The 5 Best Shampoos, Evaluated and Reviewed
We put our hair through a 12-week boot camp to find the best shampoos for curly, fine, and color-treated tresses
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Haircare matters. Shampoo (and its counterpart, conditioner) has a greater and more immediate effect on hair than any other personal care product has on whatever it’s supposed to target—at least, that’s what I’ve found in my three decades of using shampoo.
Best Everyday Essentials
Bar soaps, towels, toothbrushes, and other bath products are among the household basics that can make your days easier, more comfortable, and safer.
We did find a handful, however, that we would use again. They are hydrating, smell good, and cleanse without creating that squeak that indicates your hair no longer has a drop of moisture left in it. But we didn’t find any we absolutely adore, and none were a unanimous winner.
You’ll also find scores from SkinSafe, an organization that uses data from the Mayo Clinic to assess the number of allergens present in various beauty and personal care products. Read on to find which landed on our faves list—and which we’ll shove to the back of the closet, lest they bring up painful memories of parched strands we’d rather not relive.
- Meet the Testers
- Shampoos for Dry Hair: Annmarie Sweet Sunrise Shampoo Bathing Culture Kelp Forest Shampoo EvolvH UltraShine Ultra Hydrating Shampoo Sienna Naturals H.A.P.I. Shampoo Ursa Major Go Easy Shampoo
- Shampoos for Oily Hair: 100% Pure Kelp & Mint Volumizing Shampoo Captain Blankenship Shampoo with Aloe & Seaweed Everist The Shampoo Concentrate Reverie Balancing Shampoo Under Luna Tulsi Bloom Shampoo
- Shampoos for Color-Treated Hair: Attitude Colorlast Shampoo EvolvH SmartColor Color Protecting Shampoo Naturtint Color Care Shampoo Odacité Soap Free Shampoo Bar Rahua Classic Shampoo Rahua Color Full Shampoo
- Clarifying Shampoos: Acure Curiously Clarifying Shampoo Odele Clarifying Shampoo
- Plus, How We Tested
Meet Our Testers
Lisa Fogarty, Jodhaira Rodriguez, Angela Lashbrook (Consumer Reports) Lisa Fogarty, Jodhaira Rodriguez, Angela Lashbrook (Consumer Reports)
Lisa Fogarty is a writer at Consumer Reports. Her hair is fine, wavy, and prone to frizz. Her scalp tends to get oily after a few days of not shampooing.
Jodhaira Rodriguez is a writer and tester at CR. Her hair is a mix of 3B-2C curls and tends to be dry, and her scalp is dry and flaky. She washes her hair every three to four days, and less in the winter.
I’m a writer at CR with fine, dry, color-treated hair (back to my natural dark brown after years of blonde highlights). I wash my hair twice a week.
