Business Insider

Beauty

The 11 best shampoos for color-treated hair, according to hairstylists and experts

 

Between root touch ups and biweekly maintenance appointments, getting your hair professionally colored at the salon can get pricey. However, the best shampoos for color-treated hair can help stretch your dollar even further since they're specially formulated to maintain the vibrancy and health of your strands in-between appointments. What's more, explains New York City-based stylist and salon owner Nunzio Saviano of Nunzio Saviano Salon, "Color-treated hair requires special care to keep it vibrant and true in tone." 

With all this in mind, New York City-based hairstylist Nicholas Taylor notes that the best shampoos for color-treated hair are sulfate-free since these detergents can end up stripping the hair. He continues, telling Insider that "sulfates are so strong that they will completely fade the color you just paid all that money for at the salon."

To help narrow down your options, we've rounded up the best shampoos for color-treated hair for different hair types, colors, and price points. Keep scrolling for a few of our favorite expert-approved picks, plus more helpful tips. 

Best Overall

According to Lorena M. Valdes, a colorist at Chicago's Maxine Salon, the Kérastase Chronologiste Shampoo for Dull and Brittle Hair "brings volume and bounce back to brittle and dull hair." As such, explains the pro, this shampoo is an optimal pick for color-treated tresses. Meanwhile, ingredient highlights include hydrating hyaluronic acid and nourishing vitamin E.

Best for Curly Hair

According to Saviano, Mielle's Babassu Conditioning Shampoo is especially ideal for curly, color-treated hair. It also contains moisturizing Babassu oil, which Saviano credits with keeping "dry and curly hair types hydrated, smooth and frizz-free." Plus, it's under $15. 

Best for Oily Hair

If you have oily strands, consider incorporating a clarifying shampoo into your hair-care routine. Taylor recommends Oribe's The Cleanse Clarifying Shampoo, which should be used no more than once a week. Per the stylist, this shampoo "uses skincare exfoliants and does away with dirt, oil, and product buildup without completely stripping your hair like most clarifying shampoos."

Best for Fine Hair

Fine hair, do care. That's why Saviano recommends the Vegamour ENSO 01 Shampoo for its ultra-lightweight formula, which is "free from toxic ingredients, phthalates, and silicones that cause hair to be limp and flat." As a bonus, this color-safe shampoo is enriched with hydration-boosting glycerin and vitamin-rich aloe.

Best Purple Shampoo

Every expert we spoke to agreed that the best shampoo for blondes are purple shampoos, which boast brassiness-banishing formulas. Devin Toth, a stylist at Salon SCK in New York City, loves shu uemura's YÅ«bi Blonde Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo for its "cool violet pigments that completely neutralize brassy tones in the hair." He continues, telling Insider, "It also contains Japanese white peony, which soothes, softens, and moisturizes hair."

Best for Brunettes

According to Taylor, the best way to describe the blue-hued Redken's Color Extend Brownlightes Shampoo is as a purple shampoo but for brunettes. "This sulfate-free shampoo tones and neutralizes brass in both natural and color-treated brunettes," Taylor says.

Best for Red Hair

The Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Color is especially ideal for those with red hair thanks to its color-locking formula. "I love that it provides a gentle cleanse without using sulfates," explains Valdes. Not only is this shampoo great for keratin-treated strands, but it's also loaded with glycerin—-along with antioxidant-loaded rosemary leaf extract and fatty acid-rich sunflower extract.

Best Drugstore

Not Your Mother's Smooth Moves Anti-Frizz Shampoo is Taylor's "number one" rec for those searching for a color-safe shampoo at the drugstore. Per the pro, this under-$10 staple is sulfate-, paraben-, and cruelty-free—all while being "gentle enough for color-treated hair" and delivering "amazing 72-hour frizz control." Hero ingredients include hyaluronic acid and ultra-moisturizing macadamia oil.

Best for Straight Hair

Valdes tells INSIDER that the Fable & Main HoliRoots Hydrating Shampoo is excellent for keratin support, making it a solid choice for folks with straight hair. Its gentle yet effective formula includes coconut and aloe to smooth and add shine to the hair and targets dry and flaky scalps that need extra hydration.

Best for Damaged Hair

Combat damaged hair with Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi Wild Ginger Moisturizing Lather Shampoo, which Taylor describes as ideal for dry, damaged, and color-treated tresses. "It really rebuilds your hair," Taylor says. Its sulfate- and paraben-free formula—which is spiked glycerin plus smoothing keratin, vitamin-loaded ginger root, and antioxidant-laden green tea—even boasts a pleasant ginger tea scent.

Best for Thick Hair

Ouai's Thick Hair Shampoo is Taylor's top pick for clients with a head full of hair. He tells Insider, "I've noticed it easily cleans every strand of hair in one shampoo and is super hydrating." Additionally, it's enriched with beneficial ingredients like glycerin, shea butter, and avocado oil.