Ultimate Best Hair Products of All Time
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Everyone loves a good hair day. Whether it’s a sleek-back ponytail to help you look put together for a chilled weekend, or if you’re trying out a new hairstyle for date night. When you have the right hair products in your arsenal, you can achieve salon-perfect hair from the comfort of your own home. We’ve rounded up our must-have, superstar hair products that you need to get your dream hair.
Dry Shampoo
Dry Shampoo is a modern miracle. If you’ve overslept and don’t have time to wash your hair before work, or if you want to get an extra day out of your hair, then dry shampoo is your secret weapon. You should keep a bottle on hand at home and a miniature in your handbag for on-the-go.
Living Proof – Perfect Hair Day
Available at Amazon
The Living Proof Perfect Hair Day dry shampoo does what it says on the tin. You’ll get a perfect hair day from this handy little bottle thanks to its triple-action cleaning technology which improves the look, feel and smell of your hair. The dry shampoo uses fast-absorbing powder which soaks up the oil in your hair while their patented ‘Healthy Hair Molecule’ ingredients make it look like your hair is freshly washed. The Living Proof dry shampoo is available in three sizes which are perfect for keeping on your vanity or in your work bag for travel.
Batiste – Dry Shampoo
Available at Amazon
Batiste is one of the most recognisable dry shampoo brands, and you’ve likely seen their bottles sitting on a shelf in your local supermarket. The hype around this dry shampoo is real! The original scent won the Allure Beauty Expert 2020 Readers’ Choice award. The Batiste range includes dry shampoos designed for coloured hair and with extra hair benefits such as de-frizzing and volumizing.
Amika – Perk Up Dry Shampoo
Available at Beautybay.com and Amazon
Do you ever think that your hair needs a pick me up? The Amika dry shampoo is sulphate-free, talc-free and cruelty-free, making it an all-round winner. If you have curly hair then this dry shampoo is a must-have hair product, although it is suitable for all hair types.
Hair Colour
‘Change the hair, change the woman’ is a philosophy that many of us live by. We have all had times in our lives when we’ve wanted to change up our look. Whether you’re looking to go a few shades lighter or to shake up your look entirely, these are the three best hair dyes that you can apply at home.
Garnier – Nutrisse
Available at Amazon
The Garnier Nutrisse hair dye focuses on nourishing your hair to help you get the most out of your new colour. It is a permanent at-home hair colour that gives you ultimate grey hair coverage. The hydrating ingredients help to improve the bonds in your hair to prevent breakage and gives you up to three times more shine with long-lasting colour. The Garnier Nutrisse colour spectrum covers every shade from pale grey through to the midnight black, with an extensive selection for blondes and brunettes.
Clairol – Nice’n Easy
Available at Amazon
The Clairol Nice’n Easy permanent hair dye range offers you at-home hair colours that blend three tones to give you the most natural-looking hair. Each hair colour is oil-infused to nourish your hair and scalp. You can purchase the hair dye separately or as part of a two-pack with the matching root touch up.
Garnier – Olia
Available at Amazon
Garnier’s Olia range offers you a permanent at-home hair colour that is made up of 60% oils with no ammonia, meaning you don’t have to worry about that tell-tale hair dye smell. As well as including natural hair colours, the Olia range includes bolder shades such as intense copper, deep violet and rose gold. This hair dye offers 100% grey coverage and is perfect for anyone who wants to dye their hair an entirely different shade than their natural colour.
If you want to read more about the best at-home hair dyes, you can check out our post on the Top 5 Best At-Home Hair Dyes for DIY Hair Colouring.
Root Cover Up
Whether you’re looking to cover up grey hair or save yourself a little time before your next full hair-dye session, root cover-ups are a quick way to hide your roots within ten minutes.
Clairol – Root Touch Up (Permanent)
Available at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
Available in over twenty shades, the Clairol Root Touch Up comes with a brush that is engineered to help you achieve a salon-quality application. It is the best-selling root touch up product in the UK and lasts up to three weeks, buying you a little extra time before your next trip to the salon. This product was named the ‘Best Root Retoucher’ in the 2020 Marie Claire Hair Awards.
L’Oreal Paris – Magic Retouch Instant Root Concealer Spray (Temporary)
Available at Amazon
The L’Oreal Magic Retouch applies like hairspray to instantly cover-up your roots using a lightweight formula that works seamlessly with your natural hair. This temporary retoucher will last until you wash it out and you only need a few sprays to cover up your roots.
Color Wow – Root Cover Up (Temporary)
Available at Amazon
The Colour Wow root cover-up is an easy-to-use product that gives your highlights a refresh while temporarily hiding your roots. It uses a reflective mineral powder which creates a natural look which blends the product into your hair. As a temporary cover-up, it’ll last until you remove with shampoo meaning that you don’t have to worry about getting caught in the rain!
Curling Cream
Every girl who has – or wants – curly hair needs to be using a curling cream. This product will give your hair a boost of hydration and will help encourage curl formation by enhancing the natural curl in your hair. It will help you get more defined curls with a softer and more natural hold.
Cantu – Shea Butter Curl Activator Cream
Available at Amazon
If you want frizz-free curls that are smooth and bouncy, then the Cantu curling cream is right up your street. It is free of sulfates, parabens and silicones, meaning that it’s free of any nasty ingredients that can dehydrate your hair. The main ingredient in this cream is pure shea butter which moisturises your hair to give it a healthy shine.
Moroccanoil – Curl Defining Cream
Available at Amazon
You have probably heard of Moroccanoil and their argan oil-infused products with their distinctive aqua blue and white packaging. The brand is a go-to for hair enthusiasts everywhere and their curl defining cream is no exception. It helps activate your curls, prevents frizz and contains heat-activated technology that gives you bouncy and defined curls that will last all day.
Aveda – Be Curly Curl Enhancer
Available at Amazon
The Aveda curling cream contains what protein and organic aloe that improves the health of your hair with 95% naturally derived ingredients. If you want to achieve intense ringlet curls, then this cream is the perfect hair product for you. Aveda products are cruelty-free and manufactured with 100% wind power, allowing you to have amazing hair whilst knowing that you’re helping the environment too.
Shea Moisture – Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
Available at Amazon
Shea Moisture uses all-natural ingredients and is infused with fair trade shea butter and coconut oil which are two wonder products for your hair. This curling cream will smooth your split ends, tame those annoying flyaways, and hydrate your hair to prevent breakage.
Colour Toning Shampoo
When you start colouring your hair, you’ll want to invest in a colour toning shampoo to get rid of any brassy yellow/orange tones that can creep into your hair. As well as keeping your hair looking healthy, toning shampoos are a great way to help you get the most out of your hair dye by preventing it fading and can help enhance your new colour.
Fanola – No Yellow Shampoo / Fanola – No Orange Shampoo
Fanola No Yellow Shampoo available at Amazon
Fanola No Orange Shampoo available at Amazon
If you have dyed your hair a lighter colour or bleached it, then the Fanola shampoos are the best choice for you. It’s formulated with purple pigments which cancel out the brassiness in your hair and gets rid of any unwanted yellow or orange colours. If you have blonde hair, opt for the ‘no yellow’ option, and if you have brunette hair, go with the ‘no orange’ alternative.
Matrix – Brass Off Shampoo
Available at Amazon
Are you a brunette that’s dyed their hair a lighter shade? The Matrix Brass Off shampoo will cleanse your hair and get rid of any unwanted brassy tones that can occur as a side-effect of the dye. This blue-violet shampoo easily lathers in your hair and helps strengthen your hair, and you can use it as a leave-in toner treatment.
Hairspray
For anyone who styles their hair, you’ll know how important it is to always have a bottle of hairspray at hand. It’ll help you get the most out of your chosen hairstyle, ensuring that it stays put all day without any touch ups needed.
L’oreal Paris – Elnett
Available at Amazon
Elnett is the same hairspray that your favourite old Hollywood stars used, from Maria Callas to Audrey Hepburn. It’s been handed down through the generations as a long-lasting hairspray that gives you a natural hold. When in doubt, always reach for the gold bottle of Elnett.
Oribe – Dry Texturizing Spray
Available at Sephora and Amazon
The Oribe hairspray uses patented technology to give your hair extra volume and lift that will hold all day. It comes with the bonus of colour protection and UV protection, making it a versatile product that does more than just hold your hairstyle in place.
Ouai – Texturizing Hair Spray
Available at Lookfantastic and Amazon
‘Dry shampoo meets volumizing hair spray‘. Ouai is the brainchild of Jen Atkins, who is the woman behind the Kardashian-Jenner hairstyles. The multi award-winning Ouai Texturizing Hair Spray is made from natural volcanic minerals and works as a super lightweight hair spray and dry shampoo too! Your hair will be blessed with volume and texture and day two (or even 3!) hair will be instantly refreshed with no white residue in sight.
Bumble and Bumble – Invisible Oil Finishing Spray
Available at Lookfantastic.com
This hairspray is an all-in-one product that de-frizzes your hair, protects it from UV rays and gives it a hydrating boost. The Bumble and Bumble hairspray is perfect for colour-treated hair and gives it a curly texture. This product is a lightweight mist that gives your hair a healthy shine and is especially suited for those with dry hair.
Shampoo and Conditioner
Shampoo and conditioner is the foundation of your hair care routine. If you get these products right, then it’ll help the rest of your products work to their optimum levels.
Olaplex – No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo & No.5 Conditioner
Available at Lookfantastic
No. 4 Shampoo available at Amazon and No. 5 Conditioner available at Amazon
Olaplex is all over our social media feeds as one of the must-have hair care brands. Olaplex products are proven to nourish and repair your hair from the environmental impact it faces every day. If you have damaged hair, you need to give the Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and (No.5) Conditioner a try to help restructure your broken hair bonds. Suitable for all hair types and guaranteed to improve your overall hair health.
Aveda – Shampure Nurturing Shampoo and Conditioner
Available at Lookfantastic and Amazon
The Aveda Shampure Nurturing shampoo gently cleanses your hair while infusing it with hydration. The conditioner helps instantly detangle your hair and give it a healthy shine. Each of the products has the Aveda signature aroma of 25 pure flower and plant essences. These products are silicone-free using 98% naturally derived ingredients, including Abyssinian oil.
Aveda – Cherry Almond Shampoo and Conditioner
Available at Lookfantastic
Shampoo and Conditioner Duo available at Amazon
The popular Aveda Cherry Almond duo is infused with naturally derived cherry blossom and sweet almond oil that will leave your hair feeling soft to the touch with a lightweight bounce. The end result? Lusciously shiny hair with an irresistable sweet, juicy and floral scent. This duo is vegan friendly, colour-safe and ideal for those with long hair.
Love, Beauty and Planet – Blooming Colour Shampoo
Available at Amazon
The Love Beauty and Planet shampoo is a budget-friendly option for those with coloured hair. It’ll keep your hair looking vibrant for longer and is infused with coconut oil and muru muru butter. This shampoo ticks lots of boxes as it is vegan, plant-based with natural ingredients and the bottle is made from recycled plastic. Full marks all round.
Pureology – Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner
Available at Lookfantastic
Shampoo available at Amazon and Conditioner available at Amazon
If you have colour-treated hair and are after a duo that will not only protect and maintain your hair colour but also deeply nourish your locks too, then the Pureology Hydrate duo is exactly what you need your life. The ‘no-nasties’ shampoo and conditioner (free from sulfates and parabens and 100% vegan) deeply hydrates even the driest of hair with its moisturising ingredients that include sage, green tea and jojoba.
OGX – Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner
OGX Coconut Milk Shampoo available at Amazon
OGX Coconut Milk Conditioner available at Amazon
The OGX range is everywhere right now! Coconut milk is a key, multipurpose ingredient that helps you achieve healthy hair and hydrates your scalp while slowing down hair loss and even helping to get rid of dandruff. These products are sulfate free and a great budget-friendly option.
Cantu – Shampoo and Conditioner
Shampoo available at Amazon
Conditioner available at Amazon
If you’re someone who appreciates products that use natural ingredients, then the Cantu shampoo and conditioner are a must-have. The Cantu product range is specifically designed for those with curly, coily and wavy hair to help enhance and define your natural curls.
Hair Mask
Sometimes your hair needs a pick-me-up, and a hair mask is the perfect way to achieve that. If you suffer from dry or frizzy hair, then you should try to incorporate a hair mask into your hair care routine.
Olaplex – No. 3 Hair Perfector
Available at Amazon
It all started with the Olaplex Hair Perfector. Easily the brand’s hero and most iconic hair product that is used and approved by many (and an Amazon best seller too, boasting over 46,000 reviews!). This game-changing at-home hair treatment will strengthen, repair and protect your hair from the damage caused by chemicals, heat and environmental factors. You can use this best-selling hair product as a leave-in mask or as an intensive overnight treatment.
Briogeo – Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask
Available at Cultbeauty and Amazon
The award-winning Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask is designed as an intensive weekly treatment that restores hydration and can help protect it from future damage. If you have dry hair or regularly colour it, then this leave-in conditioner is a must-have hair product. Made from 98% naturally derived ingredients and cruelty free.
Cantu – Shea Butter Leave-in Conditioning Repair Cream
Available at Amazon
For the curly hair girls who suffer from damaged or dry hair, you need this Cantu leave-in hair mask. It helps prevent breakage in your hair, decreases frizz and is infused with shea butter to hydrate your hair and scalp. You can use this product as a daily treatment.
Hair Oil
Hair oil is an essential hair care product for anyone with dull or frizzy hair. They give your hair an added shine and help you achieve a smooth texture to your hair while protecting against frizz.
Moroccanoil Treatment
Available at Amazon
The Moroccanoil Treatment is an award-winning product with an impressively significant cult-following. It is a pioneering hair oil that made us all fall in love with argan oil. You can use it as a hair styling product or as a leave-in conditioner.
Ouai – Hair Oil
Available at Sephora and Amazon
Wave bye-bye to frizzy hair with the Ouai hair oil that uses Asian Borage oil to give your hair a sleek finish while protecting it from heat damage and colour fading. This hair oil was voted as the Best Hair Oil at the Cosmopolitan’s Beauty Awards 2018.
Bumble and Bumble – Invisible Hair Oil
Available at Lookfantastic and Amazon
This hair oil is an all-in-one product that moisturises your hair, defrizzes and detangles while protecting your hair from breakage. The Bumble and Bumble Invisible Hair Oil is suitable for all hair types and you can use it as a finishing product to tame flyaways too.
Olaplex – No. 7 Bonding Oil
Available at Lookfantastic and Amazon
The Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil is highly concentrated and is the perfect styling oil that improves your hair’s natural shine while giving your hair colour added vibrancy. If you regularly use heat products on your hair then this oil is the perfect two-in-one heat protector as well, providing protection of up to 450°f!
Heat Protector
We all love to curl and straighten our hair, but these heat products take their toll on our hair over time. Incorporating a heat protector into your hair care routine will help seal in the moisture in your hair and prevent your hair from becoming frizzy.
Aveda – Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair
Available at Lookfantastic and Amazon
A leave-in treatment that is 98% naturally derived and another one of Aveda’s bestsellers! As well as protecting your hair from heat, the Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair by Aveda helps detangle your hair and prevent breakage too.
Bumble and Bumble – Invisible Oil Primer
Available at Lookfantastic and Amazon
Prime your hair before styling with the Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Primer specially designed for dry, coarse or brittle hair. This product is infused with 6 lightweight oils that detangle your hair and protect it from heat and UV damage, leaving it soft to the touch with no flyaways in sight.
GHD – Heat Protect Spray
Available at Lookfantastic
The brand that made us all fall in love with hair straighteners has released its very own heat protecting spray. This product can be easily layered with your other hairsprays and creams and can be sprayed from your roots to the tips of your hair.
Now that you have an array of exciting and market-leading hair care products to take your pick from and add to your hair care routine, why not check out our Ultimate Best Hair Tools and Hair Essentials post next?