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The Best Shampoos & Conditioners For Dry Hair
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Dry hair requires a delicate touch when cleansing and conditioning, so the best shampoos and conditioners for dry hair tend to be creamy, rich, and made with nourishing oils that restore hydration and provide an overall softening effect. Typically, people with dry hair find it best to stick to sulfate-free formulas, because sulfates, with their overly effective lathering and sudsing abilities, can be too stripping for hair that’s in need of more — not less — moisture. Beyond that, you’ll want to pick the shampoo and conditioner that works for your budget and your hair type — for example, there are picks below for dry hair that’s fine, curly, color-treated, and more.
To keep your hair from getting even more dry when in the shower, focus on shampooing your scalp rather than the entire length of your hair. (Don’t worry: The rest of your hair will still get cleansed when you rinse.) You can further shield your hair from further dryness and damage by using heat protectants before styling it with hot tools, and when you can, let your hair air dry instead of using a blowdryer.
Below, you’ll find six sulfate-free shampoos and their matching conditioners, which work together to gently cleanse dry hair while adding back much-needed moisture. Scroll on to see (and shop) them all.
1. The Overall Best Budget Shampoo & Conditioner For Dry Hair
As far as drugstore shampoos and conditioners for dry hair go, L’Oreal EverCreme duo is a very solid pick. The sulfate-free set uses apricot oil as its hero ingredient, and both products work together to leave dry hair feeling hydrated and soft. It’s a great value, too — you get two 8.5-ounce bottles for less than $15.
2. The Overall Best Luxury Shampoo & Conditioner For Dry Hair
Moroccanoil’s hydrating shampoo and conditioner are made with argan oil, a nutrient-rich ingredient that effectively moisturizes, softens, and protects dry hair. These products also contain other nourishing ingredients like vitamin E and red algae, and they boast Moroccanoil’s iconic fragrance — a warm, spicy blend of amber, musk, and florals with just a hint of sweetness. Beauty experts and hair professionals alike are known to be obsessed with Moroccanoil’s line of hydrating products, especially for those with dry, coarse, and even damaged hair.
3. The Best Shampoo & Conditioner For Type 4 Curls
To the rescue of people with dry hair and Type 4 curls comes this shampoo and conditioner duo from Mielle Organics’ pomegranate and honey line. The shampoo, with its pomegranate seed oil, honey, babassu oil, glycerin, and silk and wheat proteins, gently cleanses dry hair while providing detangling and smoothing benefits — a huge plus before you even get to the conditioning step.
The leave-in conditioner (yes, it’s a leave-in!), which is made with many of the same deeply nourishing ingredients, as well as murumuru butter, will further detangle and moisturize your hair without weighing your curls down. And though these products are ideal for Type 4 curls, anyone with any curly or wavy hair type can (and should) use this amazing shampoo and conditioner. Bonus points for both bottles being designed with handy pump-top dispensers.
4. The Best Shampoo & Conditioner For Color-Treated Hair
I can personally attest to Pureology’s ability to infuse dry, color-treated hair with added moisture, and my editor swears by the brand’s products, too. Their Hydrate shampoo and conditioner are ideal for dry, color-treated hair that’s on the thicker side (if you have finer hair that easily gets weighed down, you may prefer the brand’s ‘Hydrate Sheer’ shampoo and conditioner).
The key to the brand’s products is their Antifade Complex, which helps keep dyed and highlighted hair looking fresh between salon visits. Additionally, this sulfate-free set is made with jojoba oil, green tea, and sage, a combo that provides intense nourishment and hydration to dried-out, chemically processed hair.
You can buy both travel-size and jumbo bottles of these products, too.
5. The Best Unscented Shampoo & Conditioner For Dry Hair & Sensitive Skin
If you have sensitive or allergy-prone skin, FRAGFRE’s extra-gentle shampoo and conditioner, which is made without fragrance, parabens, sulfates, alcohols, and preservatives, is worthy of your attention. Unlike a lot of other, fragrance-free hair products that tend to be spartan in their approach, this duo doesn’t skimp on the moisture, making it a great choice for people with dry hair and sensitive skin or scalps. At just over $30 for two large, 12-ounce bottles, it’s a decent value, too.
