The 5 best shampoos for damaged hair
Hair can be a huge factor in self-esteem for many of us. Sometimes it’s only when your hair becomes damaged, you realize the impact it has on you personally.
I have been bleaching my hair consistently for almost 15 years now, many of those years every month. Now, I’ve always done it professionally, so my general experience has been excellent, but it’s only natural that I have had some scary hair moments on occasion. There is nothing more horrifying than when too much bleach is applied to your hair! It turns into the dreaded ‘cotton candy’ consistency and starts coming out as it’s being brushed.
Looks like you’re getting a much bigger haircut than the trim you were anticipating!
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do I have damaged hair?
Damage can come from many places:
- Hair Color(professional and drugstore)
- Lightener(hair bleach)
- Blowdryer
- Flat Iron/Curling Iron/Wand
- Sun Exposure
- Chemicals/Minerals(often found in well and city water and pools)
Questions to ask yourself:
DO YOU…..
- Frequently use hot tools without a heat protectant?
- Turn your hot tools up to the highest temperature when you use them?
- Spend a lot of time in the sun without a hat?
- Bleach or color your hair on a regular basis?
- Swim in a chlorinated pool regularly?
- Have a high mineral or chemical water supply in your home without a water softener?
- Brush your hair with a lot of force?
If you answered yes to any or multiple of these questions, then you most likely have some level of damage to your hair. Now there are certainly ways to avoid the effects of all the items listed above, but I’ll tackle that in another post!
identifying damage
If you ends feel rough or stretchy, you have a lot of frizz, or there are short, broken pieces of hair at the top of your head or around your face, it’s safe to assume there is some damage that can be treated. Identifying that the damage is there is the first step toward giving it the attention it needs.
can you actually fix damaged hair?
As I’ve made a career out of educating on salon techniques and beauty knowledge, I get asked this question a lot! And the answer is –
Sometimes.
It really is unique to each situation, and it depends on the level of damage. One key thing to understand is damaged hair is lacking something. And that something is either MOISTURE or PROTEIN. In most cases both. Of course, there are other factors, but those are the key elements we need to get our hair on the road to recovery.
If you fall into the category of ‘damaged hair’, as many of us do, my first suggestion is to invest in a quality shampoo and conditioner. This does not always mean expensive. There is a lot of research and technology that goes into certain products, giving them the ability to truly better the condition of your hair. These are the ones we want! Others are full of cheap detergents and fillers and are marketed incredibly well, but do nothing to actually improve your hair. The challenge is weeding through and finding the beneficial vs. the ineffective.
Why protein and moisture?
Our hair is made up of keratin protein. When we put chemicals on our hair, the reaction eats away at that protein until the hair loses its strength. Think healthy hair = uncooked spaghetti. As we put chemicals on it, over time, it’s like that spaghetti noodle is getting cooked. To a certain degree, our hair can handle it, but if it gets too ‘mushy’ or ‘overcooked’ we are in the danger zone!
By adding protein from shampoo or other products, we can bring it closer to that ‘uncooked spaghetti’ state! Yay! However, too much protein can make the hair feel rough, so we need a balance of protein and moisture together.
If too much heat is the issue – our hair’s natural moisture is slowly being evaporated and the hair can become very dry, which leaves it weak and susceptible to breakage. It can also disturb the natural pattern of keratin protein inside our hair, which is the glue that moisture sticks too. So we need to ensure protein is present, so our hair can retain the moisture we are applying.
the 5 best shampoos for damaged hair
First off, I am only recommending shampoos I have personally used, love, and have seen results from. Not each of these will be a good fit for you, as there is some variation in the technologies in each and exactly what benefits you will receive.
what to expect for price point
When it comes to purchasing a quality repairing shampoo that is backed by science, you won’t be paying $5 a bottle. However, I am providing a good range of pricing so there is something to suit all budgets.
If you usually buy a small bottle of shampoo but are looking at one of the larger bottles I recommend, simply divide the cost of the litre by how many months you think it will last for a more relative price.
When I buy a small 250ml bottle I usually get anywhere from 6-8 weeks. When I buy a liter, I get between 6-8 months. Now that is for me, however, your timeline could vary a little or a lot. So even if I spend $40 on a liter of shampoo (which is on the high end) and it lasts me 6 months, it ends up costing me about $6.67 per month. Not so bad!
factors effecting how long your shampoo will last
- How often you wash your hair – I wash my hair every third day, and shampoo twice.
- How thick/long your hair is – my hair is on the finer side and is currently about collarbone length.
- Amount of shampoo used per wash – the products I recommend have a high cleanser/water ratio(not watered down), meaning you’d use at most half the quantity of most drugstore shampoos.
#1 – keratindose shampoo by biolage advanced
Keratindose shampoo is a part of a heavily researched line called Biolage Advanced. The science behind this shampoo is amazing and it loads your hair up with all the protein and moisture it needs to get it back to feeling its healthiest!
Their claim is the system repairs 1 year’s worth of chemical damage in 15 minutes, which is pretty wild! And for a little peace of mind, this company is owned by L’oreal, one of the biggest hair corporations out there – they cannot claim something in writing if it has not been proven in a lab. This has given amazing results on clients’ hair as well as my own.
This may not be a good fit if….
If your hair has very minimal damage and isn’t in serious need of repair, this shampoo can be too heavy and leave you with too much moisture. It is designed for hair that has had too much color or bleach and is very dry and frizzy because that hair NEEDS all of the goodness inside this bottle. Keratindose is here if you’re ready to bring out the big guns!
#2 – Urban antidotes resurrection duo by bedhead
Bedhead products are some of my favourite for a couple reasons:
- The packaging is super fun!
- The product quality is excellent.
- Any item I’ve tried does what it’s supposed to, and well.
- Their shampoo/conditioner duos are an amazing price point!
Urban Antidotes Resurrection Shampoo and Conditioner Duo are an easy choice if you want something to whip your hair back into shape quickly, not to mention – it smells amazing! They also have a version of this shampoo for blondes called ‘Dumb Blonde’ that I love as well.
.One other perk to this choice is it has a built in heat protectant! Handy, huh?.
this may not be a good fit if…
I would consider this a repair maintenance shampoo vs a healing shampoo system. You will get the benefits of repair but it’s not going to be as strong as some other recommendations I have made. This is a great option for preventing damage, repairing minimal damage, or maintaining your hair once you have achieved a healthier state.
#3 – extreme duo by Redken
Redken Extreme is the system that truly saved my hair. If you have damaged hair and you notice your roots are growing in each month but your hair isn’t getting any longer – you are the perfect candidate for Extreme. This is technically a high protein ‘hair growth’ shampoo and conditioner, however not in the sense it will make your hair grow faster from your scalp.
Let me explain.
When you have a lot of heat or chemical damage and your hair doesn’t ever seem to get longer – your hair is breaking. Little bits of your ends snap off throughout the day and night as it rubs against your clothes, you run your fingers through it, or when it gets brushed. The average person grows about a 1/2 inch of hair per month, but with breakage, it’s snapping off at the same rate (or sometimes faster). Redken Extreme prevents this from happening as it restores the health of your hair.
Extreme shampoo also contains Biotin (hair super-vitamin) which gets delivered directly to your hair! Often when we take a biotin supplement, our body first distributes it to our skin, then our nails, then if there is leftover – our hair. Extreme ensures you get the full dose exactly where you need it most.
Model Soo Joo Park used this system religiously and exclusively for a year to grow her damaged hair back. If you scroll far enough back on her Instagram you can actually watch her hair come back to life – @soojmooj.
There is also an amazing product within the Extreme line called Extreme Length Primer. It is a 2-5 minute treatment you use between your shampoo and conditioner in the shower. If you need an extra boost or want to see faster results, this is a fantastic addition to your routine.
this may not be a good fit if…
If you like to have multiple shampoos going in the shower at once, and don’t plan on using this exclusively – don’t wasn’t your money. The results when used properly are incredible – I credit these products for my hair recovery – but if they are used intermittently, your results will be only a shadow of what they could have been.
#4 – no. 4 shampoo by olaplaex
If you are familiar with Olaplaex products, you may already know two things about them…
First – they work incredibly well. They have talented chemical engineers and molecular scientists that develop and design these products to do amazing things. They are all about hair repair! If you’d like to learn a little more about how it works, you can check that out here:
Second – they are expensive. Now I do get it, they have a high price point for a reason. It’s a luxury product in every aspect, the ingredients, the technology, the marketing. Everything! And when you purchase it, there is no doubt that it is effective.
A unique factor with Olaplaex products, including Shampoo No. 4, is they don’t just replace the keratin protein and moisture, but they help to rebuild the infrastructure inside our hair that chemicals and heat have collapsed. This company truly revolutionized the meaning of hair repair when it launched in 2014.
this may not be a good fit if…
If your hair is very healthy and shiny, this may not be the right product for you. It is a repair and smoothing shampoo, and when hair is already very smooth, it can make you feel a little greasy. But most likely if you are reading this blog post, it’s not because your hair is in a glorious, shiny condition, so I believe its safe to say this shampoo is an excellent investment for the bulk of us 😉
#5 – Recovery shampoo by biolage R.A.W.
Biolage R.A.W. is the most natural shampoo on the market that I know of. It is free of sulfates, parabens, and silicones and is a highly biodegradable formula with bottles made from recycled plastic. If you are looking to clean up your beauty products from harsh chemicals and like to make more sustainable decisions, this is an excellent brand to consider!
This is a great choice for damaged, dry, or generally stressed hair. My favorite person to recommend this to is the serial blowdryer! Do you blow-dry your hair pretty frequently? How about other hot tool usages? If the answer is yes this could be the best fit for you!
A problem that many sulfate-free formulas have is low lather, however, Recovery shampoo is outstanding in the suds department and provides a super-rich lather.
this may not be a good fit if…
If you do not use conditioner, as a rule, I would not suggest this shampoo. It is made to pair with a conditioner. You could pair it with the Recovery conditioner by Biolage R.A.W., or match it with a different brand, but without that second step – this shampoo can leave your hair feeling a little rough to the touch. After the conditioner though? 10/10!
Common Questions about damaged hair
- How long will it take to fix my damaged hair? For some, it’s a day, and the solution is simply getting started on a quality shampoo/conditioner and taking some simple preventative measures such as using a heat protectant. For extreme cases, it may look like a careful regimen that you can expect to incrementally pay off over the next year. Every situation is different and sometimes more patience is required than for others.
- Can I fix my damaged hair at home? If it is an extreme case, definitely consult a licensed stylist for further direction, however in most cases, yes, you can do the care at home. I would suggest pairing your home maintenance with regular trims to keep everything in great shape!
- Will my hair ever feel healthy again? It will, but action needs to be taken. Generally, if damaged hair is just left, it stays damaged or can get worse, especially if you continue to color and apply heat to your hair. The best thing you can do is get started as soon as possible on the road to recovery 🙂
goodbye damaged hair!
By now you should know if your hair is classified as damaged or not, and have some options to get you going in the right direction. Remember you are not alone in your journey back to healthy hair! Stay positive, be consistent in your care, and know that each day you are closer to your hair goals!
If you’d like an extra boost toward healthy hair, check out this amazing freebie I’ve made for you with my best tips to help fix damaged hair! Let me know what tips helped you the most!
I’d love to hear from you – what is your hair story? Are there any products that have saved your hair? I always love new recommendations!
If you’d like to get to know me a little better, check out my About page!
