How to find the best shampoo for your hair type

Gone are the days when you could just pick up any old shampoo on your supermarket shop. If you want your hair soft and shiny like a, well, shampoo ad (and who doesn’t?) then just like any beauty product, you’ve got to find the one best tailored to your needs.

How to work out your hair type

The first step is identifying your major hair concern. Coloured hair is obviously easy to identify, as is whether your hair is thick or thin. Curly hair will tend to be drier and if you’ve got dry skin, then you’re more likely to have dry hair. If your hair tends to look greasy by day two after a hair wash, or it constantly looks dull and lifeless, then you’ve got oily hair.

Still confused? Try the tissue test. Wipe a tissue on the scalp two days after washing. If there’s an oil mark, you’ve got normal hair. If it’s blank, your hair is dry and if your strands are sticking together, then you’ve got oily hair.

Pick your shampoo

Not sure where to start? Whether your hair is dry, oily, fine or damaged from repeated colouring, we’ve got the best shampoo to suit your locks. Your hair will thank you for it.

OILY

So your shampoo is leaving your hair greasy. The solution is to get one that’s not as hydrating, right? Wrong. Using a shampoo that completely strips hair of moisture and oil will actually only make things worse, as it will stimulate your scalp to produce even more sebum, resulting in more oil. We know, it’s cruel. Muk Oily Scalp Shampoo is specially formulated to avoid this, gently eliminating scalp oil yet still controlling sebum production. It nourishes dry ends and is fine to use on coloured hair too.

DRY

Whether it’s the treatment, texture or the climate causing hair to look and feel dry, it’s screaming out for hydration. You want to stay away from clarifying or paraben and silicone-rich shampoos which will only cause build up in your hair. Instead choose one that’s packed full of moisturising oils or antioxidants that will prevent the hair from losing any more moisture. Kevin Murpy Hydrate Me Wash is just the ticket. It’s sulphate and paraben free and leaves hair looking shiny and feeling silky.

FINE

When you’ve got fine hair, you want volume but that often comes at a price - too much product which makes hair feel heavy. Look for a shampoo that’s free of sulfates which will keep hair soft and weightless. De Lorenzo Instant Accentu8 Shampoo invigorates fine hair thanks to Baobab protein and seaweed but doesn’t weigh it down.

COLOURED

Coloured hair needs special care. Specifically formulated shampoos won’t strip the colour as normal ones do and will maintain your colour and also keep it shiny and hydrated. Goldwell Kerasilk Colour Shampoo, is formulated with keratin and tamanu oil, and gently cleanses hair while preventing colour fading.

Did you love this post? There's so much where that came from! Read all about our latest products including the natural Axilla deodorant paste and the Milkshake whipped cream mousse and get the lowdown on the 2019 hair clip trend on the Oz Hair & Beauty blog.