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We have solutions for every dry hair concern, from shampoos for dry scalp to split ends to frizziness. Non Biological Washing Powder
Choosing the best shampoo and matching hydrating conditioner that combats dryness comes with its trials and tribulations, namely cycling through options that may dry out your hair even more. In fact, more than 1,400 GH survey respondents said they look for a shampoo that moisturizes and hydrates above all else.
Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab scientists test shampoos for all hair types and needs, from the best shampoos for gray and oily hair to custom shampoos and shampoo bars. To find the best shampoos for dry hair, our experts evaluated formulas in the Lab and with consumer testers to determine the ones that actually work to hydrate parched strands.
After sifting through more than 5,000 data points, these are the best-tested shampoos for dry hair alongside some editor and expert favorites. With their matching conditioners, they are meant to get you the best moisturization and hydration possible. No doubt, there's one below that addresses any of your pressing needs, including drugstore and salon-grade formulas that, when used with their accompanying conditioners, can treat dry, frizzy hair, address the look of split ends and help prevent dry scalps.
Keep in mind that dry hair is often rooted in "chemical damage from permanent coloring or relaxants, mechanical damage from grooming or heat damage from hot tools like curling wands and hair straighteners," all of which can affect the structure of your hair fibers, says Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab Senior Chemist Danusia Wnek. Your hormones, age, porosity and ethnicity can also be factors. Simply put, "porosity is holes in your hair that prevent your hair from retaining moisture," says Michael Dueñas, Los Angeles-based celebrity hairstylist and founder of Veluer Creative. "Porosity is caused mainly by environmental factors, harsh shampoos and too much heat."
You can read more about how we evaluate shampoos for dry hair in our Lab and consumer tests — as well as shopping tips — at the end of this guide.
Give your hair a big gulp of hydration with this Herbal Essences drugstore shampoo. Coupled with its matching conditioner, it won top honors in the GH Beauty Lab's moisturizing shampoos test for lathering and cleansing. Made with coconut extract and aloe, it boasted the highest level of conditioning in testing. “My dry hair was much more moisturized,” a tester marveled. Take note that some online reviewers report the shampoo left a film on their hair after using.
If its olive and argan oil ingredients weren't enough of a calling, Garnier’s combo led the way in nourishment and cleansing during GH Beauty Lab tests. The shampoo plus its matching conditioner tied for second in the Lab's combing test for conditioning, yet more than 90% of users said it didn’t weigh hair down. Testers overwhelmingly noted it left hair more “manageable,” “super soft” and “bouncy." Almost all scored it perfect for its “fresh” scent. Note that this may not be the best for color-treated hair as it does have sulfates.
Skincare ingredient hyaluronic acid is famed for its hydrating capabilities, and it is infused into these L'Oréal Paris formulas perfect for dry and dehydrated strands. The Beauty Award winning-duo “works wonders," a tester exclaimed. "Strands feel super soft, bouncy and look shiny." In Lab evaluation, the pair earned top marks for fully cleansing strands and making hair look less damaged, along with ranking highest for their lasting "sophisticated" scent. Take note that these are best for the driest and most dehydrated of hair, as some reviewers feel they leave a greasy feeling.
Tame coarse, unruly hair and tamper down frizz and flyaways with another 2022 Beauty Award winner. The shampoo and matching conditioner's sulfate-free nature and smoothing benefits thicker hair types. Though lightweight in texture, the duo leaves hair feeling “silky, smooth, shiny and easy to comb through," says one tester. Other testers with colored hair noticed its dramatic shine from the first use, reviving pigment in dyed hair. Some reviewers share that the bottle pump is finicky.
For straight or fine hair, Biolage curl specialist and celebrity stylist Cynthia Alvarez says, "avoid anything heavy that could weigh down your hair and instead look for a lightweight or mild formula." So if you have dry and thin hair, this Kérastase formula (and its matching conditioner) is your best bet for nourishment that won't deflate strands. GH Beauty Lab tests backed this up as it held the highest score for not weighing hair down while providing light conditioning. Testers noted how smooth their hair was after application. "Where can I buy this by the case?" one raved. "Where has this been all my life?" Though it's pricey, this shampoo is on sale as it's currently a last chance item being replaced by a reformulation, so stock up while you can.
This shampoo and twinning conditioner from SheaMoisture contains coconut oil to nourish parched curls, plus hibiscus flower extract to improve hair elasticity (hello, bounce!) while minimizing breakage. Plus, the brand claims it's sulfate- and silicone-free. We haven't tested it in the Lab, but reviewers swear by it: "This shampoo looks and smells incredible and washes out of my hair in a way that makes it feel amazing," says one. Some reviewers, however, feel it doesn't lather very well, which is commonly a side effect of a sulfate-free shampoo.
Infuse your next shower and rinse with OGX's floral scented shampoo and conditioner that our testers called "addicting." Its fresh, clean scent lingers on hair all day. In our recent best shampoo for colored hair study, the pair scored second best for its conditioning, shine, scent, rinse and color retention. Though some noted its oval-shaped bottle made the thick, gel-like consistency difficult to dispense, other testers say the shampoo lathered well and rinsed out clearly. In fact, one said it left hair easy to comb through without needing a leave-in conditioner.
Garnier's honey-laced shampoo proves that you can get great natural formulas without the high price tag. A 2021 Beauty Award winner, it's blended with honey and plant oils and is proven to nourish dehydrated, breakage-prone hair. Lab data showed that the shampoo and its matching conditioner significantly reduced breakage of very dry, damaged strands. Take note that this shampoo has sulfates in it, despite being ultra hydrating.
No shampoo can stop hair fall or hair loss. But, it can help hair appear thicker and more volumized, which distracts from any hair loss or thinning strands. If bigger hair is what you're looking for, this Kérastase formula is going to be your new best friend. In Beauty Lab testing, it earned top scores for adding volume and body to hair, making hair feel thicker and making hair feel soft and conditioned, so you won't have to worry about your locks drying out. "It left my hair full of body and was nice and thick without weighing my hair down," a tester raved. "All day it had that just washed look, fluffy and full." However, many testers shared that they didn't like that the bottle cap has to be screwed off.
Keep hair feeling smooth and less frizzy until the next wash. Winning a 2022 Beauty Award for its nourishing formula, Redken's bonding shampoo-conditioner duo impressed beauty pros with its non-greasy formula that conditioned bleached, damaged hair. In fact, our review of the company's data revealed that 93% of consumers said that their hair felt moisturized after using the pair with its leave-in treatment. Though it works well on its own, you'll get best results investing in the full three-part system.
The most conditioning of all the winners in the GH Beauty Lab’s color-protecting shampoo and conditioner test, Hair Food’s sulfate-free duo hit the sweet spot for rich hydration and color-saving benefits. These came in on top in the Lab’s wet-combing test. “After five weeks, my color still looks great — my hairdresser commented on it,” one user reported. “Dyeing my hair left it very dry, and I loved how moisturized it felt after just one use,” another said. Rinse this shampoo thoroughly as it may leave some residue behind.
This classic Pantene shampoo and matching conditioner are a great choice for dry natural hair as it earned a perfect score for conditioning in GH Beauty Lab testing, key for textured strands that require a higher level of hydration. It tied for the most conditioning formula in Beauty Lab tests, where we measure the friction forces generated during combing of treated wet hair swatches using a customized equipment. A tester shared, "My hair is silky and voluminous," and another said it did wonders for her long, thick hair. However, some online reviewers note that it feels like the product leaves a coating in their hair rather than truly hydrating it.
Full of protein and coconut oil, this 2023 GH Beauty Award winner is focused simply on repairing and nourishing hair, delivering strong smoothing and conditioning effects alongside its matching conditioner. A tester shared that their hair "was easier to style, and my blowout lasted," while two others noted it made their hair less frizzy. In Beauty Lab assessment, the duo got perfect scores for making hair manageable, smooth and supple. Some online reviewers don't love the scent, noting that it leaves their hair smelling like dirt or grass.
Even dry strands need a wash from a detoxifying shampoo every so often. If you want a clarifying formula that doesn't strip your dry hair, try this one from Ouai. Our Lab pros tried this at home and found that it washed away styling product buildup without making the scalp feel too dry. Though many shampoos that claim to eliminate dirt, dandruff and product buildup leave GH Assistant Editor Annie O'Sullivan's hair feeling brittle and straw-like, "a small amount of this shampoo leaves my hair feeling super clean without leaving it dry," she says. This is on the pricier side, but she adds that a little goes a long way, so it lasts for quite some time.
This luxurious Oribe shampoo and paired conditioner packs in nourishing skincare ingredients like shea butter, amino acids, vitamin C, caffeine and anti-inflammatory niacinamide, plus a laundry list of botanical oils and extracts, from argan oil to green tea. "It has noticeable silkening effects on even severely damaged hair with tattered ends — plus the fragrance leaves strands scented like a rich, high-end perfume," GH's beauty editor says.
The number one word among GH Beauty Lab testers about this Joico formula was "clean," which is exactly what you should say about your hair after using a good shampoo and matching conditioner. Not only that, but it was easy to work into the hair and rinsed out just as efficiently. "Believe me when I say my hair was dry, extremely coarse dry hair," a reviewer shares. "After only using it a week, my hair feels and looks much more alive, shiny and keeps the moisture longer."
When itchy, flaky scalps call for a remedy, this Head & Shoulders shampoo answers. It uses pyrithione zinc, a key active ingredient that specifically treats dandruff. One GH beauty pro deploys it during winter months because it leaves hair feeling soft and smelling nice. The creamy formula keeps oily scalps at bay without stripping the hair, but some users feel it leaves a residue even after rinsing.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab scientists test shampoos for dry hair both on consumers and in the Lab using technical instruments. First, the GH beauty editorial team scans the market for hydrating and moisturizing shampoos for dry hair, which are then label-masked by Lab scientists and distributed to testers across the country to use in their hair routine at home and provide feedback on their cleansing and conditioning performance, how well they soften and hydrate hair, their weight on strands and ease of use, including dispensing, lathering, rinsing, scent and irritation.
The shampoos are also evaluated in the Lab using a swatch-wash station, which allows us to control the temperature and water flow rate. The analysts dose a known amount of product onto swatches. We cannot measure the cleansing ability of these products in the Lab and usually poll our readers for their feedback. We measure lubrication along with conditioning ability using the Instron machine (pictured below), which calculates combing force through wet hair. Last, all the data points (over 5,000 in the GH Beauty Lab's most recent test) are tallied to find the winners.
✔️ Hydrating ingredients: When it comes to choosing a shampoo formula for dry hair, ingredients play a big role, says Alvarez. "Look for a formula with really nourishing ingredients, like aloe vera and shea butter," she says.
✔️ Gentle surfactants: Sulfates can be harsh on hair, so "look for gentle surfactants or SLS alternatives," says Dueñas. This can help prevent further dryness.
Whatever your hair type, Alvarez recommends switching up your shampoo after a while so your hair doesn't get used to one product. You can add a clarifying shampoo into your routine occasionally for a deep clean.
Jacqueline (she/her) covers all things e-commerce in beauty, lifestyle and beyond for the Good Housekeeping Institute. Before joining GH in 2021, she was a style and beauty reviews fellow at Insider, testing viral trends, reviewing sustainable brands and more. She's a graduate of the University of Florida's School of Journalism, with a specialty in magazines and mass communication.
Catharine (she/her) is the beauty assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day and Prevention, working closely with the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab to write science-backed beauty content. She was previously an assistant beauty editor at Group Nine Media and returned to Hearst in 2022 after having held editorial internships at Harper’s Bazaar and CR Fashion Book. Catharine received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
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