Amika Big Hit Volumizing Shampoo: Honest Review After 100+ Client Uses

Amika didn't exist when I started doing hair. The brand popped up out of Brooklyn, got loud fast on social, and by the time the Big Hit line landed in salons, every stylist I know was either testing it or defending their old bottle. I tested it. Then I kept using it. That's the short version.

Here's the longer version. The Amika Big Hit Volumizing Shampoo has been on my shelf for roughly 100+ client uses now, across every hair type that walked through my door. Fine hair. Medium hair. Thick hair that went flat after a keratin treatment. I've watched it work and I've watched it fall short. Both matter.

If you want a shampoo that lifts the root without stripping, this is one of the few drugstore-adjacent brands I'll put on a fine-haired client without flinching. But it isn't for everyone, and I'll tell you exactly where the line is.

Who This Product Is For

This is a shampoo built for fine hair that falls flat by lunchtime. If you blow dry in the morning and by 2 p.m. your roots look glued to your scalp, Big Hit was designed for you.

It's also a good pick for:

• Clients with medium density who want lift without backcombing
• Anyone coming off a smoothing service (keratin, Brazilian Blowout) that left their hair looking heavier than they wanted
• Second-day hair refreshers who don't want a dry shampoo build-up
• Color-treated hair (it's safe on color, which is a bigger deal than most brands admit)

Skip it if you've got coarse, thick, or curly hair. Volumizing shampoos strip weight, and weight is what keeps coarse hair smooth. You'll end up frizzier than when you started.

Why This One Works

Most volumizing shampoos rely on one trick: strip everything, hope the hair puffs up. That approach leaves hair squeaky, brittle, and prone to tangling. Big Hit doesn't go that route.

The formula uses sea buckthorn (a berry extract packed with vitamin C and omega fatty acids) plus a lightweight protein-sugar blend that coats each strand with just enough structure to stand up on its own. It's the difference between stripping hair and giving it a skeleton.

It's sulfate-free in the harsh sense (no SLS or SLES), vegan, cruelty-free, and color-safe. The lather is modest. That's not a flaw. If your shampoo foams like a bubble bath, it's usually loaded with surfactants that chew through color.

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Amika Big Hit Volumizing Shampoo

$176.70

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How I Use It in the Salon

I layer it. Big Hit shampoo into Big Hit conditioner on mid-lengths and ends only (never on the scalp, that's how you kill volume), then rough-dry at the root with my fingers before I pick up a round brush. By the time I hit the brush, the hair already has lift. The product did half the work.

For clients who come in for a blowout and want it to hold through a Saturday night dinner, this shampoo the morning before the appointment sets me up for a result that lasts 48 hours easy.

The Honest Tradeoff: Big Hit vs Shibui Volumizer

We also carry Shibui Volumizing Shampoo in the salon, and clients ask me which one wins. Here's the real answer.

Big Hit is softer, more conditioning, and better for hair that's already a bit dry or processed. The lift is real but gentle.

Shibui is more aggressive. Deeper clean, bigger lift, but it can feel stripping on color-treated blondes. If your hair is virgin and stick-straight and you need serious height, Shibui edges it out.

If your hair is colored, processed, or even a little dry? Big Hit every time.

Real Client Scenario

A client came in last fall. 42 years old, shoulder-length bob, naturally fine, color-treated to a cool blonde every 8 weeks. Her complaint: "My hair looks good walking out of your salon and flat by the next morning." She was using a drugstore sulfate shampoo plus a heavy mask twice a week. Classic mistake, the mask was weighing down her roots.

I switched her to Big Hit shampoo plus Big Hit conditioner on ends only, skip the mask. Four weeks later she came in and said it was the first time in two years her blowout held a full 48 hours at home. That's the product doing its job.

Pro Tips Clients Rarely Know

• Double shampoo the first wash. One pass removes product, the second pass actually cleans your scalp. Most people skip step two and wonder why their hair feels heavy by day two.
• Skip conditioner at the root. Conditioner belongs mid-shaft to ends. Putting it on your scalp flattens roots and undoes what the shampoo just did.
• Flip your head upside down while rinsing. It sounds dumb. It works. Gravity pulls the water away from the root and keeps the lift.
• Don't use it every wash. Two to three times a week max. On off days, use a regular color-safe shampoo so you don't over-volumize.

Bestseller

Amika

Amika Big Hit Volumizing Shampoo

$176.70

Shop Now →