The Best Shampoos For Thick Hair 

If you’re lucky enough to have thick, luscious locks, you should be thankful for your genetics! Not only does a thick mane give off major vibes of health, vitality, and youthfulness, but it also opens up a wide world of styling possibilities. With all that volume at your disposal, you can mold and shape your hair into any look you can dream up. And the best part? You won’t have to spend hours maintaining it – thick hair holds styles like a champ and generally requires less upkeep too.

While thick hair can be a blessing, it comes with its own hair care challenges. The density of thick hair can make it more prone to tangling, frizzing, and drying out. But don’t let that get you down. With the right products, you can easily tame those wild locks! Investing in a high-quality thick hair shampoo is a great place to start.

For this list, we’ve compiled the crème de la crème of thick hair shampoos currently on the market. With 16 picks, you’ll be sure to find one that’s right for you, whatever quirks your thick hair holds. From nourishing formulas to frizz-fighters, these shampoos will have you ready to take on the world with confidence, so let’s dive in with our number one recommendation.

1. Blu Atlas – Shampoo

It’s hard to believe Blu Atlas has only been with us for one year. In that short time, they’ve made a serious splash in the skin and hair care market, receiving accolades from Forbes, Men’s Journal, and thousands of thrilled customers. But can this young brand really live up to all the buzz? To find out, all you need to do is foam their stunning shampoo through your thick hair. Thirty minutes later, you’ll be left with locks that look like they belong on the silver screen.

In creating this fine yet affordable shampoo, Blu Atlas enlisted the help of three qualified dermatologists and cosmetic specialists, and it really paid off. Your scalp and hair will be delighted to be washed with a gentle formulation that uses over 96% natural ingredients.

Antioxidant-rich jojoba oil provides a triple shot of vitamins as well as fatty acids, boosting the vitality of your hair by giving it all the nutrition it needs to grow healthily and stay strong. Aloe leaf takes care of the oh-so-important moisturizing duties, ensuring your hair looks and feels as smooth as satin. Finally, saw palmetto soothes any inflammation and even combats hair loss!

Though advertised for all hair types, this shampoo’s miraculous capabilities to detangle, hydrate, and eliminate frizz make it ideal for those with thick hair. Our advice? If you only try one product from this list, make it this stellar shampoo. You won’t regret it!

2. Rahua – Voluminous Shampoo

If you’re lucky enough to have nice thick locks, why not double down on your hair’s full-bodied nature with Rahua’s Voluminous Shampoo? While adding extra volume to an already healthy head of hair might seem foolish, super-voluminous hair is actually making a comeback. If you don’t believe us, just look at the luscious locks of superstars Beyoncé and Harry Styles. With Rahua’s Voluminous Shampoo, you too can pull off this bold and bouncy style. 

The Rahua brand is renowned for using natural, plant-based ingredients, and this shampoo is no exception. Formulated with the highly beneficial Rahua oil, derived from the nuts of the Rahua tree native to the Amazon rainforest, it’s no wonder that this shampoo is a haircare game changer.

The Rahua oil, which is extracted from the marble-sized nuts by cold-pressing, is rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids, making it a powerful ingredient that can strengthen, repair, and promote healthy new growth in hair. This unique oil has been used for centuries by the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest for its ability to promote long and lustrous hair.

Supplemented with refreshing eucalyptus, soothing lavender, and antioxidant-rich green tea, this shampoo is an absolute winner, provided you’re looking for truly voluminous hair.

3. Philip Kingsley – Moisture Balancing Shampoo

If you have thick hair, you may have noticed that it can be more prone to dryness and moisture loss than finer hair types due to its density and texture. The individual strands of thick hair are generally wider and coarser, making it more difficult for moisture to penetrate and retain. This is why it’s particularly important for thick-maned men and women to be attentive to their hair’s moisture levels. Luckily we have Philip Kingsley’s Moisture Balancing Shampoo to ensure your locks maintain healthy levels of hydration. 

Among other key ingredients, Philip Kingsley’s Moisture Balancing Shampoo utilizes guar, a secret weapon for gorgeous, well-hydrated locks! This legume hails from India and Pakistan and packs a powerful punch when it comes to hair care. Firstly, it adds a satin smoothness to your hair, making it easier to style and manage. But that’s not all. Guar also helps to combat the bane of every thick-haired person’s existence – static electricity. You know, the kind that causes flyaways and frizz and makes it all but impossible to tame the thick mess on top of your head. Guar comes to the rescue by infusing moisture and reducing friction between hair strands, resulting in truly “static-free” control over your locks.

After just one week of using this product, a whopping 85% of customers reported that their hair felt hydrated, nourished, and smooth. These top-notch results speak to the product’s effectiveness in delivering on its promises and providing real, tangible benefits to the hair.

4. Project Beauty – Hairgurt Strawberry-Banana Smoothing Yogurt Shampoo

Hairgurt? As in, yogurt for your hair? Well, this raises several questions! Chiefly, why would you want to put a delicious treat like yogurt into your mane rather than your mouth? And won’t it go off under the hot sun? Thankfully, the Project Beauty brand isn’t asking you to put the kind of yogurt you’d eat through your locks. Rather, they’ve formulated the Hairgurt line of shampoos with yogurt powder as the central ingredient. 

Just like regular yogurt, this powder is packed with probiotics, which are as good for your hair as they are for your gut. Probiotics help improve the balance of bacteria on the scalp, reducing itching, flaking, and inflammation. They also improve hair texture, strengthen the hair through keratin production, and even reduce hair loss by cutting down on DHT – the nasty hormone that causes hair to fall out.

As you would imagine, this shampoo is liquid and creamy in texture. Its hydrating and smoothing qualities make it particularly good for thick hair, especially if it’s prone to frizz. Finally, the strawberry and banana scent pops unpretentiously. It’s not trying to be the most complex fragrance to ever grace your nose; it’s happy to settle for smelling simply delicious. 

5. Byrd – Purifying Shampoo

Do you love the sun-kissed, salt-infused, and wind-blown look of beach hair? Who doesn’t!? But perhaps you’re not lucky enough to live on the coast and take a dip into the ocean every morning. That’s okay. Byrd’s Purifying Shampoo is your at-home alternative, giving you that voluminous and carefree post-swim style whenever you want it. This product is so authentically beachy; it’s even made in the surf haven of sunny California. 

We’re including this brilliant product on our list of the best shampoos for thick hair because the beach hair look works especially well if your locks are nice and thick. Thick hair has a natural fullness, body, and bounce and tends to hold a wave or curl more easily than fine hair, making it a shoo-in for this enviable style.

Sea salt is a vital ingredient in this formulation, helping to texture the hair and giving it a slight sparkle when the sun strikes it at just the right angle. Natural sea kelp extract is also included for its ability to hydrate the hair and scalp while providing essential minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and calcium. To top it all off is a salty coconut scent that will remind you of tropical cocktails on a white sandy coastline. Mmm, we adore this beach in a bottle! 

6. Briogeo – Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating Shampoo

Have you been gifted not only with thick hair but also with wonderful waves, cute curls, or radiant ringlets? If the answer’s yes, then allow us to introduce you to your new best friend in hair care; Briogeo’s Curl Charisma range. While any product from this selection will do wonders for enhancing coiled or kinked hair, the Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating Shampoo is one of the best offerings among them. It deserves a place on the shower shelf of any curly-haired individual.

Let’s dive into the secret sauce of this product – the two primary ingredients that will leave your curls looking and feeling their best. First up, rice amino acids – the ultimate hydration booster! They’ll keep your curls moisturized and refreshed, so say goodbye to dryness and breakage. And don’t worry about limp and lifeless curls, either. Rice amino acids will strengthen your hair shafts, giving each and every curl a boost of vitality.

The second superstar ingredient in this formulation is avocado oil. This miracle substance will transform your messy curls into smooth, defined ringlets. Say goodbye to frizz and hello to bouncy, spring-like curls. Avocado oil can also improve the elasticity of your hair, so it can keep on bouncing without breaking. All in all, Briogeo’s Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating Shampoo is an ideal product to give thick curls or waves the love and care they deserve!

7. Leonor Greyl – Crème Moelle de Bambou

Proving that inspiration can indeed come from anywhere, Jean-Marie Greyl came up with this shampoo after noticing that his bamboo plants had swiftly overgrown his Parisian garden. He observed that the bamboo was not only swift in its growth but also exceptionally strong and began to wonder whether these benefits could translate into a shampoo with bamboo as a key ingredient. Over 25 years later, Leonor Greyl’s Crème Moelle de Bambou is still a bestseller.

The bamboo shoot extract in this formula makes hair stronger and faster growing thanks to its high silica content. Silica is a naturally occurring mineral that not only helps hair growth and fortification but also lends it extra elasticity, preventing the kind of breakage that can be a major problem for those of us with thick locks.

Garlic extract (which, we should mention, is thankfully scentless!) provides the formula with antibacterial properties, eliminating the kinds of microorganisms that contribute to dandruff, eczema, and psoriasis. Meanwhile, an ample dose of wheat protein extract hydrates the hair and protects the surface of the strands, ensuring they remain smooth and healthy.

This shampoo is considered a classic for a reason! It might cost slightly more than your average drugstore equivalent, but we believe it’s worth every penny.

8. Oribe – Run-Through Detangling Shampoo

The more hair, the more tangles, so it’s always smart to have a quality detangling shampoo on hand if your tresses are particularly dense. Oribe’s Run-Through Detangling Shampoo balances moisture and adds slip as you wash, making for soft and shiny hair consistency that knocks out any knots before they can form.

To achieve this, Oribe has included several key ingredients, with their own Oribe Signature Complex at the top of the list. This combination of lychee, watermelon, and edelweiss flower extracts safeguards hair from oxidative stress, aging caused by UV exposure, and damage to natural keratin while also shielding against drying and fading that environmental factors can cause.

Add to this shea butter and rice seed protein to condition the hair, and you have a product that detangles thick locks and is an excellent all-around shampoo. As if that weren’t enough, the blend of jasmine, sandalwood, and bergamot that fragrances this shampoo is downright heavenly, rivaling top-of-the-line perfumes and colognes.

9. Christina Moss Naturals – Hair Shampoo

Organic farming practices are like a breath of fresh air for the earth and for our bodies. By ditching synthetic chemicals and pesticides, we’re preserving the ecosystem and ensuring that the products we apply to our skin and hair are free from harmful toxins. If you’re in the camp that finds these points convincing, then allow us to introduce you to one of the best organic shampoos on the market: Christina Moss Naturals’ Hair Shampoo.

With a highly perfected formula 17 years in the making, this shampoo is brimming with clean and pure ingredients. Coconut, olive, and sunflower oils moisturize and nourish the hair while providing a protective barrier along the hair shafts to prevent environmental stressors from degrading the luster of your locks. Meanwhile, citric acid, derived from the beautiful Cassia plant, balances pH to a level more natural to the scalp while conditioning your tresses, increasing their ability to retain moisture.

All of these natural ingredients come together to form a shampoo that’s so gentle it’s actually baby-safe. With no animal testing in its production, this is a shampoo that everyone can love.

10. L’Oréal Professionnel – Mythic Oil Shampoo for Thick Hair

Not too long ago, “oil bathing” was a regular ritual in traditional Indian homes. This practice involved rubbing sesame or coconut oil through the scalp and over the body, cooling the bather, soothing inflammation, and providing deep relaxation. L’Oréal Professionnel’s Mythic Oil Shampoo takes inspiration from this custom to bring you a product that will put you in an almost hypnotic state of bliss while nourishing and strengthening your hair.

The oil of choice in this formulation comes from the kernels of the argan tree, indigenous to Morocco and Algeria. This argan oil contains high levels of vitamin E, antioxidants, and fatty acids, all of which are miracle workers for maintaining healthy hair. Aside from the aforementioned benefits of nourishing and strengthening, argan oil will also hydrate and repair hair, improving elasticity and smoothing down frizz.

Though the prospect of an oil-based hair product may scare off some customers who are afraid they’ll feel as if they’ve had a grease trap dumped over them, this is really their loss; rest assured that argan oil is a particularly non-greasy, lightweight, and easily absorbed solution. This formulation lathers into a luscious foam and will leave you with soft, supple locks that don’t feel oily in the slightest.

11. OUAI – Thick Hair Shampoo

Foaming OUAI’s Thick Hair Shampoo through your hair is an undeniably luxurious experience and a thoroughly relaxing way to start a busy day or a lazy weekend. This miraculous concoction is specifically designed for thicker hair types and is brilliant at detangling, thanks to its marshmallow root infusion. Shea butter contributes to the product’s silky consistency while ensuring each strand of hair on your head is deeply moisturized. Finally, avocado oil keeps frizz at bay from your roots to your ends. 

One added bonus of this Thick Hair Shampoo is that it has an intricately formulated scent profile, much like a perfume or cologne. Enjoy a bold and refreshing fragrance that blends Italian lemon and musk with layered florals of jasmine sambac, Turkish rose, iris, and lily. Mmm! This heavenly scent will make you want to try the OUAI range.

12. Meow Meow Tweet – Rosemary Avocado Shampoo Bar

Every day, more and more people are giving shampoo bars a try, and based on the online buzz, the vast majority are loving it! If you haven’t trialed the switch from liquid to solid yet, there are several good reasons to do so. Shampoo bars typically last much longer than traditional shampoo, giving you more bang for your buck. The bars have minimal packaging, with our particular recommendation coming in a small recyclable or compostable paper box.

In our experience, Meow Meow Tweet’s Rosemary Avocado Shampoo Bar is the best solid shampoo on the market. It lathers up quickly and easily, providing a thin yet soothing foam to massage through the hair and scalp. Aloe vera and avocado oil make the perfect combination to smooth and condition the hair, while hop flowers and rosemary ensure that it comes out of the shower looking more lustrous than a well-polished diamond.

An extra benefit of Meow Meow Tweet’s Rosemary Avocado Shampoo Bar is that, while designed for a thick head of hair, it can actually be used all over the body. You’ll be keen to lather up head-to-toe when you catch a whiff of its delectable herbal scent!

13. R+Co – Television Perfect Hair Shampoo

Have you ever wanted that professional and captivating newscaster shoulder bob? Or, a backside-kicking action hero undercut? Or even the famous “Rachel” style from Friends? Whoever you’re trying to emulate on the small screen, R+Co’s Television Perfect Hair Shampoo can be your sidekick in making your thick hair picture-perfect.

This aspirational shampoo seeks to uplift your hair in five different ways by giving it a bountiful body, stunning shine, smoothing, strengthening, and softening. It delivers this through juniper berry extract, glycerin, and babassu seed oil. Aside from helping you achieve the above five qualities, this combination also detoxifies the hair, banishes impurities from the scalp, and acts as a humectant, allowing the hair to retain ample moisture.

Try R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo and find out just how quickly the casting agents come calling!

14. Kick – Active Tea Tree Shampoo For Men

What’s a shampoo that’s specifically “for men” doing on this deliberately ungendered list of the best shampoos for thick hair? Well, men actually tend to have thicker and coarser hair than women. So whether you’re a man, a woman, or neither, if you have thick hair, it can be good to look to male-targeted hair care products to help tame it. Kick’s Active Shampoo For Men is one of the best, regardless of your gender.

This natural formula shampoo includes a host of eleven different pure and botanical ingredients to restore the ideal scalp balance after a strenuous workout or session of yoga. One ailment it will sort out effortlessly is sweat-induced dandruff. Did you know that people with thicker hair are actually more prone to dandruff? This is due to the excess oils that gather in their thick locks. With Kick’s Active Shampoo For Men, you can say goodbye to those pesky white flakes for good.

Kick is so confident in this product that they even offer a lifetime satisfaction guarantee. Whether you’ve used the product once or one hundred times, if you’re not happy with it, send it back and get a refund without question. Although, with this fantastic shampoo, we’re betting you won’t need to.

15. Layrite Deluxe – Daily Shampoo

Do you need a high-octane shampoo for dissolving and eliminating dirt, filth, and sweat? Perhaps you work on a building site, in a hectic kitchen, or with young children and all their mess! Well, Layrite Deluxe’s Daily Shampoo is here to give you a thorough clean.

This formulation is specially designed to de-muck your locks, which will only hold more crud than most if your hair is nice and thick. That being said, this shampoo also does a top-notch job with hair and scalp health, moisturization, and conditioning; it’s a reliable all-rounder thanks to ingredients like hemp, eucalyptus oil, and glycerin. 

Layrite’s Daily Shampoo may not be marketed as flashy or trendy, but the overwhelmingly positive feedback from users indicates that it’s a top-quality product. Despite the lack of attention from bloggers and grooming publications, this shampoo has won the hearts of many happy customers who have tried it and never looked back.

16. Hairstory – New Wash (Original)

Since you’ve made it to the end of our list of the best shampoos for thick hair, allow us to close out with a product that claims not to be a shampoo at all! Hairstory argues that shampoos are too full of detergents that strip your hair of its natural oils. Ironically, this leads to the scalp producing more oil to compensate, leaving you with greasy, lank hair. Their solution? A shampoo alternative that does away with all detergents, instead investing in the power of essential oils to look after your lovely locks.

While we’re slightly skeptical of Hairstory’s anti-shampoo narrative, if you’ve had problems finding the right product for your thick hair, perhaps trying a shampoo alternative like New Wash isn’t such a bad idea.

In our experience, New Wash cleans and conditions thick hair just as well as most of the shampoos on this list, making it well worthy of your interest. Plus, their creamy hair wash formula replaces not only your shampoo but your conditioner, too, saving you space on the shower shelf and making your daily wash quicker and easier.