For anyone who loves the vibrant look of freshly colored hair, maintaining that brilliance can be a frustrating challenge. Despite spending time and money on salon treatments, many find that their hair color fades quickly, losing its luster after just a few washes. Factors like frequent washing, heat styling, and environmental exposure all contribute to color fading, leaving hair dull and lifeless. Especially since many regular shampoos contain sulfates, which are the main culprit behind the rapid loss of hair color pigments.
To help you narrow down your options and choose the right color safe shampoo that suits you best in order to save both time and money, we’ve curated the best shampoos for different hair types, colors, and budgets. Keep scrolling to discover our top expert-recommended picks, along with more helpful tips.
Best overall: Colorlomo Ultra Color Safe Shampoo for true color preservation
Even if you’re extremely careful with your daily care for colored hair, your hair color will
still gradually fade due to daily activities. However, Colorlomo Ultra Color Safe Shampoo’s exclusive Chroma Balance Tech can minimize color fading. It can precisely replenish pigments back and won’t alter the original hair color. They emphasize color-specific care, ensuring that your hair color reaches its optimal condition. Also, the sulfate-free formula gives a gentle cleansing effect while the sweet almond oil can help nourish and repair your hair deeply. Therefore, Colorlomo is the best overall selection for those who want always keep vibrant hair color.
Whatever you have red shade like Burgundy, Auburn, Reddish Copper, Cherry Red, Red Brown, or Dark Red, Colorlomo Red Color Safe Shampoo can help you to keep always vibrant. And for those who dyed blue shade and got like Midnight Blue, Silver Blue, Teal Blue, Blue Black, Green or Dark blue, Colorlomo Blue Color Safe Shampoo is the best way to bring back the pigments and against fading to yellow. If you dyed pink, and got like Strawberry Blonde, Copper, Ginger, Rose Gold, Hot Pink, Pastel Pink, Colorlomo Pink Color Safe Shampoo would become your life saver. Besides, hair color like brunette, bronde, Ash Brown, Chocolate Brown, Light Brown, Honey Brown, Lavender, Violet, Dark Purple, Magenta Purple, Plum, Reddish Purple, Gray Ombre, Silver Blonde, Platinum Gray, Gray Blonde, Ash Gray, Dark Gray can all find the right shampoo to care and keep.
Best for damaged hair: Redken Acidic Color Gloss Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Redken’s Acidic Color Gloss Shampoo gives a sulfate-free formula, it ensures up to 32 washes of vibrant color while boosting hair’s shine by up to 76%. Enriched with an acidic pH, amino acids, and vitamin E, it locks in color and seals the cuticle to protect against fading and dullness caused by water and heat. It also can repair damaged hair after coloring and enhance color vibrancy.
Best for dry hair: Biolage Color Last Shampoo
Biolage Color Last Shampoo is specifically designed to keep your color-treated hair looking as fresh and vibrant as the day it was dyed. Inspired by nature’s fade-defying orchid, this gentle formula works to preserve the depth, tone, and shine of your color while providing a thorough yet delicate cleanse. Perfect for maintaining vivid, radiant hair, it protects against fading and dullness, triple moistures your hair color to stay true to its original brilliance. With every wash, Biolage Color Last Shampoo helps you let your true color shine, offering salon-like results and a luxurious hair care experience at home.
Best for hair that need deeply cleaned: Kenra Professional Clarify Shampoo
Kenra Professional Clarify Shampoo is the perfect choice for deeply cleansing hair in need of a fresh start. This powerful formula removes damaging impurities and dulling deposits, such as hard water, metal ions, minerals, pollutants, and product buildup, without leaving hair feeling dry or stripped. Designed as a weekly reset when paired with a Kenra shampoo and conditioner, it helps restore your hair’s natural radiance and shine. Safe for color-treated hair, this clarifying shampoo keeps your locks vibrant, healthy, and refreshed.
Best for sensitive scalp: Matrix Keep Me Vivid Shampoo
Matrix Keep Me Vivid Shampoo is the ideal choice for those with a sensitive scalp who want to preserve their hair color. This sulfate-free shampoo features next-generation technology, offering a rich, milky high-foam lather that gently cleanses the hair while maintaining vibrant, fast-fading colors. With its ability to combat color fading, this shampoo helps keep your hair looking fresh for up to 21 washes. The product’s delightful fragrance includes notes of vanilla, coconut, and cotton candy, providing a refreshing sensory experience.
Best cost-effective choice: Garnier Fructis Color Shield Shampoo
Garnier Fructis Color Shield Shampoo is a cost-effective solution for maintaining vibrant color. It infused with Acai Berry Antioxidant and UV filters, which protects against wash-out, fade-out, and dry-out, ensuring longer-lasting, fresher color. This shampoo provides up to 8 weeks of color vibrancy and is designed for color-treated hair, leaving it feeling stronger and more resilient. Simply use with the Color Shield conditioner for optimal results.
Best for permed hair: Nexxus Hair Color Assure Sulfate-Free Shampoo
For those who are finding a perfect selection for caring permed hair, Nexxus Hair Color Assure Sulfate-Free Shampoo is an excellent choice as it is specially formulated to preserve color vibrancy for longer. Using the exclusive protein fusion blend, which combines Elastin Protein and Quinoa, this sulfate-free shampoo replenishes nutrients and helps enhance color vibrancy. It is designed to extend the life of your hair color for up to 40 washes. The shampoo is silicone-free and works best when followed by Nexxus Color Assure Conditioner. With advanced scientific methods, Nexxus creates customized formulas to meet the protein needs of each hair type, restoring hair health and ensuring long-lasting color.
Maintaining vibrant, color-treated hair can be challenging, but with the right shampoo, you can preserve your color while keeping your hair healthy. Hope today’s article helps you choose the right shampoo for your needs, so you can keep your hair color vibrant while maintaining a shiny and smooth look. Besides the right products, some daily easy tips can also help you to care colorful hair better. Click here to see more.