The Thinning Girl's Guide to Hair Care, Styling Products

Women with fine or thinning hair face unique challenges in caring for and styling their hair. We want volume without dryness. We want shine and manageability without having to use 10 leave-ins and styling products. We want styles that will stay put - without having to endure helmet head.

Over the years and especially since the onset of my CTE... I've spent a fortune on a TON of different hair products trying to achieve the above-mentioned results... but you don't have to. The following products are my absolute favs... so without further ado...

Shampoos and Conditioners:

1) Onestà (http://www.onestahaircare.com/)

"Onestà's natural, plant-based formulas are free of parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, propylene glycol, DEA, TEA, colors, dyes, animal testing, and animal ingredients."
Onestà was recommended to me by one of my friends at a female hairloss forum. It has become my favorite and most used daily shampoo and conditioner duo (I use the strengthening shampoo and daily conditioner).

The shampoo cleanses away dirt and impurities without stripping the scalp of its natural oils, while the conditioner provides awesome slippage and detangling without weighing the hair down (an important factor for women who are actively thinning and shedding).

End result? Beautifully soft and silky hair with fullness, bounce and manageability.

2) WEN Conditioning Cleanser (http://www.wenhaircare.com/)

"What sets WEN® apart from the rest is its cleansing conditioner, a single-step process that cleanses and conditions the hair simultaneously. The cleansers are made with natural ingredients, and contain no sodium laurel sulfate or other damaging detergents found in shampoos. They don't lather; rather, they create smooth foam when mixed with water."

The WEN product line is my first love in caring for my thin, fragile locks and I use it once per week. It's an all-in-one shampoo, conditioner and leave in treatment for your tresses that cleanses and conditions the hair without stripping the scalp of its natural oils and provides incredible slippage and detangling. WEN is perfect for women who want to keep their haircare and styling regimen simple... however... you really have to follow the instructions closely to avoid that 'weighed down' look. The only downside to the WEN haircare line that I have found is cost (which is why I only use it once per week). However... Sally's Beauty Supply offers their generic version of WEN in their Hair One product line, which I have also tried. I don't think it's remarkably different from WEN... but it's obvious that WEN is of a higher quality.

End result? Beautifully soft hair with fullness. manageability and definition.

3) Avon Advanced Techniques Body Building Shampoo and Conditioner
(http://www.youravon.com/rhilman-healey)

"A Volumizing shampoo that thoroughly cleanses, removing oil and build-up that can weigh hair down while Creatine and amino peptides plump and thicken each strand for fuller, thicker looking hair. Conditioner is a Light-weight formula lifts and fills, boosting hair's volume and body for fuller, thicker looking hair. Creatine+ amino peptides plump and thicken every strand for full and weightless volume."

Sidebar here... yes I am an Avon representative... so it could be said that I'm a little biased with respect to this particular product review. However... Avon products speak for themselves... with or without my reviews and recommendations. Regardless... my review here is one of a consumer... and not a representative.

Surprisingly... one of my Avon customers recently turned me onto Avon's Advanced Techniques line. She has beautiful hair and swears by it. I tried out the Body Building Shampoo and Conditioner. It offers incredible fullness, body & shine comparable to top-shelf drugstore brands and even salon brands.. but at a fraction of the cost. The only downside is that like most mainstream brands... the products are not SLS free. I only use this twice per week.

End result? Thicker, fuller hair with shine, body and bounce.

4) Pureology Nanoworks (http://pureology.com/systems/nanoworks)

"NanoWorks is an extraordinary luxury system for colour-treated hair in need of dramatically improved condition, renewed shine, youthfulness, and colour protection. Enhanced with advanced anti-aging technology and pure natural ingredients, our indulgent formulas work together to revitalize hair, improve manageability like never before. The ZeroSulfate® shampoo and our AntiFadeComplex® maximize colour retention."

I absolutely adore Pureology NanoWorks... but my budget does not... which is why this was a one-time purchase for me on eBay. However... the nanoworks line is something I would definitely recommend to any woman with fine or thinning hair where money is not an issue. It offers gentle cleansing and fantastic conditioning unlike any other anti-aging product line I've tried... which is why this is the only anti-aging duo that made the cut for my review here.

End result? Incredibly silky, shiny voluminous hair that smells good enough to eat.

Leave-in Conditioners / Styling Aids:

1) Jonathon Create Weightless Smooth Anti-Frizz Hydrating Balm and Volumizing Serum (http://www.beauty.com)

"No Alcohol, Mineral-Oil, Synthetic Colours, DEA or MEA. Celebrity Tested. 100% Vegan"

I have been using the Jonathon Product Create Weightless Smooth Anti-frizz Hydrating Balm and Serum combo for years. They work great in smoothing frizz (whether from dryness or regrowth) and taming flyaways without weighing my hair down. A little pricey... but a little goes a loooong way thereby making it somewhat economical in the longrun. I do find that the two work better together than separately.

End Result? Soft, smooth hair with shine and volume.

2) Aquage Hydrating Mist (www.aquage.com)

"ultra light leave in sea treatment infused with sea silk proteins and healing algaeplex sea botanicals to drench hair in moisture for improved condition, shine and silkiness."

I love this salon brand leave-in mist for several reasons. For one thing... it's a mist... so the coverage is more uniform. For another... it doesn't weigh my hair down or make it look greasy. But... I really love this product because it totally improves the texture of my hair. In fact I would use this mist almost exclusively if it weren't for the price.

End Result? Soft, silky hair with shine, fullness and movement.

3) Aquage Sea Salt Texturizing Spray (www.aquage.com)

"volume building styling and texturizing spray infused with magnesium rich dead sea salts and advanced polymers to add thickness, volume, random texture and separation to hair."

This texturizing spray provides awesome volume and definition. I like to use it for "scrunching" after I blowdry my hair. More is not better... so if you do decide to try it out... remember that it does tend to weigh the hair down and make it sorta tacky if you overdo it... it is a texturizer after all.

4) Agadir Argan Oil Hair Treatment (http://www.agadirint.com/AgadirArganOil.html)

"Leave in, daily hair treatment that's super enriched with vitamin E. Leaves hair with radiant shine!"

Agadir is the only daily leave-in I have used that acts as both a leave-in conditioner and styling aid. It detangles nicely without weighing the hair down and imparts fantastic tv commercial like shine, smoothness and manageability. It's up front cost may seem a little high - but it's extremely economical since it only takes a few drops to transform a full head of hair. I use it at least three times per week after towel drying. This baby will remain in my arsenal indefinitely.

End Result? Super silky hair with outstanding shine, volume and definition.

Finishing Spray / Hair Spray:

1) Beyond the Zone Final Take Hairspray (http://www.sallybeauty.com)

"Add incredible shine to your hair with Beyond The Zone Final Take Shine Hair Spray."

This is one of my favorite finishing sprays to use. It provides decent long lasting hold without stiffness or that "helmet head" feel... plus it imparts wonderful shine... especially for a finishing spray. It also doesn't hurt that it smells pretty delicious. I rank this hairspray high above all the top salon brands I have tried... including Matrix and Biolage.

End Result? Long-lasting, shiny, bouncy hairstyle.

2) Aquage Finishing Spray (http://www.aquage.com)

"fast drying, firm holding, fine mist hairspray delivers long lasting style retention and maximum shine yet brushes through easily."

This hairspray is absolutely wonderful. It holds a style without crunchiness or stiffness while imparting a nice shine and it doesn't dry out my hair like other hairsprays can.

End Result? Shiny, touchable tresses.

3) Tri Aerogel ( http://www.sleekhair.com)

"Tri Aerogel Styling Spray is an amazing new type of hair spray that is great for all hair types, especially for people with fine hair or sensitive scalps. Tri Aerogel contains a gel base, but is in an aerosol can. Tri Aerogel sprays out a fine mist and works as a root lifter, fixative, and gel spray all at the same time! Tri Aerogel Styling Hair Spray gives great hold for humidity and does not leave the hair feeling stiff; Tri Aerogel leaves the hair with a great hold, but workable and brushable. Fine hair can now be held in place, but Tri Aerogel will not hold it down."

I've only been using this hairspray for a couple of weeks and I am absolutely hooked. It gives my hair incredible bounce and movement while simultaneously holding my style... usually impossible to come by w/ a finishing spray. HOWEVER... the most surprising benefit to me is the style protection and retention it offers. Despite my hair being blown around on one particularly windy day... my hair looked exactly as it did when I first styled it hours earlier!

End Result? Bouncy, shiny hair that stays beautifully styled throughout the day

Whatever haircare or styling challenge you may be facing as a woman with fine and/or thinning hair... I hope you have found these product reviews and recommendations to be helpful and informative.