10 Best Shampoos for Color-Treated Hair to Stop Brassiness in Its Track

Key ingredients: elastin proteins, quinoa extract | Sulfate-free: yes | Who it's for: people with weak or breakage-prone hair

Best for Dry Hair: Herbal Essences Pure Grapeseed Color Nurture Shampoo

Why it's worth it: Our editors love the color-friendly formulation of the Herbal Essences Pure Grapeseed Color Nurture Shampoo so much (especially when it’s paired with the Color Nurture Conditioner) that we gave it a 2024 Allure Best of Beauty Award in our Steals category. Its sulfate-free formulation subs harsh cleansing agents for antioxidant-rich grapeseed extract and moisturizing duo of aloe vera extract and camellia oil for hair that looks freshly colored— even if it’s been a couple of weeks since your last color session.

Key ingredients: grapeseed extract, aloe vera, camellia oil| Sulfate-free: yes | Who it's for: anyone who has dry, brittle hair

Best for Damaged Hair: K18 Peptide Prep pH Maintenance Shampoo

Why it's worth it: K18’s Peptide Prep pH Maintenance Shampoo focuses on cleansing any dirt, oil, and product buildup without disturbing your hair's natural pH—and therefore improves color retention. The plant-derived surfactants acts as gentle alternatives to SLS and SLES cleaners while the brand’ star ingredient, a proprietary form of elasticity-boosting peptides, supports broken bonds along the hair shaft, minimizing bleach-, chemical-, and heat-related damage and all their unwanted effects (read: brittleness, dullness, brassiness).

Key ingredients: K18 peptide, plant-derived surfactants (sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate)| Sulfate-free: no—does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) but does contain sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate) | Who it's for: anyone with any form of hair damage

Best for Frizzy Hair: Joico Colorful Anti-Fade Shampoo

Why it's worth it: We generally aren't "anti" much, but when it comes to our beautiful color fading, we're ready to put up a fight. Thankfully, Joico's Colorful Anti-Fade Shampoo will do most of the work for us. Nourishing ingredients like camellia oil, rosehip oil, pomegranate, and hydrolyzed keratin moisturize and strengthen each hair strand while maintaining the brilliance of your new hue for up to eight weeks. The ingredients are housed in liposomes to gradually release them throughout the day, creating a long-lasting effect.

Key ingredients: camellia oil, rosehip oil, pomegranate extract, hydrolyzed keratin| Sulfate-free: no (does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) but does contain sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate) | Who it's for: anyone who wants to stretch out the time between salon visits

Best for Chemically-Treated Hair: Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

Why it's worth it: Few formulas come close to the bond-supporting powers of this shampoo, which is why it earned an Allure Best of Beauty Award back in 2021 and, more recently, a Readers' Choice Award in 2023. Olaplex’s shampoo is spiked with the brand’s star active ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate (albeit at a much lower concentration than the No. 3 Hair Perfector treatment) to fortify broken disulfide bonds along the hair shaft. The results: shinier, smoother hair with intense color vibrancy after each and every wash.

Key ingredients: bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate | Sulfate-free: yes | Who it's for: those who get chemical treatments in addition to color services

Best for Heat-Styled Hair: Fekkai Technician Color Shampoo

Why it's worth it: Not-so-fun fact: your hair tools can also mess with your color and can lead to heat-related damage. If you reach for your hair dryer and styling tools on a regular basis, gently wash your brittlest strands by lathering up with Fekkai's Technician Color Shampoo. It contains a slew of conditioning, hair-softening ingredients like plum seed oil, sunflower sprout extract, and argan oil that moisturize fried, damaged hair cuticles. The results: a major shine and vibrancy boost.

Key ingredients: plum seed oil, sunflower sprout extract, argan oil | Sulfate-free: yes | Who it's for: anyone with brittle hair from color- or heat-related damage

Best Drugstore: L'Oréal Paris EverPure Moisture Shampoo

Why it's worth it: When it comes to drugstore darlings for color-treated hair, we can't fail to mention L'Oréal Paris's EverPure Moisture Shampoo—and New York City-based colorist Nikki Ferrara agrees. While it's powerful enough to remove product buildup at the roots, this gentle formula lathers beautifully and is infused with rosemary oil for its color-preserving, antioxidant-rich benefits that give higher-end formulas a run for their money. And, since it actively moisturizes hair, it leaves strands with impressive softness and shine.

Editor's tip: For especially damaged hair post-coloring, try the EverPure Bond Strengthening Shampoo to strengthen weakened bonds.

Key ingredients: rosemary oil | Sulfate-free: yes | Who it's for: people with dry hair, or those looking for extra shine

Best Splurge: Kérastase Chroma Absolu Shampoo

Why it's worth it: The Kérastase Chroma Absolu Shampoo is a luxurious treat for anyone who colors their hair. It utilizes a trifecta of acids—amino, lactic, and tartaric—to target and smooth hair damage while retaining color and keeping brassy tones at bay. Its formula is surprisingly lightweight, making it a good match for fine or thinning hair, and contains Centella asiatica (also known as cica) to help your hair and scalp recover post-treatment.

Key ingredients: amino acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, cica | Sulfate-free: yes | Who it's for: anyone looking for a thickening and soothing post-color shampoo

Best Silicone-Free: Pantene Illuminating Color Care Sulfate Free Shampoo

Why it's worth it: The Pantene Illuminating Color Care Sulfate Free Shampoo fills our showers with a delightful floral-citrus scent, but that’s not the only reason why we’re lathering up with it. Pantene boasts biotin (which has been proven not to help with hair growth) as the main ingredient, but, to us, the hero of this formula is provitamin B5, also known as panthenol—which has had promising clinical results in terms of increasing hydration and fortifying weak strands. Plus, it's free of both silicones and sulfates, so it’s far lighter on thin, easily-weighed-down hair than other options. What's left is simply smooth, shiny hair.

Key ingredients: provitamin B5, biotin | Sulfate-free: no | Who it's for: people looking for extra shine without the help of silicones

Best Scent: Loma Hair Care Moisturizing Shampoo

Why it's worth it: If Loma isn't already on your radar, it should be. Danita Hampton, a North Carolina-based hairstylist and Covet & Mane Lead Educator, recommends the brand's Hair Care Moisturizing Shampoo, which she describes as a "lightweight and moisture-rich" formula that "hydrates your hair and scalp and leaves hair super soft and silky." The color-safe formula is boosted with soothing aloe vera (great for an irritated, dandruff-prone scalp), moisturizing jojoba and avocado seed oils, and amino-acid-rich quinoa protein to quench brittle hair and repair damaged cuticle layers. The relaxing combination of vanilla bean and orange scents alone is enough to get you hooked.

Key ingredients: aloe vera, jojoba oil, avocado oil, quinoa protein| Sulfate-free: no | Who it's for: people with dry, dull hair

Frequently Asked Questions

Extra care is a must for your dye job since there are a number of contributing factors when it comes to your color fading. Watch out for exposure to hard water, the overuse of heat-styling tools (and hot shower temperatures), and even UV rays. "The sun bleaches color out of everything, including your hair," St. Louis-based colorist Caitlin Ford tells Allure. "If you're going outside for extended periods of time, protect your scalp and hair with a hat," she adds. We also like to spritz on a little hair sunscreen to make sure we've covered all of our bases.

Sulfates are cleansers that trap oil-based dirt so it can be rinsed away from skin or hair with water. They also happen to be the additives behind the lather and bubbles in shampoos, toothpastes, and soaps. Overall, the jury is still kind of out on whether they're harmful or not, but this group of ingredients is definitely known for its color-stripping effects.

While sulfates are usually given the side-eye—for example, they're a no-go, according to our very own Clean Best of Beauty seal—they aren't necessarily as bad for preserving your hair pigment as they're made out to be. Cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller previously told Allure that water is as damaging as any cleanser. "When your hair gets wet, it swells, the hair shaft opens, and some color leaches out," says Schueller, who tested sulfates against other surfactants and didn't see any notable differences in terms of fading color. (This is why many experts suggest washing your hair less often and spritzing dry shampoo to buy you extra time in between.)

However, the case against sulfates is still pretty valid — especially if you want to err on the side of caution. Not only are they irritating to the skin, but they are also capable of "stripping the [scalp] of its natural oils" a little too well, Aanand Geria, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Rutherford, NJ previously explained to Allure. In other words: Sulfates are a pretty slippery slope, leading to dryness and flaking.

Like many experts, Ferrara is a fan of brands with sulfate-free offerings, as she says they will "extend the shelf life of your hair color and prevent fading." Los Angeles-based colorist and Redken brand ambassador Matt Rez previously shared that using sulfate-free shampoo will keep hair as hydrated as possible. Adding to the chorus is cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson, who told Allure that sulfates can dry hair out, which can be especially damaging after coloring. They'll also make your eyes burn if they accidentally slip in, which is a universally unpleasant experience.

All to say: Your best bet, when it comes to preserving your color, is to switch your regular shampoo with one that's specially formulated for color-treated hair. (Please, no clarifying shampoos.)

We'll have to dabble in the color wheel theory to answer this question. Basically, complementary colors—or colors that are on opposite sides of the color wheel—neutralize each other. Therefore, you can use tinted shampoos, hair masks, and conditioners to balance brassy tones and dullness. "To counteract yellow hues you need to use something that has violet in it; to counteract orange tones you'll need to use blue hues," St. Louis, Missouri-based colorist Kristina Cheeseman previously told Allure. For minimizing brassy tones, a purple shampoo for blondes and blue shampoo for brunettes are always your best bets.

• Nikki Ferrara, a New York City-based hair colorist
• Danita Hampton, a North Carolina-based hairstylist and Covet & Mane Lead Educator
• Caitlin Ford, a St. Louis-based hair colorist
• Randy Schueller, a cosmetic chemist
• Aanand Geria, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Rutherford, NJ
• Matt Rez, a Los Angeles-based colorist and Redken brand ambassador
• Ron Robinson, a cosmetic chemist
• Kristina Cheeseman, a St. Louis, Missouri-based hair colorist

We always enlist a range of testers for our makeup vertical, but hair-care products and tools are another story. While there are certain products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind. Many are created in order to address a concern (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most effectively for a specific hair type (4C curls, wavy hair, gray hair). You wouldn’t want to pick up a purple shampoo that’s only been reviewed by someone with, say, auburn hair, or a diffuser that’s never been tested by anyone with curls—right?

For our review of shampoos for colored hair, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and hair colorists—many of whom have or have had color-treated hair. Testers considered performance across four primary categories: efficacy, texture and experience, fragrance, and packaging. For more on what's involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.