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“This is why I created the Brightening Powder, which works like a magnet, pulling out any dullness-causing minerals, metals, chlorine, product residue, and impurities, leaving the hair looking much brighter & shinier! It can be used on all hair colors, but blondes will see the biggest results— the before and after images are wild,” he says. We conducted research on the best shampoos for colored hair and got to work testing them out on blondes, reds, brunettes and every shade in between. We evaluated each option on their active ingredients, texture, value and targeted results. After using them for weeks at a time, we combined our favorites with stylist-recommended products to create this list.
Act + Acre Curl Cleanse Shampoo
This formula packs three of the most important ingredients for hair growth — collagen, peptides, and keratin — and due to the concentrated formula, the bottle will last you twice as long. It also works for all hair types — including color-treated and chemically-treated hair. Instead, go for a formula that’s packed with ingredients that help strengthen the hair, like proteins, citric acid, and oils. This is especially important with purple shampoos since bleached hair can be drier and more brittle. Shimmer Lights has become the ultimate “if you know you know” shampoo for blondes.

Best Shampoo for Damaged Hair
This gentle shampoo is the perfect choice for those with sensitive scalps that find regular shampoos cause them irritation. The formula was created with delicate skin in mind, making it safe for anyone with eczema, psoriasis, or dry, flaky skin. We love how gentle Davines SOLU Shampoo’s formula is while still leaving the hair and scalp feeling deeply cleansed after each use. It contains buckwheat extract which helps keep hair strong and healthy after use, rather than dry or stripped of its natural oils. We like the gel-like consistency of this shampoo because it’s easy to distribute evenly through the hair without having to use too much product at once. Clarifying shampoo effectively cleans hair by removing buildup and residues, allowing other products to work more efficiently.
The 13 Best Clarifying Shampoos, According to Hair Experts and Dermatologists
After that, you can use your best judgment and incorporate a clarifying shampoo as needed, according to Cheung. Use a conditioner or hair mask to keep your strands hydrated after a deep cleanse, she says. This cucumber, oak moss and ocean-scented clarifying shampoo comes recommended by certified trichologist Taylor Rose. The shampoo helps get rid of buildup from products, pollutants, chlorine and more without any sulfates and helps strengthen hair with amino acids.
Best for Dry Hair
Lemon, grapefruit, and orange extracts also help promote volume so curls are left defined and frizz-free. This clarifying shampoo will win over those with oily hair and dry, flaking scalps. On top of its impressive strengthening and cleansing qualities thanks to apple cider vinegar and keratin, Ouai’s Detox Shampoo smells great, too. It’s scented with the brand’s signature Melrose Place fragrance, which has notes of bergamot, lychee, cedarwood and white musk. "If you have color-treated hair you want to make sure it says 'color safe' or it might strip away your color," says Bianca Renee, DIY curly hair expert for Sally Beauty. "Read the labels to see if it is clarifying exactly what you want it to clarify, i.e., product build, dandruff or hard water minerals."
13 Best Hard Water Shampoos (Tested & Reviewed for 2024) - Cosmopolitan
13 Best Hard Water Shampoos (Tested & Reviewed for .
Posted: Thu, 15 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
With key ingredients including citrus and botanical extracts, this cleanser removes residue without stripping the hair of natural oils and leaves it feeling light and oh-so-clean. One tester who typically experiences buildup and flakiness around the hairline saw residue completely wiped away after using this shampoo. Dr. Friese starts by breaking down three common ingredients in clarifying shampoos and what makes them advantageous, depending on what you need from your product. As its name suggests, this effective clarifying shampoo lifts dullness and impurities from the scalp and your strands, boosts volume by getting rid of product buildup that weights fine hair down, and restores shine with just one wash. Formulated specifically for those with fine and thinning hair, the powerful yet non-stripping formula removes excess oil and grime from the roots for an instant lift and boost.
Sulfates are what cleanse the hair, removing dirt and oil for a squeaky clean feeling. They have a bad reputation because they can strip the hair of too much moisture, and can dull colored hair. Therefore, it’s recommended that those with color-treated or fine hair avoid sulfates.
Best Clarifying Shampoo for Dry Hair
This anti-inflammatory formula uses rice bran oil, maracuja oil, and aloe leaf extract to calm inflammation and irritation while hydrating your hair and scalp. It’s a great option for folks who are looking to get rid of scalp buildup while also treating their hair and scalp gently, too. Gentle and reparative, this rejuvenating shampoo helps combat split ends, dryness, and breakage and even addresses a dry and flaky scalp. It’s splurgy, yes, but the brand’s Bio-Restorative Complex and Signature Complex—packed with ingredients like biotin, plant collagen, and niacinamide—make it well worth the investment.
This featherweight, silicone-free favorite smooths and strengthens hair with a combination of oils, including shine-boosting chia seed, frizz fighting vitamin C, and hydrating marula. An unopened bottle of shampoo should last around three years from when you purchased it. On the back of the bottle, you'll find a number (often listed as 12M or 18M) that indicates how many months the shampoo will last after it's been opened. While a brand should label added fragrances in product descriptions, you always want to double check the ingredient list, where this specification is mandatory. Lund adds that “fragrance is subjective,” and that “it is a good idea to sample and test products to see what you like best.
One thing worth noting is that if you already have super dry hair, you may want to follow this up with an extra-rich conditioner or mask, as it can be a tad drying. That's pretty standard for any shampoo made for thin hair, though — these formulas don't tend to contain some of the richer oils that may weigh thinner strands down. “if your strands are a little dry and porous, the pigment can really grab on.” Gimenez recommends pre-washing hair if you have product buildup or haven’t washed your hair in a few days. Always follow up with a conditioner or moisturizing mask to make sure purple shampoo doesn’t dry out the hair.
The color-safe shampoo is infused with lemon peel extract and hibiscus cider vinegar to enhance shine for a fresh-from-the-salon look. As we said, the longer you can go without washing your hair, the longer your color will last. It uses rice starch to do the dry shampoo thing—remove excess oil—but it's also infused with argan oil and leaves the hair hydrated and shiny, not dull. This variant is made for dark tones (so don't worry, it won't leave behind a chalky residue), but there's also an option for light tones with subtle violet pigments that knock out brassiness and keep your blonde fresh. This shampoo took the top spot because of its ability to improve everything from dryness, damage, shine, static and color vibrancy.
Christina Colizza is a former editor at Select and has been a product reviewer since 2018. She covers a range of self care and skin care topics like shampoos, eyebrow serums and more. If you have a pre-existing scalp condition like psoriasis or experience dandruff, you should avoid using a clarifying shampoo because it can aggravate these conditions, according to Rose. "Use a professional hydrating shampoo and conditioner in conjunction with a clarifier to replenish moisture that can be lost after a clarifying treatment," she says. "This shampoo contains amaranth extract which acts as a natural hair strengthener and also has ceramides and biotin to improve the strength of each strand, preventing premature breakage," explains Han.
After removing the towel from my damp Ariel-hued locks, I burst into tears before darting to my computer to look for quick fixes that promised to fade the vibrant red to, at least, maybe a tomato red until I could get some professional help. Ultimately, I ended up going with straight-up dish soap, a DIY remedy that I discovered on a pre-Reddit-era message board, which worked fairly well but left my mane dry, damaged, and broken—and I hadn’t even used bleach! In the Lab, our chemists performed repeated fade-resistance testing on human hair swatches to mimic real-world conditions, including shampooing, conditioning, blow-drying and repeated exposure to UV light. They also distributed the label-masked shampoos and conditioners to consumer testers around the country, who used the products for two weeks, then evaluated the product's attributes, the look of their color and the feel of their hair after use. Byrdie contributor Melanie Rud has over a decade of experience in the beauty industry, writing for some of the biggest magazines and websites out there. She tends to use them at least once a month—or whenever she feels like her hair is feeling especially oily and/or generally weighed down.