Shampoos to help thicken the hair and

[plainjanegirl]

maybe in addition help speed growth. Has anybody had any success with these....Mane n Tail (for horses)?
Or Head and Shoulders (yes the dandruff kind)? I was told that some HandS users noticed thickening of their hair or less hair loss while using this?

[burns_erin]

Plainjanegirl, i really promise i am not stalking you, it just seems that you are interested in a bit of the stuff i have messed with. Mane&Tail for me was good before the reformulation but bad after it. It was too much and made my hair too coated and tangly and it was super hard to clarify. I did pretty well with the head and shoulders, both the smooth and silky and the extra volume did very well for quite some time. I really liked using the smooth & silky shampoo with the extra volume conditioner. i did notice less shedding and my hair was kept in pretty good condition. But I think the less shedding was probably because I had dandruff and the head and shoulders made it mastly go away. That was what i was using before i decided to step away from cones and sulfates and if I decide to go back to commercial stuff full time it is probably what I will go back to.

[plainjanegirl]

I wonder what is in the new mane n tail that people don't care for in their hair?

I just thought what I heard about the Head and Shoulders was interesting cause we used that alot when I was a kid among other kinds, and I had really long and thick hair. So maybe that helped?.

[burns_erin]

I wonder what is in the new mane n tail that people don't care for in their hair?

I just thought what I heard about the Head and Shoulders was interesting cause we used that alot when I was a kid among other kinds, and I had really long and thick hair. So maybe that helped?.

I honestly do not know what the difference is and the reformulation happened when I was a bit younger so I could not tell you what the difference really is. All I know is we were all using it, we bought some more and it no longer worked well and we all ended up with tangles, which was not too bad on the straight hairs in the family, but for my dad and my one curly headed sister, it was a nightmare. As for the head and shoulders, some people do really well with it. My only real problem was the dermititis I get from the sulfates, but if you do not have any sensitivities it might do well for you. You know if you are not sure what to use, you might just head to your local dollar store (Family dollar or dollar general are the ones down here) and buy a whole bunch of different things. As most shampoos and conditioners are only a dollar, well you do not have to risk much to try different things. Also, if you are not squeamish, and your area is even remotely as ghetto as mine, sometimes garage sales have bottles of hair care items for sale for like a nickel or a quarter. There have been times I have bought someones half empty just to try something I was not sure I wanted to buy. But I am definitely strange and admittedly most people would not do that.

Oh, and since you are interested in cones I thought I would mention the Dove intense moisture or extreme damage, or something like that. It is the one with the blue bottle. DH loves it, personally I can't stand it, but i have really straight hair and DH has a bit more body.

And since I often forget to say, because i am more of a problem solver, i think you have lovely hair and i can't wait for mine to get as long as yours.

[plainjanegirl]

I honestly do not know what the difference is and the reformulation happened when I was a bit younger so I could not tell you what the difference really is. All I know is we were all using it, we bought some more and it no longer worked well and we all ended up with tangles, which was not too bad on the straight hairs in the family, but for my dad and my one curly headed sister, it was a nightmare. As for the head and shoulders, some people do really well with it. My only real problem was the dermititis I get from the sulfates, but if you do not have any sensitivities it might do well for you. You know if you are not sure what to use, you might just head to your local dollar store (Family dollar or dollar general are the ones down here) and buy a whole bunch of different things. As most shampoos and conditioners are only a dollar, well you do not have to risk much to try different things. Also, if you are not squeamish, and your area is even remotely as ghetto as mine, sometimes garage sales have bottles of hair care items for sale for like a nickel or a quarter. There have been times I have bought someones half empty just to try something I was not sure I wanted to buy. But I am definitely strange and admittedly most people would not do that.

Oh, and since you are interested in cones I thought I would mention the Dove intense moisture or extreme damage, or something like that. It is the one with the blue bottle. DH loves it, personally I can't stand it, but i have really straight hair and DH has a bit more body.

And since I often forget to say, because i am more of a problem solver, i think you have lovely hair and i can't wait for mine to get as long as yours.


I never thought about getting some at the local dollar general since there the bottles aren't quite as big so not as expensive. Thanks for the idea.
I'm a yard sale junkie so if I saw something I wouldn't have a problem trying it....lol.
Your hair has a very nice shine to it so I am sure when it gets my length it will be BEAUTIFUL! But remember to enjoy every level along the way.

[Rain]

Shampoo can't thicken your hair. It can strip it and leave it feeling fluffier than usual or it can gunk it up with stuff to make it seem thicker temporarily.

[plainjanegirl]

So nothing can actually make your hair thicker ? Then how can brands promote for thickness? That doesn't seem right.

[Rain]

They can make that claim because they make it seem thicker temporarily.

Henna can thicken your hair if you don't mind going red.

[Oskimosa]

From my experience and from what I've heard about these "thickening" shampoos, they actually blow open the hair shaft, making the hair feel thick, but it also makes it feel coarse, damaged and tangly, rather than full and silky. Not very good.

[plainjanegirl]

From my experience and from what I've heard about these "thickening" shampoos, they actually blow open the hair shaft, making the hair feel thick, but it also makes it feel coarse, damaged and tangly, rather than full and silky. Not very good.


Well it's good to find this out before I tried one.

[plainjanegirl]

They can make that claim because they make it seem thicker temporarily.

Henna can thicken your hair if you don't mind going red.


I don't think I wanna go red. And I think I am gonna try to just let my hair grow its color out (we'll see). It hasn't been colored since the end of May except I did do a few honey lightening treatments since then.

[Oskimosa]

They can make that claim because they make it seem thicker temporarily.

Henna can thicken your hair if you don't mind going red.

Won't cassia help with that, too?

But you really don't look like you need one, plainjanegirl. Your hair looks very full and pretty. Were you asking because someone you know wants to try some??

[Angelica]

I wish I could find a shampoo and conditioner that could thicken up my hair! I am still searching. I have heard it said though that if you rinse your hair thoroughly all the shampoo will be washed away anyway so any coating it gave you will also be gone. This was in a magazine.

Before this forum, I used curlers and lots of mousse to try and pump the volume up. And it worked too. The only thing is now I have found that sleeping with curlers in is too uncomfortable. Also the products I used made my hair static.

Your hair seems thick enough compared to mine anyway, so I don't really think you have the same problem as me.

Now I just wear it up because it disguises how fine and thin it actually is.

When it was shorter gel and mousse worked and the rollers/curlers.

I also resorted to perms in the past as well and that worked also until I had damage from one particular perm and I decided to quit that.

I think wearing it up is the best way to pretend you have thicker hair.

Some shampoos are better than others though and I have to admit none of them have left my hair gunky. Conditioner though is another matter, if that isn't rinsed out properly it looks awful.

Now I have opted for a shampoo minus fragrance. It doesn't claim to boost volume or anything but it is a nice shampoo and I am pleased with it.

I found henna dreadful. I tried it a few months back. Horrible stuff. My hair felt very dry afterwards and not at all thick. It didn't even colour the hair much but it managed to stain the bath so nicely that I had to resort to bleach.

[GlassEyes]

I can't say anything about Mane n'tail, however, i believe that Head-and-Shoulders would make it appear thiicker by raising the 'scales' on the hair shaft, resulting in thickness because they're spread out more.

I think that's what happens with both typical volumizing shampoos and back-combing, though the latter also has hairspray added to increase thickness.

[Oskimosa]

As far as speeding up hair growth, I think if any shampoo claims that it is a false one. The V05 I use has biotin in it, but I think it is pretty much a myth that topically applied biotin will encourage growth.

IF you have breakage that is causing you to lose new growth, then a shampoo that moisturizes adds protein or slip or something to help prevent breakage, then yes it helps your hair retain growth. But it won't make it grow FASTER.

[plainjanegirl]

I know some of the new long hair stuff by pantene and herbal essence don't actually say they will make your hair grow, but they are supposed to help strengthen against split ends, etc.

I tried the Pantene long hair stuff this week for the first time and it really made my hair soft. Thumbs up!!!