Philip Kingsley is the renowned haircare brand behind best-selling products including elasticizer (£21, Lookfantastic.com) and swimcap (£24, Lookfantastic.com). Now, there’s another product on my radar that revived my rapidly thinning hair: the body building weightless shampoo (From £12, Lookfantastic.com).

For the full 500ml bottle, it does cost £44, which yes, is an expensive shampoo, I grant you that. But I want you to stick with me on this one because it really is a godsend for those prone to hair loss. Whether it’s post-partum-related, you’ve always had fine hair, or you (like me) fell unluckily onto the consequences of bad-quality water, the body building shampoo is a must-have.

For a bit of context, I spent one month travelling around south east Asia and, in the same way you’re not supposed to drink the water, there’s plenty of advice circling the internet to suggest that you shouldn’t subject your hair to it, either. Being a blasé backpack-living traveller, I dismissed this as unhelpful nonsense and went about my touring.

As it happens, the water in Bali (where I spent two weeks) is very hard and can cause the hair to become brittle and snap. It’s worth noting that hard water is, of course, not exclusive to Bali and can be experienced everywhere from Bangkok to Blighty. And indeed, while my hair loss problems did kick off Bali-side, they certainly didn’t cease once I touched UK soil.

Backstory aside, the brief for any new volumising shampoos I sought out was as such: It needed to mask growing bald patches towards my forehead, make broken ends appear more robust and stop the hair from clumping into lack-lustre sections. Keep reading to discover how I got on with the Philip Kingsley body building weightless shampoo.

How I tested

My hair presented thinning around my forehead, significant flatness around my crown and lots of clumped strands (Lucy Smith)

Every time I used the body building weightless shampoo I tried to give it the same treatment as I would my go-to hair products: a quick 20-minute speed shower and a very rushed blow dry pre-work. I wanted to see if I’d notice results even without the due care and attention a stylist might give me and, as you can see above, my before photo was shot by a very bleary-eyed version of myself at 5:42am. What I was dealing with? Well, bald patches were developing around my forehead, my locks had absolutely no volume past my crown and big sections of hair were grouping together (making the thinness more evident).

You can see the immediate and more long-lasting results of the product in the picture below, but for a granular breakdown of its effects, from texture to appearance, keep reading.

The shampoo helped to lift the hair from my roots and mask hair that wasn’t there post-travelling (Lucy Smith)

Philip Kingsley body building weightless shampoo

philip kingsley body building shampoo review for thin hair IndyBest

Sizes: 75ml, 230ml, 500ml, 1000ml

Key ingredients: Keratin, humidity-proofing VP/VA copolymer and conditioning alpha-isomethyl ionone

Best for: Fine and thinning hair

Cruelty-free: Yes

Sulphate-free: No

Why we love it

Lifts hair from the roots for immediate volume

Defines individual strands to prevent clumping

Take note

Included SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) can feel drying

With a floral scent (that’s almost reminiscent of my granny), the Philip Kingsley body building shampoo lathers easily and feels as though it cleansed through to the root very quickly (though I always rinse and repeat regardless).

Post-wash, my hair did feel a little drier than with my usual Monday shampoo (£7.50, Lookfantastic.com), but it was nothing that a spritz of some leave-in conditioner and hair serum through the ends couldn’t fix.

After blow-drying, this product really comes into its own; leaving my hair feeling soft and with every strand separated from the one next to it, my roots felt light as a feather. Long gone was the plastered-down feel of the hair around my forehead and, while the lost hair hadn’t returned in less than an hour, the bald spots had become hidden beneath the hair now raised on top of it.

What’s more, the volume lasted through to the next day and, almost like a clarifying shampoo, my roots had lost the weight of any build-up or oil.

Did my ends feel thicker? Perhaps not, but they were significantly more defined for a more swishy, bouffant finish.

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The verdict: Philip Kingsley body building weightless shampoo

As someone who suffers from hair thinning and dryness, I would’ve liked more hydration, though I can understand that it’s tough to hydrate the hair thoroughly without weighing it down. Paired with a hydrating product, like the Aveda botanical repair bond-building flash treatment (£33.60, Lookfantastic.com), the Philip Kingsley body building shampoo is a real help in the hair loss department.

I will clarify that it doesn’t resurrect lost hair, but it certainly does minimise the appearance of it. Roots feel thicker and lighter, while the body and ends of the hair appear defined, softer and more robust. It’s one of the best instant fixes I’ve used and it’s certainly one I’ll reach for when my hair’s in need of an all-day boost. As for treating hair loss? I’ll stick to my scalp care practices like scrubs and massagers.

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Hard water left me with rapidly thinning hair – this shampoo fixed it

It immediately lifts and volumises for a more robust appearance

How I tested

Philip Kingsley body building weightless shampoo

The verdict: Philip Kingsley body building weightless shampoo

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