Hair Products for Your Most Gorgeous Strands Ever

The ishonest Institute Beauty Lab's scientists evaluate hundreds of hair products each year, from shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, deep and leave-in conditioners to styling products such as anti-frizz serums, volumizing sprays, hair mousses, hairsprays, dry shampoos, and more. That means we know what actually works and what doesn't.

How? We send label-masked products to a panel of thousands of women across the country who use them in their day-to-day life and evaluate them on everything from performance to packaging to scent. Then, in the Beauty Lab, GH scientists and chemists use tools to scientifically measure the products' efficacy, like an Instron machine, that lets us gauge a product's conditioning capacity and a swatch-wash station to calculate a shampoo's ability to cleanse or protect against color fade. We also have weathering procedures to mimic hair exposure to UV light and heat styling and an environmental chamber to expose hair to high levels of humidity to test frizz-fighting claims.

According to rigorous GH Beauty Lab testing, here are the best hair products and brands that are proven to work for healthy hair, including options for all hair types and textures (dry, damaged, straight, curly, long, natural and more), salon professional products, and styling tools.

1 Best Shampoo and Conditioner for Dry Hair BioRenew Hydrate Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner

Herbal Essences’ infusions, made with coconut extract and aloe, boasted the highest level of conditioning in the GH Beauty Lab’s test of hydrating shampoos and conditioners. “My dry hair was much more moisturized,” a tester marveled. This pair performed best in a test with the Lab’s Instron machine to gauge combing force through wet hair, proving strong conditioning benefits.

  • Drugstore value
  • Highly conditioning

2 Best Shampoo & Conditioner for Damaged Hair Moisture Co-Wash Whipped Cleansing Conditioner

A sulfate-free 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner with a higher ratio of conditioning ingredients, Joico's cleansing conditioner was a winner of the GH Beauty Lab's cleansing conditioners and co-washes test for giving parched, damaged hair a nourishing cleanse. “My hair is noticeably softer and healthier- looking than with my regular formulas," a tester said. In Lab testing, it rated highest for making hair feel stronger and look smoother and less frizzy.

  • 2-in-1 saves time and money
  • Strengthening, smoothing and softening

3 Best Smoothing Cream for Straight Hair Fructis Style Smooth Blow Dry Anti- Frizz Cream

This argan oil-infused Garnier Fructis cream, a winner of the Beauty Lab's test of smoothing styling products, effectively fends off frizz and makes strands sleek. The formula earned high marks with testers for daylong frizz defense and for immediately smoothing hair with no oily or sticky effects. “It rained for almost a solid week, and I didn’t have a problem with frizz,” a user revealed. “I love the texture it left my hair with — smooth and bouncy,” another said.

  • Affordable
  • All-day anti-frizz effects

4 Best Detangler for Long Hair Inforcer Brush Proof Anti-Breakage Detangling Spray

  • Easy to use
  • Lightweight and non-greasy
  • Brush required

5 Best Salon Professional Shampoo and Conditioner Bain Densifique Shampoo and Conditioner

A salon splurge that’s worth it, Kérastase’s indulgent duo tied for best in the Beauty Lab’s volumizing shampoos and conditioners test for thickening strands using skincare ingredients like peptides and hyaluronic acid. Testers “loved” this fine-hair “Holy Grail” that “truly worked” for “all-day body.” These won for thickening strands and making styles fuller compared with regular shampoo and conditioner, data revealed, and also earned top points for weightlessness.

  • Boosts hair thickness
  • Weightless feel
  • Pricey

6 Best Hair Styling Tool The Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush

A GH Beauty Award winner, this inventive 2-in-1 Drybar hair styling tool combines a blowdryer and a hairbrush in one wand that dries strands as you brush through. The top-ranked hair dryer brush was “comfortable to hold” and glided smoothly through hair, testers reported, and it didn't overheat the hair or scalp. “I loved it!” one raved.

  • Time and money-saving
  • Easy to hold and use
  • Gentle on hair and scalp

7 Best Color-Protecting Shampoo and Conditioner Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo and Conditioner

The Tresemmé duo tops the Beauty Lab’s test of hair color-preserving shampoos and conditioners. Post-use, hair sample color faded least after 20 washes and 10 hours of UV exposure in Lab testing. One tester marveled that they were "like expensive salon products.”

  • Prevents hair color fading
  • Salon-quality at great value

8 Best Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner Fructis Full and Plush Shampoo and Conditioner

Get bigger, bouncier hair with this Garnier pair, which tied for best in the Beauty Lab’s volumizing shampoo and conditioner test. “My hair felt fuller after just one use," a tester raved. In Lab evaluations, these came in highest for noticeably upping hair’s volume.

  • Bargain priced
  • Instant volumizing effects

9 Best Treatment Mask Royal Oils Deep Moisture Masque

A GH Beauty Breakthrough Award winner, this next-level Head & Shoulders mask treats both hair and scalp, softening strands with coconut oil and fighting flakes with the active ingredient pyrithione zinc. Many testers praised its scalp-itch relief. “Flakes disappeared” and “hair was softer than it’s ever been," they said. In Lab evaluations, it scored high for reducing hair and scalp dryness in tests on women with textured strands, including curly hair.

  • Hydrates dry hair and scalp
  • Relieves scalp itch and flaking
  • May be too rich for fine hair

10 Best Lightweight Shampoo Nutritive Solutions Daily Moisture Shampoo

This light, refreshing Dove shampoo (used with the matching conditioner) was by far the tester favorite in the GH Beauty Lab’s test of hydrating shampoos and conditioners, with 100% stating that they would continue using it. “The effects were wondrous,” a fan raved. “My hair was fantastic — brushable, silky and flowing.” In Lab evaluations, the formulas rated best for leaving hair clean and easy to style.

  • Doesn't weigh hair down
  • Effectively cleans and leaves hair manageable
  • Tester favorite

11 Best Lightweight Conditioner Pro-V Sheer Volume Foam Conditioner

Perfect for the conditioner-averse, Pantene’s first-ever foam version feels as airy as a cloud, making strands supple and bouncy. The formula conditioned well in GH Beauty Lab testing and 95% of users reported that the formula didn’t weigh hair down. "It worked wonders for my fine, limp hair — it had more body,” a tester said.

  • Boosts body
  • May not be conditioning enough for thick, textured, or damaged hair

12 Best Dry Shampoo Refresh Dry Shampoo Foam

The winner of a GH Beauty Breakthrough Award, Kenra's novel powder-free dry shampoo comes in a light water-based foam formula. It absorbed oil and volumized strands for an average of three days without leaving the look or feel of residue on hair, GH Beauty Lab testing found.

  • No residue
  • Absorbs oil
  • Volumizes dry hair

13 Best At-Home Hair Color Nice 'N Easy Permanent Hair Color

A GH Beauty Breakthrough Award winner and ishonest Seal holder, Clairol’s game-changing hair color kit solves the biggest dye gripes with a gentler, less chemical-scented, conditioning formula. In Lab evaluation, testers found that the color gave a natural look and good gray coverage, 79% said it left hair soft and shiny and 90% said it didn’t cause irritation. “Easy to apply and left hair extremely soft, even without conditioner," a tester said.

  • Reduced chemical scent
  • Softens and adds shine
  • Less irritating

14 Best Leave-In Conditioner Whole Blends Oat Delicacy Gentle Detangling Hair Milk

This milky Garnier mist, which has the ishonest Seal, melts through knots and nourishes hair with botanicals like oat and rice extracts and aloe juice. The spray leaves hair feeling soft and keeps it from looking dry, yet doesn't weigh it down, 90% of testers in a study reported. “It was feather- light, and I could comb damp hair with almost no effort," a tester said.

  • Lightweight
  • Easy-to-use spray
  • Softens strands

15 Best Anti-Frizz Serum Well Behaved Anti-Frizz Cream Serum

The winner of the GH Beauty Lab's anti-frizz styling products test, Orlando Pita Play's creamy serum is the next best thing to a raincoat for hair. The formula kept hair samples sleek in up to 85% humidity for 20 hours in the Lab’s test. “I had no frizz the whole day I used it,” a fan said.

  • Strong smoothing effects
  • Works in high humidity

16 Best Hair Oil Kerasilk Control Rich Protective Oil

Goldwell’s dry hair oil was a strong smoother and the top shine booster in the GH Beauty Lab’s anti-frizz styler test. “It actually works — and wasn’t greasy!” a tester raved. Hair was “very shiny” and “never frizzy over many uses," others said. The oil blocked frizz on hair samples in the Lab’s test and tied for #1 at keeping users’ hair frizz-free all day.

  • Day-long anti-frizz benefits
  • Non-greasy
  • Adds shine
  • May be too heavy for fine hair

17 Best Blow Dry Spray Advanced Hairstyle Blow Dry It Quick Dry Primer Spray

A few spritzes of this L'Oréal Paris spray can save you precious blowdrying minutes, GH Beauty Lab testing discovered. The mist reduced drying time by 15%, or 20 seconds per one-inch-thick hair sample, and 71% of testers said it sped up their hairdrying.

  • Cuts down blow-drying time
  • Sprays on easily
  • Lightweight

18 Best Volumizing Hair Spray SuperPlump Thickening Blow Dry Spray

Get an instant lift and noticeable volume with ColorProof's featherweight, fast- acting mist, the winner of the GH Beauty Lab's hair volumizing sprays test. Hair was “immediately bigger, fuller and thicker” and “looked the best it ever has,” two testers said. 100% of users agreed that the spray didn’t weigh down hair or make it feel crunchy, and it scored on top for ease of styling.

  • Instantly boosts fullness
  • No weight or crunchiness
  • Makes styling easier

19 Best Hairspray Frizz Ease Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray

John Frieda's hairspray was a winner of the GH Beauty Lab's test for delivering serious staying power but zero helmet head. It earned top points for holding curls in place in the Lab's humidity-chamber test and for not weighing down strands or flaking. "Not hard or sticky," a tester said. "It didn't feel like I was wearing hairspray," yet "I've had no flyaway hairs at all," another marveled.

  • Works in high humidity
  • Not heavy, flaky, hard, or sticky
  • Tames flyaways

20 Best Volumizing Hair Powder Prêt- -Powder

Small package, big hair: This Bumble and bumble powder dry shampoo pumped up the volume of and prolonged the life of testers' styles in GH Beauty Lab evaluations. It gave hair more volume than any other dry shampoo tested — without leaving a heavy, powdery residue, reports showed. "My hair felt thicker," one revealed. "It looked newly shampooed," another said.

  • Thickens and refreshes hair
  • Portable and travel-friendly
  • No residue

21 Best Hair Touch-Up Wipes Frizz Defy Anti-Frizz Sheets

These innovative, handy hair wipes from Nexxus, a GH Beauty Award winner, are infused with argan oil for instant frizz taming anytime. Testers loved that they were “so small, they could be tucked in a pocket” and “discreetly tamed fly- aways during the day.”

  • No-mess and portable
  • Smooths hair on the go
  • Best for touch-ups, not everyday styling

22 Best Hair Color Root Touch-Up Nice 'n Easy Root Touch-Up

Extend the time between salon visits or DIY dye jobs with Clairol’s permanent color root fix kit, in a wide 28-hue range. With a brush included for easy application, it blended seamlessly with users’ current color and gave 100% gray coverage, testing showed.

  • Wide shade range
  • Included application brush
  • Blends well with current color

23 Best Hair Gloss Precision Colour Refreshing Gloss

Like lip gloss for strands, hair glosses like this GH Beauty Lab test winner from John Frieda impart a shade-boosting hint of color and shine. Tops with testers, this color gloss (in shades for blonde, brunette, red and black hair) was loved for its "easy" application and "super-shiny" results that "extend the life of hair color."

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