Best shampoos for dry hair in 2023 | Top-rated shampoo
Say goodbye to dry, dehydrated locks with the Moroccanoil shampoo that’s said to “smell amazing” and be “worth the money”.
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While your immediate reaction to dry and dehydrated hair might be to stock up on ultra-rich conditioners and hair masks, it’s actually important to consider your full hair regimen – and that includes your shampoo, too.
According to Melbourne-based dermatologist Dr Samantha Eisman, you are either born with dry hair (genetics, sigh) or it’s something you can acquire in life due to overwashing, excessive heat styling or bleaching.
Dr Eisman lists “hair breakage, an increase in split ends and issues with tangling” as common symptoms of dry hair. If you don’t address it at the root (pun intended) of the issue, dryness can eventually lead to an irritated scalp, excessive hair breakage and fallout.
The solution? Dr Eisman recommends using “leave-in conditioners and deep conditioning masks to reduce frizz”.
Choose a nourishing and mild shampoo that removes impurities without totally stripping hair of its natural oils and keep an eye out for hydrating shampoos that will nourish your hair.
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OUR TOP PICKS
In this article
- What ingredients should you look for in a shampoo for dry hair?
- How can you tell if you have dry hair?
- How can I hydrate my dry hair?
- What’s the best hair washing technique?
EDITOR’S PICKS: BEST SHAMPOO FOR DRY HAIR
Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo, $42 at Sephora
Match it with the Hydrating Conditioner and the Intense Hydrating Mask.
The superhero ingredient in this best-selling shampoo from Moroccanoil is argan oil: a natural oil that helps to nourish your hair thanks to its winning combo of essential fatty acids and antioxidants.
Added into the mix are red algae, a natural moisturiser that protects the hair cuticle from dryness; and vitamin E, which repairs damaged hair to maintain natural moisture balance.
Excluded from the ingredients list are parabens, sulfates, and phosphates – so you don’t need to worry about causing any irritation. Suitable for normal and coloured hair, this gentle shampoo will replenish nutrients in your scalp and hair.
Richi Grisillo, co-director at Academie Salon and Moroccanoil ambassador loves the immediate nourishing effect – even before the hair is conditioned.
“The best part is it is a lightweight cleanser that is weightless on hair,” he said. “Moroccanoil Hydration products leave the hair feeling freshly clean and quenched without weight from product residue. All of my clients mention how shiny and supple and reflective their hair is after using.”
The hashtag #moroccanoil has over 200 million views on TikTok, proving that this product – and the brand itself – is a crowd favourite, with users loving both the Hydrating Shampoo and the Original Treatment.
Five-star rating Sephora customers have described it as “worth the money”, thanks to it making their hair “silky smooth, smells amazing, and moisturised”.
Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo, $54 at Amazon Australia
Match it with the No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner.
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this Olaplex bottle: within it is a heavy-hitting shampoo that’s backed by plenty of clever hair science. It’s designed to repair and protect hair from everyday stresses – including damaged hair, split ends, and frizz – by relinking broken bonds from the inside out, leaving your hair more manageable, shinier, and healthier with every single use. It is also pH-balanced, vegan, and free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and phosphate.
There’s a lot of hype around Olaplex products, but reviewers say it’s all real. One said: “you only need a tiny amount to lather your hair. It feels amazing to wash my hair with this and I get the hype. Hair is softer and feels clean.”
KEVIN. MURPHY Repair-Me. Wash, $50.95 at Adore Beauty
Match it with the Repair-Me Rinse.
Award-winning Australian hair stylist, Kevin Murphy, is the mastermind behind this shampoo. Enriched with bamboo and silk amino acids, it strengthens hair while gently removing impurities. Sulfate and paraben-free, it will nourish your hair with the key ingredients of smoothing papaya, shine-increasing bamboo leaf extract, rejuvenating silk amino acids and replenishing green pea protein.
“My hair had become so dry and brittle during winter and with too long between hairdresser visits in lockdown Melbourne, I decided to give this a try,” wrote one five-star reviewer. “After three weeks I can see a noticeable difference. It is helping my oily roots and dry ends. I’m washing my hair less and it feels stronger and silkier with every wash. I will definitely repurchase.”
BEST BUDGET-FRIENDLY SHAMPOO FOR DRY HAIR
OGX Coconut Curls Shampoo, $11.49 (down from $23) at Amazon Australia
Match it with the OGX Coconut Curls Conditioner.
Ideal for dry or curly hair types, this very affordable shampoo will provide all the nourishment you desire on a budget. Combining coconut oil, sweet honey and citrus oil, you’ll find your natural softness enhanced, frizz tamed, and curls looking bouncy and shiny.
A pleased reviewer said: “This product worked amazingly for me! After use I let my hair dry naturally and my hair came out with absolutely gorgeous ringlets. Normally my hair would go super frizzy after washing it but this shampoo made it smooth and gave it nice curls. Absolutely recommend!”
Others praise the “amazing” shampoo for making their hair “so soft” while helping to define and nourish curls.
Klorane Mango Butter Shampoo, $24.99 at Adore Beauty
Match it with the Klorane Mango Butter Balm Conditioner.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly shampoo that also smells good, look no further than Klorane’s Mango Butter range.
Five-star rating customers on the Adore Beauty website have said it “smells amazing and is really creamy and moisturising”.
That’s all thanks to the added mango that works hard to nourish and restructure dry hair, smoothing the hair cuticle and protecting it from dehydration. Enter soft, supple, shiny hair.
BEST SHAMPOO FOR DRY, AFRO-TEXTURED AND KINKY HAIR
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo, $23.50 at Oz Hair & Beauty
Match it with the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Conditioner.
Even the thickest, curliest hair can be easily managed with this Shea Moisture shampoo. Combining hand-picked natural ingredients and certified organic shea butter, and skipping out on nasty sulfates, it offers a gentle cleansing experience that improves hair health and restores shine. Coconut oil adds moisture, hibiscus flower extracts improve hair elasticity to reduce breakages and split ends, neem oil repairs damage and silk protein makes hair, well, silky! If you’re interested, there’s a matching conditioner too, of course.
A reviewer commented that it “smells great and has good ingredients … I’m on my third bottle now and my hair is the best it’s ever been”. As an added testament, a friend of mine with 3A curls uses this shampoo regularly, and says that the thick, luscious texture of the product makes her hair “incredibly curly” and hydrated at the same time.
BEST SHAMPOO FOR COLOURED, DRY HAIR
VIRTUE Recovery Shampoo, $60 at Adore Beauty
Match it with the VIRTUE Recovery Conditioner.
Virtue’s Recovery Shampoo promises to cleanse your hair from dirt, oil and product build-up, all while promoting softness, suppleness and total hydration. The result? Your hair is left feeling clean and fresh.
It’s formulated with Alpha Keratin 60ku, which is derived from ethically sourced human hair, to help rebuild and repair hair strands. Virtue is also made free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic colours, dyes and gluten, and is cruelty-free.
Five-star rating customers have called it a “holy grail” product, describing it as “moisturising and refreshing, a relief for my dead ends and bleached hair!”
JVN Nurture Hydrating Shampoo, $32 at Sephora
Match it with the Nurture Hydrating Conditioner.
JVN is the much-hyped haircare brand from Queer Eye star and celebrity hairdresser Jonathan Van Ness. This colour-safe hydrating shampoo has hydrating aloe leaf juice, panthenol and patented sugarcane-derived hemi-squalene which helps make hair that’s healthy and strong.
Sephora reviews say it is a “great daily shampoo” for dry hair, however, some shoppers say they aren’t a fan of the product’s smell of lemon and black currant.
Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo, $50 at The Iconic
Match it with the Hydrate Sheer Conditioner.
Pureology is the number one selling professional brand for coloured hair in the United States, so you know you’re in good hands with this shampoo.
The silicone-free shampoo contains hydrating ingredients like jojoba, green tea, and sage and a fragrant blend of lavender, bergamot, and patchouli.
Sachajuan Moisturising Shampoo, $44 at Adore Beauty
Match it with the Sachajuan Moisturizing Conditioner.
Formulated with argan oil to nourish and increase shine, and red algae to boost hair growth, the Sachajuan Moisturizing Shampoo is a super moisturising shampoo that is specifically formulated for dry, bleached, lighter coloured or highlighted hair.
It’s racked up an average rating of 4.1 out of five on the Adore Beauty website, with one happy customer describing it as “really nice.” They said “it makes my hair feel lovely and fresh … and super clean.”
BEST ORGANIC SHAMPOO FOR DRY HAIR
Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo, $59 at Aveda
Match it with the Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner.
If you’re after an organic shampoo, Aveda’s range of products are always a winner – they’re cruelty-free, vegan, 90 per cent naturally derived, made using 100 per cent wind and solar power manufacturing, and contained within 100 per cent recyclable bottles. Their Damage Remedy shampoo is super gentle, but with its blend of organic ingredients like quinoa protein and babassu oil-derived surfactant blend, it can restore and strengthen damaged and dry hair.
A reviewer awarded it five stars, saying: “I have tried every possible shampoo out there and this stuff is like my miracle cure. When used with the conditioner I am left with smooth, frizz free hair that doesn’t stick to my scalp. Love it”.
BEST VEGAN SHAMPOO FOR DRY HAIR
Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Super Hydrating Shampoo, $36.90 at The Iconic
Match it with the Like A Virgin Super Hydrating Cream Conditioner.
This shampoo from Bali beauty brand Coco & Eve promises 26 times more hydration thanks to its ResistHyalTM Hyaluronic Acid technology and having no devolumising silicones.
The seven-in-one formula provides hydration, shine, softness, strength, no split ends or frizz while strengthening those locks.
MORE BEST SHAMPOOS FOR DRY HAIR
Silk Oil of Morocco Argan Intense Moisture Shampoo, $34.90 at The Iconic
Match it with the Argan Intense Moisture Conditioner and the Argan Hair and Skin Treatment.
Another option championing the benefits of argan oil – what can we say? If it works, it works! This vegan-friendly shampoo gently cleanses and revitalises dry hair. In addition to cold pressed certified organic argan oil, it features Australian macadamia oil, certified organic aloe vera, and evening primrose oil for added nourishment. It’s sulfate and paraben free to avoid irritation on gentle scalps, and is also infused with a delicious passionfruit and lychee fragrance.
A reviewer said, “I have very dry frizzy hair that I straighten daily and this is the only product that I can use with the matching conditioner and serum which leaves my hair feeling nourished and sleek with no flyaway hairs and static, and no crunchy ends”.
Evo The Therapist Hydrating Shampoo, $40 at Oz Hair & Beauty
Match it with the Evo The Therapist Hydrating Conditioner.
Helping to strengthen hair, prevent fading of colour, and reducing frizz, this sulfate-free shampoo will also add softness and shine. We’re super into the minimalist bottle and fun branding that’ll look cute in your shower, but more importantly, we love the way it harnesses the hydrating powers of glycerine, argan oil, and hydrolysed wheat protein (which reduces hair porosity and strengthens it from the inside out).
A reviewer gave it five stars and wrote, “Spectacular on dry and damaged hair. I noticed considerable difference in the softness and manageability after only two uses. Love it.”
Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo, $72 at Kiehl’s
Match it with the Kiehl’s Amino Acid Conditioner.
With a powerful blend of pure coconut oil, amino acids, hydrolysed wheat proteins and wheat starch, this is a gentle shampoo that’s suitable for all hair types – including dry – which means that it’s ideal for if you’ve got hair that needs hydration but you don’t want it to feel weighted down. It will cleanse and soften your hair while adding volume and shine, and its mild ingredients won’t irritate your scalp or dry out your hair. There’s a matching conditioner, too, if you want to complete the set.
“I have been using this for years now,” wrote one reviewer. “It’s mild enough to use everyday. Doesn’t dry out hair or make it heavy and limp”.
O&M Hydrate and Conquer Shampoo, $39.95 at Oz Hair & Beauty
Match it with the O&M Hydrate and Conquer Conditioner.
Specifically designed for dry hair, this hydrating shampoo from O&M is Australian made and sulfate-free.
Full of nourishing natural ingredients like green tea, vitamin C, sweet almond oil and antioxidants to help restore and make hair radiant.
It’s racked up an average rating of 4.2 out of five on the Adore Beauty website, with happy customers noting it’s “hydrating but not heavy” and noticing that their “hair is stronger”.
Kérastase Nutritive Irisome Bain Satin 1 Shampoo, $57 at Adore Beauy
Match it with the Kérastase Nutritive Lait Vital Conditioner for Dry Hair.
Designed for slightly dry and sensitised hair, this shampoo has a creamy texture and plenty of antioxidants to restore tresses.
Five star reviews on Adore Beauty say it is a “gorgeous product” that leaves hair “soft and shiny”.
Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo, $86 at Adore Beauty
Match it with the Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Conditioner.
This shampoo might be on the pricier side but it contains plenty of hero ingredients designed to help restore hair health and shine.
As well as Oribe‘s signature complex of watermelon, lychee and edelweiss flower, Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo has plant collagen, caffeine, biotin and niacinamide to help restore hair.
Mediterranean cypress extract and an amino acid complex helps to deeply moisturise hair, while argan oil adds shine, repairs damage and frizz.
WHAT INGREDIENTS SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN A SHAMPOO FOR DRY HAIR?
According to award-winning hairdresser at Raw Hair Sydney and editorial stylist, Anthony Nader, these are the top ingredients you want to find in a shampoo for thirsty hair:
• Argan Oil: “Extremely rich in tocopherols (vitamin E), essential fatty acids and antioxidants, this natural oil helps to nourish. Traditionally this is used for hair growth, which works a treat for unhealthy strands. But also this oil is vital for strands that need hydration and a boost of extra shine.”
• Shea Butter: “Soothing and moisturising, it provides a nourishing moisture to hair and scalp. Using a shampoo that has this ingredient in it helps the longevity and wellness of keeping your hair supple. It also injects a nice dose of shine.”
• Avocado: “This fruit is rich in proteins, amino acids and vitamins, and helps to promote long strong healthy hair growth. If you’re wanting a punch of vitamins … avocado will be your best friend.”
• Red Algae: “A natural moisturiser that protects the cuticle from dryness.”
• Naturally-derived sugars: “They act as an anti-dehydration shield to protect the integrity of the hair fibre.”
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE DRY HAIR?
“Ask your hairdresser,” Anthony recommends. He says it can be tricky to know for certain, especially if your hair is coloured, because it’s more likely to feel brittle.
“Do you have dull hair? Does your hair not perform the way it’s meant to? This means that your strands are lacking moisture,” he adds.
“The best way I can describe a strand of hair is like a leaf. In autumn and winter, the leaves lose their colour and even crumple into nothing because there’s no moisture. But come spring and summer, the leaves are green and supple – and that’s because they are hydrated.”
HOW CAN I HYDRATE MY DRY HAIR?
“Your hair is craving moisture, so feed it what it is screaming out for,” says Anthony. “Treat yourself to a weekly pamper and apply a deep conditioning treatment, like the MOROCCANOIL Intense Hydrating Mask. This restores and revitalises dull strands to brighter days ahead and gives highly coloured hair a revamp.”
WHAT’S THE BEST HAIR WASHING TECHNIQUE?
When it comes to the perfect wash technique, Anthony suggests being gentle with damaged or dry hair.
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“Although you may like to give your scalp and hair a good scrub-a-dub-dub, be mindful not to go too overboard here. This can cause hair breakage if your strands are weak from over colouring and your scalp prone to the sun’s rays,” he warns.
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