15 best shampoos for coloured hair for longer lasting pigment
Whether you colour your hair yourself or have it done in the salon, the best shampoo for coloured hair is an absolute must in your haircare regime (as any hairdresser will tell you). Dying your hair can be a costly and timely pursuit, meaning protecting it should be considered a top priority.
While many shampoos are suitable for coloured hair, it's crucial to spy out the ones that will specifically look after your new hue, from scalp to ends. Not only do you want to protect colour from fading or being stripped; you can also enhance what you already have in terms of potency and shine. Your hair routine starts in the shower, so there's no better place than there to protect and boost.
“It is so important to make sure you're using the correct hair shampoo to keep your colour looking fresh and vibrant while also cleansing the scalp,” renowned colourist and Wella Professionals UK colour trend expert Zoë Irwin stresses.
The best shampoos for coloured hair at a glance:
- Best shampoo for dry, coloured hair: Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo 250ml
- Best affordable shampoo for coloured hair: L'Oréal Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo 400ml
- Best for preventing fade: Aveda Colour Conserve Shampoo 250ml
- Best for blonde coloured hair: Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo 200ml
Best Amazon Prime Day deals on shampoo for coloured hair:
- COLOR WOW Color Security Shampoo, WAS £21.50 NOW £16.09
- L’Oréal Professionnel Shampoo, With Resveratrol for Coloured Hair, WAS £16.50 NOW £9.64
- TIGI Bed Head Colour Goddess Shampoo and Conditioner Set, WAS £31.50 NOW £12.99
- L’Oréal Professionnel Metal Detox Shampoo, WAS £26.50 NOW £11.47
- Pureology Hydrate Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner Duo Set, WAS £45.55 NOW £32.04
- TIGI Bed Head Dumb Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner Set, WAS £31.50 NOW £12.99
Meet the experts:
- Zoë Irwin, renowned colourist and Wella Professionals UK colour trend expert.
- Justin Anderson, celebrity colourist to the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Margot Robbie, and co-founder of dpHUE.
What to look for in a shampoo for coloured hair:
We know that the best shampoo is one of the foundation blocks of a good hair routine, so what should you look for on the bottle to ensure your formulation will provide colour protection specifically? “You want to make sure that the product clearly states that it's a colour protecting or colour-safe formula, ideally without parabens or sulphates,” says Justin Anderson, colourist to the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Margot Robbie and co-founder of new-to-the-UK dpHUE.
“Keep an eye out and try to avoid products with sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES), which are likely to cause colour wash out and leave you with faded strands.”
Toning shampoos are another great option to maintain your blonde hair colour and neutralise any brassy or yellow tones, or to keep your shade warm or cool depending on your tone of choice. Plex systems are also a good sign, as they work to improve the condition of your hair. But avoid clarifying shampoos, which are designed to remove build-up in the hair. “They are great for cleansing the scalp, but they are also most likely to remove colour molecules from hair strands,” Zoë warns.
How to take care of colour-treated hair
Just before we dive into the top shampoo buys for colour-treated hair, our hair experts have a couple of other tips for prolonging your colour: “Rule number one, shampoo less often,” says Justin. “Over-shampooing is one of the number one ways to cause that beautiful new hair colour of yours to fade more quickly. It's like washing your favourite black T-shirt repeatedly to the point of the colour dulling and fading out!”
Zoë adds that heat protection is an absolute must when drying or styling your hair, as heat damage increases how quickly your colour will fade. In the same way, you should avoid scalding water temperatures when washing your tresses to keep your colour vibrant. “Hot water can open the cuticles, allowing the colour pigments to escape,” she says. Always remember to treat yourself to a hair mask every week or so, too.
How we test the best shampoos for coloured hair:
The GLAMOUR beauty team – along with the team of freelance journalists – has collectively tested dozens of shampoos for coloured hair, having reviewed each formula for a minimum period of a month, while assessing how it performs in terms of efficacy, value for money and long-term benefits.
After something more specific? We've got shampoo for dry hair, shampoo for thin hair, clarifying shampoo, dry shampoo, shampoo bars, shampoo for red hair, purple shampoo, shampoo for curly hair, shampoo for frizzy hair and soothing shampoos for itchy scalps.
Ahead, the best shampoos for coloured hair according to a hair-dye obsessed beauty writer.
Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo 250ml
- Best for: all hair types.
Why we love it: At this point, Hollywood-loved Olaplex hair products are pretty synonymous with coloured hair, and hairdressers and beauty editors agree that it’s like liquid gold for damaged hair. As with the famous No. 3 treatment, No. 4 Shampoo works to repair broken bonds in the hair whether you’ve got fine hair, oily hair or thick hair, to remedy dryness and brittleness, leaving you with smoother and softer strands.
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L'Oréal Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo 400ml
- Best for: an effective purse-friendly purchase.
Why we love it: If you’re looking for a purse-friendly shampoo for coloured hair, this one is a best selling crowd pleaser. It’s super nourishing, promising to leave your hair touchably soft, and boasts multiple UV filters to help stave off any environmental damage – maintaining your colour for weeks on end.
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Aveda Colour Conserve Shampoo 250ml
- Best for: plant-packed ingredients.
Why we love it: A vegan formula that promises to protect your coloured hair’s vibrancy, this one has a heavenly 100% organic scent, just as we have come to expect from Aveda’s plant-packed products. The gentle formula works to prevent fade in coloured hair, as well as shielding it from the damaging effects of the environment.
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Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo 200ml
- Best for: blondes.
Why we love it: Purple shampoo helps to neutralise any unwanted yellow or brassy tones in the hair, which is especially useful in blondes. This purple pigment-containing formula from Moroccanoil contains the brand’s hero ingredient, nourishing argan oil, as well as patented technology that helps to repair hair from the inside and seal the cuticle.
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Color Wow Color Security Shampoo 250ml
- Best for: those with coloured hair extensions.
Why we love it: The name should give you a clue that this ColorWow is an authority on colour, but if that alone doesn’t convince you, the fact that there are 25 years of innovation behind the brand might. Color Security Shampoo contains an amino-fortified complex to help prevent your colour from dulling and is also suitable for extensions.
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Pureology Hydrate Shampoo 266ml
- Best for: anyone with dehydrated ends or scalp.
Why we love it: As well as being vegan-friendly, all of Pureology’s shampoo and conditioner duos are formulated specifically for coloured hair, but Hydrate is one of our favourite shampoos for dry hair that may be prone to frizz, too. Quenching dry and thirsty strands from the first wash, the hydrating formula has a minty fresh scent and leaves hair feeling nice and silky.
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo 300ml
- Best for: a luxury experience.
Why we love it: As well as being sulphate-free, this particular formula from professional hair care brand Redken is acidic, making it another pH balancing formula that works hard to maintain your colour. Despite the impressive science behind it, it's still a fairly gentle cleanser and gives a real boost to your hair’s shine levels and vibrancy. It also leaves your hair smelling great – what more could you ask for?
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these LookFantastic discount codes.
L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Metal Detox Anti-Metal Cleansing Cream Shampoo 300ml
- Best for: removing build-up in hair.
Why we love it: Another very innovative shampoo, this formula works to remove the copper deposits that build up in our hair over time. This can have an impact on the vibrancy of your hair colour and even lead to breakage. Enter Metal Detox Shampoo, which compliments L’Oréal’s in- salon service and works to remove this build-up, lock in your colour, and strengthen the hair.
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these Amazon promo codes.
Wella Professionals Invigo Nutri-Enrich Deep Nourishing Shampoo 250ml
- Best for: A gentle yet effective cleanse.
Why we love it: Wella’s Invigo Nutri Enrich formula is nice and thick and creates a lot of lather for a real deep clean, while simultaneously protecting your colour. Nourishing and moisturising, your hair feels clean but never stripped. Recommended by Zoë, it also has a low pH level, which she says helps to close the cuticle to enable better colour retention.
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Maria Nila Luminous Colour Shampoo 350ml
- Best for: those looking for a vegan brand.
Why we love it: Alongside vegan hair care brand Maria Nila’s colour guard complex, which works to prevent colour loss, the hero ingredient here is pomegranate extract. The formula works t strengthen your hair, boost vibrancy and keep your mane feeling in tip-top condition. Plus it smells delicious with a fruity mix of peach, apple and blackberry. What’s not to love?
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- Best for: a high shine finish.
Why we love it: Just touched down on UK shores is cool colour care brand dpHue, whose products help to keep your coloured hair looking fresh and shiny. The Color Fresh Shampoo has a nice creamy texture and subtle, sweet smell, leaving your hair nice and soft post-wash thanks to kumquat and sunflower seed extract. It’s suitable for all hair colours, though the brand offers blonde and brunette-specific formulas too.
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these Cult Beauty discount codes.
Sam McKnight Rich Cleanse Shampoo
- Best for: hair that needs rich hydration.
Why we love it: Every product in beloved stylist Sam McKnight's namesake brand is a solid choice, and his Rich Cleanse Shampoo specifically, is the cleanser of choice for those with colour-treated hair. Made with Keratin, Quinoa Pro, Sugar Beet, this aims to inject moisture and strength back into hair that has been colour-treated. It's a brilliant shampoo and definitely worth the price.
Virtue ColorKick De-Brassing Shampoo
- Best for: hair that's looking brassy or dull.
Why we love it: For hair that's looking brassy, you can't beat Virtue's shampoo to remove build-up and restore coloured hair to its former glory. Shine will break through once more, and any dullness will be gone. The formula's Alpha Keratin 60ku® protein also works to restore tired, dry hair caused by colour treatments. A worthy investment!
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these LookFantastic discount codes.
OGX Fade-Defying + Orchid Oil Shampoo
- Best for: minimising fading.
Why we love it: For colour that seems to fade soon after you've left the salon, OGX's affordable bottle is here for you. The formula's Orchid Oil, Grape Seed Oil and sun filter work together to prevent loss of potency and shine, instead ensuring long-lasting radiance from the get go. It also smells lovely, and did we mention the price?
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these Sephora discount codes.
Oribe Shampoo for Beautiful Colour
- Best for: a luxury cleanse.
Why we love it: You truly can't beat an Oribe shampoo; they're peak luxury. But perhaps the best in the bunch is the brand's Beautiful Colour concoction, which works to protect and boost colour. It primarily does this by targeting the sun’s harmful rays, airborne chemicals, pollution and heat styling; all of which are environmental stressors that impact coloured hair. And that smell? Iconic.
Save when you shop for the best shampoo for coloured hair with these Space NK discount codes.
