How to Make Thin Hair Look Instantly Thicker

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it’s normal to shed 50 to 100 hairs per day. But if you’ve noticed an unusual amount of hairs swirling around your shower drain, building up in your brush, or sticking to your sweaters — and a lot less on your head — you may be wondering how to ensure the thinning isn’t obvious to everyone else. For permanent solutions, you’ll want to talk to a dermatologist, but the simple fix is to create the illusion of volume, tricking the eye into seeing a fuller head of hair. From sprays, powders, and clip-ins, there are options for all budgets and hair types.

_{Prices are accurate as of February 14, 2025. Subject to change.}

Hask Biotin Boost Thickening Dry Shampoo

Product buildup, oil, or moisture can weigh fine or thinning hair down, making it look even thinner. One easy way to add hair-thickening volume is by spraying a dry shampoo along the roots. We like Hask’s because it uses a rice starch blend to sop up any moisture and add texture and density to the root without leaving behind any chalky residue. It also contains biotin which works to strengthen strands and help thicken hair in the long run.

Grande Cosmetics Full Boost Volumizing Foam

Known for its effective lash and brow growth serums, Grande has now expanded into helping enhance the hair on your head with its GrandeHAIR line. I tried the foam, which not only creates an instantly thicker look when styled into clean, damp hair, but is made with ingredients like rice protein, nori seaweed, and biotin to help with growth and a healthier head of hair overall. Some foams I’ve tried end up leaving hair feeling sticky or crunchy and even weigh it down, defeating the purpose. But this one left my hair looking full, bouncy, and shiny while still feeling soft.

Nexxus Unbreakable Root Lift Thickening Spray

This root spray contains Nexxus’ exclusive strand-expanding technology that it claims thickens each strand from root to tip. It also uses hair-strengthening biotin, keratin, and collagen amino acids for locks that won’t break as easily. Before blow-drying, I spritz it from roots to ends, massaging it into my scalp so all the nutrients really penetrate. I love the lift it gives me at the roots, especially in the areas around my hairline that are a bit more sparse.

Hidden Crown Solution Fill-Ins 

Extensions are a no-brainer when it comes to thickening the look of your mane, but they can be expensive, take time to apply, and some even make thinning worse in the long run. Save yourself money and effort with clip-ins placed strategically around your head. The ones from Hidden Crown come in 15 shades, including ones for highlighted hair, and blend seamlessly with and enhance your existing hair for a flawless finish. You really only need to clip two to three in to get the fullness you’re looking for. Each reusable set comes with two one-clip wefts, and two two-clip wefts, enough to create thickness all around. The downside is that they’re only offered in straight hair. Curly hair extensions tend to be more expensive given the range of textures.

Voloom 2.0 Volumizing Hair Iron

Not a curling iron and not a flat iron, this tool has gone viral on social media for its ability to style in volume that lasts three days or more without the damage of teasing. The secret to its success? Its patented checkerboard-design ceramic plates. When pressed in the under-layers of hair, the plates create hidden “volume pockets” that lift the top layers up and away from the scalp, creating the appearance of greater volume, no product needed. It can be a bit tricky to do it right, so we advise watching the how-to videos to make sure you get the most bang for your buck!

R+Co Bright Shadows Root Touch-Up Spray

Have a widening part or gray roots? They can both make hair look even thinner. Adding a little color back with a root touch-up spray is sometimes all you need to regain that lusher appearance. The R+Co Bright Shadows comes in seven shades to mask sparse spots, wide parts, and grays in seconds. The nozzle is designed for a targeted application so you don’t end up with the color all over your bathroom or clothes.

Biolage Full Density Densifying Spray Treatment

Biolage’s Densifying Spray is a lightweight, leave-in treatment made with growth-enhancing biotin. It helps to increase the diameter of each strand so hair looks thicker right away while also removing excess oil, controlling flyaways, and leaving hair with a lustrous sheen — a win-win if you ask me. 

Toppik Hair Building Fibers

Made of colored keratin protein that’s statically charged, these fibers intertwine with and cling to existing hair, filling in sparse and bald spots, making hair look denser overall. Commonly recommended by hair stylists, the fibers come in nine shades and work on all hair types. People are often shocked by how well it works to conceal thinning.

The Rootist Dry Shampoo Powder

If you don’t like sprays, dry shampoo powders also work to absorb oil and sweat. Rather than use the typical moisture-absorbing powders, Rootist opts for a formula made with proteins, roots, and mushrooms that are transformed through fermentation into biologically compatible micronutrients that are good for the hair and the scalp. The brush applicator makes it easy and mess-free to use and I like that it’s small enough to tote in my purse or gym bag. It’s also refillable which saves money and the planet.

Featured Image Credit: Kaboompics/ Pexels