These 14 Shampoos Are Our Good Hair Day Secrets

Best Overall

R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo

$38 at Amazon $32 at Dermstore $18 at Nordstrom

There’s truly nothing that this all-star sudser, and Byrdie team favorite, can’t do. It helps moisturize both hair and scalp (thanks to ingredients such as babassu seed oil and glycerin) and imparts volume and shine, all while smoothing, softening, and strengthening your hair. In short, it leaves your hair looking commercial-ready after every wash.

We loved that this shampoo lathers well and makes their hair feel squeaky clean but not stripped. We also noted that we looked like we’d just left the salon after washing.

Who It's For

As this shampoo adds weightless hydration to the hair, it’s especially ideal if you have wavy, tight, or coily hair. It deeply conditions dry hair and the scalp so is also good for repairing damaged lengths.

Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Original | Size: 8 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Damaged Hair

Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

$30 at Amazon $15 at Sephora $30 at Ulta

Our Ratings

• Cleansing Ability
  5/5
• Hydration
  5/5
• Consistency
  4.7/5
• Effectiveness
  4.5/5

Read Full Review: The Olaplex Bond Maintenance System Kit Transformed My Hair

This is a staple within the Byrdie beauty team thanks to its deeply reparative prowess. Like its in-salon treatment counterpart, it contains ingredients that work to repair broken protein bonds in your hair. Translation? Hair becomes softer, smoother, and generally looks and feels better. Another plus: The formula is sulfate-free, so it shouldn't strip much-needed moisture. In fact, when testing it in our lab we found that it’s one of the only sulfate-free shampoos that lathers super well. It also left our hair feeling thoroughly cleansed without that squeaky feeling that some shampoos leave behind and without any lingering spots of oiliness.

Who Its For

Olplex shampoo is ideal for all hair types but it’s especially beneficial if you have dyed and chemically processed hair. This is due to the way it helps to repair and maintain hair bonds.

Hair Type: Color-treated, damaged | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Original | Size: 3.3 ounces or 8.5 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Curly Hair

GIRL+HAIR CLEANSE+ Moisturizing Shampoo

$14 at Amazon $14 at Target

Curly hair undoubtedly requires a little extra TLC and calls for carefully chosen products, shampoo included. This is a great pick that’s specially formulated to help retain moisture in curly, kinky, coiled, and natural hair with shea butter. It’s also sulfate-, alcohol-, and paraben-free, and even contains tea tree oil to help address scalp issues.

Who Its For

This shampoo is ideal for caring for natural, curly, kinky, or coiled hair types. The added tea tree oil also makes it a great choice if you have a sensitive or oil-prone scalp.

Hair Type: Wavy, curly, coily | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Tea tree | Size: 10.1 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Curly Hair, Runner-Up

Pattern Beauty Cleansing Shampoo

$21 at Sephora $21 at Ulta $21 at Target

This option is especially good for those with curly, kinky, or coily hair who need an extra deep clean. It’s intended for type 3 and 4 curls, helping to remove even the most stubborn product residue from the scalp and hair without stripping the natural moisture that’s oh-so-important for curly hair. It also contains panthenol for strengthening purposes.

Who Its For

If you use a lot of styling products or dry shampoo on your hair, this shampoo can help to remove build-up thanks to its deeply cleansing formula. It’s also ideal for strengthening curly, kinky, and coily hair with added Matcha Green Tea, Aloe Vera, and Panthenol.

Hair Type: Curly, kinky, coily | Sulfate-Free: No | Scent: Floral | Size: 7.8 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Sensitive Skin

SEEN Skin-Caring Fragrance-Free Shampoo

$29 at Amazon $29 at Ulta $29 at Dermstore

The wrong shampoo can cause all kinds of skin issues, from breakouts to weird rashes — that’s why we think this pick is so excellent. The dermatologist-designed shampoo is non-comedogenic (so it shouldn't clog pores) and is formulated without a long list of possible skin irritants. But don’t worry, it still does a superb job as a shampoo. Filed under: Why didn’t we think of that?

Who It's For

This shampoo is for anyone who suffers from sensitive skin on their body, face, and scalp and doesn’t want a shampoo causing any additional irritation.

Hair Type: All | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: None | Size: 8.6 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Dry Hair

Bread Beauty Supply Hair-Wash

$20 at Sephora $20 at Ulta View on Breadbeautysupply.com

Bread describes this creamy hair cleanser as a co-wash meets shampoo, meaning it's able to clean while deeply hydrating the hair. It has many hair-nourishing ingredients, such as argan oil and aloe vera, as well as hydrating oils like coconut, avocado, and lavender oils. We also love that it can help with frizz and a flaky scalp.

Who Its For

This shampoo helps with a number of things at once such as hair damage, frizz, and a flaky scalp. Potentially making it your favorite problem-solving pick when you’ve spent too much time heat styling or coloring your hair.

Hair Type: Wavy, curly, coily | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Scent: Fruity | Size: 8.4 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best with ACV

AG Care Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo

$34 at Amazon $34 at Ulta View on Ag.care

Our Ratings

• Feel
  5/5
• Performance
  4.5/5
• Oil Absorption
  5/5

If you suffer from oily roots and feel like you need to wash your hair every day, this sulfate-free apple cider vinegar shampoo can help. It scored highly in our NYC lab as it noticeably reduced oil in our hair and left the scalp feeling super clean. We particularly loved the way it lathered well and reduced oily roots while adding both volume and shine with 98% plant-based ingredients including argan oil, nourishing superfoods, and apple cider vinegar. It’s available to buy as a 12oz bottle or as a larger liter size for refills. Yes, it’s on the more expensive side but we think the results it delivers make it worth it.

Who It's For

This option is ideal for those who need a gentle cleanser and who gravitate towards products with natural and/or plant-based ingredients.

Hair Type: All textures and hair types | Size: 12 0z | Scent: Apple | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Neutralizing

Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Clarifying Shampoo

$25 at Amazon $26 at Ulta View on Redken.com

Our Ratings

• Feel
  4.7/5
• Performance
  4/5
• Oil Absorption
  4/5

If you hate having to wash your hair every morning, then Redken’s Clarifying Detox Shampoo can help to extend your good hair days. We’ve awarded it our Best Neutralizing shampoo as it helped to reduce oil in our hair during testing, and our scalp felt super clean after using. This is down to its cleansing complex that helps to remove impurities and buildup like dry shampoo and pollution from the scalp. It’s a more expensive option but as you’ll need to wash your hair less after introducing it to your routine, it’s worth the extra dollars.

Who Its For

This shampoo is ideal for anyone whose hair gets greasy quickly and wants to extend the time needed between washes. It’s also a great way of removing buildup if you use a lot of product in your hair like dry shampoo.

Hair Type: All textures and hair types | Size: 8.5 oz or 33.8oz | Scent: N/a | Sulfate-Free: No | Cruelty-Free: No

Best Clarifying

Bumble and bumble Sunday Shampoo

$34 at Sephora $34 at Ulta $34 at Target

Our Ratings

• Feel
  4/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Oil Absorption
  5/5

We marked this shampoo highly in our NYC lab as our hair felt like it had been given a total detox after just one use. If you live in a city or have just been on holiday and your hair feels loaded with product, sunscreen, and dry shampoo, it gives the hair and scalp a really deep clean thanks to its key ingredient, Sodium Laureth Sulfate. This also helps it create a rich lather.

We also loved its mint and cassis fragrance that really wakes you up first thing in the morning. Sadly, it's not suitable if you have color-treated hair, which is our only complaint.

Who Its For

This is a great cruelty-free option for anyone looking for a deeply cleansing shampoo for the hair and scalp. It’s also suitable for natural-colored hair.

Hair Type: Straight, wavy and curly hair types | Size: 8.5 fl oz | Scent: Sparkling Cassis, Watery Cyclamen, and Mint leaf | Sulfate-Free: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Balancing

Shaz & Kiks Clay Hair Cleanser

View on Shazandkiks.com View on Thirteenlune.com $42 at freepeople.com

Our Ratings

• Feel
  5/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Oil Absorption
  5/5

The first thing we noticed about this shampoo is its addictive fragrance that’s spicy and a little sweet. It starts as a clay but lathers surprisingly well once it’s mixed with water allowing you to cover your head easily and benefit from the Multani Mitti earth clay that absorbs excess oil and dirt, and Jamun Indian berries that exfoliate the scalp. Finally, hibiscus flowers strengthen the hair follicles to reduce and prevent hair shedding.

After using this shampoo our hair and curls felt noticeably softer and silkier, and it took longer for our roots to get oily in between washes. Our dandruff improved, too! Win, win.

Who Its For

This shampoo is ideal for all hair types including straight, curly, wavy, and color-treated. It’s especially beneficial for treating concerns such as a sensitive, flaky scalp, and thinning hair.

Hair Type: All textures and hair types especially waves and curls| Size: 230ml | Scent: Sparkling Cassis, Watery Cyclamen, and Mint leaf | Sulfate-Free: No | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best Purifying

Ouai Detox Shampoo

$14 at Sephora $32 at Ulta $14 at Target

Our Ratings

• Cleansing Ability
  4.5/5
• Consistency
  4.4/5
• Effectiveness
  4/5

This light, clarifying shampoo is one of our favorite ways to splurge on our hair. It contains clarifying apple cider vinegar and chelating agents to remove hard-water deposits and added keratin to strengthen the hair strands.

We put it to the test in our Byrdie lab and loved how soft and healthy it left our hair feeling. It was also very effective at reducing oil and reducing frizz so we could extend the time between washes. It’s not an everyday shampoo, however, and is intended for once a week but it makes a nice complement to another shampoo.

Who Its For

This shampoo is a weekly purifying treatment for anyone wanting to detox their hair and scalp. It’s ideal if you live in a hard-water area and find it impacts your hair.

Hair Type: All textures and hair types | Size: 10 fl oz | Scent:  Melrose Place scent | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for All Hair Types

Kristin Ess Clarifying Shampoo

$12 at Amazon $12 at Ulta $12 at Target

Our Ratings

• Cleansing Ability
  5/5
• Consistency
  5/5
• Effectiveness
  4/5

Our top choice for all hair types is this Deep Clean Clarifying shampoo from Kristin Ess. Its selling point is its proprietary strengthening complex that helps to clean the hair and scalp, reduce oil, and smooth damaged strands. During testing, we really loved how lightweight it made our hair and scalp feel – like we could feel the dirt and build-up had been noticeably removed. These results were most noticeable after the third wash, and we enjoyed the extended day we got between washes after using it. Its light, floral fragrance is also very addictive.

Who Its For

While we tested this out on curly hair, it’s suitable for all hair types who want to remove product and buildup.

Hair Type: All textures and hair types | Size: 10oz | Scent: Light| Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Oily Hair

Nécessaire Shampoo

$28 at Amazon $28 at Sephora $28 at Nordstrom

Our Ratings

• Feel
  5/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Oil Absorption
  5/5

We tested this fragrance-free shampoo from Nécessaire in our NYC lab and gave it high marks for its gel-like consistency, great lather, and ability to reduce scalp irritation. (Ours was noticeably improved after using). What’s more, our hair felt amazing with improved softness and silkiness.

It’s packed full of some great ingredients including moisturizing Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, and ApiScalp to remove product build-up and reduce thinning (ideal for postpartum moms). Finally, it’s also suitable for color-treated hair and, during testing, we noticed that it enhanced the tone of our hair beautifully.

Who Its For

This shampoo is suitable for all hair types and textures including straight wavy, curly, coiled, and tightly coiled. It’s also ideal if you’re sensitive to and prone to hair thinning thanks to the ingredient ApiScalp.

Hair Type: Suitable for all hair types/textures (straight wavy, curly, coiled, and tightly coiled) | Size: 100ml or 250ml | Scent: Unscented| Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Best for Color-Treated Hair

Living Proof PHD Triple Detox Shampoo

$34 at Amazon $34 at Sephora $34 at Ulta

Our Ratings

• Feel
  4.6/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Oil Absorption
  4.7/5

A little of this shampoo goes a long way, and it lathers up super easily before getting to work removing oil and dirt from the scalp and hair. Its formula features an anionic polymer to remove product residue, charcoal to absorb excess oil, chelating agents that attach to dulling minerals in hard water, and sulfate-free surfactants that clean the hair without stripping any color or highlights.

When testing it in our NYC lab we really loved how it made our hair feel – softer, smoother, and shinier with less frizz. It was also more manageable when it came to styling, and our scalp felt much cleaner and less irritated. All in all, this is a great shampoo to have in your weekly rotation.

Who Its For

A clarifying shampoo is always helpful in every haircare routine, but not all are suitable for color-treated hair. This shampoo is safe to use so it won’t dull or strip your fresh highlights or tint.

Hair Type: Suitable for all hair types, especially color-treated, fine & oily hair | Size: 5.4 fluid ounces | Sulfate-Free: Yes | Cruelty-Free: Yes