Picture the scene: you're fresh out the salon, swishing your newly dyed hair from side to side and revelling in the gorgeous new shade you've chosen.
A few days later and you're probably staring at the shower in dismay, aware it's time to finally wash your vibrant locks for the first time but not entirely sure how to do so without waving goodbye to that vibrant colour.
First things first: you won't want to use just any old shampoo if you're trying to keep your freshly dyed or bleached hair looking salon-ready. "Regular" shampoos are often too harsh on dyed tresses and, especially if you've chosen a brightly coloured tone, can strip out the colour in only a few washes. Instead, opt for a gentle shampoo and ideally one that's formulated specifically for coloured hair.
If you've also bleached your hair, you'll probably want a coloured hair shampoo that comes boosted with a little extra hydration. Depending on how many rounds of bleach your strands have suffered through, you locks may feel dry, brittle and lacklustre so you may need to incorporate nourishing and conditioning ingredients too. When selecting the best shampoo for coloured hair, look for oil-based formulas that feel dense and creamy to the touch. You've got a little extra leeway if you didn't bleach your hair before dyeing it but you'll still want to err on the side of caution to avoid stripping out the hue straight away.
Not sure which shampoo to choose? We've handpicked all of our favourite options with shampoos to suit all budgets.
Best shampoos for coloured hair at a glance
- Best for all-round use: Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo - £17.60, Amazon
- Best for combatting frizz: TIGI Bed Head Colour Goddess Oil Infused Shampoo for Coloured Hair - £14.70, lookfantastic
- Best for sensitive scalps: AVEENO® Colour Protect+ Blackberry & Quinoa Blend Shampoo - £9.49, Amazon
- Best for locking in colour: Wella Professionals ColorMotion+, Colour Protection for Coloured Hair, Shampoo - £14.99, Amazon
- Best for cool tones: PRO:VOKE Touch of Silver Advanced Brighten + Repair Intensive Purple Shampoo - £4.99, Boots
- Best for silky, soft locks: Sachajuan Colour Protect Shampoo - £27, lookfantastic
- Best for a deep clean: Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo - £19.58, lookfantastic
- Best for value: Aussie Shampoo Colour Mate For Coloured Hair - £4.50, Boots
- Best for dry, dull hair: OGX Fade-Defying+ Orchid Oil pH Balanced Shampoo - £9.11, Amazon
- Best for retaining vibrancy: TRESemme Revitalise Colour Shampoo 680ml - £6, Boots
Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo
Best for: all-round use
Hydrate Sheer Shampoo is almost always recommended as one of the best shampoos for coloured hair and it’s easy to see why. Nourishing enough to restore moisture to damaged locks, gentle enough to do so without stripping any of that just-applied colour and versatile enough to work with hair of all types, it’s a popular bottle that’s well worth the money.
Infused with jojoba, its formula fills each follicle with hydration, while oat and wheat extracts strive to rebuild and strengthen the strands, leaving the hair silky smooth. And, if you’re someone who often reacts to hair dye or bleach, you’ll love its green tea extract, which provides an anti-inflammatory effect, cooling any irritation on the scalp.
Buy now £17.60, Amazon
TIGI Bed Head Colour Goddess Oil Infused Shampoo for Coloured Hair
Best for: combatting frizz
A TIGI shampoo is the gift that just keeps on going. That’s something we mean literally, as each of these huge bottles promises to last you a good couple of month’s worth of shampooing or maybe even more, depending on how often you wash your hair.
Loved by hair salons and experts alike, TIGI’s Bed Head Colour Goddess Oil Infused Shampoo was specifically designed for coloured locks that needs a little extra love. Enriched with antioxidant-rich Vitamin E to help protect against damaging free radicals, this shampoo smooths and strengthens hair fibres to reduce frizz and breakage while restoring moisture and smelling gorgeous at the same time.
Buy now £14.70, lookfantastic
Aveeno Colour Protect+ Blackberry & Quinoa Blend Shampoo
Best for: sensitive scalps
Aveeno’s gentle formulas are a great, budget-friendly choice for keeping the colour in your hair and keeping your scalp and lengths healthy at the same time. A popular choice that smells as delicious as its blackberry namesake suggests, this colour-friendly shampoo is made with colloidal oats and botanical ingredients to protect your hair naturally.
Gentle enough for daily use, it’s designed specially for those with sensitive scalps who may react to harsher ingredients. Bonus points for the seriously soft strands you’re left with after each use.
Buy now £9.48, Amazon
Wella Professionals ColorMotion+ Professional Haircare
Best for: locking in colour
Wella’s Professionals ColorMotion+ Professional Haircare doesn’t just protect your hair while you shampoo, it goes one step further and helps to lock in the colour throughout the process. If you’re someone who dyes your hair a lot - especially if you opt for brighter colours or red tones - this is one of the best in the business for consistent colour.
Enriched with WellaPlex’s bonding agent that strengthens the strands by reconstructing their bonds after dyeing, it’s great for not only colour protection but also vibrant shine and stronger locks.
Buy now £14.99, Amazon
PRO:VOKE Touch of Silver Advanced Brighten + Repair Intensive Purple Shampoo
You’ll want to stock up on PRO:VOKE’s Touch of Silver Advanced Brighten + Repair Intensive Purple Shampoo if you’ve recently bleached your hair. This affordable silver shampoo goes all out when it comes to toning your hair back to cool shades rather than brassy yellows or oranges.
You’ll find various strengths of this shampoo, from the brand’s silvery-purple release to its intense shampoo (pictured) and the latter is your best bet if you’re putting off another toning session at the hair salon. Don’t be put off by its vibrant purple shade but be warned: this is a powerful shampoo that can leave some purple tones if left for too long.
Buy now £4.99, Boots
Sachajuan Colour Protect Shampoo
Best for: silky, soft locks
It’s hard to beat the soft, silkiness that comes from using Sachajuan’s Colour Protect Shampoo. Enriched with the brand’s own signature Ocean Silk technology, it’s one of the best shampoos for coloured hair if your strands have been left a little starchier than anticipated post-dyeing.
Its cleansing formula hits the perfect midpoint between squeaky clean locks and impressively nourished ones, making it a great regular choice if you’re hoping to maintain colour.
Buy now £27.00, lookfantastic
Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo
Best for: a deep clean
Redken has an entire range of colour-friendly products and the brand’s Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo is perhaps the best of the best. A brilliant line for anyone who’s trying to grow their hair without waving goodbye to dye jobs, this powerful formula is one you’ll keep close in your arsenal of hair products for its impressive results.
The Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo promises to leave your locks just as vibrant as the bottle’s bright packaging, with a unique formula that extends the life of your colour while producing clean, fresh tresses.
Buy now £19.58, Lookfantastic
Aussie Shampoo Colour Mate For Coloured Hair
Best for: value
Aussie shampoo is one of the best if you go through a lot of shampoo and need something great quality that doesn’t break the bank. Extra points for how utterly delicious the entire range smells.
The Aussie Shampoo Colour Mate For Coloured Hair uses a colour-protecting formula, which contains delicious juicy Australian Wild Peach extract - a scent that’ll no doubt waft behind you each time you use it.
While it’s definitely one of the most affordable options around, it doesn’t skimp on quality. It’s also PETA-approved and totally cruelty-free.
Buy now £4.50, Boots
OGX Fade-Defying+ Orchid Oil pH Balanced Shampoo
Best for: dry, dull hair
OGX’s Fade-Defying+ Orchid Oil pH Balanced Shampoo is great for giving your hair a little extra moisture boost post-dyeing. If you struggle with oily hair, this may not be the product for you as it’s definitely a heavily oil-enriched one.
But if you’re looking to restore some life back into dry, starchy locks, this miracle product promises to do the hard work at a great price. Like its name suggests, this is a pH balanced shampoo, which means it’s gentler than many other formulas. It comes with a subtle floral scent and a promise to leave your hair looking and feeling thicker and healthier.
Buy now £9.11, Amazon
TRESemme Revitalise Colour Shampoo 680ml
Best for: retaining vibrancy
Infused with hibiscus essence and featuring a UV filter, TRESemme's professional-quality shampoo is designed to inject your hair with moisture and provide it with up to 12 weeks of colour vibrancy. Save more money for your next trip to the salon thanks to the product re-energising properties that will keep you locks looking luscious for longer.
Buy now £6.00, Boots
Verdict
The lightweight, moisturising and sulphate-free nature of Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo makes it the best shampoo for coloured hair. Designed to benefit hair of all types, it's a brilliant purchase for keeping your locks looking fresher for longer.
