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11 best shampoos for all hair types and goals, tested with 360 people
‘The improvement in my hair’s texture was instantly noticeable’
Tested by Juliet HeatonBeauty Innovation Tester
Not all strands are created equal, and thus the best shampoos – the products made to protect, clean and nourish them – shouldn’t all be the same, either. Different strokes for different folks and all.
Personally, I need bond-building formulations that protect my hair from pollution and, if I’m being honest, a hell-of-a-lot of bleach. One of our testers with textured hair, however, was keen to find something that would hydrate thirsty coils. The takeaway is that all hair is unique. So, each head of hair deserves to be treated according to its needs.
Thankfully, trialling different products on the people they’re designed for is kind of our thing here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, so we can tell you which ones do what they say on the tin bottle, and which don’t live up to their claims.
So, we recruited a panel of 360 people, all with different curl patterns, textures and hair hopes and dreams, to trial a range of shampoos at home, and analysed them in the lab to find the best for different hair types and goals.
Best shampoos 2026
These are our winners at a glance but scroll on to discover how to design a routine around your hair needs and read our full reviews.
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How we test shampoos
With the help of over 360 panel members, we tested 18 brands of shampoo for four weeks. Hair types ranged from straight to kinky and coiled hair, and hair goals included getting rid of flaky scalps, limp ends and combatting hair loss.
Panellists gave us feedback on ease of use, packaging, fragrance and, most importantly, the product’s performance.
In the lab, we used our specialist Dia-Stron machine to measure the smoothness of the hair before and after being washed with the product. We then combined all feedback and results to give a score out of 100. These are our winners.
Color Wow Color Security Shampoo 250ml
Color Wow Color Security Shampoo 250ml
Score: 85/100
This shampoo very much follows in the softening footsteps of the hairspray from the same Colour Wow range, which is great for achieving sleek hair – and that perennially popular ‘Jennifer Aniston’ finish. It features in our best hairsprays roundup.
Everyone agreed their hair felt fresh and clean after using this shampoo, with one tester telling us their locks were left looking “soft, smooth, and visibly hydrated.” Another liked how it made their hair “feel clean but kept its body and volume, too.”
The formula felt gentle on scalps and foamed easily, allowing testers to glide their fingers through their lengths and work out any tangles. The shower-fresh feeling was long-lasting and many also commented on the “lovely smell”.
Aveda Pure Abundance™ Volumizing Shampoo
Aveda Pure Abundance™ Volumizing Shampoo
Score: 82/100
Testers praised this shampoo for delivering impressive, long-lasting volume without weighing their hair down. One said it brought their limp, flat hair “back to life” and left it looking fuller, bouncier, while another told us it was “like it had been blow dried” after air-drying. This one scored well on our friction test, too – our experts noticed an improvement in smoothness after it was used to wash tresses in the lab.
Panellists also noted that only a small amount of this shampoo was needed to create a foamy, lightweight lather that rinsed away easily – in fact, everyone who tried it told us they were happy with the way the formulation lathered. While the overall feedback was positive, a few testers found it slightly stripping when used on its own, so if you want the extra volume this provides then be sure to follow up with a rich conditioner.
Pantene Molecular Bond Repair Shampoo
Score: 82/100
Bond-building shampoos tend to be quite pricey and come in small bottles, so we don’t blame you for being a little sceptical about this formulation’s claims, given its affordability. But our testers loved it, and it exceeded expectations in the lab.
It’s designed to protect and restore strands to their natural health, counteracting some of the harsh treatment we put our hair through – think sun, heat styling and scraping it into top knots for a start.
Our panellists said it was creamy and smooth and lathered perfectly, and the scent was a big hit, with one tester telling us it “smelt divine, like apples.” For the price, it’s a luxurious product, and it didn’t leave behind any residue either. Lengths were left hydrated, less greasy and looking lush.
OGX Thick & Full Collagen Shampoo
OGX Thick & Full Collagen Shampoo
Score: 82/100
Made with sulphate-free surfactants (known for being gentler on hair), this shampoo is targeted at thinning locks, helping to strengthen and add a healthy dose of volume. OGX says it’s “on a mission to help you fall in love with your natural hair” and it was certainly a hit with our testers, across a wide range of hair types. Almost everyone who tried it said it added fullness to their ‘do.
This is likely down to the combination of hydrolysed wheat protein, which is said to help combat breakage and give the appearance of thicker tresses, and collagen, which helps to strengthen and support hair growth. As well as its restorative results, our testers loved the texture of this one.
Cécred Hydrating Shampoo
Cécred Hydrating Shampoo
Score: 80/100
Before even testing this shampoo, we knew it would be hydrating and nourishing, particularly for curly hair – which can often be drier as oils struggle to reach the lengths – thanks to the inclusion of powerhouse ingredients like hyaluronic acid. The brainchild of Beyonce, this hydrating range of hair products has been developed to lock in moisture and leave lengths lush. If Queen Bey’s hair is anything to go by, we’re adding to basket.
Our testers had high praise for this one too, calling out the “luxurious”, “high quality” packaging and pleasing texture. They also loved the scent. “It smells like an expensive, classy perfume,” said one. Many noticed softer strands after use as well, and those with textured hair said their curls and coils were hydrated and cleansed, without feeling stripped of natural oils.
ARKIVE All Day Extra Shampoo
ARKIVE All Day Extra Shampoo
Score: 77/100
This is designed to be ultra-lightweight, while removing product build-up from the roots and ends, ultimately leaving you with bouncy, soft strands.
Testers loved the “gentle” fragrance and said it gave a great clean, unclogging pores, without feeling harsh in any way. “The improvement in my hair’s texture was very noticeable,” said one, while another added: “My hair felt smoother and looked fuller for a while after use.”
Many agreed it felt nice to rub in, created just the right amount of foam, and the pump dispenser makes it super-practical for soapy hands in the shower, so you can concentrate on nailing the right note in your power ballad, without wrestling with any squeezy bottles. Bravo.
Aveda Be Curly Advanced Shampoo
Score: 76/100
Are you after defined curls and voluminous waves? Well, you’ve come to the right place. This hydrating shampoo is formulated with frizz-easing ingredients, showing fly-aways the door and deftly defining each curl and coil, particularly between 2a and 4c hair types. Claiming to visibly transform your curl pattern after just one wash, we were keen to see just how much of a glossy boost this gave our panel.
Testers said hair felt and looked less frizzy after use, while curls and waves were enhanced and softened, without any tangles. “It seemed to help bring out my hair’s natural waves and mini curls,” said one. It’s sulphate-free and smells fresh and natural, too. The only grumble was about the formula coming out too fast, so squeeze gently.
Superdrug Trichology Revitalising Scalp Shampoo
Superdrug Trichology Revitalising Scalp Shampoo
Score: 75/100
This is designed to fight against the first three signs of dandruff – flakiness, itchiness and dryness. And that it does. Testers told us it made their scalps feel noticeably clean and fresh, and one told us: “I didn’t have to wash my hair as frequently and it still looked good. My partner who gets dandruff also tried it and said it was excellent.”
You don’t need lots of product to enjoy a nice lather, and testers noticed a reduction in flyaways. Lots of people weren’t sure about the fragrance, though. However, it is subtle and it’s worth noting that it’s a targeted treatment that sloughs off dead skin, so you might expect the fragrance to be less spa-like and more medical.
Larry King Social Life Shampoo
Larry King Social Life Shampoo
Score: 73/100
Larry King, stylist to the stars, is known for the 'coiffé decoiffé' style, or beach waves to you and me. This shampoo, like his whole range, is designed to help you achieve spotlight-stealing styles at home, without a glam squad on speed dial. The range promises volume, shine, and lots of eyes on you. But does it deliver?
Well, this one dropped points for its tube packaging, with some finding the lid a little tricky to get off in the shower. However, everyone agreed their hair felt less oily after use and we had lots of comments about how soft it made strands. “My hair remained fresher for way longer than my normal shampoo,” said one and another gushed: “My hair is definitely in better condition than when I started using this product, and I’ll definitely be buying it again after this runs out.” High praise.
K18 Damage Shield Shampoo
K18 Damage Shield Shampoo
Score: 73/100
K18 says it’s here to help those who enjoy chopping and changing their hairstyle as often as they change their sheets – while keeping strands soft and strong. While we don’t advise dyeing your hair different colours each month (and we’re sorry, but you’re meant to wash your sheets every other week), we do believe in the power of K18’s popular, patented formulations.
This pH protective shampoo is ideal for ‘troubled tresses’ according to the brand, providing the necessary TLC to roots and lengths by cleansing and protecting hair from damage simultaneously. “I absolutely loved this shampoo,” said one tester. “I have fine hair and it looked so much thicker after using this, without any flyaways. I’ll be rushing out to buy another one now I know which brand makes it… That tells you everything.”
Philip Kingsley Body Building Weightless Shampoo
Philip Kingsley Body Building Weightless Shampoo
Score: 73/100
Movie star volume, bounce and shine. That’s what Philips Kingsley promises with this shampoo for fine-textured hair. A tall order, indeed. Testers told us they loved how well it cleaned hair without weighing it down, with every single person telling us it rinsed out without any residue.
Some said it gave them a bouncy boost, but one tester said it didn’t help with their dry lengths as much as they’d hoped. This would perhaps work best for someone with oily hair in need of a bit of added body. Va va voom.
Should I shop shampoo based on my hair type?
“I think it’s more important to shop based on your hair goal,” explains Queer Eye consultant, hair stylist and founder of cult haircare brand JVN Hair, Jonathan Van Ness. “Whether your hair type, if it feels dry, then it needs more hydration and would benefit from a moisturising shampoo.
“All our hair types, as unique as they are because of our individuality and what our hair goes through (the type of water we use, the colour we have, our age), whether straight, curly, coily or kinky, either need more volume, more moisture, or more strength. It’s that simple.”
“There are some things about [knowing your] hair type that will make a big difference,” Van Ness tells us. “Straight hair will typically get oily more quickly, whereas curlier hair absorbs more oil, but sometimes consumers may think if they have fine hair then they can only use products that say they are ‘designed for fine hair’. That’s not technically true.
“If you want a straight finish when your hair is curly, you’ll need a great heat protectant that also has frizz control, or if you want to emphasise your waves or curls, you’re going to need something that has great moisture-locking properties and has hold, without being too crunchy.”
What ingredients are good for dry and oily hair?
“If someone has either dry hair or oily hair, I would steer them away from sulphates,” says Van Ness. “Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) is going to be the most drying. If you’re using an SLS cleanser or shampoo on oily hair, it’s going to make the glands produce more oil, and for dry hair, it’s going to be more stripping.
“For hair that’s prone to dryness, colouring is going to be a bigger threat than products. Applying or overlapping bleach, or aggressive colour treatments where you’re going lighter, is inevitably [going to be] troublesome.
“Hair that’s really weak and dry from colour treatments will need something strengthening, so a product that’s a great mix of both protein and moisture may work best,” Van Ness explains.
“For naturally dry hair that isn’t colour treated, for curly hair, or for those who live in a more arid environment, you’ll need product with really beautiful oils and butters that will penetrate the hair and effectively lock in lots of moisture.”
The best shampoos for specific hair types
We've also found the best shampoos for curly hair, the best hair loss shampoos, the best shampoos for dry hair, and the best shampoos for oily hair, to help you find the best product for you.
Florence is our Senior Beauty Writer, specialising in expert-tested beauty and grooming reviews — from toothbrushes to the latest skincare launches. She’s committed to sharing recommendations for products that truly work and make people feel confident and healthy. Prior to this she was at Tropic Skincare, where she worked closely with biochemists in the lab, delving into the functions of each fresh, natural ingredient and conveying its efficacy to her audience in easy-to-digest terms.
With over five years’ experience in beauty and health journalism, Florence has written for ELLE, Women’s Fitness, Sister Magazine, National Geographic Traveller and many more, with a strong sustainability angle thread through much of her work.
When she isn’t packing for a trip away, working out, eating out or reading up on retinol serums, you’ll probably find her experimenting with her film camera and building her portfolio of portraits. Florence’s photography can be found at florencereeves-white.com, her Instagram is @florencereeveswhite and her twitter is @floreadsnwrites
Juliet has masters degrees in both chemistry and cosmetic science, and has worked in formulation development for both Dove and The Body Shop. She has an in-depth knowledge of ingredients and tests used in the beauty industry, as a result of working in research and development for five years.
She uses this all this experience and learning to test products against their claims in the GHI beauty lab. She loves working with our reader panel directly to hear about their experiences with the many products we test.
