Delivers 87% More Volume when used with the conditioner
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Sizes & containers
10.14 fl oz (300 ml) · No store price at this size yet · UPC 009531139890
Shampoo / Clarifying, deep-cleaning
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
Reviewers describe it as fresh.
Strength: Strong
Manufacturer page: paulmitchell.com
Personal fit
Complete the consultation to see how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 6,000+ products in our library, we can match you to the right ones.
$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
The consultation builds your hair profile, checks every factor in this table against it, and tells you where this product fits or what to use instead.
Start your consultation$49 once, with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates. Nothing renews, and you never have to buy a product.
Your avoid-list
Priced with its peers
$1.24/oz at 16.9 oz, less than 57% of the 1544 shampoos , which mostly run $0.79–3.04/oz. The cost less.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.
A reset wash that removes oil, buildup, and most residue.
Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair.
Conditioning agents sit high in the list, so this is a detangling formula.
Humectants in the working part of the formula.
No over-the-counter scalp active.
Contains chelators, which bind hard-water and pool minerals.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
Ingredients that matter
The workhorse ingredients, plus anything lower down that changes a decision. The chips name what an ingredient does. They are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterWater (Aqua, Eau) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate | sulfate cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine | amphoteric cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Cocamide MIPA | secondary cleanser | Softens the main detergent | Cleanses |
| Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil | oil | Coats and softens the strand | Softens |
| Panthenol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Detangles |
| Ethylhexylglycerin | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | Softens |
| Polyquaternium-44 | conditioning agent | A little conditioning left behind | Detangles |
| Phenoxyethanol | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | Stabilizes |
| Methylchloroisothiazolinone | isothiazolinone | — | Stabilizes |
| Methylisothiazolinone | isothiazolinone | — | Stabilizes |
| FragranceFragrance (Parfum) | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A high-foaming, strongly cleansing detergent. It clears build-up thoroughly and is the harsher of the two common sulfates.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A sulfate detergent can lift deposited silicone, wax and styling films, which is what resets a routine before build-up is visible.
Fine hair that goes limp under conditioning films usually reads a full detergent wash as volume returning.
Coarse and high-porosity hair loses water quickly on its own; an efficient detergent removes the surface oils that were slowing that down.
A mild co-cleanser that keeps foam stable in hard water.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Mild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.
One of the mildest detergent classes. It is usually there to let a formula lather without a harsher detergent doing the work.
The mildest detergents are also the least complete: a routine that deposits films needs something stronger periodically.
A coconut-derived thickener that stabilises shampoo foam and gives the liquid its body.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Mild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.
A sugar-derived non-ionic detergent, among the gentlest in use. It cleanses with little foam of its own and little sebum removal.
Gentle cleansing leaves water-insoluble deposits largely in place; they come off with a stronger wash, not this one.
Wheat germ oil, a heavier oil used in small amounts for conditioning.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A positively charged conditioning polymer. It leaves a thin film that cuts static and eases combing, and it survives rinsing better than a simple conditioner.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Cationic polymers hold a curl loosely and stay soft, which is why they turn up in definition products rather than firm-hold ones.
A cationic polymer stays on the hair through rinsing, which is what keeps static and combing friction down after the wash.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
A cellulose thickener used for slip and light hold in gels and creams.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A polysaccharide film stays softer than a synthetic one as it dries, which is what leaves a curl defined but still able to move.
A soft film binds neighbouring strands together, which is most of what helps flyaways lie down.
Gum films stay soft. A style that needs firm fixation usually wants a synthetic polymer doing the holding.
Binds the metal ions in hard water so they cannot dull hair or destabilise the formula.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
Used to bring the product to a slightly acidic pH, which helps the cuticle lie flat. It is almost always near the end of the list.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.
The acid side of pH adjustment, and the reason it matters is measured: alkaline formulas raise the fibre's surface negative charge, increase friction between strands and lift the scales, while lower-pH ones do the reverse.
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
A fragrance component with a faint balsamic scent, named separately on the label because it is a recognised contact allergen.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.
Ingredient list captured 2026-10-01. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 16.9 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $14 line; products that do this job typically go for about $26 at this size.
Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.
Formula
A complete formula at an ordinary price: mid-range per ounce among shampoos, with the working systems in place.
The formula score measures completeness for the job: a weighted share of the systems this product type is usually built around that we find in this list. It does not rate how well the product works or its quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Formulas that do the same things (cleanse, condition, coat or hold) for less per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy them can still differ.
See more alternatives in the product library
These products do a similar job. We haven’t matched them to you. Find the one that fits your hair, routine and budget



Final decision
Hair that stiffens on protein, for a protein-free formula and a proper reset wash
Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, sulfate-free routines and fresh keratin treatments, or dry or damaged hair
Consider Dove Damage Therapy Coconut Hydration Shampoo, for similar results at a lower price
We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.
Claims check
Claims are quoted from the brand. We mark a claim supported, partly supported or conflicting only when the ingredient list speaks to it. Everything else stays "stated by the brand". That isn’t a criticism: most claims can’t be checked from a label.
Delivers 87% More Volume when used with the conditioner
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Gently cleanses and adds volume
A mid-weight formula: it will not flatten fine hair, but lift is not its main job.
Neutral on lift.
Vegan, color-safe, paraben-free
No parabens appear in the ingredient list.
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Preserved without parabens.
We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula, not at the marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.
Reviewers
Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.
Reviewers with fine or thin hair report noticeable volume and fullness without weighing hair down
fine/thin-hair reviewersReviewers describe a pleasant, fresh fragrance paired with a rich, easy-rinsing lather
general reviewersSome reviewers find the fragrance overpoweringly strong
scent-sensitive reviewersA subset of reviewers report the shampoo leaves hair feeling dry or coarse rather than soft
mixed hair typesSeveral long-time users report a formula change that altered scent and performance, with one reporting a reaction to the newer formula
long-time repeat buyers