Best Shampoo and Conditioner for Coloured Hair

The best shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair is a pair that cleans gently, conditions well and leaves the colour you paid for where it is. Every wash takes a little colour with it. The right pair slows that down. A strong everyday cleanser speeds it up.

This collection brings together shampoos and conditioners made for colour-treated hair, from professional brands stylists already use in the salon. Here's how to choose.

Get the shampoo right first

Start with the shampoo, since it's what touches your colour every wash.

• Pick a gentle cleanser. Sulphate-free formulas clean more softly, which is why they're the usual pick for coloured hair.
• Match it to your hair, not just your colour. Fine hair that goes flat needs a lighter formula than thick hair that runs dry. Colour-safe doesn't have to mean heavy.
• Treat toning shampoos as a top-up. Purple, silver and other colour-depositing shampoos keep a shade looking fresh between salon visits. They're not for every wash. Use one about once a week and your gentle shampoo the rest of the time. You'll find them in the colour shampoo collection.

Then the conditioner

Colouring lifts the outer layer of the hair, so coloured hair tends to feel drier and rougher than it did before. Conditioner smooths it back down, adds slip and makes it easier to detangle without snapping. Use it after every wash, on the mid-lengths and ends. If your ends still feel dry, add a weekly mask. Start with the best hair mask for coloured hair.

Lightened hair takes the biggest hit. If you've gone blonde, our best shampoo and conditioner for blonde hair covers toning and extra moisture together. If colour has left your hair weak or breaking, start with the best shampoo and conditioner for damaged hair and come back to colour care once it's stronger.

Same range or mix and match?

A shampoo and conditioner from the same range are made to work together, so that's the simple option. You don't have to stick to one, though. A gentle colour-safe shampoo from one brand with a richer conditioner from another works fine. What matters is that both are kind to colour.

And if your colour sits close to your natural shade, a colour-specific pair is nice to have, not a must. Any gentle, sulphate-free shampoo with a good conditioner will do the job.

Everyday habits for coloured hair

• Wait a couple of days after colouring before the first wash.
• Wash in lukewarm water, not hot.
• Wash less often if your scalp allows it.
• Keep a hat on for long days in the sun. UV fades colour too.

Shop the full routine

Found a pair that works? Shop more from our shampoo range and our conditioner range, or browse our hair care range for treatments and styling. For masks, toners and the rest of your colour care in one place, see everything for coloured hair.

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