Thinning hair? We found the best strand thickeners — all on sale for Cyber Monday. (Amazon)
Cyber Monday is here and, as a longtime beauty editor (and beauty sales tracker!), I'm currently uncovering steep discounts on the kinds of best-in-class products that solve my most pressing beauty struggles. Today, I'm on the hunt for Cyber Monday hair care deals. Specifically the sprays, serums, supplements and fill-in powders that help me with the beauty issue I hate talking and thinking about the most: my thin (and also — ugh! — still thinning) hair.
If you're experiencing thinning hair like me, you're far from alone : 40 million men and 20 million women (thanks menopause) in the U.S. deal with it at least once in their lifetimes. Lucky for all of us, there are more than a few tried-and-true growth and thickening solutions — and right now, most all of my favorites are on sale for Cyber Monday.
For reference, I'm 51, and my hair has been thinning since my mid-40s. To keep I treat the root cause (no pun!) with serums and oils. I also take supplements (Nutrafol every day — it works and right now it's on sale!) and manage what hair I have left with high-quality styling products, like the best dry shampoos. Following are a few of my favorite products for fine and thinning hair, currently on sale for Cyber Monday. I've had success with all of them — here's hoping you will too.
They say "love grows where my Rosemary goes" — and in this case, so does hair!
Nutrafol is not a new discovery for me, but it's one I find myself recommending again and again to anyone who asks about thinning hair. I've been using it myself for years. If your mop is starting to look less robust, if you find you're shedding strands or the girth of your mane amounts to little more than a doll's ponytail, Nutrafol is the supplement for you.
Yes, it's too expensive. No, I don't like swallowing four horse pills every morning. BUT — and this is a big "but" — when taken consistently, Nutrafol really works for thinning hair, it stopped my shedding and, after four months, I even saw new hair growth.
Fine or thin hair tends to tangle more than thicker 'dos but many brushes can add to to thinning or shedding by tearing and damaging the strands you have left. Enter this wildly smooth and effective brush, which is a breeze to use on wet or dry hair and gentle enough for even those of us who are balding a bit. At this Black Friday price — nearly 60% off! — it's also a major value.
With more than 26,000 five-star reviews, this plant-based formula — which includes olive, coconut and jojoba oils — works to promote hair growth and improve hair strength safely and naturally. The mix of oils is the magic formula here: Coconut oil helps to moisturize hair and repair split ends (same with jojoba oil), so that new hair growth remains hydrated and healthy; some evidence also suggests that using olive oil on the hair helps to stimulate growth by, among other things, strengthening hair follicles.
Along with encouraging hair to grow longer and stronger, the oil also works to soften and detangle hair and reduce blow-drying time, which can reduce the amount of heat damage while styling.
File this silicone brush under "things you don't think you need until you try them." Regular scalp massages are one of the best and first steps you can take if you want to stimulate hair growth.
This brush makes it easy — just apply your shampoo or hair oil and go to town in circular motions for a minute or two. Not only will you be helping unclog pores on your scalp and improve circulation, but the whole process feels amazing.
Grab the doodad while it's nearly 50% off.
This incredibly effective and useful unisex product shakes into and attaches to existing hair follicles like a magnet, lending the appearance of a thick, lustrous mane as it goes. It's among the best products I've found for disguising shedding and thinning — as 25,000 5-star Amazon reviewers can attest. Right now, at more than 40% off, the price is extra right.
One big problem with fine, thin hair is that it's hard to find moisturizing, defrizzing products that won't make your strands look limp. Enter OGX's weightless dry oil spray, which helps smooth fly-aways, mend split ends and eliminate that fuzzy, frizzy summer-hair look without looking greasy or heavy.
"This oil is extremely lightweight, does not weigh down hair and the spray bottle projects the perfect amount in each spray," said one reviewer. "I have fine hair and it is perfect. Leaves my hair soft, not greasy, and there's no lack of volume. Hair is soft, has volume and protects against humidity and has a very light minimal scent."
Some forms of hair loss can be caused by product buildup on the scalp and, if your hair is both shedding and looking dull, Neutrogena's Healthy Scalp shampoo may offer relief. It's non-medicated, color safe and sulfate free and, while the formula is strong enough to dissolve built-up gunk on your scalp and strands, it's not too harsh to be used occasionally on fine or thinning hair.
Best of all is the grapefruit scent, which is citrus-y and fresh but not at all sweet.
When your thin hair is fragile like mine is, frequent washing comes with serious risks. Just washing and blow drying can lead to excess shedding, which is why I avoid it as often as I can. Instead, I use high-quality dry shampoos a few times a week, like this one from Dry Bar. It smells amazing (like a luxe Hawaiian vacation), freshens my mop and boosts my hair's volume too.
Scoop it up now at 30% off — it rarely, if ever, goes on sale.
Speaking of hair loss, this shampoo and conditioner set is formulated to treat thinning hair using a blend of 17 active herbal ingredients, including nettle extract, saw palmetto and argan oil. It also includes biotin, an essential nutrient that helps promote thickness, and niacin, which works to improve scalp health.
It's Amazon's No. 1 bestselling hair regrowth conditioner product, and over 19,000 shoppers sing its praises. "Makes my scalp and hair feel so clean and soft, not fly away like other shampoos," said one user. "Has more body and volume. My hair was thinning and after two months my hair is growing back in the thinning spots and overall."
Another major deal alert! This top-selling hair treatment is a favorite of celebs (including Nicole Kidman) and we can see why: The wildly popular serum promises to promote growth and improve the appearance of thinning hair, leaving it looking thicker and fuller and, with this Black Friday deal, it's nearly 30% off.
"After six weeks of usage, I can tell a notable difference in the amount of hair I am shedding as well as a visible increase in my hair density," said one user. "I have a long way to go, but I am loving the results I am seeing now."
At first glance you might think: Why in the world would I need a silk pillowcase? AM I AN EMPRESS? Are we in Hollywood in 1934? Should I start sleeping in a face of cold cream and calling people dah-ling? Do I need a silk robe and high-heeled slippers too?
But then you learn the facts: Silk pillowcases support the health of both skin AND your hair. Research shows they can help prevent shedding and breakage and can keep your hair from frizzing overnight, leading to less styling and an overall healthier mane.
A rare sale! Nioxin's award-winning hair treatment works for thinning locks on several levels, providing moisture and strengthening the strands to help thwart breakage while deeply cleansing the scalp of follicle-cloggers like sebum and other oils. It comes in numerous levels, starting at Level 1 and going through 4, depending on the severity of your thinning.
The products are wildly popular, with Alyssa Milano praising their effectiveness and more than 7,000 five-star Amazon reviewers waxing poetic.
"Perfect for women with thinning hair!" exclaims one enthusiastic user. "I’ve tried everything once my hair started to thin as I got older, and nothing has worked until I found this hair system. A friend of mine asked me what I used and now she is using it and seeing [results] with her hair..."
If I could only purchase one thickening hairspray for the rest of my days, it would be this truly fantastic product from beloved hair care line Living Proof. The lightweight, gorgeous-smelling spritz manages to thicken my fine strands without making my hair at all crunchy or weighed down. It's one of the few hair care products I travel with — the dry formula also extends shampoo time by days. I'm stocking up today: this Black Friday price is the lowest I've seen.
If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.