The 7 Best Shampoos If You’re 40+ And Your Hair Is Suddenly Brittle And Confusing
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by The Candidly Team
Actually, it started when we hit 35.
Our hair just became…different. More frizzy. More dry. More brittle. Oh, and definitely more thin.
We continued using the same cheap shampoo we’ve used for years and it just wasn’t cutting it. So we have given ourselves permission to spend real money on hair products. Because when our hair is limp and frizzy and dull, we’re sad. And when it’s bouncy and shiny and healthy, we’re happy.
So in this one instance, money really can buy happiness.
If you have color treated or damaged hair, basically anything on this list will work for you. And yes, we know it’s waaaaay more than 7 like our lying title. But we’ve broken them up into 7 very general categories to help guide your search and give you options. It’s really astounding how finding the right formula can help soothe our hair during this new, strange stage of our hair-life. And further, it’s almost bizarre that the health of our hair isn’t really discussed as it relates to getting older. Just another way the internet forgets about us 40ish gals!
Something on this list will truly change your hair. And as we know…
Oh and because we love you, ALL products sold at Dermstore are 15% off with the code CANDIDLY.
1. Best Overall So You Don’t Have To Even Read This Whole List
They’re all perfect.
Alterna Caviar Replenishing Moisture Shampoo: This is the gold standard of nearly everything on this list. It’s so rich, so hydrating, smells like a dream, and won’t weigh down your hair.
R+CO Television Perfect Hair Shampoo: Excellent if your hair is on the dryer but thicker side, and can be prone to that dreaded, frizzy, triangle shape.
Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo: If your hair has been especially damaged by color, this will breathe new life into it. Probably as close to a miracle as shampoo can get.
Pattern Hydration Shampoo: The gold standard for extremely curly or coily hair. And obviously needs to win every award for prettiest packaging.
2. The only drugstore shampoos worth your time and money
It doesn’t always have to be pricey. These are our favorites if you’re on a budget.
L'Oreal Paris Ever Strong Sulfate-Free Thickening Shampoo: Reach for this if a glass-shine is what you’re after.
Pura d’or Pro Grade Anti-Hair Thinning Biotin Shampoo: The best budget shampoo for plumping up fine or thinning strands, without question.
John Frieda Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth Shampoo: Sort of self-explanatory, no?
OGX Thick & Full Biotin & Collagen Shampoo: Excellent for volume that wont dry out your hair.
Biosilk Silk Therapy Shampoo: She’s a classic for a reason. Still one of the best for softness and shine.
3. The shampoos for hair so oily come 3pm it looks like you haven’t washed it in days even though you literally showered that morning
Isn’t it fun? Your ends are dry and frizzy but your roots are oily! Wheee! These are absolutely the best choices to give rich hydration to your strands without build up on your scalp.
Fekkai Apple Cider Detox Shampoo: Don’t sleep on this brand. Nearly everything is great.
Pattern Clarifying Shampoo: Removes build-up while never stripping.
Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: It’s the OG for a reason.
Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo Two: Is it 1984? Kate Bush is popular again and now this?! But truly. Have you tried it? It’s a beast for truly oily hair. One of our faves.
Olaplex No. 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo: Excellent for extremely damaged hair that’s also oily.
4. Best “clean” shampoos if you care about that sort of thing
For us, the jury is out on whether this is deeply important for a shampoo’s true purpose, which is to clean our hair. So we tested these against all others in terms of their efficacy. So they’re not just great for being “clean.” They’re great, period.
Acure Ultra Hydrating Shampoo: A big surprise for us! Extremely hydrating but utterly weightless. And quite the nice price.
Philip B. Weightless Volumizing Shampoo: This creates actual, noticeable lift at the roots for more bouncy, big hair.
Reverie Shampoo: A gorgeous botanical scent, and a lovely, everyday shampoo for every, single hair type.
Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Super Moisture Shampoo: The hype surrounding this line is intense, so we had to try it. Guess what? It absolutely lives up to it. This shampoo leaves your hair feeling so super-clean, or also has that squeaky feeling.
5. For thinning hair that’s weighed down easily
What if every time you’ve tried a “moisture” shampoo your hair goes limp and stringy because it’s just too much for your fine strands? We so deeply understand. Try these 4 and only these 4.
Aveda Sap Moss Weightless Hydration Shampoo: A real sleeper of the bunch. This product is such an underrated gem for super thin or fine hair that’s desperate for moisture. We are never without it now.
Evo Ritual Salvation Repairing Shampoo: Another contender for chicest packaging. We love how light and weightless this is, but we are mostly obsessed with the fresh, addictive scent. People will comment.
Pipette Fragrance Free Baby Shampoo + Wash: Is this for babies? Yes. Does it work great as a light, everyday shampoo for grown-ass women with brittle hair? Yes.
Fekkai Brilliant Gloss Shampoo: Here we are singing the praises of Fekkai again. “Gloss” is absolutely the right word. It gives your hair a true mirror-shine.
6. For extremely angry scalps
Yes, this is different than just oily. This is itchy. This is flaky. These all help after only one use.
Jupiter Balancing Shampoo: The gold standard in a true flake situation. Read HERE to be convinced.
Ouai Detox Shampoo: We assumed something so pretty wouldn’t be powerful. How wrong we were. This is the perfect once-a-week shampoo to keep our scalps happy.
Philip B. Peppermint Avocado Shampoo: A gorgeous scent and extremely calming.
Oribe Serene Scalp Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: Here’s Oribe again. Honestly, they can do no wrong. This scent is otherworldly and the results are instant.
Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub: We use this once a week with a scalp brush, prior to using one of the shampoos on the list. It’s a perfect combination.
7. The best dry shampoo (this counts, right?)
Ok, it’s not shampoo. But we use it just as much. Fine we use it MORE because we’re lazy pigs who don’t wash our hair.
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo: Treat yourself. It’s the best.
Vegamour Gro Dry Shampoo: This entire line helps with hair growth.
R+CO Death Valley Dry Shampoo: Unbelievable scent and great for giving your hair major body.
Pureology Style + Protect Refresh & Go Dry Shampoo: A true daily workhorse of a dry shampoo. It comes up on many “best” lists across the internet and for good reason.
Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo Dark Tones: Sometimes darker hair can be tricky with lighter dry shampoo tones. This one is the best.
BONUS: Hair masks that actually do something
There are an estimated 4,793,423 hair masks on the market. We’ve tried what feels like all of them. But these 5 are the ones we buy over and over again because they actually make a difference in our hair.
Pro tip: We like to use them on wet hair, overnight, in a soft bun, and then wake up, bleary-eyed, with the silkiest mermaid strands on earth.
Another bonus: Our favorite “mature” hair bits and bobs
Annnnnnd another section of our favorite products that we specifically love for 35+ hair. They’re all softening, gentle, extremely easy and fast to use, and all wildly effective. Ahhh.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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