The 12 Very Best Shampoos for Color-Treated Hair

What we’re looking for

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

I recently named this shampoo my favorite overall for the most hair types. It doesn’t take the top spot here, as Kérastase’s formula is specifically designed for color-treated hair. But if dryness is your main concern, or if you’re a double shampooer and looking to mix and match, Malin + Goetz is a great 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 + 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.”

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

As I mentioned, sulfates are powerful and stripping detergents that can cause color to fade fast. But if you’re someone with oilier hair, you really benefit from the thorough cleansing power 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 it calls “Ocean Silk 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.”

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

Olaplex No. 4 is a bond-building product. 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). It also contains other hydrating ingredients like coconut and sunflower-seed oil and glycerin, which are particularly beneficial to severely bleach- and color-damaged hair. It used to be available exclusively 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).

For an additional boost of repair, colorist Patty O’Gara recommends pairing this with Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. Jenny Jacome, partner at Fox and Jane, 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-size amount.

However, while Olaplex is great at what it does, it’s not the best option for everybody, as not all hair is damaged enough to need it. “Ninety percent of clients do not need that type of bond repair. Just because your hair is dry does not mean that you’re losing your bonds and your hair is going to snap off,” says Bellemare. “If you were severely coloring your hair, then yes: Use it. But if you’re just getting highlights, it’s probably too much.” If your bleached hair is brittle, and you’re noticing a lot of breakage, Olaplex could be a good option to rescue your hair. If not, you probably don’t need it — and this applies to the other bond builders I mention in this story, too.

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

Olaplex was the first bond builder, but new brands offering the same are emerging every month. Bondbar is unique, though, as it’s the only real 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 which targets the covalent bonds of your hair, 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.

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

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, and Clairol Shimmer Lights shampoo is my cheap and cheerful pick. It’s the one Mary Ann Hennings — hair-department head on Daisy Jones and the Six — used on Suki Waterhouse. She said 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.

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

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, 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. “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.

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 that 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, rosehip oil, and wheat and oat proteins to form a thickening film around color-damaged hair. Overall, this a great formula that has been designed with both thickening and color-preserving properties in mind. Kevin Murphy shampoos also have some of the best scents (and bottles).

Sulfate free | Scent: Fruity | Size: 10.1 ounces | Color-protecting ingredients: Amino-ions

This shampoo is a multitasker: It makes my hair feel and look good, while also extending the life of my color. Trawling through Reddit boards, this was the suggestion that came up most often — then, when I interviewed hairstylist Tara Sullivan, she endorsed the choice. She says she prefers it to depositing shampoos as, in her experience, those can actually dull hair over time, whereas this formula “removes impurities that darken or dull your color.” She also adds that it has “a nice floral scent.” I used this a lot last summer, and it let me extend the length of time between my red hair masks (which I was just too busy to do weekly). Sullivan told me it’s also a great option for other brighter colors, like pinks, greens, and blues.

Sulfate free | Scent: lavender, bergamot, and patchouli | Size: 9 ounces | Color-protecting ingredients: AntiFade complex

It’s common knowledge among those who color their hair that the more you wash it, the faster it fades. But sometimes lifestyle, workouts, and hair type require you to shampoo often. That’s why this lighter version of Pureology’s best-selling Hydrate shampoo works well if you’re washing daily — or at least more than a couple of times a week. The sulfate-free formula is gentle enough for frequent use and hydrating enough to keep color-treated hair from feeling dry. Plus, the brand’s AntiFade complex minimizes color loss from each wash by keeping the cuticle smooth and intact, protecting dye from escaping too quickly.

Sulfate free | Scent: spearmint, green fig, wet grass Size: 10 ounces | Color-protecting ingredients: gentle surfactants and conditioning agents

A few years ago, I had fresh blonde highlights when I went to my dermatologist for a routine skin check. While checking my scalp, she said, “You have some flakes,” and wrote me a prescription for an antifungal and a tar-based shampoo. I knew I was a little flaky, but I was avoiding my usual OTC anti-dandruff treatment to protect my fresh color. I didn’t fill it out of fear they’d be too harsh for my color, but I needed something to get the flakes under control. That’s when I discovered this Ouai shampoo. It’s safe for color-treated hair and gently exfoliates the scalp with 2 percent salicylic acid. I used it twice a week. It reduced the flakes without stripping or changing my color.