Found: The Very Best, Incredibly Moisturizing Shampoos for Dry Hair

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If you're a human being with hair that's been exposed to the elements (hi, sun and wind), hair tools (s/o curling irons, hair straighteners, and hot rollers), and hair products and treatments (waddup, buildup and chemical processing), chances are you've experienced dry hair. One of the main, lesser-known culprits behind dry hair? Washing your hair with harsh shampoos filled with drying alcohols and sulfates. But! You can mitigate this by buying a shampoo for dry hair that's moisturizing and tailored to your specific hair type and needs.

Most of the time, shampooing (or co-washing for some curlies!) is a part of your regular routine. So, the key to the best shampoos for dry hair is to find ones filled with moisturizing ingredients (i.e., argan and coconut oil), vitamins (B5 or E), and strengthening amino acids. By doing so, these shampoos will do the heavy lifting, replenishing and locking in moisture for softer, smoother, and overall healthier hair. I personally tested and reviewed the best ones on the market and rounded 'em up below for every hair type.

Now, keep reading for how to determine what's causing your hair dryness and how to choose the right shampoo filled with the right ingredients.

Nanoworks Gold Hydrating Shampoo

My holy grail shampoo when my hair is feeling and looking dry, brittle, and dull is this incredible formula from Pureology. Combining super moisturizing marula oil, strengthening keratin, a color-saving UV filter, and vitamin E to protect against environmental aggressors, this bb is jam-packed with ingredients to swear away any signs of dryness.

✨Pair it with Pureology Nanoworks Gold Strengthening Hydrating Conditioner ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "My hair has never looked so good after just a week of using it. It's healthier and more vibrant. And so, so soft! With other shampoo I have a handful of hair fall out. Since using Pureology Nanoworks, I have ZERO. I couldn't believe it. My scalp is also healthier, with no more dry, itchy spots. I will never go back to using anything else. Pureology saved my hair and scalp!"

Skin-Caring Shampoo

If you have any sensitivity, skin condition, or allergy, try this dermatologist-designed shampoo that's the gentlest of gentle formulas while providing adequate moisture and cleansing. The fragrance- and sulfate-free formula has the National Eczema Association's Seal of Acceptance, making it an ideal option for anyone with active-prone skin.

✨Pair it with SEEN Deeper Conditioner ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "My daughter needs a lot of moisture in her hair products, but breaks out in itchy bumps with any fragrance—even 'natural' ones. Seen's fragrance-free line of products has been a lifesaver as it has the moisture my daughter needs without itching!!! It also doesn't have the weird smell many other fragrance-free products can end up having."

No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

Chances are you've heard of this cult favorite shampoo for really dry, damaged hair that gets our seal of approval. Damaged and over-processed hair will be hit with a heavy dose of grapeseed oil, glycerin, and panthenol, as well as Olaplex's signature formula (i.e., bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate) that rebuilds broken bonds in your hair strands. Oh, and the best part? Anybody with any type of hair can use this one.

✨Pair it with Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Conditioner ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "This is excellent for anyone with bleached or chemically treated hair. Reduces breakage, prevents further damage, and softens your hair. Very moisturizing."

Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Shampoo + Conditioner

Finding a drugstore beauty product that performs the same, sometimes better, than your favorite $$$ contenders is the best feeling ever. Super moisturizing oils (hi, macadamia, and coconut) and shea butter combo with hydrating aloe vera to give your thirsty strands a double-boost of ingredients your dry hair will love. The formula is vegan and free of potentially icky ingredients like parabens, sulfates, and silicones.

✨Pair it with Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Hair Mask ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "I live in the Arctic so it's very dry and I also have fine hair. This was very moisturizing and the effects really showed after the second wash. Not heavy at all, and my hair feels smooth and light."

Dandruff Shampoo with Shea Butter

Dandruff shampoos are notorious for leaving your hair dry with their active ingredients—kind of creating another problem in itself, right?! Well, Head & Shoulders solved that problem by creating this dandruff shampoo formulated with clinically proven ingredient, pyrithione zinc, and combo'd with super-rich shea butter. The result? Your dandruff goes bye-bye, but not your hair's moisture.

✨Pair it with Head & Shoulders Dandruff Conditioner with Shea Butter ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "Finally a dandruff shampoo that does not dry out my hair! Most dandruff shampoos are effective on the scalp yes, but tend to be soooo drying on the hair. This one makes my hair soft and moisturized without feeling greasy. A win!"

Wash Day Essentials Kit

Curly hair is already naturally dry and craves moisture, which is why it's imperative to give your curls some extra love on wash day. This super gentle, moisturizing shampoo by Sienna Naturals uses mild surfactants to cleanse your roots and scalp, hydrating aloe vera, and moisturizing baobab seed oil to keep your curls and hair from looking dull. Plus, Cosmo beauty editor-at-large Julee Wilson gave this formula a 2023 Holy Grail Award, saying that it keeps her “curls clean, moisturized, and happy.”

✨Pair it with Sienna Naturals Plant Power Protein & Moisture Repair Hair Mask ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "Best shampoo I’ve ever used in my life. It feels clean, but like I used a conditioner because I can run my fingers through it. Love it!”

Hydrating Co-Wash Cleansing Hair Conditioner

If you have type 3 or 4 curls, you already know that most shampoos—yes, even sulfate-free shampoos!—are often too stripping on your hair. That's where a cleansing conditioner, also known as a co-wash, comes in. For the gist, they're basically the same thing as a regular conditioner but have an added component of a super mild cleansing oil that prevents breakage and damage. This results in buildup and extra oil removal in the gentlest way.

✨Pair it with Flawless by Gabrielle Union Detangling Leave-in Hair Conditioner ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "This is the best co-wash I have ever used! My hair smells great, feels so moisturized, and my curls dry with great definition."

Hydrating Glow with Baobab Essence Shampoo

Lemme hit ya with all the goodness this shampoo offers: A blend of vitamins (hi, B5), protective antioxidants, hydrating hair detangler, and pH balancers. Pretty jam-packed, eh? Testers absolutely love how it preserves their hair color and offers a super dose of hydration.

✨Pair it with Pantene Hydrating Glow with Baobab Essence Conditioner ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "I have dry, dehydrated hair that is currently dyed pink from about a month ago. During use, this gentle gel shampoo lathers decently and cleans my hair WITHOUT being stripping/having too high of a pH. I saw minimal fade on my pink hair, smelling so comforting and fresh."

Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo & Conditioner Set

Apple cider vinegar is low-key one of the most slept-on ingredients for your hair. It seriously treats a whole slew of issues. Using an apple cider vinegar-based hair treatment can help address dandruff, buildup, pH balance, and other conditions, leaving you with shiny, smooth, healthy hair. This one uses avocado oil to add back in some moisture after treating your hair.

✨Pair it with WOW Skin Science 10-in-1 Hair Oil ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "I use the shampoo on my roots and I am actually seeing progress in my hair growth (honest!)-- no, it isn't going to be the super strength and growth you might think but I am getting "The Little Rascals" main characters hair, LOL. And, I am not complaining! My hair is much softer with both the shampoo and conditioner—conditioner on the middle and ends of my hair—and it has been very shiny!"

GRO Revitalizing Shampoo

Struggle with hair thinning or hair loss? I get why you're stressed, but just know that 50 percent of women and 70 percent of men will experience hair thinning and/or loss at some point in their lifetimes, so you're not alone. Chemical or color damage can contribute to dry, thinning hair, and the solution is a protein-packed shampoo like this one. Keratin is added to strengthen, as well as humectants, peptides, and aloe, to soothe and moisturize your hair/scalp to reduce dryness and breakage, therefore creating an optimal environment for hair growth.

✨Pair it with Vegamour Gro Revitalizing Conditioner ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "I started using this shampoo because I was concerned about my hair being too dry in addition to being heat damaged. Since using it, my hair has started to look more vibrant. It helps lock in moisture without weighing my hair down."

Don't Despair Repair

This clean and natural shampoo—that's literally labeled "super moisture"—is ideal for thick, dry hair types. Using a slew of ingredients that work to prevent breakage and rehydrate hair (hi, rose oil, algae extract, and biotin), whether that be from a scalp condition, over-processing, or environmental damage, your thick hair is in good hands with this bb.

✨Pair it with Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Hair Mask ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "This product saved my hair after highlights fried my hair. My hair has never looked healthier! I’ve been using it for about eight months."

Recovery Shampoo

Having thin hair that's also super dry is as difficult as it is when it comes to treatment. A lot of super moisturizing shampoos can easily weigh down thin hair and, instead of helping it, make it look greasy and flat. That's why it's all about finding a balance, and this shampoo from Virtue checks all the boxes. It gently cleanses your scalp, removing build-up and repairing broken and cracked cuticles with its signature keratin protein. The result? Smooth, moisturized hair that's still voluminous and not weighed down.

✨Pair it with Virtue Labs Recovery Conditioner ✨

Glowing Customer Review: "I have blonde thin long hair. I have only used this shampoo once and I can honestly say I don’t think my hair has looked this shiny in my life. I generally am skeptical about products at this high price point, but this stuff has made my hair look great in one day."

How to choose the best shampoo for dry hair:

Determine what is causing the dryness.

Usually, finding the best shampoo for your dry hair is best done when you find out what's causing the dryness in the first place. Hair can become dry due to various factors, including environmental conditions and lifestyle choices. This could be anything from exposure to harsh weather elements like sunshine, which can strip the dye from your hair and cause the proteins in your cuticle to break down, leaving your hair dry, brittle, and dull. Wind is another culprit, causing the stripping of your hair's natural oils, leading to dryness.

Oh, and we're not done yet—frequent use of heat-styling tools, chemical processes like hair coloring and the use of certain hair products containing sulfates and alcohol can also exacerbate dryness. Fun, right?!

Consider your hair type and concern.

If you're someone with overprocessed or color-treated hair, look for color-protecting shampoos that can help preserve hair color and prevent further damage or fading. If you have coarse or curly hair, a shampoo for your curl type will focus on maintaining moisture and defining your curl pattern.

And then there are those who have scalp or skin conditions like dandruff that require active, often drying ingredients to treat the problem. The key in this situation is to find a shampoo that incorporates those actives as well as moisturizing and strengthening ingredients, and then to follow up with targeted conditioning treatment.

Why trust Cosmo?

Siena Gagliano is an associate editor at Cosmopolitan and has four years of experience writing about beauty, fashion, and lifestyle news. She’s an expert at researching and writing beauty stories, like the cutest hair clips and the best heat protection sprays. She regularly tests and analyzes shampoos for dry hair on herself for efficacy, while working with the industry’s top trichologists to assess new brands and products.

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