Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner Review: I Tried Both. Would I Recommend for Hair Growth?

 I have been a licensed hairdresser for ten years and have encountered several women who struggle with hair loss. Keranique is one brand that claims to be one of the best hair regrowth brands out there, and I will be putting that to the test in this Keranique Volumizing shampoo and conditioner review.

What I Think of Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner Up Front

Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner gives my hair a ton of lift and body while keeping it soft and healthy looking. I have also noticed less shedding when brushing my hair, meaning it’s doing its primary job well. So, yes, I would recommend Keranique Volume Shampoo and Condition for hair growth; the active ingredients in these products really did help. As I tested, I saw less hair in my hairbrush and more fullness overall, so that’s a big win here!

However, I have sensitive skin, and it moderately irritates my scalp. I recommend trying out the smallest bottle of Keranique shampoo and conditioner before fully committing if you know you have sensitive skin as the active ingredients may feel a bit too tingly for super-sensitive scalps like mine.

A Little about Keranique Shampoos and Conditioners

Hair loss starts at the scalp. In the hair follicle, to be exact. When your hair follicles are no longer receiving nutrients through blood circulation or become damaged, the follicle can no longer produce hair.

Keranique’s shampoos and conditioners combat this by helping you have healthier hair follicles with ingredients known to improve blood circulation and combat common scalp issues that could be causing hair loss.

What Shampoos and Conditioners Keranique Offers

One of the things I like most about Keranique is they not only help with hair loss but take your hair care needs into consideration as well. Keranique offers a wide range of shampoos and conditioners that focus on different concerns, such as adding volume or repairing damaged hair.

Each shampoo and conditioner focuses on these needs while also having ingredients to help strengthen your hair follicles. Here are the different shampoos and conditioners that Keranique offers:

• Volumizing: This shampoo and conditioner stimulates hair follicles to thicken hair and uses vitamins and other natural ingredients to add volume.
• Deep Hydration: Helps your scalp produce moisture naturally by removing scalp build-up and helping with circulation.
• Damage Control: Contains hydrolyzed keratin proteins that can penetrate the hair shaft and repair hair from within.
• Color Boost: This formula has celery seed extract to stimulate hair follicles instead of menthol, which can fade hair color.
• Scalp Restore Anti-Dandruff: This is made for those with skin and scalp issues, such as psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, and dandruff (not to be confused with dry scalp). It contains salicylic acid, proven to improve said conditions.

Testing Out Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner

I haven’t noticed my hair thinning per se, but I have seen a lot more small flyaways lately. This means that my hair has not grown to its usual length before falling out and starting a new growth cycle. I decided to get ahead of this by trying out a few Keranique products, their shampoo and conditioner being one of them.

What I Got

My hair isn’t very thin density-wise but straight and has a thin texture. Because of this weird combination, my hair is heavy and likes to lay flat on my head. Therefore, I decided to order the volumizing follicle-strengthening shampoo and conditioner.

The shampoo and conditioner came in an easy-to-open box with a pamphlet reviewing all Keranique’s products. The bottles have a grippy finish, making them great for the shower and a large pop-top cap.

The larger, flat caps like these are convenient because you can easily flip them upside down when you’re running low, and they’ll stand up on their own. However, I don’t typically go for these bottles because I find the bulky caps to be extra wasteful.

The pamphlet says Keranique uses sustainable packaging but doesn’t specify. I then went on to do a deep dive on the internet to find out what they mean by “sustainable packaging” and found absolutely nothing. This leads me to believe there is some greenwashing going on here.

Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner Ingredients

If you look at Keranique on the surface, you may think the brand uses natural or organic ingredients. They use phrases like “clean beauty” all over their packaging. However, all this means is they use ingredients that are not toxic, which should be a standard for products you use on your body anyway.

Lucky for you, I love looking into all the ingredients in everything I use. I can tell you upfront that Keranique is not an all-natural brand. However, over half of their ingredients are natural, and the synthetic ones are some of the better ingredients you can find in shampoos and conditioners.

Keranique doesn’t use any parabens, dyes, or harsh sulfates. They are also gluten-free, using corn starch where necessary instead of wheat. I’ll go over some of the ingredients I found in my volumizing shampoo and conditioner that stuck out to me below:

• Ginseng Root: An effective DHT blocker (a hormone that causes hair loss) and reduces skin irritation and inflammation.
• Peppermint/Menthol: Promotes hair growth according to multiple studies.
• Soy protein: Stimulates hair follicles and strengthens hair cuticle.
• Oat: A common ingredient used to soothe inflamed skin and help with common conditions like psoriasis.
• Biotin: A form of vitamin B that is linked to hair loss when it is lacking.
• Keratin: A natural protein found inside your hair that strengthens individual strands.
• Siliqua (Carob) Seed Extract: Builds a healthier, moisturized scalp.
• Arctium Majus Root Extract: Helps with several skin problems, such as psoriasis, and reduces inflammation.
• Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane: An organic material used as a sunscreen, which is excellent for your hair.
• Dimethicone: This is the only ingredient I found that I do not like. It is a type of silicone that makes your hair feel soft and shiny. It can eventually build up on your hair and cause breakage. I recommend alternating this shampoo and conditioner with another that does not contain dimethicone.

Washing and Conditioning My Hair

I really put this shampoo to the test. I typically go about three days between washes, but I was feeling lazy and hadn’t washed my hair for five days before using this shampoo. When I go this long before washing, I always have to shampoo my hair twice.

I started with a nickel-sized amount in my hand and massaged it into my hair. The shampoo spreads well but hardly sudsed up during the first wash. This is typical when my hair is this dirty.

After doing a half rinse, I put another nickel-sized amount into my hand. The shampoo sudsed up a lot this time. I probably could have used even less shampoo this time around.

As soon as I put the conditioner in my hand, I knew it would work well. It’s a good sign when you clap the conditioner between your hands, and it creates long strings when you pull your hands back apart. It was super thick and creamy.

I started at my ends and worked the conditioner up to a few inches away from my roots. I then started combing the conditioner with my fingers, and the tangles faded relatively quickly. A pretty big handful of hair came out while combing through the conditioner, but again, this is normal when I go a long time between washes.

Blow Drying My Hair

I decided to blow dry my hair without adding any product to see how well the Keranique shampoo and conditioner do independently. Typically, I will start with a leave-in conditioner to help with tangles and heat protection. Then, add a smoothing serum or oil to tame flyaways and make my hair shiny.

After shampooing and conditioning with Keranique, brushing my hair made me wonder if I even needed a detangler. It took me no time to brush out the tangles.

My hair also felt super soft, even though it was wet. That was a weird sensation because I wouldn’t usually describe my damp hair as soft. Volumizing conditioners have never made my hair feel super smooth in my experience.

I blow-dried my hair with a paddle brush and ran a round brush through my bangs. My roots looked as volumized as when I used root pump products. That isn’t easy to achieve with my hair because it is long and heavy. The mids and ends of my hair looked shiny, but not as shiny as I like. However, only a serum or oil can achieve my desired shine level.

Using the Shampoo and Conditioner Over Time

The next time I brushed my hair, I noticed much less hair in the brush. I’ve washed my hair with Keranique Volumizing shampoo and conditioner three times now, and my hair shedding has seemed to slow down a bit. I’m super happy with this because less shedding means more hair growing.

However, I don’t think my scalp likes this shampoo. My scalp isn’t unbearably itchy, but it is a little irritated, and I don’t like feeling itchy at all. I was using the Keranique hair treatment simultaneously, but I know the shampoo is the culprit because the back and underneath of my head are itchy. I only sprayed the Minoxidil around my hairline.

I also had an unusual experience with static electricity while using this shampoo and conditioner. Other factors could contribute to having staticky hair, like weather. However, I can’t even remember the last time my hair had static issues; usually, you can get rid of staticky hair by moisturizing it.

This leads me to believe the conditioner is less moisturizing than it initially felt. I sprayed in leave-in conditioner after the next shampoo and condition, and I had significantly fewer static problems.

Pros

• The Ingredients include many substances that increase hair growth, such as peppermint oil and ginseng.
• Keranique has undergone clinical trials where 59% of women saw hair regrowth.
• They offer an auto-ship delivery program where you get special pricing, gain access to exclusive offers, and get free trials.
• The shampoo suds well, and my scalp felt super clean after washing.
• The conditioner made my hair feel super soft and detangled well for a volumizing conditioner.
• My roots looked more volumized than they usually do without styling products.
• A lot less hair has been shedding since I started using this shampoo and conditioner.

Cons

• They make a few broad statements without any detail, making it seem gimmicky.
• It contains dimethicone, which can build up on your hair over time and cause breakage. Rotate with another shampoo and conditioner to prevent build-up.
• The shampoo irritated my scalp slightly because of the active ingredients, such as peppermint oil, and ginseng to promote hair growth.

Other Shampoos Like Keranique’s Volumizing

Majestic Pure Rosemary Oil Shampoo

If you want to go a more natural route in your hair growth journey, Majestic Pure offers a solution. Rosemary oil has shown to give similar results to Minoxidil, according to the Skinmed Journal. Majestic Pure offers sulfate and paraben-free shampoo with rosemary oil, which is pretty high on the ingredient list. The shampoo also includes other ingredients that help strengthen your scalp and hair, like biotin, vitamin E, turmeric, and argan oil.

Nioxin

Nioxin was one of the original hair growth shampoos on the market and is still used by many today. They have developed a broader range of products that target specific hair loss problems over the years. However, they have also changed their formula to include sulfates and parabens. This brand may be better for those looking to treat particular hair loss problems versus making your hair feel softer and healthier.

Kerotin Freshening Shampoo and Conditioner

Kerotin’s Freshening shampoo and conditioner have similar ingredients to Keranique’s volumizing follicle-strengthening shampoo and conditioner. You can find peppermint oil, keratin, biotin, and ingredients that act as sunscreen. Kerotin’s shampoo and conditioners may be a good substitute if you switch between shampoos and conditioners because they have no silicones, and add rosemary oil to the recipe.

Keranique FAQ’s

My Overall Opinion of Keranique Shampoo and Conditioner

I probably will not use Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner again because of my scalp sensitivity. The irritation isn’t unbearable, so I will finish my bottle, alternating with another shampoo and conditioner.

If you are someone without sensitive skin, you may have better luck with this shampoo and conditioner. It did its main job extraordinarily. My hair has a ton of volume, feels soft and shiny without adding weight, and I’m losing less hair than usual.

Before committing to it, I recommend trying a trial-size shampoo bottle and conditioner. Keranique makes a 3.4-ounce bottle that would be great to try for a few weeks. That gives you plenty of time to see if you will have any scalp irritation, as I did.

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