot Oil Curl Define Conditioner, $12
8. Best Deep Conditioner: K18 Leave-In Molecular Hair Mask, $75

Shop the best conditioners for thinning hair

Achieve lift-off with these lightweight—but effective—conditioners.

Best Overall: 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 supersoft 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.”

Best Budget Pick: Being Big Hair Volumizing Conditioner

You can go big on a budget with Being’s Volumizing Conditioner, which is made to amp up both fine and straight hair (at a drugstore price). Its key ingredients are macadamia oil, which nourishes hair without weighing it down, and avocado oil, which strengthens and hydrates. Together, they help your hair look and feel plumper.

Thanks to its conditioning, plant-based oils, the Big Hair Volumizing Conditioner is also a good pick for people who deal with breakage, damage, and split ends.

Best Splurge: 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 strengthening agents like pea sprout extract, which may improve your hair’s fullness.

Best Volumizing Pick: 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 bouncier, better-defined 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.”

Best for Natural Hair: 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 keep your hair and scalp healthy. 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.