Dry Hair? Try One of These 10 Mega-Moisturizing Shampoos
Whether you're dealing with breakage, split ends, or untamable frizzy hair, there's likely one common culprit: dehydrated hair strands. Dry hair can happen for a laundry list of reasons, but especially color treatments and heat styling, as these can both take a major toll on your hair's hydration. But sometimes, certain hair types may also just be naturally prone to dryness (curly hair types, you know the struggle). Either way, a hydrating shampoo is an essential component of every moisturizing hair routine.
When looking for a great hydrating shampoo formula, Cutler Salon's master hair stylist and director of education Greg Cassese says, "Some of my favorite ingredients to look for in shampoos are oils like argan, jojoba, or avocado oil. Aloe vera juice is another buzzy ingredient in some newer products that leaves the hair feeling incredibly moisturized."
On the other hand, there are certain ingredients often found in shampoo that can actually make your hair drier. "The absolute number one ingredient to avoid in shampoos is sulfates,” says Cassese. “Sulfates are the cleansing agent that makes bubbles in soap—think dish and laundry detergent. Although we need to clean our hair, there are less abrasive options that still cleanse the hair.” Cassese says he’s personally a big fan of the vegan, sulfate-free PUREOLOGY Hydrate Shampoo.
With all this in mind, let's find the perfect hydrating shampoo for your hair type. Continue reading below for 10 of the best shampoos for dry hair.
Meet the Expert
Greg Cassese is a master hairstylist and the director of education at Cutler Salon in New York City.
1. Best Hydrating Shampoo for Thick Hair:
R+CO Atlantis Moisturizing Shampoo
Finding a product that’s strong enough to moisturize thick, dry hair can be a challenge, but this intensely hydrating shampoo is made just for this hair type. Vitamin B5 helps moisturize and revive color-treated, sun-damaged, and heat-treated hair for an intensely moisturizing experience. To go the extra mile for your hair, try using this shampoo in conjunction with the R+CO Atlantis Moisturizing B5 Conditioner for optimal results.
2. Best Hydrating Shampoo for All Curly Hair Types:
BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Curl Charisma™ Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating Shampoo
This sulfate-free shampoo is our pick for the best shampoo for those with waves and curls—whether you're curl type 2A or 4C. Hydrating shea butter helps define curly, coily, and wavy hair without stripping your scalp of natural oils, and the formula is also fortified with rice amino acids that penetrate your hair shaft to eliminate frizz, plus tomato fruit ferment to seal the cuticle and give you well-shaped, uniform curls. This shampoo is also perfect for keratin-treated, relaxed, and color-treated hair.
3. Best Protective Shampoo for Dry Hair:
IGK HAIR Hot Girls Hydrating Shampoo
This nourishing moisture shampoo helps combat breakage while also repairing and restoring hair that’s been subjected to the elements. Dry, overworked hair of all types and textures will appreciate the immediate infusion of vitamins and deep-conditioning moisturizers, which all work together to add high shine. Whether you have damaged hair from heat styling, pollution, or color treatments, this shampoo gets to work moisturizing and strengthening.
Litchi extract and vitamin E protect your hair, while lush, tropical notes of guava, coconut water, pink lotus, and midnight violet make every shower a sensory experience. Bonus: This shampoo is color-safe for all hair colors and even includes UV protection (!).
4. The Best-Smelling Shampoo for Dry Hair:
PACIFICA BEAUTY Coconut Power Strong and Long Moisturizing Shampoo
This luxurious shampoo is a staple for dry, damaged hair everywhere, and for good reason. It’s filled with hydrating ingredients like coconut, rice, and superfruits, and is ideal for hair that has been over-washed, processed with color, or styled with heat. Not to mention its scent transports you straight to a stress-free beachy vacation: The toasty coconut aroma in the formula is made without sulfates, parabens, or petroleum, so you can repair your hair with better-for-you ingredients while smelling sweet and tropical.
5. Best Strengthening Shampoo for Dry Hair:
IT'S A 10 Miracle Daily Shampoo Plus Keratin
When your hair is dry, it's also extra prone to breakage. This cult-favorite shampoo formula can help to fix both of those issues. IT'S A 10's classic Miracle Shampoo features a unique combination of 10 key ingredients (like vitamin C, açai extract, moringa extract, ginger, and more) to create a daily shampoo that cleanses but also deeply hydrates. This take on the best-selling formula also incorporates keratin, a protein that powerfully strengthens and heals every strand.
6. Best Hydrating Shampoo for Color-Treated Hair:
BUMBLE & BUMBLE Bb.Bond-Building Repair Shampoo
If your hair is dry due to color treatments, then look for a hydrating, color-safe formula specifically designed to reverse the damage done by lightening products like bleach. BUMBLE & BUMBLE uses a special honey bond-building complex that repairs your hair from the cortex to the cuticle by creating new strengthening bonds within the hair. Use it every few days to rebuild strength, improve elasticity, hydrate your hair, and fight the damage done from coloring and chemical treatments.
As an extra reparative treatment for color-treated hair, Cassese suggests incorporating the OLAPLEX No. 3 Hair Perfector into your regular hair care routine. “This number one in-salon treatment is a bonding treatment added to your color to reduce the risk of damage and maintain the integrity of the health of your hair,” he says. “It works exceptionally well repairing damaged hair from color and lightener.”
7. Best Hydrating Shampoo for Blonde Hair:
SHEAMOISTURE Purple Rice Water Strength & Color Care Shampoo
If you're looking to hydrate your bleached strands while also keeping the color looking salon-fresh, you can check all the boxes off your to-do list by using a purple shampoo. This formula's great for blondes with thirsty strands, as the formula color corrects while it infuses your hair with a mega-dose of moisture. Purple rice and violet extract help to brighten and color correct blonde tones, while trusty hydrators like shea butter, argan oil, and jojoba oil nourish and hydrate the hair. You can officially say goodbye to brassiness!
8. Best Hydrating Shampoo for Fine Hair:
OUAI Fine Hair Shampoo
Dry, fine hair can be tricky to treat as some hydrating shampoos may end up being a bit too heavy for this hair type. Enter: this specialized formula from OUAI. This hydrating shampoo uses a blend of biotin, chia seed oil, and hydrolyzed keratin to strengthen, hydrate, and boost volume—all without weighing your hair down.
9. Best Hydrating Shampoo for All Hair Types:
MOROCCANOIL Hydrating Shampoo
Whether you have curly hair, fine hair, or damaged hair, this daily shampoo is the perfect essential product to hydrate and balance moisture. The key ingredient here is argan oil, a multitasking miracle oil that can hydrate, boost shine, seal split ends, and control frizz. Argan oil is paired with vitamin E and moisturizing red algae for a well-rounded, moisture-focused formula you'll be using for years to come.
10. Best Hydrating Shampoo for Scalp Health:
ORIBE Shampoo for Moisture & Control
Oooh, la la! This luxury shampoo will look as good in your shower as it feels in your hair. If your dry hair is causing an unruly amount of frizz, this nourishing formula will get those strands under control. ORIBE uses science-forward technologies like a microemulsion smoothing system and a polymer complex to create sleek, frizz-free strands that look smooth, sleek, and perfectly polished.
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