Hello Klean shampoo may now be widely available alongside the L’Oreals and Pantenes of the haircare world, but the brand made its name tackling hard water at the source.
Founded in 2019, Hello Klean began with a shower filter before launching its first filtering shower head in 2023, with both products designed to reduce the chlorine and impurities that can leave hair dry, dull and prone to breakage. It’s not hard to understand the appeal of these sort of products, particularly if – like me – you live in a hard-water area. With such widespread appeal, the concept proved successful enough for Hello Klean products to expand beyond filtration into wash-off hair and body formulas in 2025.
There’s plenty of interest to the range, from its anti-breakage shampoo and colour-protecting conditioner, to targeted dandruff treatments and cooling body lotions. So, in a bid to see whether they offer more than a clever hard-water hook, five of our IndyBest testers with different hair, scalp and skin types (myself included) used the collection over several weeks, assessing everything from hydration and breakage to flaking, colour retention and ease of use. Here’s what we thought.
Read more: Hello Klean vs Water2Skin reviewed
The best Hello Klean products of 2026 are:
- Best overall – Hello Klean cold cream anti-dryness body lotion: £20, Helloklean.com
- Best for damaged hair – Hello Klean anti-breakage shampoo: £22, Helloklean.com
- Best for dyed hair – Hello Klean smooth talk anti-fading dark hair conditioner: £22, Helloklean.com
- Best for scalp irritation – Hello Klean fresh start anti-dandruff scalp serum: £30, Helloklean.com
Read more: Best leave-in conditioners, tested
Hello Klean cold cream anti-dryness body lotion
Best: overall Hello Klean product
Why we love it
- Gentle cooling effect is perfect for the summer
- Skin feels nourished and smooth
Take note
- A pump would be handy
Hello Klean’s cold cream anti-dryness body lotion is a lovely formula that has a gentle cooling effect. After using it for two weeks, I noticed that my skin felt hydrated and smoother, and these results make it our best Hello Klean bodycare product overall.
It’s especially well suited to summer, when the skin is constantly exposed to not only hard water in the shower, but also salty seawater, chlorinated pools and the sun – all of which contribute to dryness.
Although the texture is rich and creamy rather than runny, it feels surprisingly lightweight on the skin. It absorbs very quickly after applying, leaving skin hydrated without the greasy after-feel.
The jar-style packaging also means it’s very easy to dispense, although I'd also be keen to see a pump version for added convenience and hygiene.
Key specifications:
Buy now £0.06, Helloklean.com
Hello Klean anti-breakage shampoo
Best: hair repairing Hello Klean product
Why we love it
- Effectively reduces hair fall
- Moisturising
- Eases detangling
Take note
- Leaves black grime around your shower/bathtub
- Moisture can build up in roots
I emptied my hairbrush before starting this test so I could get a clearer idea of whether the anti-breakage claims stacked up, and I’m pleased to report I recorded noticeably less hair collecting in it over the following weeks. My strands also felt softer, smoother and less prone to snapping after a tangle. I also found my hair looked shinier despite my area’s very hard water.
The difference was visible in my before and after photos, too, with the bottom few inches looking fuller with more movement, rather than sitting poker-straight and frazzled through the final 7cm as they did beforehand.
I wouldn’t say my hair looked visibly thicker (as the brand promises), but it certainly felt less brittle. That said, the formula needs thorough rinsing or it can leave your roots feeling weighed down with build-up, not to mention the black suds it leaves behind in the shower are annoyingly stubborn to clean.
Key specifications:
Buy now £22, Helloklean.com
Hello Klean break down anti-flake scalp soak
Best: anti-dandruff Hello Klean product
Why we love it
- Reduces flaking significantly
- Easy application
Take note
- Not an effective remedy for itchiness
- Expensive
I’ve been struggling with a flaky, itchy scalp and dandruff for a long time and have never found a product that effectively fixes it. The Hello Klean scalp soak foams incredibly well on application and is pretty straightforward to apply between your shampoo and conditioner. It has a strange, acidic smell during application (which doesn’t fill you with confidence) but it thankfully doesn’t linger post-wash.
After a couple of weeks of use, it has indeed reduced the flakiness of my scalp, but hasn’t helped with the itchiness – which it promises to do. I’d also pose that it’s quite a pricey product given the size of the containers, but the results speak for themselves in terms of reducing dandruff and flakiness.
Key specifications:
Buy now £28, Helloklean.com
Hello Klean fresh start anti-dandruff scalp serum
Best: scalp irritation Hello Klean product
Why we love it
- Eases dandruff
- Soothing on itchy scalps
Take note
- Impractical packaging and application
- Expensive
Dandruff has always been an issue for me, with most products solving the problem for around half a day before the dandruff inevitably returns. The Hello Klean anti-dandruff scalp serum, while being a little tricky to use, has managed to provide more of a long-lasting remedy.
The fact that it can only be used on dry hair isn’t ideal as someone – like most men – who wets their hair daily, especially when you’re short on time. What’s more, the pipette applicator can be unwieldy and impractical especially with slippery, wet hands.
However, it has provided a long-lasting remedy for dandruff and actually soothes an itchy scalp, where the scalp soak did not. As with the rest of Hello Klean’s product line-up, it’s quite pricey, but does the job.
Key specifications:
Buy now £30, Helloklean.com
Hello Klean press reset anti-dryness body wash
Best: nourishing Hello Klean product
Why we love it
- Calming feel-good scent
- Gentle foam texture
- Skin feels soft after use
Take note
- Expensive for a shower gel
Hello Klean’s press reset’s anti-dryness body wash is packed with a range of beneficial ingredients such as kombucha, antioxidants, PHAs and the brand’s signature Klean complex, all of which are designed to help the skin combat the drying effects of hard water.
The gentle foam has a subtle, calming scent, and left my skin feeling noticeably smoother. It’s undeniably pricey for a shower gel at £20, but the nourishing formula and the premium feel help justify the investment. You can also get it £3 cheaper through the brand’s subscription service.
Key specifications:
Buy now £20, Helloklean.com
Hello Klean smooth talk anti-fading dark hair conditioner
Best: colour protecting Hello Klean product
Why we love it
- Made my hair dye last longer than usual
- Doesn’t leave a heavy residue
- Leaves hair feel smooth and hydrated
Take note
- Colour maintenance results are good but not dramatic
If you dye your hair and struggle with hard water dulling your vibrant dark tones, Hello Klean’s smooth talk anti-fading conditioner aims to prevent this. I put it to the test after dyeing my roots and over a month of using it a few times a week, I was pleased to find that I had less greys appearing than I usually do when using other conditioners. This is thanks to two key ingredients: reishi mushroom that combats dullness and rose of jericho that protects strands from colour-fading UV damage. While this wasn’t a staggering difference, it was enough to notice a change in my hair.
The conditioner never left any heavy residue in my hair after washing it, and it always left my hair feeling smooth and lightweight. It also doesn't have a strong fragrance, which will suit more sensitive scalps.
Key specifications:
Buy now £22, Helloklean.com
Hello Klean cool down anti-buildup body lotion
Best: post-shave Hello Klean product
Why we love it
- Cooling
- Lightweight
- Absorbs easily
Take note
- Not the best for long-lasting hydration
Hello Klean’s cool down anti-buildup body lotion is not like a typical cream body lotion. It’s a clear, whipped gel formula that is designed to cool the skin after showering. If you’re used to a thick body lotion, the mousse-like formula feels a little odd at first but it quickly absorbs into damp skin with little effort needed. Where some body lotions can feel sticky, this is incredibly lightweight and doesn’t leave a residue behind, meaning you get dressed quickly without having to wait for it to dry.
My favourite way to use it is after shaving my legs, as hard water can often cause my skin to feel tight and itchy. This instantly soothes that feeling but doesn’t require the effort of working a heavy lotion into my skin. As it’s a gel formula, it’s not going to provide long-lasting hydration, but if you want something that feels cooling and lightweight, you can’t go wrong with this.
Key specifications:
Buy now £20, Helloklean.com
What is the best Hello Klean product?
Hello Klean’s cold cream anti-dryness body lotion was our team’s favourite formula overall, impressing Maria with its rich yet lightweight texture, speedy absorption and ability to leave dry skin noticeably smoother without a greasy finish. For hair, the anti-breakage shampoo was my personal top pick – particularly for reducing shedding and snapping – with the smooth talk anti-fading conditioner following close behind for those who find hard water tends to dull dyed hair.
It’s worth noting that not every product we tested earned a place in the round-up. After a month of using the blank space anti-KP body wash two to three times a week, Sabrina didn’t see enough of a difference to the appearance or texture of her keratosis pilaris bumps to recommend it.
How we tested Hello Klean hair and body products
To put the Hello Klean range through its paces, we divided the products between five testers spanning men and women, different hair lengths and textures, and a range of skin and scalp concerns. Our testing took place over the course of more than a month and we used the products consistently according to their directions. We also excluded formulas that failed to make enough of a difference to recommend, with every item being held up against the following criteria:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As The Independent’s senior shopping writer, Lucy Smith is well versed in all things hair and has even tested the Hello Klean shower head+, as well as numerous shampoos and conditioners. Likewise, Sabrina Sahota is frequently testing beauty products – from cleansers to hot brushes. Even better, as deputy IndyBest editor, she oversees the bulk of expert and tested content on-site, including all things haircare and body care.
For more specific concerns, such as dandruff or fading colour, we also called on testers outside the IndyBest team where needed. Our in-house experts still take responsibility for every review, which means speaking to each tester in detail and grilling them on everything from the results they saw and how the product felt to use, to ease of application and any drawbacks they noticed.
Read more: Hello Klean’s new shower head revealed I was damaging my hair every wash
