The 9 Very Best Shampoos for Color-Treated Hair (2024)

$30

Sulfate free | Color-protecting ingredients: Bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate (bond rebuilder) | Scent: Citrus | Size: 8.5 ounces

As a beauty writer, I have a rotating cast of shampoos — but for the past three years, Olaplex No. 4 has been a constant on my shelf. Although this product was originally intended for bleached hair, both colorist Patty O’Gara and stylist Fred Connors agree that Olaplex No. 4 is suitable for all hair types. That’s why it’s worked wonders for me, both when my home-bleached hair was on the brink of snapping off and now with my (albeit healthier) color-treated red hair. Olaplex is a bond builder — that means it doesn’t just make the hair appear healthier, it actually works to repair the bonds that make up the hair from within (for more on that, we have an explainer on bond builders here).

Olaplex is available as an in-salon treatment, and its at-home shampoo uses the same science to repair your hair (though the at-home formulation is not as strong). It contains patented Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, which is a molecule that repairs broken covalent bonds within the hair (they’re the bonds found in the cuticles of the hair.) All these benefits are aided by other hydrating ingredients like coconut oil, sunflower-seed oil, and glycerin.

For an additional boost of repair, O’Gara recommends pairing this with Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. Jacome agrees: “Olaplex No. 4 is intended to go hand in hand with the rest of the Olaplex bonding system.” (Olaplex is also a favorite of Strategist beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton, who relies on the No. 3 treatment to keep her double-processed hair healthy and happy.) It’s not cheap — it sits in the mid-range of shampoo prices — but you only need a coin-sized amount.

$10

Sulfate free | Color-protecting ingredients: Soybean oil | Scent: Rosy fresh | Size: 8 oz.

Olaplex was the first bond builder, but two new brands have emerged: K18 and Bondbar. While K18 and Bondbar are both featured in this story, Bondbar is the only budget option. “It’s cheap, and yet sort of a holy grail for what your hair needs: moisture balanced with protein,” says celebrity stylist Gregory Patterson. Unlike Olaplex (and K18), which target the covalent bonds of yourhair,Bondbar penetrates hydrogen and ionic bonds. Another difference is that it’s not really suited to everyday use: It can weigh hair down and be a bit too heavy on finer hair types. If you want to give bond building a go, though, this is a great budget option.

$33

Non–sulfate free | Color-protecting ingredients: UV protectant| Scent: Fruity | Size: 8.4 ounces |

As I mentioned, sulfates are powerful and stripping detergents, which can cause color to fade fast. But if you’re someone with oilier hair, you really benefit from the thorough cleansing power that they provide. That’s why I’ve included a sulfate option here. Brooke Jordan, co-owner of the Bird House, recommends it to her color-treated clients. To temper the harsher sulfates, Sachajuan uses what they call “OceanSilk technology,” which in layman’s terms is a mixture of two mineral-rich algae that nourish and provide moisture to the hair. Strategist writer Dominique Pariso tried and loved this shampoo last year. “When I got my hair highlighted in the fall, this was the shampoo I began using (after Sachajuan was kind enough to send it to me), and I can say with certainty that Jordan did not overpromise,” she says. “My color lasted for months and my hair looked great after each wash.”

$28

Sulfate free | Color-safe ingredients: Coconut surfactant, glycerin | Scent: Fresh | Size: 8 oz.

I recently named this shampoo my favorite overall for the most hair types. It doesn’t take the top spot here, as Olaplex’s bond-building formula is specifically designed for color-treated hair. But if you’re less concerned about breakage and more about dryness, or if you’re a double shampooer and looking to mix and match, Malin + Goetz is still a remarkable option. It cleanses gently with a coconut-derived surfactant and then quenches hair with its lovely lathering formula packed with glycerin. “I like the Malin and Goetz shampoo because it’s not 100 percent organic and it’s also not 100 percent chemical,” says Masami Hosono, founder and creative director of Vacancy Project. “It has both, and you really need both, especially if you have a color or anything chemical in your hair. It’s really for any hair type, and it’s not too heavy.”

$29

Sulfate free | Color-protecting ingredients: Amino acids, glycerin | Scent: Clean | Size: 8.5 ounces

If you’ve received both treatments at the salon, you’ll know that K18 works far quicker than Olaplex (an Olplaex treatment takes over an hour, whereas with a K18 treatment, you’ll be done in ten minutes). That mimics what the at-home shampoo promises: K18 say that with just one four-minute treatment with its shampoo, your hair will look visibly less frizzy and frazzled.Viera-Newton says that it’s a covalent-bond builder which is “incredibly expensive, but a tiny bit goes a long way, and my God, it works.” Tara Burke also recommends using K18 Maintenance shampoo. She says it gently cleanses even sensitive scalps and will quench hair without weighing it down or fading your color. The result, according to Burke, is frizz-prone hair that not only looks and feels better but is also easier to style. She points out two added perks: “a nice, clean scent and a nice lather.”

From $21

Non–sulfate free | Color-protecting ingredients: 10 oils, shea butter | Scent: Jasmine, bergamot, and sandalwood | Size: 9.8 oz.

This is my favorite shampoo for curly hair in our larger shampoo piece — and it retains its crown here. As curly hair types can trap oil at the root, the strands and tips can become dry and brittle, which is only exacerbated with color-treatment. That’s why you need a balance between sulfates and hydration: The sulfates will cleanse that oil buildup and then moisturizing ingredients will prevent any dryness. This shampoo from Tracee Ellis Ross’s hair-care line has precisely those — honey, aloe vera, and ten oils including coconut and avocado oil. “It’s really incredible,” says Stephanie Louis, the chief executive and operating officer of Stylebox Salon, who tells me it’s suitable for even very curly 3B to 4C hair.

$25

Sulfate free | Color-protecting ingredients: Green-tea extract, oat protein | Scent: Fresh | Size: 8.4 ounces

If you’ve got fine, limp hair, I understand you want volume just as much as you want to preserve your color. Kevin Murphy’s Angel Wash toes that line nicely. Instead of sulfates, it contains sodium cocoyl isethionate, a surfactant known as one of the most gentle cleansing agents. It also contains another surfactant that comes from coconuts, which has thickening properties. Vitamin C and green tea provide moisture and UV protection, which shields your color from the sun, while glycerin deeply moisturizes your hair. There’s also nourishing sunflower oil and rosehip oil, and wheat and oat proteins which forms a thickening film around color-damaged hair. Overall, this a great formula that has really been designed with both thinning and color-preserving properties in mind. Kevin Murphy shampoos also have some of the best scents (and bottles) too.

$16

Non-sulfate free | Scent: Floral| Size: 16 oz. | Color-protecting ingredients: Purple-depositing pigment

Anyone with bleached blonde hair knows you want to avoid brassy tones at all costs — and the solution is turning to the color wheel. Purple tones neutralize yellow and orange ones, and Clairol Shimmer Lights shampoo is my cheap and cheerful pick. It’s the one that Mary Ann Hennings — hair-department head on Daisy Jones and the Six — used on Suki Waterhouse. She said that it works fast, brightening hair with just a couple of uses. It also has plenty of the other stuff you want to clean your dyed hair, namely nourishing vegetable protein, and deeply cleansing sulfate surfactants.

$25

Sulfate free | Color-protecting ingredients: Blue depositing pigment | Scent: Citrus | Size: 3.38 ounces

To turn to the color wheel again, blue tones are best to neutralize the brassiness in brunette hair — this brassiness doesn’t need to be lightened as much as with bleached blonde hair. O’Gara typically tells her clients to wash once a week with a toning shampoo to “stay ahead of the brass that will naturally set in as the oxidation process unfolds in between color services.” She loves Fanola No Orange, a blue pigmented shampoo for brunettes struggling with unwanted orange tones. “One to two applications should subtly tone the hair, extending the life of those pricey highlights,” she adds. But it’s best to use such shampoos no more than once a week, as excessive use can not only dry the hair but cause an overload of purple or blue pigment that leaves the intended color looking drab.