Anyone who colors their hair knows it can be time-consuming and expensive. The right shampoo, however, can help preserve your signature hue at home and keep it looking fresh for longer. Through meticulous research and interviews with experts, we found the best shampoos for color-treated hair that nourish strands and help prevent fading. Our top pick is Redken’s Acidic Gloss Sulfate Free Shampoo, a dullness-fighting formula with moisturizing vitamin E. For a drugstore option, we recommend L’Oréal Paris EverPure Shampoo, which creates a full lather without stripping color. Find our full list of recommendations below, along with pro tips for caring for all shades.
We found the best shampoos for color-treated hair that protect and nourish without stripping hair.
Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailers
Our Top Recommendations
Ulta Beauty
Redken Acidic Color Gloss
Hair type: All | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Vitamin E, amino acids | Size: 10.1 ounces
Best for:
- Maintaining color vibrancy
- A glossy look and silky feel
- Its pleasant scent
Skip if:
- You have an extremely sensitive scalp
It can be hard to replicate that fresh-from-the-salon, high-shine look, but this formula from Redken works to help you do just that. “After coloring your hair, the cuticle is open because of the application of things like ammonia and peroxide,” says stylist and colorist Nicole Henry. “This is a great shampoo to repair and protect—it balances the pH, and it helps the cuticle sit flat, ultimately giving your hair shine, luster and a beautiful finish.” The acidic formula also uses amino acids like arginine and serine in conjunction with vitamin E to prevent dullness over time. It even promises to maintain color vibrancy for up to 32 washes, so you don’t have to force yourself to go too long between shampoos.
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L’Oreal
L’Oréal Paris EverPure Moisture Shampoo
Hair type: All | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Rosemary leaf oil | Size: 8.5 ounces
Best for:
- Those who are looking for a lower-priced shampoo
- Gentle cleansing
- Its earthy, clean scent
Skip if:
- You’re looking for something intensely hydrating
Maintain vibrancy without making a special appointment with your stylist. This affordable shampoo is formulated with rosemary oil (which gives it an earthy, clean smell), and it doesn’t contain harsh salts or surfactants that can fade color. While many sulfate-free options don’t create a full lather, users say this sudses well and doesn’t strip color—but some feel it isn’t super moisturizing, so don’t skip the conditioner afterwards. This doesn’t cause my hair’s deep brown color to fade or become mousey and dull, which can happen with some other shampoos. It also has a satisfying lather that makes me feel like my hair is getting really clean.
Sephora
Augustinus Bader The Rich Shampoo
Hair type: Medium to thick hair | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Moringa oil, black oat complex, brassica seed oil | Size: 6.7 ounces
Best for:
- Nourishing strands to combat dryness and breakage
- Reducing frizz
- Increasing glossiness and smoothness
Skip if:
- You have fine hair, as this may be too heavy
- You go through shampoo very quickly or are on a budget
This formula has the texture of a rich, cream cleanser. It doesn’t strip color molecules after a fresh salon color session, and it’s also a moisturizing powerhouse. Moringa oil is incorporated to restore dryness from overprocessing and lock in moisture, black oat complex works to prevent breakage and split ends, and brassica seed oil can help with taming frizz and flyaways. “I own this one personally, and I like it because it has a nice clean finish and smells great,” says Henry. One thing to keep in mind: “It is a small bottle for that price, so if you have long hair this would be an expensive investment, especially if you’re double shampooing.”
Oribe
Shu Uemura Color Lustre
Hair type: All | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Japanese musk rose oil, goji berry extract | Size: 10 ounces
Best for:
- Hydrating strands
- Boosting shine
- Sensitive noses, thanks to its light scent
Skip if:
- You’re on a budget
This shampoo is at the top of stylists’ lists for maintaining color vibrancy. “I love that it has a rich lather and cleans the hair gently,” says Henry. The paraben- and sulfate-free shampoo is also beloved by users for offering intense hydration. Its star ingredients include nourishing Japanese musk rose oil and antioxidant-rich goji berry extract that “helps prevent fading by fighting dryness, which causes color fading,” says Holly Rexroat, master stylist at Style House Salon Nashville. According to Henry, this formula’s fragrance is light, making it ideal for those who are sensitive to scents.
Amazon
Oribe Shampoo For Magnificent Volume
Hair type: Fine to medium hair | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Polymers, botanical extracts, hydrolyzed vegetable protein | Size: 8.5 ounces
Best for:
- Its non-stripping formula
- Cleaning without overdrying
- Restoring and maintaining bounce
Skip if:
- Your hair requires a more moisturizing formula
Fine hair tends to show oil quickly, and heavy products can easily weigh it down. A top pick in our best shampoos for fine hair roundup, Oribe’s formula contains polymers that work to plump the hair shaft and give hair extra volume so it doesn’t fall flat. Henry says this light shampoo provides a “squeaky clean finish without overdrying,” and that it has a nice fragrance. It also has botanical extracts—including watermelon, lychee and edelweiss flower—which work to protect hair from oxidation, and ultimately looking brassy or washed out.
Sephora
Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo
Hair type: Dry, damaged | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Keravis, astaxanthin | Size: 9 ounces
Best for:
- Hydrating parched hair
- Softening and strengthening
- Its pleasant scent
Skip if:
- Your hair tends to feel weighed down easily
Dry hair can lose its shine quickly, but this formula maintains fresh-from-the-salon color and keeps strands glossy. It has two key restorative ingredients: keravis, which is a strengthening protein, and astaxanthin, an antioxidant that helps repair stressed hair, transforming it from crispy to silky. Reviewers love that it makes hair feel healthy and smooths frizz. This is also my go-to shampoo for my color-treated hair, and a little goes a long way. It lathers really well and I find that it keeps my oily strands looking and feeling clean longer than others.
Dermstore
Sachajuan Colour Protect Shampoo
Hair type: Fine, oily | Sulfate-free: No | Key ingredients: Irish moss extract | Size: 8.4 ounces
Best for:
- Reducing excess oil around the scalp
- Boosting shine
Skip if:
- You want something completely sulfate-free
Cleansing hair and maintaining moisture without weighing it down can be a tricky balance. This product from Swedish company Sachajuan is the ideal solution for when you want to protect your color but your hair tends to get greasy quickly (translation: It doesn’t feel squeaky clean after washing). While it’s not sulfate-free, the formula contains low-acidity cleansers that help preserve color pigments. It’s also made with the brand’s proprietary Ocean Silk Technology—derived from algae rich in calcium, manganese, zinc and magnesium—that normalizes the scalp and boosts shine without compromising your beautiful color.
Amazon
Virtue Recovery Shampoo
Hair type: Dry, curly | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Hydrolyzed quinoa, grapefruit extract, baobab seed oil | Size: 8 ounces
Best for:
- Creating bounce
- Developing a rich lather
- Helping repair hair damage
Skip if:
- You want a lighter formula
- You don’t like a coconut scent
This color-safe shampoo is notorious for cutting frizz and making hair manageable. A favorite of Jennifer Garner (who is a brand partner), this formula has a long list of overachieving ingredients. Hydrolyzed quinoa enhances shine, grapefruit extract revitalizes the scalp and baobob seed oil acts as an emollient to smooth the hair cuticle. It’s also formulated with the company’s proprietary Alpha Keratin 60ku, a human keratin protein that’s designed to bind to hair and repair damage. Reviewers say it banishes frizz and leaves hair shiny, bouncy and soft.
Sephora
Kérastase Blond Absolu
Hair type: All | Sulfate-free: No | Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, edelweiss flower extract | Size: 8.5 ounces
Best for:
- Removing buildup
- A glossy finish
- Preventing brassiness
Skip if:
- You want something free of sulfates
Highlights are a great way to add dimension to your hair color, but they can leave strands feeling dry and brittle over time. To combat this drying effect, this shampoo from Kérastase is formulated with hyaluronic acid, a humectant that helps bind water molecules to hair strands. Another standout ingredient? Edelweiss flower extract, which has been known to promote thicker, stronger strands. This shampoo isn’t sulfate-free since it contains sodium laureth sulfate, which Rexroat approves of for cleansing hair without stripping color. Just keep in mind that it’ll be extra cleansing and will require follow-up hydration with a conditioner. To note: Despite its violet-hued bottle, this isn’t a purple shampoo. However, similar to a purple shampoo, it works to even out brassy tones and lock in shine for a luminous finish.
Amazon
Color Wow Color Security Duo
Hair type: Fine to normal | Sulfate-free: Yes | Key ingredients: Argan oil, hydrolyzed keratin | Size: 8.4 ounces (shampoo), 8.4 ounces (conditioner)
Best for:
- Protecting against fading from UV exposure
- A shiny, silky finish
- Its ultra-lightweight feel
Skip if:
- You’re looking for a thicker conditioner
If you’re searching for a color-safe shampoo, odds are you’ll also benefit from a complementary conditioner. This sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner duo from Color Wow works together to cleanse and hydrate your hair for optimal results (think silky, soft-to-the-touch strands). Both formulas are made with hydrolyzed keratin, which minimizes the damaging effects of sun exposure to maintain your hair’s vibrancy. In addition, the conditioner is fortified with argan oil, an antioxidant-rich ingredient that strengthens strands and boosts shine. I find this shampoo to be a standout because of its lightweight feel, which leaves my hair bouncy, and I also like its light scent. The conditioner is on the watery side, however, so it may not be ideal if you have thick hair.
How We Chose The Best Shampoos For Color-Treated Hair
To select the best shampoos for color-treated hair, we took into account each product’s active ingredients. We only recommended formulas designed to cleanse, nourish and strengthen dyed strands.
Formula Evaluation
To ensure color security across different textures, our picks cover a variety of hair types, from curly to fine to dry. Our ingredient evaluation focused on:
- Acidic pH balancers: Looking for formulas that seal the hair cuticle to lock in moisture and color pigments.
- Bond-building active ingredients: Prioritizing amino acids, proteins and botanical extracts to repair over-processed strands.
- Gentle surfactants: Ensuring all recommendations clean hair without harsh, color-stripping ingredients.
Staff And Expert Recommendations
Molly Calhoun, the author of this story, provided firsthand insights for the products she tried on this list, including the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Moisture Shampoo and the Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo. The experts we consulted for this story also chimed in with recommendations based on their own in-salon experiences.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews were examined for standout product traits, such as scent, lather quality and value compared to price. As everyone’s haircare budget looks a little different, we included both affordable and luxury options that have overwhelmingly positive ratings from shoppers.
What To Consider In A Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair
When shopping for the best shampoo for color-treated hair, you want something that doesn’t cause fading, but you also want your hair to feel clean. Here’s what to consider.
Color-Safe Ingredients
Just buying any random shampoo at the drugstore or your favorite beauty retailer isn’t a good idea if you’ve invested in an expensive dye job. What are the color-friendly ingredients to scope out when scouring shampoo ingredient lists? “Look for shampoos that have a good humectant, like glycerin, in them because it’s nourishing, which is especially important for color-treated hair,” says Rexroat. “A humectant holds moisture in, and you want to see it in the first five or so ingredients.”
In general, ingredients that you should say no to include oxidizing agents like hydrogen peroxide and bromates, as they can negatively impact your color. Another ingredient that’s a hard no? Formaldehyde. “You’d be shocked to find it’s still in some shampoos,” Rexroat says, “although most likely in ones you find at drugstores that maybe have older products.”
Sulfates
Color-safe shampoos are typically sulfate-free. “They don’t over cleanse the hair or remove the color molecule, allowing for hair color to last longer and resist fading,” says Henry. “Sulfate-free shampoo will continue to clean the scalp and hair of dirt, product residue and oils, just in a more gentle way.”
One sulfate that is sometimes still in shampoos and considered to be fine for color-treated hair is sodium laureth sulfate. “It will take the dirt and oil off the hair without stripping color,” says Rexroat, who points out that it’s important to remove product buildup when cleansing because otherwise your color will appear dull. Many professional lines in a salon are going to have some form of sodium sulfate, she says. Although if a shampoo is sulfate-free, odds are there is some kind of surfactant—like lauryl glucoside—in there that’s cleansing the hair of dirt and oil.
Clarifying Formulas
Think of a clarifying shampoo like a deep clean that removes product buildup and excess sebum from the scalp. They aren’t taboo for those with color-treated strands because they take away the dulling effects of things like layers of product, chlorine or hard water. Bear in mind, though, a clarifying shampoo is not something you’d want to use every day because it will fade your color more quickly. “I don’t recommend using one in the first two weeks after coloring hair,” says Rexroat.
Pigments
Some shampoos are color-depositing, meaning they introduce pigments to hair as they clean it. For example, purple shampoos are a popular choice for blondes, as the violet hue acts as a color corrector that targets unwanted brassiness. Just avoid light-colored hair towels on days you use pigmented shampoos, as you may stain them.
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
At Forbes Vetted, we’ve researched and written dozens of haircare stories.
- Forbes Vetted beauty and fashion writer Molly Calhoun has covered a breadth of beauty topics, including the best low-porosity hair products and the best neck-firming creams.
- Every iteration of this story was overseen by deputy editor Jane Sung, who leads the beauty and grooming section for Forbes Vetted and has over two decades of lifestyle reporting experience.
- This article is regularly updated to ensure you have access to the top products on the market. It was last refreshed by beauty writer Claire Epting in August 2026.
Our Experts
- Nicole Henry, stylist and colorist at Nicole Henry Salon
- Holly Rexroat, master stylist at Style House Salon Nashville
- Alexandre Chouery, founder of Maison D’Alexandre
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
