Whether you're a blonde, brunette or redhead, keep your dye job from fading with these top picks.
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Your latest dye job doesn't simply end once you leave the salon — using a top-rated shampoo that's intended for color-treated hair is key to keeping your shade fresh and vibrant, whether it's brunette, black, blonde, red or an even bolder hue (hello, purple and rose gold!).
To put together this list of the best shampoos for colored hair, we consulted our beauty editors and beauty scientists in the Good Housekeeping Institute for their top-tested picks, as well as professional hair stylists.
Shampoos of any kind are designed to clean away oil and dirt, and color-protecting formulas use the same basic cleansing ingredients but also aim to minimize the amount of dye that runs down the drain each time you wash. Not only do color-safe shampoos work to preserve your dye job, but they also help mask any damage by making strands feel softer and smoother too
At the end of this guide, you can read more about how we test color-safe shampoos. If you're looking for more top-rated shampoos, check out our guides to the best custom shampoos for a personalized wash, volumizing shampoos for fine hair and the best shampoos for blue hair and grey hair. Plus, consult our round-up of best at-home hair color products you can buy, like hair bonding treatments and root touch-up products.
Keep your 'do from fading fast with the Tresemmé shampoo and matching conditioner that best helped retain color in the GH Beauty Lab's most recent test — the pair was also the consumer tester favorite. Though a sulfate formula, hair samples showed the least color change after 20 washes and 10 hours of UV exposure in Lab evaluations. Plus, this color-safe drugstore duo was the most affordable option we tested. Made with frizz-smoothing keratin and marula oil, the formula had testers saying it "felt creamy and rich like expensive salon-quality products."
A GH Beauty Lab go-to, this bargain-price sulfate-free L'Oréal Paris formula is made to both preserve color and soften strands. In a consumer study, the majority of women who used the shampoo and matching conditioner found that it helped hair color stay "pure" after four weeks of use, Lab data evaluation found. Just note that some online reviewers who have damaged hair found it drying.
This reasonably priced protein-infused shampoo and its conditioner counterpart from Nexxus win the praises of color pros thanks to its ability to remove product buildup without stripping color. "It prevents fading on any color-treated hair and maintains hair health," says New York City colorist Patrick Kyle. One Amazon reviewer wrote that it takes a decent amount of shampoo to get a good lather, however.
From a brand created specifically for color care, this Pureology shampoo and its conditioner formulations contain proteins and botanical oils to fortify and nourish dry, damaged strands. "I couldn't believe how soft and lush my hair felt after using these, even right after it was bleached," marvels GH's beauty director April Franzino. The shampoo comes with a higher price tag, though we think the hefty amount of product keeps this at a good value.
Dry, brittle ends are a risk you take with dye jobs. Thankfully, Davine's NouNou shampoo aims to deeply nourish dehydrated hair while offering a "rich, creamy lather," according to celebrity hairstylist Clariss Rubenstein. Color-treated (especially bleached) hair tends to oxidize more than non-color-treated hair. Given that, Rubenstein says properly nourished, hydrated and moisturized hair helps color oxidize less. She recommends Davines because it makes hair feel "cared for, clean and not stripped of any natural oil."
RELATED: 18 Best Shampoos for Dry Hair, According to Experts
If you're on the search for shampoo for colored hair, opt for this stylist favorite. Celebrity colorist and Matrix brand ambassador Rachel Bodt recommends the My Blonde collection to all her clients who have gotten any sort of chemical lightening service, not just blondes. "Unbreak My Blonde is a three-part, shampoo, conditioning and leave-in treatment, meant to revive hair damaged by chemical lightening — leaving hair soft and shiny." The only con: an Ulta reviewer who has fine, thin hair says it felt too heavy and hydrating.
Created by the gold standard anti-dandruff brand, this Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner created for color-treated hair both contain the flake-fighting active ingredient pyrithione zinc. "Not only is dandruff at bay, [but] my hair is [also] shiny, smooth and smells wonderful!" reports one reviewer. Adding nourishment to the equation, the formula combines manuka honey and argan oil. However, online reviewers with curly hair — kinky textures, especially — noted that it wasn't as effective at detangling.
RELATED: 11 Best Dandruff Shampoos to Fight Flakes and Itching
Great for keeping her highlighted hair looking fresh, Franzino also enjoys this color-safe shampoo for how well it leaves her hair feeling clean but not dehydrated. "Plus, the scent is amazing and makes showering feel luxurious!" she adds about its peachy smell with tropical notes. Paired with its companion conditioner, the brand claims that the duo gently cleanses colored hair. That said, some shoppers had trouble getting it to lather well, which led to shampooing twice for a more satisfying cleanse.
To keep hair color from fading, O'Connor turns to this pair from Goldwell, a collection specially tailored to smooth strands. If you want to make coarse or textured hair silky, she says the shampoo and conditioner are infused with keratin to add extra smoothness and shine. Oily hair types: It's worth keeping in mind that a few online reviewers reported that it left a greasy residue behind.
Keep color protection top of mind with a shampoo that celebrity hairstylist Michael Dueñas raves "helps strengthen the hair internally and closes the cuticle, ensuring that your color lasts longer with less fading." The castor oil ingredient leaves hair feeling incredibly soft and shiny, he adds. It's "also gentle with cleansing and retains your hair's natural moisture, ensuring you don’t strip away your artificial color," says Dueñas. While online reviewers enjoyed the formula, one added that it dried out their hair slightly.
For a luxe sulfate-free option that increases vibrancy, check out Shu Uemura's color-protecting shampoo and conditioner, recommended by Meri Kate O'Connor, a colorist at Cooper Salon in West Hollywood, CA. "These have refining lipids that help to protect the cortex of the hair, where the color goes, so your shade lasts longer — and hair is left shiny and soft," she explains. Those with dry scalps reported online that it felt less moisturizing, so oily hair types may benefit more.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab tests shampoos for colored hair alongside each brand's matching conditioners, putting the pairs through a number of rigorous evaluations to see how well they perform. During our most recent test, Lab scientists prescreened over 160 shampoo and conditioner duos, narrowing them down to the top 10 formulas.
In the Lab, our chemists performed repeated fade-resistance testing on human hair swatches to mimic real-world conditions, including shampooing, conditioning, blow-drying and repeated exposure to UV light. They also distributed the label-masked shampoos and conditioners to consumer testers around the country, who used the products for two weeks, then evaluated the product's attributes, the look of their color and the feel of their hair after use.
✔️ Opt for strengthening ingredients. Look for ingredients like citric acid, which strengthens bonds weakened from the hair-lightening process. Bodt recommends Matrix Unbreak My Blonde collection for its ability to revive damaged hair.
✔️ Look for "sulfate-free" formulas. Sulfates sud the hair and cause pigment loss, says Bodt. When you have heavily bleached hair you will want to incorporate something that has a bonding treatment or protein and moisture.
Jacqueline Saguin covers all things beauty and beyond for the GH Institute. Before GH, she worked on Insider's style and beauty reviews vertical, where she evaluated skincare, makeup, haircare and more. She flexes her research and reporting skills by working closely with the experts in the Beauty Lab to put together product reviews on the very best haircare out there, according to consumer and Lab testing.
For this article, she also worked with Good Housekeeping's beauty director, April Franzino, who has over a decade of experience translating the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab's rigorous product testing into compelling, factually accurate editorial.
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.
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