Best shampoo and conditioner 2024: Wash your way to strong, healthy hair
Get your dream locks with the best shampoo and conditioner sets for all hair types
Shampoo and conditioner are two of the most basic self-care items but finding the best products isn’t always easy. Many of us spot what our friends are using when in their bathrooms and buy based on that, others spend time gawking at the dozens of bottles on the supermarket shelves. But when it comes to choosing the best shampoo and conditioner for our own hair, we always find ourselves stuck.
Like other beauty products, we often choose shampoos and conditioners based on how pretty the bottle looks or what it claims to do, without paying enough attention to what the ingredients will do for your hair. Each shampoo and conditioner set will serve its own purpose, whether that is to hydrate, repair, smooth, encourage growth or help with colour maintenance. From supermarket staples, to luxury, professional hair care products, there are so many options out there that the market can seem overwhelming.
To help cut through the chatter, we’ve pulled together a selection of the best shampoo and conditioners available right now, no matter your needs or budget. So scroll on for our top picks.
Best shampoo and conditioner: At a glance
How to choose the best shampoo and conditioner for you
How often should I shampoo and condition my hair?
You might have heard that washing your hair daily isn’t the best thing to do and to an extent, it’s true. Washing more regularly can strip away the natural oils in your scalp, which can cause your follicles to dry out, and in turn, weaken your hair. Moreover, one of the most common reasons to wash your hair is to get rid of the greasy feeling caused by sebum that your scalp produces. Washing your hair more regularly can cause your scalp to overproduce sebum, in turn making it more oily.
Of course, it’s not a one size fits all statement. If you have fine hair, you might want to wash it more regularly, as it will likely feel oily faster than thicker hair. It’s best to use your own judgement on how often your hair needs to be washed, but a general rule of thumb is two or three times a week. Make sure to wash your hair with warm water, never hot, and give your scalp a gentle scrub to exfoliate it and really drive out any dirt.
What type of shampoo and conditioner is best for damaged hair?
When hair is damaged, often through overuse of colouring or heat, it’s in need of strengthening. Most of the time, damaged hair will simply need to be chopped off. However, in order to give it a helping hand, it’s a great idea to use a shampoo and conditioner duo that’s packed with proteins, amino acids, keratin and ceramides. These sorts of products will help to strengthen the strands of hair that you have and often pack in moisture and reduce (but not repair) visible split ends.
The best shampoo and conditioner you can buy in 2024
1. OUAI Thick Hair Shampoo and Conditioner Bundle: The best luxury shampoo and conditioner
Price when reviewed: £44 (bundle) | Check price at Look Fantastic
This bundle might be on the pricey side, but it’s utter perfection for thick locks. With the most delicious scent, the ingredients inside each bottle are there to provide effective cleansing for your locks, while still remaining nourishing. Hydrolysed keratin features in the shampoo to prevent breakage and help detangle, while the conditioner helps to keep your hair soft and resilient.
Giving thick hair a proper deep clean can be a time-consuming task and often results in hair not feeling fully clean or as though you’ve stripped every bit of moisture from it. This set is perfect for a moisturising deep cleanse and leaves your hair smelling beautiful for days.
Key details – Size: 300ml; Scent: Floral, orange, magnolia, orris, jasmine, peony, musk
2. OGX Refreshing Scalp + Teatree Mint Shampoo and Conditioner: The best budget shampoo and conditioner
Price when reviewed: £8.49 (each) | Check price at Superdrug
This duo from OGX is designed to give your scalp and strands refreshing boost with tea tree oil, peppermint and milk proteins. You might remember using lots of tea tree oil as a kid, in order to give your hair (and face) a real thorough clean. This set is no different and you’ll be sure to feel super cleansed after. In fact, if you’re battling an oily scalp, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better combination of ingredients for giving your hair an effective, deep clean, without stripping out its moisture. Better still, you only need a small amount of product to create a great lather.
Key details – Size: 385ml; Scent: Teatree, mint
3. Davines NOUNOU Shampoo and Conditioner: The best shampoo and conditioner for damaged hair
Price when reviewed: £20-£22 (each) | Check price at Sephora
Davines’ products are renowned for their fair trade status and sustainable ingredients, and the NOUNOU range is perhaps the most impressive of all. A rich formula packed with chestnut milk, silicone micro-emulsions and tomato extract, this shampoo and conditioner will maintain colour, gently cleanse and replenish dry and stressed hair, all while protecting against environmental damage, too.
This shampoo and conditioner duo can improve the appearance of even the most damaged of hair with frequent use. Often recommended by hairdressers for those who have bleached or damaged their hair, this range is nourishing without making hair feel heavy and helps to tame frizz and flyaways.
Key details – Size: 250ml; Scent: Citrus, spiced, aromatic
4. Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Shampoo and Conditioner: The best smelling shampoo and conditioner
Price: £22 (each) | Check price at Sephora
Known for its incredible scents, any product from the Sol de Janeiro range packs a beautifully fragrant punch. This creamy and rich duo not only smells great but will help to nourish and smooth your locks, keeping it healthy and strong. If you’re a fan of the rest of the range and love the smell of its Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, you’ll fall hair over heels for this perfect pair. In testing, our hair felt light after use and smoothed of excess frizz.
Key details – Size: 295ml; Scent: Salted caramel, pistachio, vanilla
5. Paul Mitchell Blonde Bonus Bag Shampoo and Conditioner: The best shampoo and conditioner for colour treated blonde hair
Price when reviewed: £45 (bundle) | Check price at Look Fantastic
Bleached blonde hair often needs a little helping hand when it comes to maintaining colour and keeping it strong. This bonus bag duo from Paul Mitchell is made up of a lightweight shampoo that helps to maintain blonde vibrancy, as well as cleansing the hair without stripping away the healthy oils. The conditioner is on hand to help keep your hair sleek and smooth, making it easier to manage – you can forget about those pesky knots you tend to find after getting your hair bleached.
Lots of blonde haircare products can make your hair feel even drier in order to maintain colour, but this bundle is super nourishing, replacing some of the hydration you’ll be lacking after bleaching.
Key details – Size: Shampoo (250ml); Conditioner (200ml) Scent: Cucumber, fruity
6. Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Shampoo and Conditioner Bundle: The best shampoo and conditioner for hair growth
Price when reviewed: £35 (bundle) | Check price at Amazon
Coco and Eve’s sulfate-free duo will help to cleanse your hair, without stripping it of essential moisture. With three powerful cleansing actives: soap nut, coconut oil and fruit enzymes, your hair will feel incredibly refreshed after just one wash. The brand uses “ResistHyal” to increase moisture, helping your hair to feel brand new, while other actives help to dissolve dry skin and oil for a squeaky clean scalp. A well exfoliated scalp is great for hair growth and helps hair to feel more lightweight and clean.
Key details – Size: 250ml; Scent: Coconut, fig
7. Bumble and Bumble Bond-Building Repair Set: The best bond-building shampoo and conditioner
Price when reviewed: £28 (bundle) | Check price at Sephora
This set from Bumble and Bumble is more than just a shampoo and conditioner, it’s a repair kit too. Ideal for building up the hair’s bonds, while adding vital shine and elasticity, this set will help to smooth your hair’s cuticles, reduce frizz, detangle and improve the look of damage, all while helping to prevent further damage.
If you’ve over-coloured your hair or frequently use heat on it, then there’s a good chance you’ve damaged your bonds. This set works deep within the strands to improve the look and feel of hair and is ideal for those who already love the pricier Olaplex range.
Key details – Size: 60ml; Scent: Sweet honey
8. Moo & Yoo Miracle shampoo and conditioner: The best vegan and cruelty-free option
Price when reviewed: £43 (bundle) | Check price at Moo and Yoo
This all-natural shampoo and conditioner Rituals Duo set from Moo & Yoo is formulated using high-quality vegan ingredients that are as kind to your hair as they are to the planet. All products in the range are cruelty-free and free from palm oil. Better still, the formulas arrive in fully recyclable glass bottles to further reduce waste – we recommend purchasing a pump for 50p to avoid accidentally dropping the glass bottle when wet.
In testing, the miracle shampoo and conditioner left hair feeling clean and soft, while looking shiny and volumised. Containing marula oil and Icelandic moss, which Moo & Yoo states offers protection from UV light exposure and environmental toxins, continued use should lead to reduced damage over time. An all-natural formula, its woody scent smells super clean and fresh.
Key details – Size: 250ml; Scent: Woody
9. UpCircle Shampoo and Conditioner Crème: Best for the planet
Price when reviewed: £36 for both | Check price at UpCircle
UpCircle’s shampoo and conditioner crèmes are some of the most unique we’ve tested. Both products are made using upcycled ingredients; the shampoo uses upcycled pink berry extract, and the conditioner uses upcycled orange peel. The formulas are also all formulated without sulphates, palm oil, parabens, silicone, mineral oils, parfum and phthalates. Furthermore, you guessed it, they’re natural, vegan and cruelty-free.
The innovative crème formula marks a mid-point between traditional liquid shampoos and conditioners, which take up lots of space in transport, and eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner bars, which don’t typically lather very well. The cream formula uses 50% less water to balance product efficacy with user (and planet) friendliness. The shampoo’s whipped mousse texture lathers well, leaving hair feeling refreshed and weightless, while the conditioner leaves hair feeling shiny, hydrated and soft.
Thanks to the impressive undiluted power of the formulas, 100ml of shampoo and conditioner also goes a long way. Better still, the glass jar packaging can be returned to UpCircle, sterilised, and refilled with a 20% discount from the original cost. That means you won’t be contributing to unnecessary plastic waste.
Key details – Size: 100ml each; Scent: Pink berry, peppermint, rosemary, coconut and grapefruit oil, orange peel