Best Shampoo and Conditioner for Damaged Hair

The best shampoo and conditioner for damaged hair is a matched pair that cleans gently, puts back softness and slip, and makes the hair easier to handle without adding more stress. Start with what caused the damage, because bleach, heat and rough handling each leave hair needing something a little different.

What damaged hair needs from a shampoo and conditioner

Damaged hair has a rough, lifted outer layer. It tangles, snaps when you brush it, feels dry at the ends and won't hold a style. No shampoo or conditioner can join a split end back together, so a trim is the only fix for ends that have already split. What a good pair can do is clean without stripping, smooth the surface, and make every wash and brush gentler on the hair you're growing.

• Shampoo: go gentle. Pick a repairing or moisture formula and wash the scalp, not the lengths. The lather that runs through the ends as you rinse is enough.
• Conditioner: this is where most of the work happens. Use it every wash, from mid-lengths to ends, and leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing.
• Same range: a shampoo and conditioner from the same range are made to work together, which takes the guesswork out of pairing.

You can compare single bottles in the repairing shampoo collection, or shop repairing conditioner on its own if your current shampoo is already doing its job.

Match the pair to the damage

• Bleach and colour: lightening breaks down the hair's natural pigment to lift the colour, and that leaves the hair weaker. Choose a pair made for chemically treated hair and check it's colour-safe, so you're not fading the tone you paid for. Our best shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair is worth a look if colour care matters as much as repair.
• Heat: daily straightening or blow-drying dries out the ends first. A richer conditioner helps, and so does turning the temperature down.
• Dry right through: if the hair feels rough from root to tip, not only at the ends, the best match is likely on the best shampoo and conditioner for dry damaged hair page.
• Fine hair: heavy repair formulas can flatten fine hair. Use less conditioner and keep it well away from the roots.

Getting more out of it

• Squeeze the water out before conditioner goes on, so it isn't watered down.
• Detangle with the conditioner still in, starting at the ends and working up.
• Rinse with lukewarm water, not hot.
• Wash less often if your scalp allows. Fewer washes means less rubbing and drying.
• Add a treatment mask once a week if conditioner alone isn't enough.

If only the ends are dry

If your hair is in good shape and only the last few centimetres feel dry, a full repair range may be heavier than you need. A trim and a moisture conditioner can do the job for less. And if the damage keeps coming back after every colour appointment, the fix is a change in how the colour is done, not a stronger shampoo.

Shop the range

Everything on this page sits within our damaged hair range, alongside masks and leave-in treatments for when the ends need more help. If you'd rather compare more widely, you can shop all shampoo, shop all conditioner or shop all hair care.

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