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No matter your hair type, texture, or length, getting the styling results you want starts while washing your hair in the shower (or, I guess, with a pre-poo treatment, depending on what your wash day entails). Shampoo is rarely ever seen as the star product in your lineup, but it should be. Not only does a good cleanser remove dirt, oil, and buildup and reset your hair, but shampoo formulas these days go a step further to target specific hair needs with additional ingredients so you can get your styling process off to the best start. Because properly washed and prepped hair means less styling time for you. All that to say, stop buying the biggest, cheapest bottle you can find just because the label says it suits all hair types, k? Your hair deserves better.
That's not to say you have to spend a fortune on a tiny bottle you blow through in a few uses, either. Here's a tip: Shop for your shampoo on Amazon. You might be surprised how many of your favorite beauty products you can find on Amazon in all different sizes and sometimes for some pretty great deals. Need I mention that free Prime delivery? Take a look through the below Amazon bestsellers, find your match, then order it so you can finally replace that bullsh*t two-in-one formula sitting in your shower.
When your blonde hair or highlights turn brassy, cancel out unwanted yellow tones with this purple shampoo on Amazon. This specific formula has nearly 11k reviews on Amazon, and customers love it for how much money it'll save ya—but not just because of the reasonable price. “I have saved tons of money by not having to get my hair colored every six weeks to combat the orange brassiness,” one reviewer says.
On the days when your type-4 hair needs more moisture than an average shampoo can give, turn to this co-wash that's free of harsh sulfates and full of moisturizing and hydrating ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, and marula oil. It's a fave among Amazon shoppers and Cosmo editors (it won a 2021 Beauty Award) because it really is that good.
Remember I said you can find some pretty good deals on Amazon? With this two-pack, you get double the product for a fraction of the price, which is great because those with curly or coily hair are gonna want to stock up. This formula from one of Cosmo's favorite shampoo brands uses a combo of fair trade shea butter, argan oil, and sea kelp to hydrate, moisturize, and seal dry or damaged hair.
This mild shampoo is designed for irritated scalps that need a little TLC. Ingredients like vitamin E, coconut oil, shea butter, and provitamin B5 work to soothe a dry scalp and moisturize dry hair. If you hate the idea of parting with your gallon bottle of shampoo, you'll love that this drugstore shampoo comes in a jumbo size (an Amazon exclusive) and won't cost ya ton.
It might be a past Cosmo Beauty Award winner, but this shampoo on Amazon is always a favorite for the way it hydrates and moisturizes with ingredients like aloe vera, hemp seed oil, and cacao butter. One reviewer says it best, “I’ve been on the hunt for a shampoo/conditioner combo that is moisturizing enough for natural curly hair. It doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy, and instead leaves a nice clean feel with lots of shine and moisture.”
I cannot stress this enough: if you dye your hair, you *must* use a shampoo for color-treated hair to maintain it, or you'll just wash all that expensive color down the drain during your next shower. Ingredients like hibiscus, pea, and golden root extracts work together in this shampoo to protect your hair and your color. It's really no wonder why this shampoo has 4.7 stars on Amazon.
When your hair desperately needs moisture, the absolute last thing you want to use is a shampoo full of harsh surfactants that suck the life out of each hair strand. This silicone- and sulfate-free shampoo is a favorite of Amazon shoppers for improving hair texture, nourishing, and moisturizing (coconut oil, algae extract, and panthenol are to thank for that). “DEFINITELY buy this if you have dry, damaged hair,” says one happy customer. “I have bought this over and over again and it never fails. My go-to shampoo!”
My hair is as fine and flat as it gets, and this volumizing shampoo is the one I bring out when I'm looking for lots of volume without the gritty, sticky, or crunchy feel that leads to lots of tangles. Evidently, I'm not the only one because it has 4.6 stars on Amazon and lots of positive reviews, like this one: “It thoroughly cleans and leaves zero residue or greasiness, yet somehow simultaneously detangles like a Boss, and leaves my hair so full, shiny and soft.”
Whether you've got chemically treated or colored hair or you use your flat iron wayyy too frequently, if your hair looks like it's in desperate need of some love, swap out your current cleanser for this shampoo for damaged hair. Nourishment from a blend of vitamin E, litchi extract, and sunflower extract is exactly what your parched hair needs. Did I mention it smells like a tropical vacation and a coconut cocktail? Always a plus.
There's a time and a place for silicones but that time is never and that place is nowhere for those with fine hair texture and curly hair types. This silicone-free shampoo with moisturizing mango butter is a big-time favorite for the way it smooths and adds shine without weighing the hair down. Needless to say, it's got great reviews and is a popular pick on Amazon.
If you've got thin hair and you're on the hunt for the best thickening shampoo to give you thicker-looking hair, then this top-rated shampoo on Amazon might just be The One. The hero ingredients in this formula are algae extracts, which help protect the hair and scalp, and it doesn't leave a residue that weighs down your hair. “With this shampoo, my hair seriously looks twice as thick,” one happy Amazon customer writes. “It may seem pricey, but you don’t need to use a lot for good results.”
After days and days of styling your hair and layers and layers of product, sometimes you need to start from scratch with a thorough scrub, and a clarifying shampoo is the way to do it. This aptly named Sunday shampoo isn't your everyday shampoo but more like your every-once-in-a-while wash. This formula is free of silicones and full of sulfates to strip down every last bit of buildup.
If this shampoo looks familiar, that's because it's a favorite of celebs and their stylists. Hairstylist and curl expert Daisy "Daze" Henson of The Daze Studio previously recommended this shampoo for anyone whose hair needs strengthening, but Henson especially loves it as a curly hair shampoo for its ability to relink broken bonds in the curls.
This lightweight shampoo on Amazon is one of the best curly hair products for those with finer texture that easily turns greasy and curls that fall flat. It's Curly Girl Method-approved (aka gentle and sulfate-free) and has rave reviews on Amazon. One customer who left a five-star review writes, “After a few weeks, I noticed a DRAMATIC change in the texture of my hair. It is the softest, silkiest my hair has been since I was a little kid.”
Tbh, I'd buy any product from this line just for the scent (if you know, you know), but this shampoo is one of the best Oribe products for the way it softens and smooths and adds slip and shine as it washes your hair, thanks to ingredients like shea butter, vitamin E, red algae, and sunflower extract. Translation: you won't have to spend hours with the detangling brush after the shower.
Don't ya hate it when pool water gives your platinum hair a tinge of green that you didn't ask for? Celebrity colorist Meri Kate O'Connor has told Cosmo that this chlorine-removal shampoo is one of the best for returning your hair back to the shade you want. This shampoo skips the harsh ingredients and instead relies on antioxidants and proteins to fix your color and the condition of your hair.
If the packaging of your products is just as important to you as the formula inside, you're gonna want this eco-friendly shampoo bar that shines in both categories. It's packed with cocoa butter, castor oil, and coconut-derived surfactants and comes packaged in a 100% compostible sleeve. Amazing for travel (no liquids!), all you have to do is add a little water to work up a lather just like a regular bar of soap.
First of all, there's nothing wrong with frizzies or flyways. But on occasions when you want a smoother finish for your curls, wash your hair with this defrizzing shampoo. As hairstylist Laura Rugetti has previously explained to Cosmo, harsh formulas full of sulfates strip the hair and mess with the cuticle. The result? Frizz. Go with a shampoo that does the exact opposite, like this sulfate-free shampoo that repairs and seals the cuticle with murumuru butter, shea butter, ceramides, and silk-derived protein.
The absolute best way to address your hair loss is to see a dermatologist or trichologist for a hair consultation, but a shampoo that's gentle enough for fragile hair is also a must. This formula could potentially work as a hair-growth shampoo, thanks to the caffeine in the formula. Board-certified dermatologist Dhaval G. Bhanusali, MD, previously explained to Cosmo that caffeine helps stimulate blood flow to your scalp to encourage hair growth) and block the effects of the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT.