Pinning down the best shampoo and conditioner for your hair type can be like finding a needle in a haystack. You’ve got to contend with everything from price points to moisture levels – too much could weigh down your hair but not enough will leave you with straw-like strands – and don’t even get me started on sulphates, silicones and the world of haircare buzzwords.
All of these things play an important role in the state of our strands, so, knowing what works for you is key. As IndyBest’s beauty writer, I’ve tried my fair share of volumising, smoothing and repairing formulas but, at the end of the day, my straight strands only represent a fraction of the different hair textures the industry’s shampoos and conditioners cater to. Thankfully, I’m not a one-man band and so, to save your head from imploding while you sift through all manner of curly, kinky and fine hair formulas, my fellow IndyBest reviewers have been busy testing a wide range of products, to bring you the best of the bunch for every hair type.
That’s right, from coily to wavy, poker-straight to dandruff-prone, we’ve been working up lathers left, right and centre, to bring you a comprehensive list of the best shampoos and conditioners on the market. We browsed both budget and high-end picks to cover all financial bases and added in a sprinkling of our personal favourites (after years of use), too. Here’s how we got on…
How we tested
Testing across eight different hair types, IndyBest’s team of reviewers addressed the following hair textures and concerns:
- Straight hair – tested by Lucy Smith
- Damaged/dry hair – tested by Lucy Smith and Eva-Waite Taylor
- Coloured hair – tested by Annabel Grossman
- Grey/white hair – tested by Mai Davies
- Dandruff-prone and flaky/itchy scalps – tested by Elis Williams
- 3A-3B curls – tested by Ella Duggan
- 3C curls/coils – tested by Nicole Ocran
- Afro hair – tested by Sheilla Mamona
Each tester paid attention to the products’ price, packaging, ingredients and the feel of each formula on their hair, noting how the products performed during washing and the final results after drying their locks. Whether there was any build-up or dryness as a result of using each formula was also taken into consideration, and each tester assessed the formulas’ suitability for their respective hair types. Only the products that performed the best made it into our final edit.
Why you can trust us
As a beauty writer, Lucy has been covering all things haircare and cosmetics since 2020, so she knows which brands do and don’t work. She has also gleaned tips from industry hair professionals such as Gina Conway and Amy Short. For this article, she worked with six other testers, to cover different hair types, each of whom has accrued their own experience in the industry. For instance, Sheilla Mamona is a beauty aficionado (especially on the topic of afro and coily hair) and has written for the likes of Glamour, British Vogue and Marie Claire. Likewise, Ella Duggan is a certified #curlygirl and has written extensively about the topic for IndyBest, speaking to expert trichologists such as Philip Kingsley’s Annabel Kingsley.
The best shampoos and conditioners for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Monday Haircare smooth shampoo (£5, Boots.com) and conditioner (£5, Boots.com)
- Best for curls – Mielle rosemary mint strengthening shampoo (£7.33, Boots.com) and masque (£7.33, Boots.com)
- Best for afro hair – Cécred hydrating shampoo (£31, Cecred.com) and moisturising deep conditioner (£39, Cecred.com)
- Best for coloured hair – Color Wow colour security shampoo (£16.20, Amazon.co.uk) and conditioner (£16.20, Amazon.co.uk)
- Best for greying/white hair – L’Oréal Professionnel shampoo for grey, white or light blonde hair (£13.19, Amazon.co.uk) and conditioner (£13.65, Amazon.co.uk)
 "What is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the rare brain condition that killed 2 people in the US? – Firstpost")