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Hair

9 Best Hair Powders for Thin Hair to Add Volume and Grit to Any Style

 

Versatile and easy to use, these formulas leave mousses, gels, and sprays in the dust.

Has your hair seen more voluminous days? It happens to the best of us—but there’s an easy fix. The best hair powders for thin hair, fine hair, and everything in between can step in where nature (or aging or a skipped wash day) left off. Hairstylists are already onto the powers of this volumizing hair product, which they keep them in their kits to deliver a touch of pouf in a pinch.

“Hair powder instantly gives thin, fine strands a boost in volume, making hair look and feel fuller,” says Amy Abramaite, a hairstylist in Chicago. “It takes the slip off flat hair by absorbing oil, and it adds vitality by lifting the hair at the roots giving it a denser texture.” Darrius Peace, a master barber and hairstylist in Birmingham, also uses them, noting: “Volumizing powers are also great for absorbing buildup on the strands, which can give the appearance of more volume on the hair,” he says. So, which hair powder is right for you?

Ahead, find the nine hair powders that pro stylists, a hair restoration surgeon, and a board-certified dermatologist recommend for thin hair.

Best Hair Powder for Thin Hair Overall: Sexy Hair Big Powder Play

Why we love it: Looking for a bit of texture and a whoosh of volume that lasts all day long? You’ve found your match in the Sexy Hair Big Powder Play. “This is great for all-day wear without needing to reapply,” says Michelle Cleveland, a celebrity hairstylist and extension artist in New Jersey. “You can reactivate the product simply by massaging your scalp throughout the day.” To use the talc-free powder, simply sprinkle it onto dry hair at the roots, then wait for the fullness to take hold. The unscented formulation is also a favorite for Mia Santiago, a celebrity hairstylist who splits her time between New York City, Los Angeles, and Columbus, Ohio. “One of my favorite ways to use the product is to sprinkle it onto the roots and then gently back-comb the hair—you’ll get maximum volume,” she says.

Editor’s tip: Thanks to its transparent finish, this powder blends easily into all hair colors.

Key ingredients: passion fruit seed oil, rice bran oil, acai fruit oil | Best for: those with thin hair

Best for Beginners: Design Me Puff.Me Light Volumizing Powder

Why we love it: This powder is a favorite among industry pros. Design Me Puff.Me Light Volumizing Powder “is one of the lightest hair powders for fine hair and also features a spray nozzle for easy, mess-free application,” Cleveland says. Megan Schnell, a Chicago-based hairstylist, is also a fan, noting that it’s especially easy to wield. “This delivers major volume with just a little bit of product,” she says. “The pump applicator allows for super-targeted application, making it mess-free and easy to use.” Another perk? “It absorbs moisture more than any other product on the market,” says Peace. “This helps give the hair more volume—especially when dealing with straighter hair textures.”

Editor’s tip: “One hairstylist hack that helps to make your volumizing powder last longer is to follow the application with a little holding spray,” Peace says. “This helps to lock in the powder until your next shampoo.”

Key ingredients: silica silylate, sodium benzoate | Best for: those with fine, curly or straight hair

Best for Grip: Schwarzkopf Osis+ Dust It Mattifying Volume Powder

Why we love it: If you’re looking for texture and grit, you can stop withSchwarzkopf Osis+ Dust It Mattifying Powder. “This mattifying powder provides a strong hold while still feeling lightweight,” Cleveland says. Designed to add volume to the hair, lift the roots, and deliver lasting grip and hold, giving the hair an artfully mussed, deliciously lived-in look. To use it, shake the bottle before sprinkling the powder onto dry hair at the roots. Then, work it in with your fingers.

Editor’s tip: The mattifying dust can also give extra grip to braids, and it helps keep bobby pins in place.

Key ingredients: silica silylate, sodium benzoate | Best for: updos

Best for Fine Hair: Oribe Swept Up Volume Powder Spray

Why we love it: Oribe’s Swept Up Volume Powder Spray is a must-have for fine hair, “because it's lightweight and has a precision nozzle that allows you to target specific areas for application,” Schnell says. And once the product’s in, it works. “This powder spray provides immediate root lift and all-day volume, without feeling sticky,” Schnell says. Though the spray has a relatively hefty price tag, Schnell insists that it’s worth it. “It’s a premium option, but it contains Oribe's signature blend of botanical extracts for added hair health,” she says. Abramaite adds that the powder spray works wonders to keep bobby pins or barrettes in place. “This adds grip and removes slip,” she says. “Say goodbye to hair accessories sliding out!”

Editor’s tip: The Oribe Signature Complex, mentioned above, uses edelweiss, lychee, and watermelon extracts to protect the hair from oxidative stress, photoaging, or color-fading.

Key ingredients: edelweiss extract, lychee fruit extract, watermelon fruit extract| Best for: all hair types, especially fine or thin hair

Best for Oily Hair: Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo

Why we love it: This Best of Beauty Award winner may just be the most display-worthy dry shampoo on the market. In a translucent jar that makes it look like a chic finishing powder, the Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo comes with an equally stylish kabuki brush for precise application. What’s on the inside counts, too: The talc-free powder is formulated with tapioca starch for oil absorption, tsubaki seed oil to soothe and hydrate the scalp, and persimmon powder to deodorize the hair.

Tester Feedback: Allure’s former senior beauty editor Paige Stables can vouch for the dry shampoo’s refreshing powers. "On day two (and three) hair, or when my hair just needs a little livening up, I dust this powder along my roots using the chic kabuki brush and—voila!—suddenly you would never know my hair wasn't freshly washed," she wrote.

Key ingredients: tapioca starch, persimmon powder, tsubaki seed oil | Best for: those with all hair types, particularly fine for thin hair

Best Multitasker: Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder Dry Shampoo Powder

Why we love it: Bumble and bumble Prêt-à-Powder Très Invisible Dry Shampoo Powder might become the hardest worker in your routine. “For the busy, low-maintenance girly, this multitasking powder works as a dry shampoo, volumizer, and texturizer in one bottle,” Schnell says. Its oil-absorbing properties make it ideal for refreshing second-day hair, while its weightless texture adds lift to the roots. Throw this in your purse for a lifesaver touch-up.” Ross Kopelman, MD, a board-certified hair restoration surgeon in New York City, says: “This is a fantastic option for patients with fine or thinning hair because it’s lightweight, absorbs oil, and provides instant volume at the roots. ” To apply the powder, Kopelman recommends shaking a small amount directly onto the roots and massaging it in with your fingertips to get maximum lift.

Editor’s tip: The product also contains UV filters to protect the hair from sun damage.

Key ingredients: pink clay, UV filters, rice starch | Best for: those with thin to medium, normal or oily hair

Best for Light Hold: Kevin Murphy Powder.Puff

Why we love it: Olya Iudina, a hairstylist in New York City, swears by Kevin Murphy Powder Puff, which she says delivers a lighter hold though it’s buildable. Peace is also a fan of the product, especially for people with straight hair. “It helps boost the lift at the [roots] of the hair,” he says. As a bonus, the powder contains algae extract, which can hydrate the hair and help strengthen its structure.

Editor’s tip: “You can imitate fullness by applying this to your roots to lift them,” Iudina says. “If you add powder all over your hair, it’ll help to create grip and texture that makes styles last longer.”

Key ingredients: undaria pinnatifida extract, silica silylate | Best for: those with thin or flat hair

Best for Volume: Unite Expanda Dust Volumizing Powder

Why we love it: Designed to lift thin hair, Unite Expanda Dust Volumizing Powder works on three fronts, adding grip, texture, and volume to hairstyles. “I like to work a little dust into my fingertips and work it into the face-framing pieces of hair,” Santiago says. “It gives that perfect, lived-in vibe.” The formulation is enhanced with natural clay and tapioca, potato, and corn starches to absorb excess oil. It also has aloe leaf juice, which can soothe irritation in the scalp. The powder’s skin-loving formulation makes it a favorite of Viktoria Kazlouskya, MD, a double board-certified dermatologist in New York City, who notes: “This gives the hair extra volume, and it holds well.”

Editor’s tip: “A little goes a long way with this product, so use small amounts at a time,” Santiago says.

Key ingredients: kaolin, potato starch, tapioca starch | Best for: all hair types, especially flat or thin

Frequently Asked Questions

Is hair powder good for thin hair?

“​​For those with thin hair, hair powders are a great product to create texture, life, and volume,” says Jennifer Korab, a hairstylist in New Jersey. “They absorb excess oil in the hair, making it easier to style. The product also allows the hair to look fuller and more voluminous.” According to Kopelman, “Volumizing powders are a great, non-invasive way to enhance the appearance of thin hair and boost confidence. As always, I recommend pairing these styling products with a comprehensive approach to hair health, including scalp care and treatments tailored to your individual needs.”

How to use hair powder on thin hair

Once the hair is fully dry, Cleveland says to apply hair powder to the scalp area, massaging it in to build hair’s volume at the roots. “Next, brush out the powder to blend it into the remaining hairs, and add more as needed to create more volume,” she says. Then, style as desired.

“I always remind patients to start with a small amount of product and build up as needed,” Kopelman says. “Applying too much at once can make hair feel gritty or stiff. These powders are most effective when used on dry hair, and they’re great for creating styles that look fuller and last throughout the day.”

What are the side effects of hair fiber powder?

“While hair fiber powders are a great alternative for anyone with fine or thinning hair, one should still proceed with caution since overuse of these types of products can backfire and cause the hair follicles to become clogged and weighed down, thus making it difficult for new hairs to grow,” Cleveland says. “Some hair powders can create a tacky or sticky textured effect on the hair strands, which can cause breakage on fragile thin hair.”

Meet the experts

• Amy Abramaite, a hairstylist and creative director at Maxine Salon in Chicago
• Michelle Cleveland, a celebrity hairstylist and extension artist and founder of Hair Addict Salon & Extension Bar in Toms River, New Jersey
• Olya Iudina is a hairstylist at IGK Soho in New York City
• Viktoria Kazlouskya, MD, a double board-certified dermatologist in New York City
• Ross Kopelman, MD, a board-certified hair restoration surgeon in New York City
• Jennifer Korab, a hairstylist, colorist, and founder of Renaissance Salon & Spa in Hillsborough, New Jersey
• Darrius Peace, a master barber, hairstylist, and founder of Hayah Beauty in Birmingham, Alabama.
• Mia Santiago, a celebrity hairstylist based between New York City, Los Angeles, California, and Columbus, Ohio
• Megan Schnell, a hairstylist based in Chicago, Illinois

How we test and review products

We always enlist a range of testers for our makeup vertical, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind. Many are created in order to address a concern (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most effectively for a specific hair type (4C curls, wavy hair, gray hair). You wouldn't want to pick up a purple shampoo that's only been reviewed by someone with, say, auburn hair, or a diffuser that's never been tested by anyone with curls—right?

For our review of the best hair powders for thin hair, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and hair stylists—who have thin hair and want more volume. Testers considered performance across four primary categories: efficacy, texture and experience, fragrance, and packaging. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

Our staff and testers

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we've solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it's never been tested on curls? We're proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.