The best shampoo and conditioner can make or break your haircare routine, but finding the right duo isn't always straightforward. From balancing moisture without weighing strands down to navigating ingredients such as sulphates and silicones, there's plenty to consider before settling on your next wash-day staples. And that's before you've even thought about adding a dry shampoo or leave-in conditioner into your routine.
To find the formulas worth spending on, seven of IndyBest’s expert reviewers (myself included) tested a wide range of shampoos and conditioners on our different hair types and textures, from fine, straight strands to thick, curly and colour-treated hair.
We assessed everything from cleansing power and hydration to shine, softness and long-term results. Drawing on years of testing the best sulphate-free shampoos, purple shampoos, hair masks and the like, we've rounded up the shampoo and conditioner duos that delivered consistently reliable results, whatever your hair goals and budget.
Read more: 11 best shampoo bars, tested
The best shampoos and conditioners for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Monday Haircare smooth shampoo (£5, Boots.com) and conditioner (£5, Boots.com)
- Best for curls – Mielle rosemary mint strengthening shampoo (£10.99, Boots.com) and masque (£10.99, Boots.com)
- Best for afro hair – Cécred hydrating shampoo (£31, Cecred.com) and moisturising deep conditioner (£38, Cecred.com)
- Best for coloured hair – Color Wow colour security shampoo (£16.45, Amazon.co.uk) and conditioner (£16.45, Amazon.co.uk)
- Best for greying/white hair – L’Oréal Professionnel shampoo for grey, white or light blonde hair (£15.50, Amazon.co.uk) and conditioner (£14.50, Amazon.co.uk)
Read more: How to choose a leave-in conditioner for your hair type, according to the experts
Monday Haircare smooth shampoo
Best: Shampoo overall
Why we love it
- Smells lovely
- Leaves hair lightweight and volumised
I’ve been using Monday shampoo since its UK launch in 2021. After waxing lyrical about the brand to my friends, I’ve been assured it’s just as wondrous on curly locks as it is on my own straight strands.
While testing the shampoo for this round-up, I was impressed once more by how easily the formula lathers, without the use of sulphates, not to mention the fact its indulgent ingredients (shea and coconut oil) don’t weigh down my fine-medium hair at the root.
The scent is lovely and fresh and, for the price, I really don’t think you can go wrong. I’ve probably repurchased this product about five or six times at this point, and I won’t hesitate to do so again.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications:
Buy now £5, Boots.com
Monday Haircare smooth conditioner
Best: Conditioner overall
Why we love it
- Ideal for detangling
- You don’t need much
- Doesn’t weigh down hair
While Monday’s smooth shampoo is a dream for clarifying hair without stripping it of moisture, the brand’s conditioner is ideal for working through knots and tangles. Though I have a bob now, I’ve used this formula on rib-length hair in the past and have been impressed with the results – finding it easy to comb through my brittle strands. As such, this conditioner is a wonder for damaged hair and doesn’t require an entire palm’s worth of product to do the job.
Upon drying my strands, I love how soft the product leaves my hair and, from an aesthetic point of view, the bottles look #cleangirl-approved in my bathroom.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
Buy now £5, Boots.com
Cécred hydrating shampoo
Best: Shampoo for afro hair
Why we love it
- Great shine
- A little goes a long way
Take note
- Would have liked a larger bottle
This Cecred hydrating shampoo works harder than most, so, if you’re a co-wash kind of person (washing your hair with conditioner only), you might want to reconsider. It’s not often that curly girls get to say a little goes a long way (as far as shampoo goes, this is rarely the case), but I’m happy to report this formula does. Sure, it’s not ultra foamy – foams can leave hair feeling stripped and dry, post wash, FYI – but it does lather well across the hair strands and gently cleanses curls, without stripping the hair’s natural oils.
The high-slip formula makes coils easy to detangle, and leaves them feeling nourished and manageable. This shampoo is formulated with a sexy infusion of an antioxidant-rich African oil blend and hyaluronic acid, for max hydration – this helps promote hair health, moisture retention and leaves your hair shiny and moisturised, even post-drying.
While it’s free of silicones and parabens, the price point may be a bit high for some but, overall, it works exceptionally hard to maintain healthy, hydrated curls.
- Sheilla Mamona
Key specifications
Buy now £31, Cecred.com
Cécred moisturising deep conditioner
Best: Conditioner for afro hair
Why we love it
- Restores elasticity
- Gives shine to curls
Take note
- It’s thick, so requires some lather to spread evenly
Specially formulated for Afro-textured hair in need of intense hydration, this conditioner is a moisture boost in a jar. It’s rich in shea butter and an African oil blend, which coat strands for smooth, defined curls and coils. The squalane seals the hair cuticles; the hyssop extract is antioxidant-rich and is there for shine; and hyaluronic acid helps to lock-in moisture.
The thick, creamy consistency makes it perfect for tackling knots and tangles, leaving hair soft, shiny, and manageable. Meanwhile, the luxurious scent and nourishing formula make it a standout – its rich texture means you’ll need to rinse thoroughly to avoid residue, though.
- Sheilla Mamona
Key specifications
Buy now £38, Cecred.com
Living Proof full shampoo
Best: Shampoo for volume
Why we love it
- Cleans the hair thoroughly with just one wash, no rinse and repeat required
- Doesn’t require much product
- Leaves roots fluffy and lifted, without drying ends
As someone who’s a religious user of the Living Proof perfect hair day dry shampoo, I had high hopes for the brand’s full shampoo. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint, and I could tell from that first scrunch of shampoo into my roots that it was going to lather well and cleanse effectively. What I didn’t know was whether or not it would dry out my hair, however, I’m please to say it did not and, in fact, achieved the perfect lifted-roots-to-moisturised-ends ratio.
There wasn’t so much as a hint of grease around my hairline, nor a split end eeking into my line of sight. I don’t doubt those split ends remain but the shampoo (together with the conditioner) somehow smoothed them into be unnoticeable.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
*Note - packaging has changed since product was tested
Buy now £30, Boots.com
Living Proof full conditioner
Best: Conditioner for volume
Why we love it
- Minimal product required to hydrate all strands
- Smells delicious and scent lingers on hair
- Works well with air drying
Much like the shampoo above, Living Proof’s full conditioner left me in awe, with my post-wash hair appearing soft, silky and bouncily tousled. This was all after air drying and zero heat styling. What’s more, I could smell the brand’s signature fresh scent with every flick of my head – a big plus for fragrance fanatics.
I loved how the conditioner brought out my colour’s natural highlights and, with the fine-medium thickness of my hair, I found this formula to be uber moisturising, without leaving my roots slicked to my scalp. Full marks, no notes.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
*Note – packaging has changed since product was tested
Buy now £30, Boots.com
Mielle rosemary mint strengthening shampoo
Best: Shampoo for curls
Why we love it
- Refreshing scent
- Curl defining
- Boosts volume
- Super hydrating
I love this brand, and I love this shampoo. Without sounding too hyperbolic, I credit this power product with my life-changing curl revolution. The difference with this shampoo is its focus on strength and hydration. Lots of formulas can claim to battle frizz but Mielle products fight the issue at the cause: dehydration. The formula is rich in nutrients such as fortitude biotin, which encourages healthy hair growth and reinforces the hair’s natural structure. It’s a real saviour for the curly girls who are finally putting down the straighteners in favour of embracing their natural pattern.
The shampoo lathers really well, and a little goes a long way. Plus, the powerful minty scent was a welcome change from the sickly fruity shampoos I’m oh-so familiar with. The definition this shampoo provides for my curls is thus far unmatched – they’re so springy and light without any of that crispy texture so many other curl-defining products leave behind.
- Ella Duggan
Key specifications
Buy now £10.99, Boots.com
Mielle rosemary mint strengthening masque
Best: Conditioner for curls
Why we love it
- Boosts volume
- Super hydrating
- Leaves hair soft to the touch
- Great shine
Take note
- The masque may be too think for finer hair
While it’s not a classic conditioner, I actually use this masque as my go-to conditioning treatment on wash days, leaving it on for around 10 minutes. This leaves my hair feeling utterly buttery and smooth, as the luxurious texture of the cream coats every last thirsty strand. The masque uses a cocktail of classic hydrating ingredients, such as coconut oil, honey, peppermint oil and, of course, rosemary, for added botanical nourishment and to help strengthen the hair long-term.
Once dried using a diffuser, my curls had a new lease on life after using this product. Immediately, there were improvements in the volume, definition and shine, which only increased after each use. Carrie Bradshaw curls are well and truly in sight, thanks to this product and the brand’s shampoo.
While the brand describes the masque as suitable for all hair types, I think the thickness of the formula could lead to some build-up issues for those with finer hair.
- Ella Duggan
Key specifications
Buy now £10.99, Boots.com
Color Wow color security shampoo
Best: Shampoo for coloured hair
Why we love it
- Sulphate and paraben-free
- Good value
- Suitable for extensions
Take note
- Not great for easily tangled hair
I’ve yet to find a shampoo that perfectly preserves the blonde in my hair but this option from Color Wow does a pretty great job. Almost 12 weeks since my last colour treatment and the blonde is still bright, with very little sign of brassiness.
Crucially, for me, neither this shampoo nor the matching conditioner (see below) contain sulphates or parabens, which makes a real difference to my hair. After using Color Wow, my strands felt clean and fresh rather than weighed down.
- Annabel Grossman
Key specifications
Buy now £16.45, Amazon.co.uk
Color Wow colour security conditioner, for normal to thick colour-treated hair
Best: Conditioner for coloured hair
Why we love it
- Includes three types of heat protector
- Effectively preserves blonde colour
- Impressive roster of ingredients
Take note
- Could be more moisturising
Constantly dying my hair has inevitably left it dry and brittle, so I would have liked this conditioner to be a little more moisturising, especially considering I tested the version of the formula that’s for medium to thick hair (there’s also a fine to medium iteration).
That said, I have noticed fewer split ends than usual, and my hair feels stronger. Plus, the conditioner is excellent value, compared with some other formulas that do a similar job but come with a much steeper price tag.
- Annabel Grossman
Key specifications
Buy now £16.45, Amazon.co.uk
K18 hair damage shield pH protective shampoo
Best: Shampoo for damaged curls
Why we love it
- It helps restore health of weak, brittle and damaged curls and coils
Take note
- Pricey
If you’ve suffered from brittle, damaged curls, you’ll be pleased to know K18 has developed a genius formula that manages to cleanse your curls and scalp without causing dryness – crucial for maintaining the health of afro hair. The brand’s patent K18peptide, effectively prevents protein loss, which is even suitable for colour-treated curls and coils and leaves damaged hair feeling nourished and strong after a single wash.
By replicating the hair's natural pH level, this formula can be gentle on fine, brittle hair strands yet remain effective. You don’t have to use much of it to see results (although, it works much better in combination with the brand’s leave-in repair hair mask). The only downside is while it does deliver on moisture and repairs hair after a few uses, it works harder in combination with the mask and they’re both at the higher end of the price scale.
- Sheilla Mamona
Key specifications
Buy now £39, Amazon.co.uk
K18 biomimetic hairscience damage shield protective conditioner
Best: Conditioner for damaged curls
Why we love it
- Reduces breakage and frizz
- Boosts hair strength
Take note
- Works best paired with other (expensive) K18 products
This is a lightweight, high-performance conditioner designed to repair and shield hair from damage. Formulated with the patented K18peptide, it restores protein bonds to reverse damage from heat, chemical treatments, and everyday stressors. It’s also formulated with amaranth protein and hemisqualane, to add a boost of hydration, reduce frizz, and provide a protective barrier, leaving hair soft, smooth, and strong.
For best results, it works well in conjunction with the K18 leave-in repair mask (£30, Spacenk.com) and, while it delivers impressive results in hair texture and strength, the premium price tag makes it more of an investment buy.
- Sheilla Mamona
Key specifications
Buy now £39, Amazon.co.uk
Color Wow money laundering hydrating shampoo
Best: Shampoo for dry hair
Why we love it
- Fresh, tea-like scent
- Bottle design ensures every last drop can be used
- Leaves dry hair softer after use
Take note
- Doesn't boost volume
If your hair is prone to dryness but you don't want a shampoo that leaves it feeling heavy, Color Wow's money laundering formula will be right up your street. Comprising a gentle, sulphate-free cleansing system alongside moisturising ingredients such as glycerin and sea kelp, it cleanses without leaving strands feeling stripped.
After testing, my hair felt soft, light and fluffy rather than squeaky clean, with enough hydration to stop the ends looking brittle but not so much that I looked oily within hours of washing. I'd describe it as quenching rather than deeply nourishing but, because of the added hydration, it isn’t one to boost volume. Hair isn’t left flat but it’s not lifted, either.
The scent was another highlight – with fresh notes of tea and crisp apple – alongside the bottle, which is designed to rest upside down, so the formula naturally drains towards the cap between washes.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
Buy now £28, Amazon.co.uk
Color Wow money laundering glossing conditioner
Best: Conditioner for dry hair
Why we love it
- A little goes a long way
- Leaves hair soft without weighing it down
Take note
- Doesn't make detangling any easier
While some conditioners earn their keep by making knots disappear, Color Wow's money conditioner garnered my favour in a different way. It didn't noticeably improve detangling, but I found I needed surprisingly little product to boost hydration. After a couple of minutes, my hair reached that point where wet strands stop feeling rough and straw-like and instead become silky and almost jelly-soft – always a good sign that a conditioner is doing its job.
Once rinsed and dried, my lengths felt hydrated without being weighed down and I loved the lingering clean, ultra-fresh fragrance. It also didn’t go unnoticed how luxe the icy blue bottle looked in my shower. This, of course, isn’t as important as the formulation, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
Buy now £28, Amazon.co.uk
Oribe gold lust repair and restore shampoo
Best: Luxury shampoo
Why we love it
- Smells delightful
- Lathers easily and a little goes a long way, especially considering it’s sulphate-free
- Leaves hair deeply moisturised
Take note
- Doesn’t really like mixing with leave-in conditioners, as the hair is then over moisturised
- Expensive
This is my second bottle of Oribe’s gold lust shampoo and I’ve been just as impressed this time around as I was with my first encounter with the brand. It’s annoying, really, how much I love this shampoo, given its premium price point. From the heavenly scent to the easy lather and luxury packaging, it’s certainly a formula worth hyping, though.
What’s more, it’s from a deeply moisturising collection of products and, for supremely dry and brittle strands, the brand even offers a matching hair oil (£39, Spacenk.com) and heat-protection spray (£43, Cultbeauty.co.uk) – I’m an avid fan of both.
While this could be taken as a pro or a con, depending on how you look at it, the gold lust shampoo and conditioner don’t love – in my experience – to be paired with subsequent serums and leave-in products. Of course, given the price of the products, it’s a blessing that they don’t require an onslaught of extra products, though, it can prove a little annoying if you’re styling with heat afterwards and your existing heat protector spray is (as many are) a two-in-one conditioner. I suppose, conveniently, this is an incentive to invest in the brand’s own dry heat protector.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
Buy now £58, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Oribe gold lust repair and restore conditioner
Best: Luxury conditioner
Why we love it
- Doesn’t require much product to adequately saturate mid-lengths and ends
- Aesthetic packaging
- Helps to encourage any natural waves/texture
Take note
- Expensive
- Need to be careful to avoid saturating roots, to prevent weighing down hair
Like the brand’s shampoo, this conditioner is a real indulgence. Its texture is worthy of even the pickiest of goldilocks, thanks to its not too thick, not too thin consistency – it’s just right.
Indeed, it perfectly hydrates the areas of my hair that need it and, as the photo above demonstrates, lends itself well to air drying, having brought out the naturally tousled appearance of my hair’s texture. It might be a little on the rich side for those with fine hair and, even with my medium density, I had to exercise caution when conditioning around the mid-lengths, lest I leave the shower with an unintentional slickback.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
Buy now £59, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Kurl Kitchen deep cleansing black soap shampoo
Best: Lightweight shampoo for curls
Why we love it
- Nourishing
- Obscure but impactful ingredients
Take note
- Dispenser pump is tricky to work
As a curly girl, I’m used to using a lot of heavy styling products that can often weigh down my hair as the days go by, so, I need a good, deep cleansing shampoo to bring my curls back to life, without stripping moisture.
This shampoo from Kurl Kitchen, founded by sisters Fleur and Keisha East (yes, that Fleur East) has hydrating and nourishing ingredients, such as shea butter and plantain skin, combined with natural exfoliants such as Ghanaian black soap for a deep cleanse of the scalp. They deliberately went back to their roots in Ghana to find sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients from West Africa for curly and coily hair textures, and my hair is all the better for it.
- Nicole Ocran
Key specifications
Buy now £16, Boots.com
Kurl Kitchen shea butter baobab wild yam conditioner
Best: Lightweight conditioner for curls
Why we love it
- Doesn’t develop build-up or tackiness in mid-lengths and roots
- A little goes a long way
Take note
- Tricky pump to use
A rich and thick conditioner without being heavy or claggy, the Kurl Kitchen shea butter baob wild yam is by far my favourite conditioner.
It boasts natural West African ingredients, and every time I use this my curls feel revitalised and nourished. I tend to be a heavy-handed conditioner user, but a little goes a long way here, even when I’m detangling.
Even if you have a looser curl pattern or a thicker one compared with mine, your curls will get on well with this conditioner, as it’s lightweight and smoothing, leaving your hair feeling so soft.
- Nicole Ocran
Key specifications
Buy now £16, Boots.com
L’Oréal Professionnel shampoo for grey, white or light blonde hair
Best: Shampoo for natural grey/white hair
Why we love it
- Leaves hair appearing and feeling smoothed
- Brand shows commitment to recycled materials both in original bottle and refill pouches
- Maintains non-brassy colour for longer
After going grey/white during the pandemic and finding that my natural colour at 60 was partially platinum, I was keen to alleviate the brassiness that sunny weather wreaked on my strands. At the recommendation of my hairdresser, I tried a couple of silver products but was disappointed with how limp and dull they left my hair – not to mention staining my shower.
L’Oreal’s silver shampoo, in comparison, was a revelation, as my hair felt glossy once more, without accelerating the dullness of the grey. There was no staining in the shower, either. The fact the packaging is made of 95 per cent recycled plastic is a big bonus for me, as is the fact the product is available in refill pouches. What’s more, I like how stylish and understated the bottles look in my bathroom.
- Mai Davies
Key specifications
Buy now £15.5, Amazon.co.uk
L’Oréal professionnel conditioner, for grey, white or light blonde hair
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Best: Conditioner for natural grey/white hair
Why we love it
- Makes hair easier to manage (style with/without heat)
Though I’d already been sold on the shampoo and had used it for a time, I was sceptical that the conditioner might not be able to provide any additional benefits. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my hair felt even better after using it, with my strands now more manageable for longer.
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Certainly, with it reducing the number of washes, blow dries and straightening sessions, my hair felt in better condition and I’ll definitely be using the formula going forward.
- Mai Davies
Key specifications
Buy now £14.8, Amazon.co.uk
Aveda invati ultra advanced exfoliating shampoo, light
Best: Shampoo for hair growth
Why we love it
- Efficiently clarifies the scalp
- Generates a good lather
Take note
- Scent is a bit food-like
- Not overly moisturising
Aveda reports that use of the invati ultra advanced collection can reduce hair fall (as a result of breakage) by up to 77 per cent. While I’m often sceptical of hair-growth claims, this is one instance where I’ve been genuinely impressed and, as shown in the image below, I have seen significant growth in the strands towards the edge of my hair line.
I also enjoyed the volume the formula generated around my roots, giving them a good, build up-banishing clean, and found it easy to rinse away the lather quickly, without hassle. This is, in part, due to the clarifying versus moisturising nature of the formula and, while I didn’t find the shampoo nourishing as such, it didn’t dry my scalp or leave me with any uncomfortable tightness. My one bug bear was the scent – as with most Aveda products, it is quite spicy and not the clean or fresh aroma I usually lean towards.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
Buy now £33, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Aveda invati ultra advanced thickening conditioner, light
Best: Conditioner for hair growth
Why we love it
- Effective detangler
- Really does boost hair growth (together with the shampoo)
Take note
- Can slip easily out of your hands and down the drain
Using this conditioner along with the accompanying shampoo (see above), I found my hair was feeling stronger and growing longer (I tested the products both before and after I had my hair cut short), as well as detangling with less effort than usual, thanks to the conditioner’s coconut oil and squalane.
However, I did find the thickness and weight of the conditioner caused it to occasionally fall out of my hair upon application. It’s not a huge qualm, but you have to be careful to press it into the strands before it slides onto the shower floor.
- Lucy Smith
Key specifications
Buy now £37.5, Spacenk.com
Vichy Dercos anti-dandruff shampoo for dry hair
Best: Shampoo for a dry/itchy scalp
Why we love it
- Thick, viscous texture giving plenty of coverage with only a small amount of product
- Soothes irritated and itchy scalps effectively
As soon as the Vichy Dercos technique shampoo makes its way out of the bottle, its thick and luscious texture suggests it will do wonders for a dry and itchy scalp. Just a small amount of product does the job and, since using this formula, I have felt a marked improvement when it comes to avoiding sensations of itching or flaking.
After only using the product for a few weeks, my hair felt noticeably softer and silkier, with my scalp feeling increasingly soothed, wash day after wash day.
- Elis Williams
Key specifications
Buy now £16.5, Boots.com
Philip Kingsley flaky/itchy scalp hydrating conditioner
Best: Conditioner for a dry/itchy scalp
Why we love it
- Hair feels soft after use
- A little goes a long way
The Philip Kingsley hydrating conditioner does exactly what it says on the tin – hydrating the hair from the roots to the ends. The product has succeeded in helping my hair feel healthy and full of vigour, despite the fact I suffer with eczema from time to time, including on my scalp.
Plus, the ends of my hair look and feel healthier than before I started using this product – I’m a big fan of how soft my hair feels when I run my hands through it, too. At £32 for 200ml, it’s not the cheapest of options but just a small dollop goes a long way.
- Elis Williams
Key specifications
Buy now £32, Boots.com
What are the best shampoos and conditioners?
Overall, it was Monday’s smooth shampoo and conditioner that came out on top, thanks to its affordable pricing, aesthetic packaging and ultra-hydrating, SLS-free formula that’s suitable for all hair types.
If you’re looking for formulas for individual hair types, it was the Cécred shampoo and conditioner that impressed for the afro hair market, while Mielle and Kurl Kitchen took the titles for best curly hair and coily hair products. For greying/white hair, the L’Oréal Professionel shampoo and conditioner performed well, while, for those suffering with dandruff or scalp irritation, Vichy Dercos and Philip Kingsley could put an end to flaky days. And, of course, if money is not object, then Oribe’s gold lust duo is the ultimate indulgence.
How we tested shampoo and conditioners
Testing across seven different hair types, IndyBest’s team of reviewers addressed the following hair textures and concerns:
Only the products that performed the best made it into our final edit. During testing, we considered the following criteria.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As a beauty writer, Lucy Smith has been covering all things haircare and cosmetics since 2020, so she knows which brands to reach for. She has also gleaned tips from industry hair professionals such as Gina Conway and Amy Short. For this article, to cover different hair types, Lucy worked with six other testers, 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 Annabel Kingsley.
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