Shampoo can be a pretty divisive subject. Questions abound, and everyone seems to have an opinion. How often should you shampoo in a week? Should you repeat or just wash and rinse? Can you mix and match brands of shampoo and conditioner? What’s the best shampoo for your hair anyway?

Given the array of choices, choosing a shampoo that’s good for your hair while not breaking the bank can be challenging. The last thing you want is a wastebasket overflowing with half-used bottles of hair products. But even the best shampoo isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Finding a quality hair care product can be hit or miss. Even if you land on the best hair shampoo for you this week, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work next week. Hair changes. Oil production, scalp condition, water quality, and color treatments affect the performance of your products.  

What’s the best shampoo for salon-perfect hair? Decide on your primary concern and address that first. If you’re like most, you have a range of hair issues. Don’t be afraid to rotate through products to address them as they arise. For example, if you use styling products, you might want to use a clarifying product once a month to clear out buildup. Use a hydrating shampoo the rest of the time to keep hair soft and manageable.

Whatever you decide, there’s a hair care product for you. Here’s our list of products we love from some of the best shampoo brands that can help tame, hydrate, volumize, and protect your locks. 

1. Public Goods Shampoo 12oz

No harsh detergents and chemicals here! Public Goods Shampoo uses only healthy ingredients and essential oils to clean and protect your locks. Get a gorgeous head of hair with a sulfate-free shampoo that doesn’t include parabens, synthetic fragrance, phthalates, and anything derived from formaldehyde. It’s all good with hair care products that are cruelty-free and vegan friendly.

$7.99

2. Batiste Dry Shampoo Original 4.23oz

Perfect for when you’re in a rush. Take your hair from flat to fab with Batiste Dry Shampoo. This waterless formula targets excess oil, dirt, and grease at the roots of your hair. Just spray in, massage, style, and go. Batiste Dry Shampoo instantly makes your hair feel clean and fresh, with added body and texture. It’s all you need for great style with an easy-to-love scent. Perfect!

$6.99

3. Love Beauty And Planet Lavender Shampoo 13.5oz

Smooth your curly hair with Love, Beauty, and Planet’s Argan Oil & Lavender Shampoo. Argan oil penetrates your hair follicles and scalp to smooth out frizz, while lavender calms and nourishes. All ingredients in this luscious shampoo are plant-based and ethically harvested with no dyes, parabens, or silicone. Get gorgeous, full waves and curls cruelty- and guilt-free in 100% recyclable packaging.

$9.49

4. Acure Ultra Hydrating Argan Shampoo 8oz

Get ready to sing in the shower, thanks to one of the best shampoos for dry hair. ACURE Ultra Hydrating Shampoo brings intense moisture to dry, damaged, and frizzy hair. Organic Argan and pumpkin seed oils replenish moisture and leave nothing behind but shine. Your locks will be soft, manageable, and ready to rock, thanks to a formula free of harsh chemicals that’s as kind to animals as to your hair.

$9.99

5. TRESemme Botanique Nourish & Replenish Shampoo 22oz

Nature nourishes best. Infused with hair-quenching coconut milk, coconut oil, and aloe vera, TRESemmé Botanique Nourish & Replenish Shampoo for dry hair revitalizes dry or color-treated hair without nasty parabens, dyes, or silicones. The professional formula acts as a salon-quality moisturizing shampoo, delivering the nourishment and moisture your tresses need without anything they don’t.

$6.99

6. SheaMoisture Curl & Shine Shampoo Coconut & Hibiscus 13oz

SheaMoisture Curl & Shine Shampoo is phthalate-, paraben-, and cruelty-free. It’ll gently cleanse your natural hair while improving its health and restoring shine. This curl-enhancing shampoo contains coconut oil to moisturize and protect hair with added hibiscus flower extracts to improve hair elasticity and reduce breakage. Feel good knowing these products are ethically traded and sustainably produced.

$10.99

7. hims Thickening Shampoo 6.4oz

Guys, don’t fret about your locks! hims Thickening Shampoo features saw palmetto to help target dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the chemical that contributes to hair loss. This shampoo protects thinning hair, thickens fine hair, promotes hair growth, and moisturizes your locks. Using hims regularly results in improved hair texture, a healthier scalp, and a confident outlook.

$15.99

8. Old Spice Shampoo Tundra 12oz

The frozen wasteland’s a merciless place, but at least you can give your hair the attention it deserves. Old Spice Tundra with Mint Shampoo for men will gently cleanse your hair and scalp. It leaves a pleasant sensation so fresh you’ll want to travel great distances to share it with your friends. With a peppermint-infused scent, you’ll smell as good as anyone who dared to snowshoe across the tundra. 

$5.29

9. Head & Shoulders Clinical Strength Shampoo 13.5oz

Sometimes, we all get the itch and not the good kind. Get a dermatologist-approved treatment to tackle severe dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis while minimizing dry scalp symptoms. Dandruff doesn’t mean unattractive hair. Thanks to Head & Shoulders, you can soothe and heal your scalp, reduce flakes, and get beautiful, healthy hair in one bottle.

$8.59

10. IGK LEGENDARY Shampoo: Dream Hair 8oz

This hair-perfecting shampoo gives you the locks you’ve always dreamed of. IGK Legendary is suitable for all hair types and can benefit from this multi-tasking formula that delivers added body, shine, and manageability. The vegan-friendly, paraben-free formulation rinses clean, leaving nothing behind but soft, strong, and silky smooth hair.

$32.99

11. Nexxus Therappe Shampoo 13.5oz

Nexxus Therappe Shampoo treats dry, brittle hair using a super-rich, luxurious lather. It delivers moisture to the innermost parts of the hair cuticle. Its nourishing botanical blend relieves dryness and leaves damaged hair pliable, radiant, healthy, and protected, thanks to added nutrients, vitamins, and UVA/UVB protectors. Feel the difference after a single shower.

$15.99

12. Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo 20.4oz

Restore your hair’s strength with Dove’s Intensive Repair Shampoo with Bio-Nourish Complex. Its exclusive keratin-rich formula works with your hair's surface to smooth and protect the most vulnerable areas. Your hair will look clean, healthy, and beautiful, and you’ll also stop up to 98% of daily damage caused by heat, weather, and styling products.

$10.99

13. Pantene Shampoo Sheer Volume 12.6oz

Looking for one of the best shampoos for oily hair? Try Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume. Its powerful blend of Pro-V nutrients helps you say goodbye to flat, limp hair. The silicone-free Sheer Volume formula wraps every strand with a rich lather that rinses away oil and dirt. You’ll immediately notice the lasting volume, lift, and body.

$5.69

FAQ

How long does shampoo last?

You might be surprised to learn that shampoo can go bad, but it’s true. Unopened shampoo generally has a shelf-life of about 2–4 years, depending on the preservative used in the formula. Natural preservatives don’t last as long as human-made, so if you’re using a plant-based product, check the expiry date on the bottle. 

If you’re using an opened bottle, there are a few ways to check if the contents have gone off.

Use by date: Most beauty products have a Period After Opening (PAO) logo printed on the packaging. It tells you how long the product will remain stable and safe to use after opening.

Eyeball the bottle: Do the contents look lumpy or discolored? Has the liquid separated? These could be signs that microorganisms have taken up residence in your shampoo or that the chemicals have oxidized. Either way, you probably don’t want to put it in your hair.

Do a sniff test: Does the shampoo have a milder smell than usual? Does it smell odd? Or straight-up rancid? Any of these could indicate that you need to replace the bottle.

If your bottle of shampoo has passed all these tests, but you’re not seeing the usual levels of lather or getting the results you’re used to, it’s still possible that it has moved past its prime. 

What is the healthiest hair shampoo?

We all want full, thick, shiny hair that looks like we’ve just walked out of the salon. Every product makes that promise, but how do we know what shampoo is the healthiest for our hair? 

Look at the ingredient list. You want to avoid any harsh chemical that could strip your hair of your natural oils and irritate your scalps.

Sulfates: This is a cleaning agent that helps remove dirt and oils but can lead to a dry and itchy scalp if you’re sensitive. The most common forms are sodium laureth sulfate (also known as ammonium lauryl sulfate) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).

Parabens, formaldehyde, and other preservatives: These chemicals prevent the growth of microorganisms in water-based products. They can lead to redness, irritation, flaking, and contact dermatitis. 

Phthalates and other synthetic fragrances: We all want great smelling hair, but it’s best to avoid synthetic fragrances. Look for products that use essential oils to scent their products.

Polyethylene glycols (PEG): PEGs are used as emulsifiers and skin conditioning agents in beauty products. They can help increase the absorbance of other chemicals in beauty products. It’s fine when using a natural product, but it can increase irritation and other adverse effects when combined with harsh chemicals. 

Silicones: Silicone gives your hair a nice sheen by acting as a barrier and locking moisture into the hair shaft. The flip side is they can cause product buildup that’s hard to remove and prevent beneficial ingredients from penetrating the cuticle.

Talk to your hairstylist if you’re unsure if a hair care product is right for you. They’ll know and understand your hair and be able to provide you with a list of products that will help your hair look its best.

What is the best shampoo?

Keeping your hair healthy and looking its best is a personal endeavor, like developing your own skincare routine. Finding the products that work best with your unique texture, density, porosity, and elasticity can take time and patience. Here are our suggestions based on specific hair care needs that can give you a mane of beautiful, easy to manage, healthy hair.

All-purpose: IGK LEGENDARY Shampoo: Dream Hair is suited to every hair type and can help give you the locks of your dreams.

Gentle shampoo: If you wash your hair daily, you need a shampoo free of harsh chemicals. Public Goods Shampoowill baby your hair thanks to its 100% vegan formulation.

Oily hair: Gently build in volume without stripping all your hair’s healthy oils with Pantene Shampoo Sheer Volume.

Dry hair: Acure Ultra-Hydrating Argan Shampoo will smooth rough cuticles and help lock in moisture to make the driest hair healthy and manageable.

Curly hair: Whether your hair has free-flowing waves or is super coily, SheaMoisture Curl & Shine Shampoo will keep your locks moisturized and manageable. 

Dandruff shampoo: Get prescription-strength dandruff control and keep your hair looking great with Head & Shoulders Clinical Strength Shampoo.