The best shampoo and conditioner for every hair type
By: The Beauty Experts at L'Oréal Paris
Great hair starts with your first pump (or squeeze) from the bottle. The shampoo and conditioner you pick will set you up for bodacious waves or sleek and shiny strands, and they'll take a lot of pressure off your styling products. Here, we match the right washing and conditioning duos with each type of hair texture. Go ahead and be picky about what you put in your shower caddy.
CURLY: The key to control over curly locks is moisture, and the shampoos and conditioners that pack a real hydrating punch are the ones infused with botanical blends. Look for formulas with coconut, rose and sunflower oils in the ingredients. Then prepare for soft, naturally bouncy curls.
DAMAGED: You've overdyed, styled to the max and exposed your strands to (literally) pools of chlorine -- we get it. Now your 'do is in need of a major detox. Meet ceramides: These waxy lipids are your new best friends and the key to restoring your hair to its previously healthy state. The mighty 'mides exist naturally in your strands to protect the cuticles. However, when you damage your hair, you deplete the natural supply. So go for shampoo and conditioner that contain ceramides -- they'll repair broken fibers and prevent further damage.
DRY: As with curly hair, oil -- especially coconut and argan -- is your strongest ally in treating a parched mane. But in addition to picking the right shampoo and conditioner, there are a few things you can do to defend against dryness. Steer clear of styling products with alcohol, as it can be a major moisture suck. Also, try to limit the amount of heat styling you do; and, when you must, use an ionic hair dryer, which gets the job done faster.
BRITTLE: When your hair is craving water, so much so that the word "dry" just doesn't seem to cut it, we call it brittle. Here's where you essentially need to declare a five-alarm emergency on your follicles and drastically switch up your routine by adding a cleansing conditioner. In just one step, you'll clean, condition, detangle and soften -- all while retaining moisture. Just be prepared to pump. These low-lather formulas call for at least six pumps of product.
COLOR-TREATED: You've spent hours at the salon or in front of your mirror to achieve your ideal hue, so naturally you're going to want to protect that perfect color. That's why you should look for shampoo and conditioner that are sulfate-free. Sulfates, which are often added to shower products to create an extra-foamy lather, can strip the color from your hair and remove essential oils, leading to dried-out strands.
FINE: If you're relying solely on post-shower styling to boost your mane, take a step back. Start with shampoo and conditioner that are specifically formulated to thicken strands and add volume. Also, keep in mind that product buildup can weigh down thin hair, so it's a good idea to wash with a clarifying shampoo once a week. To soak up excess oil -- which usually goes hand in hand with fine hair -- and to add extra boost between full washes, reach for a dry shampoo.
THICK: Lucky you, with your lustrous locks. But as anyone with ample hair will tell you, it's not all fun and glorious volume. Add just a touch of humidity to the air, and thick strands can transform into a frizzy frenzy in no time. Go with a moisture-rich creamy duo that will weigh your locks down (a good thing in this case) and help prevent frizz. After you shower, smooth a bit of conditioner on your ends before blow-drying to further prevent kinkiness.
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