Best Thickeners for Fine, Thin Hair: Beauty Product Review

If you have fine hair like I do, you're probably always looking for hair thickening products that really work. There are countless hair care products on the market that all guarantee "thicker, fuller hair" or a variation of this. Their advertising promises those of us cursed with fine, thin hair us that we've finally found the holy grail of hair thickening products. Companies want us to think their product can transform our fine hair into thicker, fuller hair with body to spare. But can a hair thickener really add tons of volume, texture and thickness to fine, thin hair?

Alas, I have tried more hair thickening products than you can imagine, and many have done absolutely nothing for my fine, thin hair. Many others did actually give me thicker, fuller hair but either weighed it down, turned my fine hair into a grease pit, or a sticky mess. Though we of the fine hair clan covet thicker, fuller manes like nobody's business, those three drawbacks are definite deal breakers.

I'm realistic enough to understand I will likely never find a miracle product that can give me the thick hair of my dreams. I'm pretty sure no such hair thickener exists now or will in the future, because there's only so much you can do with fine hair. No hair thickener can turn baby fine locks into Farrah Fawcett 80s big hair, period. That said, there are a few hair thickening products I've tried which work marginally well to give my fine hair a body boost, and/or the illusion of thicker, fuller hair.

Redken Thickening Lotion: body builder for fine, thin hair

I like a lot of the products in the Redken line, and this is my favorite hair thickening product of all the ones I've tried so far. The Redken Thickening Lotion is lightweight, non-greasy, and it adds a bit of volume and substance without leaving my hair feeling sticky or heavy. I was very upset that Redken changed the formula a few years ago, as I really loved the original one. I still have a tiny bit of the original Thickening Lotion left, and I only use it on days I want my hair to look extra special. Otherwise, the new Redken Thickening Lotion is the one I reach for most often. It sells for about $12.99, which is mid-range for hair thickening products.

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray

In terms of performance, I like the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray as much as I do the Redken lotion. It gives my fine hair a bit of lift, tames frizz and flyaways without weighing down my hair, and has the added benefit of conditioning ingredients. However, at $24.99 for an 8 ounce bottle, the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray is nearly double the price of the Redken lotion. I don't think it is worth paying twice as much for a product that performs about the same. Still, it is a decent hair thickener, and when I win the lottery I'll buy some more.

Samy Get Thick: thickening & styling lotion

I tried the Samy hair thickening lotion because at only $5.99, I figured I didn't have much to lose! The product's bottle promised to "transform ordinary baby fine hair into luxuriously thick, voluptuous hair!" I wasn't foolish enough to expect such a miracle, but the Samy Get Thick is not bad, especially considering its bargain basement price. It has a pleasant smell and a nice lightweight texture, and I did notice a bit more volume and thickness to my fine, thin hair. This hair thickener worked especially well on the days I styled my wavy hair with a diffuser to maintain some curl. However, I still prefer the Redken Thickening Lotion, even though Samy costs less.

Thicker Fuller Hair Thickening Gel

This was another hair thickening product I tried because of its low $5.99 price. I thought it performed about as well as the Samy Get Thick, but I had to use it very sparingly. Any more than a nickel sized dollop of this thickening gel made my fine hair greasy. I have oily hair to begin with, especially at my scalp; so while I found this product did provide some degree of thicker, fuller hair, I really had to be careful with how much I used. If you don't have oily hair, then Thicker Fuller Hair Thickening Gel might work for you.

All hair thickening products work best if you follow a few rules. First, you have to apply them to just-washed, wet hair. Secondly, all hair thickeners work better and add more volume and body if you blow dry your hair after applying the product. Third, be prepared to experiment with the amount of hair thickener to discover what works best for your hair type and the product. Lastly, don't expect your fine, thin hair to be transformed into a luxuriously thick mane. These four hair thickening products are all good, but they're not miracle makers!