The 16 Best Hydrating Shampoos and Conditioners for Dry Hair

When your hair is dry, it can look dull, feel rough, and be difficult to style. If you notice that your hair is dry, it’s important to take action to prevent damage, split ends, and breakage that could compromise the health of your hair. Use hydrating shampoos and conditioners that’ll help you fight hair dryness and maintain healthy locs.

There are a number of products that can help both prevent and repair dry hair. Dealing with dry hair starts in the shower, meaning the most important products to start your journey to hydration are shampoos and conditioners. Finding the right shampoo and conditioner can be difficult, but it will ultimately reward your hair.

Here, we’ll cover the best shampoos and conditioners for dry hair in order to help you hydrate hair as well as supply tips on how you can help your hair stay moisturized.

 

What Causes Dry Hair?

There are a variety of factors that can cause dry hair. Some people are more prone to dry hair than others, such as people with curly hair, and others may practice bad hair habits that are causing their hair to be dry.

Causes of dry hair include:

• Environmental factors, such as living in a dry, hot climate
• Washing your hair too often
• Chemically treating or coloring your hair
• Excessive heat styling (especially without a heat protectant)
• Health problems

Hair dryness should always be addressed as it can cause further problems with your hair. If it is too dry, your hair cuticles will become rough, meaning the layers no longer lie flat.

When this happens, your hair becomes more prone to frizz. Furthermore, weak cuticles mean your hair is more susceptible to breakage, which may cause you to see even more damage to your hair.

 

Best Hydrating Shampoos

Are you ready to achieve hydrated hair but don’t know where to start? Below is a list of the best hydrating shampoos to tackle dry, brittle hair and keep it moisturized. All of these shampoos also have matching conditioners that can deliver the best results.

Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo – Best Overall

All of Moroccanoil’s products often have positive effects on any hair type, but they’re especially effective on dry hair, and its hydrating shampoo is no exception.

The formula, which uses nutrient-rich argan oil, hydrates and conditions the hair while improving its overall texture, manageability, and shine. This shampoo is also great to use if you tend to straighten your hair often and want to minimize frizz.

Try it with the Moroccanoil Hydrating Conditioner.

Pros:

• Gentle enough for daily use
• Rich in nutrients
• Uses argan oil, which is rich in Vitamin E

Cons:

• Does not lather as well as other brands
• Pricey

 

MONDAY HAIRCARE Moisture Shampoo – Best for Retaining Moisture

The best hydrating shampoos not only wash the dirt away from your hair but also enhance its ability to retain moisture. Monday Moisture Shampoo is aimed at cleansing and nourishing dry or damaged hair by helping it retain its moisture.

It contains coconut oil, which provides your hair with essential fatty acids, and hydrolyzed rice protein, which is known to promote collagen production in the scalp as well as add strength to the hair.

Pros:

• Sulfate and paraben-free 
• Additional nutrients with coconut oil and hydrolyzed rice protein
• Uses recycled packaging
• Entirely vegan

Cons:

• Pricey

 

SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Shampoo – Best for Natural Hair

Natural hair is extremely prone to dryness because of the inability of natural oil to travel to the ends of the hair due to the sometimes kinky texture of the strands. So, when it comes to natural hair, using conditioner is key in adding the moisture it may lack to ensure it stays in optimal health.

Shea Moisture’s Intensive Hydration Shampoo nourishes, moisturizes, and smoothes hair to combat dryness and help strengthen it. Using Mafura oil and Manuka honey, this shampoo infuses pH in natural hair with nutrients and results in long-lasting shine. Be sure to also check out the matching Shea Moisture Intensive Hydration Conditioner.

Pros:

• Ideal for natural hair
• Oil and honey add additional nutrients
• Contains raw shea butter
• Affordable

Cons:

• Has a distinct earthy scent, which is not to everyone’s preference

 

Davines MINU Shampoo – Best for Color-treated Hair

Color-treated hair is often more fragile after processing, and therefore more susceptible to breakage from dryness. Davines MINU Shampoo is made to not only help hydrate your color-treated hair but to also protect your color so that it may stay vibrant for longer.

The shampoo for dry hair itself is thick and it aims to coat every strand to replenish your hair with moisture. Using Salina caper blossom extract from Italy, this shampoo is made with quality ingredients to restore shine and keep your newly colored hair moisturized and bright.

 Pros:

• Color-safe
• Uses caper blossom extract
• Products selectively sourced
• Smells great

Cons:

• Only available in small bottles
• Pricey

 

Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl-Defining Anti-Frizz Shampoo – Best for Curly Hair

The pattern of curly hair, like natural hair, tends to cause the hair to be more dry. Unfortunately, dry and curly hair is a frizz disaster waiting to happen.

Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Shampoo will not only leave your hair feeling clean and refreshed, but it will also have your curls looking smooth and defined.

It has a light tropical scent and is formulated with aloe vera juice, pure coconut milk, papaya extract, and more to help to ensure that your curly hair is exposed to multiple beneficial nutrients.

Pros:

• Uses aloe vera juice, pure coconut milk, and papaya extract
• Affordable
• Great scent
• Ideal shampoo for curls or natural hair

Cons:

• May weigh down straight hair

 

Pureology Hydrate Sheer Nourishing Shampoo – Best for Fine Hair

The Pureology Hydrate Sheer Nourishing Shampoo is lightweight, making it perfect for dry, fine hair that is easily weighed down by product. Not only will it help hydrate fine hair, but it is also ideal for color-treated hair as it helps protect the vibrancy of the color.

Formulated with sunflower seed and Vitamin E, this shampoo will protect your fine and fragile hair while helping to ensure that it receives the lightweight hydration that it needs.

Pros:

• Helps provide color protection
• Lightweight formula
• Contains green tea, jojoba, and sage
• Formulated with sunflower seed and Vitamin E

Cons:

• Pricey
• Scent is very subtle

 

Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo – Best for Damaged Hair

If your hair is damaged, it most likely has very little natural moisture to retain. Fortunately, the right products can help repair that damage and help your hair become more receptive to hydration. A good shampoo is the best place to start when it comes to repairing hair.

Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance is a shampoo for damaged hair that reduces breakage and visibly strengthens hair bonds to improve the overall look and feel. With constant use, you’ll soon repair your hair to a much healthier appearance and feel the hydration slowly return to each strand.

Pros:

• Olaplex is known for its hair repair products
• Suitable for all hair types
• Sulfate-free and color-safe
• Cruelty-free

Cons:

• Expensive

 

R+Co Bel Air Smoothing Shampoo + Anti-Oxidant Complex – Best for Thick Hair

This shampoo from R+Co Bel Air is ideal for conditioning thick, curly and frizzy hair.

Using hibiscus extract and artichoke leaf extract, this shampoo hydrates frizzy hair and helps protect it from environmental factors such as harmful UV rays and humidity. It will lock in your natural moisture, resulting in smooth-looking and soft-feeling hair.

Pros:

• Ideal for thick or curly hair
• Formulated with natural ingredients to give hair additional nutrients and antioxidants

Cons:

• If your hair is too thin, this shampoo may weigh down your hair
• On the pricier side

 

Best Hydrating Conditioners

In case you weren’t interested in any of the matching conditioners of the above shampoos, we’ve got you covered with some additional options. Below is a list of the best hydrating conditioners to help add moisture back into your hair after a wash.

OGX Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco Hydrating Hair Conditioner – Best Overall

A conditioner is one of the most important products for dry hair, and OGX knows that. OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Conditioner will provide your hair with the additional moisture that it needs and help your hair retain the moisture it already has.

This conditioner uses argan oil to hydrate, repair, and renew your hair, giving it a soft feel and helping with detangling.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Smooths onto hair well
• Formulated with argan oil
• Suitable for all hair types

Cons:

• Very thick, may weigh down fine hair

 

Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Moisture & Shine Hair Conditioner – Best for Natural Hair

Using conditioner is especially important for natural hair; some would argue that it’s even more important than shampoo. Carol’s Daughter Hair Conditioner is formulated with pro-Vitamin B5 and biotin to treat dry, brittle hair and balance moisture.

It makes detangling kinky curls much easier, reducing the risk of further damage through breakage. Plus, the scent of black vanilla will have your hair smelling amazing.

Pros:

• Ideal for natural hair
• Great smell
• Makes detangling easy
• Pump bottle makes dispensing easy

Cons:

• May not be effective for fine, straight hair

 

RENPURE Coconut Whipped Creme Leave-In Conditioner – Best Leave-in Conditioner

Not all conditioners are meant to be rinsed out. Using a leave-in conditioner is beneficial in providing your hair with additional moisture after a wash. Renpure Coconut Whipped Creme Leave-in Conditioner is formulated with coconut water, which absorbs well into the hair to deliver essential oils and vitamins to the cuticle.

It conditions while sealing in moisture and helps keep hair frizz-free. Even if you end up using a shampoo that strips your hair of too much of its oil, this leave-in conditioner will help give your hair the hydration it needs.

Pros:

• Can substitute a rinse-out conditioner
• Very thick – a little goes a long way
• Ideal for natural hair
• Subtle smell

Cons:

• Too heavy for fine hair

 

Love Beauty And Planet Blooming Color Hair Conditioner – Best for Color-treated Hair

If your hair is color-treated, it is imperative that you use a conditioner! However, in order to preserve your color, it’s important to use a shampoo as well as a conditioner formulated for color-treated hair.

Love Beauty and Planet Blooming Hair Conditioner deliver a boost of hydration to your hair while protecting it thanks to the use of plant-based ingredients such as Hungarian rose petal and murumuru butter.

Pros:

• Gentle enough for color-treated hair
• Plant-based product
• Packaging made of 100% recyclable materials

Cons:

• Smells great but the scent is more reminiscent of shea butter than of rose

 

SheaMoisture Curl and Shine Conditioner – Best for Curly Hair

Curly hair is more prone to frizz because it’s more prone to dryness. The right conditioner should moisturize your curls and minimize frizz. SheaMoisture Curl and Shine Coconut Shampoo will help enhance your curl patterns while keeping them moisturized and hydrated.

The conditioner improves hair health and restores shine with the use of natural ingredients such as shea butter. This hydrating conditioner for curls also contains coconut oil to help protect the hair while replenishing lost oil and boosting its shine. It does all of this while leaving your hair smelling amazing.

Pros:

• Blended with fair-trade shea butter
• Ideal for curly hair, great for natural hair
• Great smell

Cons:

• Not ideal if you tend to have naturally oily hair

 

OUAI Fine Conditioner – Best for Fine Hair

OUAI Fine Conditioner not only works to hydrate your hair but also adds volume. The nourishing ingredients of keratin, biotin and chia seed oil in this conditioner help strengthen hair to prevent breakage. OUAI has conditioner options for medium and thick hair as well.

Additionally, OUAI has a version of the same conditioner formulated for medium hair and thick hair.

Pros:

• Customized for fine hair
• Available for other hair types
• Formulated with keratin to help strengthen hair

Cons:

• Pricey

 

Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Conditioner – Best for Damaged Hair

While the Moroccanoil Hydrating Conditioner may be one of the best conditioners for overall hydration, you may need a product that can do a little more for your locks than moisturize if you have dry and damaged hair.

Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Conditioner helps restore hydration to distressed and damaged hair, whether it’s caused by heat styling, chemical treatments, or color treatments.

As always, formulated with argan oil, this conditioner will strengthen your broken strands to improve the overall health of your hair.

Pros:

• Great for colored and chemically over-processed hair
• Uses argan oil to help nourish hair
• Combine with other products from the line for amazing results

Cons:

• Pricey

 

Davines Love Smoothing Conditioner with Olive Extract – Best for Thick Hair

Davines Love Smoothing Conditioner is made to make thick, coarse, and frizzy hair more manageable by adding extra hydration, making it easier to comb through. The conditioner itself is very thick and it coats every strand to replenish your hair with moisture and add softness.

Using olive extract from Italy, this conditioner is made with quality ingredients. With consistent use, you’ll see and feel the difference in your hair’s feel and elasticity.

Pros:

• Made for thick coarse hair
• Enhances hair elasticity
• Formulated with olive extract
• Products selectively sourced

Cons:

• Pricey for a small amount
• Customers have complained about the quality of the packaging

 

Tips on Keeping Your Hair Hydrated

Buying the best shampoos and conditioners is not enough to begin seeing significant improvement in your dry hair. You must also properly use your products as well as practice good hair habits.

Here are some additional tips to avoid dry hair:

• Even the best hydrating shampoos should not be overused. All shampoos have the ability to strip your hair of its natural oils if used too often.
• Give your hair a break from the heat styling tools from time to time to give it a chance to absorb and retain more moisture.
• You can use the best shampoos and conditioners for dry hair, but if you’re taking piping hot showers, you are still hurting your hair. Try to wash your hair in cooler water, or at least rinse it in cool water after applying the conditioner.
• Many people prefer using sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. Using a sulfate-free product will be gentler on your hair and help it retain more of its natural oils during the wash.

 

Wrapping Up

Determining the best hydrating conditioners and shampoos for your hair mostly depends on your hair type, but also comes down to other factors you’d be looking for in a shampoo and conditioner.

The scent, ingredients, and thickness of the formula are all aspects that you should consider before choosing a shampoo and conditioner.

It may be a challenging process at first, but once you find the best shampoo and conditioners that help improve your dry hair, you’ll see the results and never want to look back.