I Reviewed Kerastase’s Bain Densité Shampoo, and It Was Transformative

Volumized hair isn’t all about your styling products. It’s also a matter of cleanliness. Plumped up hair—believe it or not—begins with a good cleanse, AKA the right shampoo. Shampoos help to tackle scalp health and give our hair a fresh slate to absorb whatever comes next.

Volume can also have different meanings to different hair types. Thinning hair may want volume from roots to ends. Fine hair may only be concerned about getting a good and lasting lift at the root. Even thicker hair may just need hair loss prevention or strengthening assistance to combat daily stressors. My point is, volume is something we all crave in our own unique ways.

When asked to test Kerastase’s Bain Densité Shampoo, I had my own reasons why this product’s promise of a thickening rinse was appealing to my already thick hair. Keep reading for my honest review and testing insights.

About My Hair: Weighed down 

For me, my hair has been craving a natural-looking, lasting volume, mostly at the roots. A volume that stays alive and refreshed, one that wouldn’t get weighed down by inevitable sweat after daily workouts. Perspiration has been seriously cramping my style. 

I’m not big on using dry shampoos because the more often I layer those on, the more hair loss I see when I wash my hair every third day. I don’t think they agree with my scalp when used regularly, but I’ll use them on occasion. When I had longer hair, I used to let my hair air dry and fall into its natural waves. Now that it’s a bit shorter, I struggle to find a good shampoo and conditioner that will together help my hair find its naturally wavy air-dried groove. Instead, I’ve been using hot tools (blowdryer, flat iron, curling iron) to tame my hair once it’s dried, so it doesn’t look poofy and unruly. 

The Feel: Rich

The Kerastase’s Bain Densité Shampoo has a richness to it, but it’s still thin. It runs out of the bottle and into your hand easily, and it distributes around the scalp effortlessly into a rich foaming lather. Usually, products that feel rich in the hair feel heavy on the skin, but as I said, this shampoo remains thin to the touch, almost a little watery, so there’s no heaviness to it that leaves any unwanted weight to the hair. It’s pretty ideal, in my opinion. 

The Scent: Fragrant

Don’t fret if you forget to put on your perfume after using this shampoo. It is extremely fragrant. The scent is warm with notes of floral and amber, though I’m no scent expert. I found it to be pleasant, similar to the way you smell like hair products for 24 hours after leaving the salon. I could see how this might be a bit much for some folks, but it didn’t bother me one bit. 

The Science: Working from the inside out

This shampoo has some unique front-runners on its ingredient list, ones that I see more frequently listed on skincare labels than I do hair care labels. For starters, there’s hyaluronic acid, which is used to hydrate and plump the hair. While typically more common in skincare routines, this superstar ingredient can do wonders for your scalp’s health, and its moisturizing properties will help reduce frizzing. Then there’s gluco-peptide, which treats any irregularities at the surface of your hair to restore uniformity and get your hair back to that healthy-looking shine. Ceramides are used to strengthen the hair and prevent future breakage, while intracylane increases the hair’s thickness. All in all, you’ve got some hair care hero ingredients working hard for your hair from the inside out to promote fuller, healthier hair.

The Results: Immediately noticeable

Right away after my first use, I saw the results I’d been longing for from a hair product. My hair had natural-looking volume, and even my waves felt revived with minimal frizz. I hadn’t seen my hair look so happy at its new length since it was first cut a few weeks ago, and I felt a wave of relief to know that the minimal maintenance routine of air drying was still possible. I paired this shampoo with the Redken All Soft Conditioner and together, this duo gave me my dream hair. My hair was full, fresh, bouncy, and could fall into a low-frizz state that required zero fussing or styling.

By the third day, my roots were, of course, oily and ready for a cleanse, but they weren’t glued to my head the way they had been before. And I noticed by the second and third time using this shampoo that the natural amount of hair I lost in my shower’s catch was seriously decreasing. I don’t experience a lot of hair loss, but I also don’t brush my hair, so the hairs that normally find their way into your bristles are what I tend to see falling out when I shower. After using this shampoo for just over one week, my hair was holding strong to the scalp, and my natural hair loss had drastically minimized.

The Value: Fair game

I think this shampoo is pretty fair game at roughly $35 for 8.5 ounces. Many other salon-quality labels are going to come in around this price point. If you hold this product up to non-salon quality labels, it may be a little on the pricey side, but given the results I got from using this shampoo, I have to say, I think the price is totally fair and definitely worth it. If you’re tackling hair woes that are deflating your self-esteem—be it flat, oily roots, thinning hair, breakage, etc—this is worth every cent. It will revive both your confidence and your hair’s health. I mean, that’s priceless, wouldn’t you agree? 

Similar Products: You’ve got options

Finding something cleansing that still gives good volume is tricky. Many volumizing shampoos are going to be friendly to all hair types, but getting one that gives needed attention to scalp health is key. Here are some other similar options to consider if you’re looking to target the issues that lie beyond a lack of volume: 

Davines NaturalTech Energizing Shampoo: The Davines NaturalTech Energizing Shampoo ($32) is great if hair thinning and scalp health are your major concerns. Their Byrdie clean formula, made without parabens or sulfates, works to stimulate new growth at the scalp while preventing breakage and restoring moisture, leaving your hair revived, balanced, and energized.   

Pura D’or’s Thinning Therapy Shampoo: Looking for a cleaner option? The Pura D'or Hair Thinning Therapy Shampoo ($25) is going to help promote new hair growth with repeated use (it seriously saved me during postpartum!). At a lower price point, this tea tree-scented, biotin-rich, argan-infused formula will hold up to your clean beauty morals without compromising on impactful results.