17 Best Drugstore Shampoos Approved By Trichologists In 2024

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When you spend so much time, money, and effort on your hair, including cutting, coloring, and chemical treatments, it makes sense that you use the most expensive shampoo to take care of your mane. But the best drugstore shampoos with high-quality ingredients can also give you the same benefits while keeping you safe from the effects of harsh and harmful chemicals.

You don’t always have to splurge on expensive high-end shampoos to keep your hair healthy and nourished. There are plenty of good drugstore shampoos made with the best ingredients that offer the same benefits. They keep your hair shiny, healthy and nourished. Here is our review of some cosmetologist-approved drugstore brand shampoos that you can trust to work wonders for your crowning glory.

17 Best Drugstore Shampoos For Every Hair Type In 2024

1. Best Overall: Nizoral Ketoconazole Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

Get your hair clean and dandruff-free with this powerful drugstore shampoo that prevents scaling, flaking, and itching caused by dandruff. This salon-tested clean shampoo is extremely gentle and contains ketoconazole 1%, which is known to be ten times more effective in removing dandruff than the active ingredients in other dandruff shampoos. Ideal for gray, chemically-treated, and colored hair, you need to use it just twice a week in between your regular shampoos. It has a rich, thick lather that leaves your hair smelling clean and fresh. This seven-ounce bottle starts showing visible results after the very first use, as it gets to the root of the problem and kills the fungus that causes dandruff. This video will provide you with added insights about Nizoral Ketoconazole Anti-Dandruff Shampoo.

2. Best Frizz Eliminates Shampoo: Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

This wonderful 8.5-ounce shampoo is one of the best drugstore shampoos that repairs, strengthens, and hydrates all hair types, and is highly moisturizing, leaving your hair shiny, manageable, and healthier with every use. The color-safe shampoo reduces breakage, maintains and repairs bonds within the hair, and eliminates flyaway and frizzy hair, making it a recommended product of hair health experts.

Its result-driven ingredient, bis-aminopropyl dimaleate, works on a molecular level to repair broken and damaged bonds caused by thermal, chemical, and mechanical damage. This tested drugstore shampoo contains no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, gluten, DEA, aldehydes, formaldehyde, or phosphates and is a safe choice for all hair types. Take a look at this review video to know more about the frizzy hair shampoo.

3. Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo

True to its name, this six-ounce bottle of one of the best drugstore shampoos heals your scalp of conditions like a flaky, itchy scalp and redness and gives lasting relief from chronic seborrheic dermatitis, scalp psoriasis, and common dandruff. This medicated, dermatologist-recommended sensitive skin shampoo contains Neutar technology with one-percent coal tar extract that heals your scalp for hours after use. Its extra-strong and effective formula with added conditioners cleanses your hair gently and leaves it beautifully soft and manageable. Its effect is visible after just one use and can be used once a week. Here’s a review video summarizing the features of this scalp care shampoo.

4. Best Anti-Hair Loss Shampoo: Pura D’or Biotin Original Gold Label Anti-Thinning Shampoo & Conditioner Set

Known to reduce the thinning of hair, this drugstore shampoo and conditioner with a plant-based formula are packed with 17 herbal DHT ingredients. It makes the hair fuller and thicker after just a few applications and helps prevent breakage, making it a nice addition to your hair care routine. It’s a powerhouse of essential vitamins which hydrate the scalp and make your hair more manageable by reducing dryness and brittleness.

It is enriched with active and clean ingredients such as biotin, argan oil, nettle extract, saw palmetto, red Korean seaweed, black cumin seed, aloe vera, and tea tree oil. The professional-grade ingredients of this hypoallergenic shampoo reduce damage caused by external factors, cleanse the scalp, strengthen the hair, and improve the overall health of your hair.

5. Best Paraben-Free Shampoo: Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo

There is nothing to beat the luxurious lather, refreshing scent, and pleasant moisturizing experience of this gentle shampoo. It contains Hawaiian awapuhi in its formula, which helps to prevent moisture loss, thoroughly cleanses your hair, and removes dullness by removing residue build-up. The shampoo and conditioner have a lovely cucumber melon fragrance with subtle floral notes of water flower and violet.

This 10.14-ounce bottle of shampoo is suitable for all hair types, including colored hair, fine hair, and static-prone hair, and its gentle cleansing makes it perfect for everyday use. It contains special conditioners and plant-based ingredients like aloe vera, jojoba, white ginger, rosemary, and algae extract for visible results. This versatile vegan shampoo can also double up as a luxurious body wash.

6. Best Paraben Free-Shampoo: Avalon Organics Therapy Thickening Shampoo

Get ready to have lustrous tresses with this special formula drugstore shampoo for hair growth that has a perfect blend of biotin B-complex, quinoa protein, saw palmetto, and vitamin E. This 32-ounce bottle of shampoo not only cleanses your hair, it also nourishes it from root to tip and strengthens it. It adds volume and body to thinning hair— thanks to the essential oils and organic botanicals. The tried-and-tested formula deeply conditions the entire hair shaft, leaving it thicker and softer, making it a popular choice among haircare experts. With no animal testing, this EWG-certified organic shampoo contains non-GMO ingredients and has absolutely no parabens, synthetic colors, harsh preservatives, phthalates, or fragrances.

7. Best OI Shampoo For All Hair Types : Davines OI Shampoo

This incredible healthy drugstore shampoo is formulated to give you glossy, shiny hair which is soft, silky, and hydrated. Infused with roucou oil that is rich in antioxidants and beta-carotene, as well as sunflower seed oil and vitamin E, it makes your hair strong and healthy. This hydrating and gentle shampoo is made from naturally sourced ingredients and is free of parabens and sulfates, so it will not dry out or damage your hair but instead keeps it soft and detangled. This nourishing shampoo comes in a 9.47-ounce bottle and is suitable for all hair types, including colored hair.

8. Best Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair : Hempz Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon Herbal Volumizing Shampoo

This color-treated hair shampoo for hair loss is a powerhouse of herbal and natural ingredients like pure hemp seed oil and is efficient at revitalizing and volumizing colored, chemically treated, and thinning hair. Formulated without chemicals, hemp oil is blended along with shea butter, honey melon, and pineapple concentrates that repair your hair.

The combination of antioxidants and the protein in hemp stimulates an anti-frizz and humidity barrier. Available in a 33.8-ounce bottle, this shampoo for thinning hair cleanses it gently and gives your hair more body, bounce, and fullness. It features a candied pineapple and melon scent that keeps your hair smelling fresh with a tropical fragrance. The volumizing shampoo can be used on all hair types and by both men and women.

9. Best Anti-Frizz Shampoo: Redken Frizz Dismiss Shampoo

You can say goodbye to annoying frizziness forever with this anti-frizz drugstore shampoo that is extremely gentle on your hair and has a sodium chloride and sulfate-free formula. The unique one-percent smoothing complex of this salon-quality product features sustainably sourced babassu oil as its main ingredient, which offers all-day humidity protection and enhances smoothness and glossiness. With several positive reviews, it comes in a 1000 ml bottle and does a great job of taming your hair.

10. Best Shampoo For Daily Use: Amika Normcore Signature Shampoo

If you have been pining for soft, shiny, and hydrated hair, this everyday drugstore shampoo is just the answer to your prayers with its lightweight formula infused with vitamins and antioxidants. Its foamy lather cleanses and hydrates your hair, leaving it fresh, light, and enriched with vitamins and antioxidants. This shampoo contains coconut acid that offers excellent lathering and conditioning, as well as sea buckthorn berry that hydrates, nourishes, and protects your hair, and leaves it with a wonderful fragrance.

It is also packed with 190 biologically active compounds that include vitamins A, C, and E, and high concentrations of omega 7 that comes from the superfruit sea buckthorn berry. This sulfate-free shampoo has been scientifically formulated and is extremely safe for keratin-treated and Brazilian-treated hair. It is also free of artificial colorants, mineral oil, MIT/MCIT, and petrochemicals.

11. Best Dry Scalp Relief:Baebody Tea Tree Oil Shampoo

If you are suffering from dry hair, dandruff, and an itchy scalp, this shampoo is exactly what you need. This 16-ounce bottle of shampoo removes impurities from the hair and scalp and revives its natural gloss. Tea tree oil is an essential oil that has a soothing and healing effect on your scalp and removes dandruff. The restorative formula of this natural shampoo contains ingredients like argan oil, almond oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, camellia seed oil, avocado oil, hyaluronic acid, retinol, activated charcoal, and botanical keratin. This drugstore shampoo is also paraben-free, sulfate-free, and suitable for most hair types.

12. Best Oil Control Champion:Batiste Dry Shampoo

This innovative, safe drugstore shampoo comes in a pack of three bottles, each containing 6.73 ounces, and rejuvenates your hair, leaving it fresh and clean. This multi-award-winning dry shampoo ensures that you always have a great hair day and gets rid of the excess oil in your hair between regular shampoo days. You no longer have to worry about whether you have time to wash your hair or not, as the innovative formula of this dry shampoo ensures that your hair always looks clean and freshly shampooed with added texture and body.

13. Best Scalp Hydration Expert:LivSo Moisturizing Shampoo

The dermatologist-tested product is one of the best drugstore shampoos infused with naturally derived ingredients, moisturizing your scalp and hair. It is scientifically formulated for damaged and dry hair, textured or curly hair, and an itchy and flaky scalp. It is packed with nutrients and contains coconut oil to reduce follicle breakage and offer natural, protective hydration to the hair and scalp. It also contains glycolic acid and alpha-hydroxy acid, which are exfoliating, cleansing agents that help unclog pores and treat dry, flaky scalp, and xylitol, which has natural anti-yeast and anti-fungal properties. Its fresh-smelling lather has subtle hints of lemongrass which leaves you with a moisturized and cleansed feeling.

14. Best Detangling Elixir:Pantene Shampoo Daily Moisture Renewal For Dry Hair

The hydrating Pantene shampoo can help moisturize your dry and color-treated hair. It is infused with antioxidants and Pro-V nutrients to fight damage and moisturize the hair from the root to the tips. Its formula has a rich lather that washes and nourishes the scalp for enhanced hair growth. In addition, the hair product also makes the detangling process easy and leaves an attractive sheen on the strands. The vitamin-infused formula with double the nutrient value can help revitalize your dull hair strands for a healthy, nourished look.

15. Best Pea Protein:Phillip Adam Shampoo

The natural drugstore shampoo contains no harsh chemicals like sulfates, parabens, silicones, harsh preservatives, phthalates, and dyes. This professional-grade sulfate-free shampoo comes with a result-driven formulation and is infused with pea protein and nourishing botanical ingredients for healthy, beautiful, and shiny hair. You will have squeaky clean hair as this shampoo effectively cleanses your scalp and hair of all residue and toxins. The apple cider vinegar in its formula reduces frizz, controls static electricity in hair, and gives you shiny, smooth hair. This fragrance-free shampoo also prevents dandruff and balances the pH of your scalp and hair. It’s suitable for all hair types, including colored hair and sensitive skin.

16. Best Coconut Oil Infusion:Monday Haircare Moisture Shampoo

You can say goodbye to all your hair woes with this thoughtfully formulated shampoo for dry and damaged hair, which gently cleanses, nourishes, and soothes your hair. It doesn’t matter whether your hair is colored, chemically, or thermally treated, it ensures that your hair stays smooth and glossy. It’s enriched with coconut oil, which is packed with nutritious fatty acids and prevents protein loss, as well as gluten-free hydrolyzed rice protein that boosts collagen production, making it a favorite of many hair health experts. This dermatologically tested 887 ml drugstore shampoo is a vegan and cruelty-free product and is also free of damaging parabens and SLS. It comes packed in a pretty pink recyclable plastic bottle and uses minimal recyclable paper and cardboard.

17. Best Vegan Solution:Jupiter Balancing Shampoo

One of the best sulfate-free drugstore shampoos that you can hope for, it contains zinc pyrithione as its active ingredient and is rated by Vogue as the Best Dandruff Shampoo. This dry scalp shampoo gets to the root of the problem and instantly alleviates symptoms like flaking, irritation, and itchy scalp. This medicated scalp cleanser also contains decylene glycol, coconut oil, and algae extract and is devoid of harmful substances like parabens, phthalates, and dyes.

The safe and clean formula of this drugstore shampoo prevents white flakes on your head and shoulders and soothes the scalp. This vegan and cruelty-free clean shampoo has a natural fragrance with a hint of vanilla, mint, sage rosemary, lavender, and tangerine. It is safe for all hair types, including chemically treated and colored hair, and is known to reduce hair breakage by 30%.

How To Choose The Right Drugstore Shampoos?

Here are a few pointers you should keep in mind when choosing a drugstore shampoo to get beautiful and lustrous tresses.

1. Ingredients: This is the very first thing you need to check when choosing a good drugstore shampoo. It should be enriched with hair strengthening and nourishing ingredients like proteins, wheat germ, shea butter, coconut or jojoba oils, glycerin, dimethicone, and avocado oil to name a few.Avoid shampoos with damaging ingredients such as sulfates, sodium chloride, surfactants, alcohol, and parabens.

Sulfates cause the shampoo to lather, but they should be avoided if you have given your hair a color treatment, as they cause the color to fade. UV filters also contribute to keeping your hair vibrant between your visits to the salon. It’s a good idea to check the pH level of the shampoo, which should be between 5.5 and 7, as it affects the moisture retention of your scalp. A lower pH, which is acidic, helps to seal the cuticle, which results in shinier, softer, and less damaged hair.

2. Hair type: Opt for a shampoo that is especially formulated for wavy, curly, or straight hair as the moisturizer levels will be more appropriate depending on your hair type. A volumizing shampoo is what you need if you have fine, wispy hair, while a protein-rich shampoo is perfect to restore damaged hair.

Curly hair and textured hair do well with softening pre-wash treatments, leave-in conditioners, and co-washing options. Also, you need to get a different shampoo depending on whether your scalp is dry, oily, or normal. If you have dandruff or an itchy scalp, you should opt for a dermatologist-recommended shampoo. Any shampoo that you choose should boost hydration, moisture, and smoothening of your hair.

3. Shampoo for colored hair: If you have colored hair, opt for a shampoo that’s specifically designed for such hair–the ingredients should be gentle and help preserve hair color. The hair shaft can get weakened as a result of coloring or chemical treatment, and protein-based shampoos with ingredients like silk amino acids, soy extracts, and wheat extracts. Hair that has undergone frequent treatments tends to have oily roots and dry ends, so the best shampoo to use would be for normal hair. Precious Rutlin, a licensed cosmetologist, says, “Avoid shampoos with harsh chemicals, like sulfates, that open up the hair cuticles and lead to color fading. Moreover, look for shampoos that can reverse the effect of hard water on colored hair. Hard water tends to strip the color quickly, resulting in rapid fading. Also, moisturize your hair well and use suitable conditioners and hair masks.”

4. Other options: You should always keep dry shampoo handy for times that you can’t wash your hair to create different hairstyles and texture. Also, keep switching the formula of your shampoo—a good clarifying shampoo can be used every now and then for a deep cleanse. However, before switching the formula, talk to a hair care expert.

Why Trust MomJunction?

Poulami Nag is a hair and skincare enthusiast and product reviewer who conducts extensive research on the products she recommends by analyzing their user reviews and specifications. She has compiled this list of the best drugstore shampoos for all hair types based on factors such as ingredients and moisturization. She has also created a buying guide to help you make an informed decision.

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