Shampoo contains surfactants, which are ingredients (like sulfates) that cleanse your hair and scalp," explains Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab Executive Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D."They attach to oils and dirt in hair and remove them when rinsed with water." Shampoos can also be made with conditioning ingredients, fragrances and preservatives, she says. Stressed-out, brittle ends need some extra TLC. Whether you’ve always had hair on the drier side or are just experiencing it now thanks to years of using heated styling tools, you need a product that will repair and nourish. Our panel of 534 testers – with a range of hair types, from straight to coiled – tried 40 of the best shampoos for dry hair over a period of two weeks. They made a note of how successful they were in boosting hydration and cleaning hair, as well as how well hair looked and felt.

Great hair starts in the shower, with the perfect shampoo for your hair type and needs to fully cleanse and prep it for styling. But why is shampoo important and how does it work? We also used a Dia-stron instrument to see how smooth and hydrated hair became after being washed and dried with the product. There are a number of factors that could be causing your hair to feel dry. Firstly, it could just be down to genetics. If that’s the case, there’s not much you can do to reverse the problem, but you can treat it with formulas designed to boost moisture levels. Age also plays a huge part in the condition of your hair. As we get older, strands tend to become drier because collagen levels deplete, which affects the amount of oil your scalp can produce. This leaves hair more wiry and frizzy.Environmental factors such as UV damage, as well as using heated hair tools and colouring hair regularly can also affect your hair’s texture. They can all diminish its protein structure, which can make it appear brittle and more prone to damage.