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Side by side

Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo vs Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

96% function match · 12 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 1%. Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo and Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo share 3 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo — fragrance-free
  • Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo — fast-oiling scalps

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo — front of package Nioxin

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Silicone-free
  • Fragrance-free
Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo — 10 oz container Rusk

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Silicone-free
  • Lightweight
Price, size & price per ounce
$27 10.14 oz · $2.78/oz
$24 10 oz · $2.40/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 72% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 67% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label — scented
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Shampoo
Shampoo
Line
System 4
—
Where to buy
Ulta · Amazon
Brand website
Free of
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • silicone-free
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
—
Scent
Mint & herbalStrong
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 ShampooElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium Chloride
Stabilizes
#4Supporting
#23Below the 1% line
Sodium Benzoate
Stabilizes
#6Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#7Below the 1% line
#24Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo (42)
Full ingredient list — Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo (27)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 ShampooElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo
Supported
0
0
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
2
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo

  • nourish and gently cleansePartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.
  • helps prevent follicle-clogging sebumStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • 85% of consumers noticed a thickening effectStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for the scent and volume. Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo draws complaints about dryness and irritation; Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo draws complaints about how it cleanses.

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo

Strong eucalyptus/menthol scent produces a noticeable, generally welcomed scalp-tingling sensation

Reviewers report a visible thickening/volumizing effect and improved hair texture with regular use

Some users find the formula excessively drying and report increased shedding

users with sensitive or already-dry scalps

High price relative to perceived results, especially for sensitive scalps

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

Adds noticeable volume without weighing hair down

reviewers with fine/thin hair

A little product goes a long way, and the scent is called out positively

general reviewers

At least one reviewer describes the formula as runny, requiring more product to work up a lather

general reviewers

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$2.40/oz vs $2.78/oz — Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo costs about 1.2× more per ounce than Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $2.78/oz Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thicke $2.40/oz Elevate Weightless Volume

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 ShampooElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo vs Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 3 ShampooNioxin · 100% function matchElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Color Protect ShampooPaul Mitchell · 98% function matchNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo vs Therappe Moisture ShampooNexxus · 96% function matchElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Quench Intense Hydration ShampooRusk · 96% function matchNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo vs Olive Oil Professional Neutralizing ShampooORS · 95% function matchElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Boost Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 96% function matchNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo vs Color Protect ShampooPaul Mitchell · 94% function matchElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Ultimate Smooth ShampooWella Professionals · 96% function match

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 4 Shampoo · Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo · All shampoos in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 11 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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