20 Of The Best Drugstore Shampoos For Great Hair On A Budget
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If you're still using an expensive shampoo recommended to you by your hairdresser, mom, or coworker, you must know that you are literally washing your money down the drain. In 2022, we are constantly being peddled over-priced beauty products that have all the same ingredients as generic and drugstore brands. You can find clean options that produce salon-quality results at a fraction of the price — if you know where to look. Don't waste your money on shampoo that promises you the world and delivers an outcome that is just so-so.
Shampoo ingredients vary dramatically depending on the result that you are looking for. If you have tight curls, it's unlikely that a shampoo for thin, straight hair will work for you. You must take note of your hair's thickness, pattern, color, and degree of damage. The health of your strands can improve if you use these factors to find the best shampoo in the category you are looking for. Many drugstore shampoos are made without sulfates, parabens, fragrances, and other nasty ingredients that wreck your hair. No matter what your budget is, there is a solution for you at the drugstore.
How We Selected Products
Today's drugstores are giving us much more than cheap hair products these days. In addition to the trusty Suave, Dove, and generic shampoo brands, many stores such as Target, Walgreens, and Walmart are carrying amazing products that you might not recognize, yet have great ingredients and reviews. When you walk into your nearest drugstore's hair care aisle, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to start. You can narrow down your options using your hair type, but even so, there are still countless potential choices for you to sift through. Luckily for you, we considered a few more factors to find the best shampoo in a variety of categories.
In this collection, we considered viral social media trends, reviews from many different websites, and all the things brands have said about their best-selling products. While mulling over product descriptions, varying prices, hair types, and ingredient lists, we found 20 distinct options to cover all of the bases.
Best overall drugstore shampoo: Kristin Ess The One Signature Shampoo
The Kristin Ess The One Signature Shampoo is our favorite overall drugstore pick. With great reviews and many recommendations across the web, this Kristin Ess product is the best for all hair types. It cleanses, moisturizes, and leaves your hair feeling soft and looking shiny. At a very reasonable price point, you'll find this shampoo is a great place to start your hair journey as you learn more about your hair type.
The Kristin Ess The One Signature Shampoo with Avocado Oil + Castor Oil is at Target for $11.
Best influencer-loved drugstore shampoo: Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo
TikTok has become a great place for people around the world to share their favorite beauty products. One that has stood out is the Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo with Avocado and Jojoba Oil. As shown by Curlywavypatty on TikTok, the super affordable shampoo, which she found at Family Dollar, does an incredible job moisturizing and clarifying her hair, especially when used alongside other affordable Aussie products.
The Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo with Avocado and Jojoba Oil is available at Rite Aid for $3.39.
Best drugstore shampoo for fine hair: EverStrong Sulfate-Free Thickening Shampoo
L'Oreal Paris's line of EverStrong and EverPure shampoos have received a lot of love over the years, and for good reason! Shampoos like the EverStrong Sulfate-Free Thickening Shampoo have very clean ingredients that help clear your scalp of buildup while making your hair feel better than ever. If you're looking to protect your hair from breakage and keep your color intact, this is for you.
EverStrong Sulfate-Free Thickening Shampoo is available at Target for $7.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for thick hair: Whole Blends Smoothing Coconut Oil + Cocoa Butter Shampoo
Garnier products are a drugstore staple in many households, as this brand consistently creates magical hair care favorites at an extremely low cost. Their Whole Blends Smoothing Coconut Oil + Cocoa Butter Shampoo is great at detangling, hydrating, and managing frizz. An Amazon customer recommends it, saying, "If you have thick, curly, or unruly hair, this actually does what it says it will. This is my new go-to for shampoo and conditioner. Try it."
Garnier Whole Blends Smoothing Coconut Oil + Cocoa Butter Shampoo is available at Walgreens for $3.79.
Best drugstore shampoo for dry hair: Herbal Essences Bio Renew Hydrate Coconut Milk Shampoo
The Bio Renew Hydrate Coconut Milk Shampoo by Herbal Essences is the best drugstore shampoo for dry, color-treated, and damaged hair. It is cruelty-free and color-safe, so you can feel good using it. Known to provide instant results, reviewers rave about it, saying, "I loved how instantly hydrating this shampoo was ... I do not blow dry my hair but I do use a straightener daily so my hair gets very dry. This shampoo completely changed that after the first use."
Herbal Essences Bio Renew Hydrate Coconut Milk Shampoo is available at Target for $6.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for oily hair
An oily scalp can be a huge pain to deal with. We know we shouldn't wash our hair every day, but sticking to a wash schedule is difficult when you have extra oils. The Maple Holistics Shampoo can help combat this. It is made with Jojoba, rosemary, and lemon essential oils to clarify and strengthen your strands. An Amazon customer notes, "I have extremely oily hair ... It has been fantastic for keeping my roots looking good."
The Maple Holistics Sulfate Free Shampoo is on Amazon for $10.76.
Best drugstore shampoo for damaged hair
A popular TikTok created by Abbeyyung shows off the L'Oreal Paris EverPure Bond Strengthening Color Care Shampoo. This product, which she calls the best drugstore shampoo she's ever tried, is compared to Amika's The Kure in the comments. The video's creator tells us, "Amika is definitely more impressive but L'Oreal is a good drugstore alternative for damaged hair!" If you love The Kure, but hate the price, this shampoo is almost three times cheaper!
Purchase L'Oreal Paris EverPure Bond Strengthening Color Care Shampoo at Rite Aid for $8.29.
Best drugstore shampoo for color-treated hair
The Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter & Rose Blooming Color Shampoo is "made with organic Amazonian murumuru butter and handpicked Bulgarian rose petal oil," according to Love Beauty and Planet. With no dyes, parabens, or silicone, the shampoo leaves your hair shiny and vibrant wash after wash. Buyers of the Love Beauty and Planet shampoo enjoy its long-lasting scent, and their main complaint is that the product isn't available in a larger bottle.
Get the Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter & Rose Blooming Color Shampoo at Target for $6.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for textured hair
Those with loose waves to tight curls tend to love the Garnier Hair Care Fructis Triple Nutrition Curl Nourish Shampoo. This shampoo, marketed for waves, curls, and coils, is known for its ultra-clean feel. As described by an Amazon reviewer, "My scalp and hair feel clean after use, but not oily or dry. About a week after making the switch to this shampoo, I noticed a huge difference in my hair. It's less frizzy and it curls so nicely now."
Get Garnier Hair Care Fructis Triple Nutrition Curl Nourish Shampoo at Amazon for $3.13.
Best drugstore shampoo for blond hair
There are many purple shampoos out there, but they are often expensive, disappointing, or difficult to find. The L'Oreal Paris EverPure Brass Toning Purple Shampoo is available at most drugstores, and it works. As Twisted Glam on YouTube says, "This purple shampoo worked really well for my hair. As you can see, it's a lot more even. It has a lot more of the bleach blond ... throughout my hair now, and it even kinda made my roots a little lighter."
Get L'Oreal Paris EverPure Brass Toning Purple Shampoo on Amazon for $7.44.
Best drugstore shampoo for red hair
Red hair, whether it's natural or dyed, sometimes needs a little help with a color-depositing shampoo as well. Compared to purple shampoo, there are not as many options for redheads out there, but you don't need to look further than John Frieda's Radiant Red, Red Boosting Shampoo. One customer on John Frieda's online site said, "This red boosting shampoo really did help keep my red hair color lasting long and looking bright for much longer than any other shampoo."
Purchase John Frieda's Radiant Red Red Boosting Shampoo at Target for $9.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for shiny hair
Even though shiny hair is promised by hundreds of shampoo brands, it's not always delivered. However, the Aussie Miracle Waves Anti-Frizz Hemp Shampoo really can tame frizz and give your strands a silky sheen. Suhana De Silva tried out this shampoo on her YouTube channel and said of the product, "For ... just using a shampoo and conditioner that are meant to combat frizz in wavy hair. I'm not mad, I think they're pretty good products ... Especially at the price point."
Purchase Aussie Miracle Waves Anti-Frizz Hemp Paraben-Free Shampoo at CVS for $6.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for hair growth
Healthy hair growth can be a difficult thing to achieve for some. One Amazon customer speaks about this struggle, saying, "I am mixed black/white and used to have very difficult hair. I tried to grow my hair for the last 10 years with no results. ... after I started using Jamaican Black Castor Shampoo ... My hairs are getting consistently longer and longer." SheaMoisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo is formulated to help strengthen damaged hair for better growth.
Get SheaMoisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo for $9.49 on Amazon.
Best drugstore shampoo for dandruff
Dandruff is a common condition that people struggle with all over the world. Thankfully, it is relatively simple to deal with, as you can buy treatments over the counter at your nearest drugstore. One dandruff shampoo that consistently shows positive results is the Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Dandruff Treatment Shampoo. As per EMC, "[The] Shampoo should be used two to three times weekly for the treatment of scalp disorders. Treatment usually lasts for 6 weeks, after which time improvement should be seen."
Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Dandruff Treatment Shampoo is $20.32 at Walmart.
Best drugstore shampoo with clean ingredients
These days it's not difficult to find shampoos and other beauty products with clean ingredients. In fact, many of the amazing shampoos in this collection are clean, vegan, and cruelty-free. However, one shampoo stands out among these. The Hairitage Down to the Basics Fragrance-Free Shampoo is frequently recommended by influencers and online reviewers for its ultra-gentle formula that leaves you feeling clean without causing rashes or breakouts.
The Hairitage Down to the Basics Fragrance-Free Shampoo is at Walmart for $8.94.
Best drugstore shampoo for removing buildup
When you style your hair with hairspray, dry shampoo, and other styling products, your strands collect the pollution and begin to feel dirty even after washing. Neutrogena's Anti-Residue Clarifying Shampoo, according to an Amazon customer, "[is] great for those in between regular shampoos. Reduces all the products from my hair, helping them to work better after use." Every person should keep a clarifying shampoo like this in their arsenal of beauty products for purifying their hair after styling it with products.
Neutrogena Anti-Residue Clarifying Shampoo is available on Amazon for $21.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for frizzy hair
A cult favorite that may never go out of style is the John Frieda Anti Frizz, Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth Shampoo. Each use makes your mane more resistant to dryness and frizziness. Before you know it, your hair is smoother, silkier, and more manageable. When used together with the anti-frizz conditioner, your strands can only become stronger and healthier.
John Frieda Anti Frizz, Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth Shampoo is available at Walmart for $9.61.
Best drugstore shampoo for adding volume
The Odele Volumizing Shampoo has all the power to give you salon-quality volume at a fraction of the cost. This shampoo, which has been going viral on TikTok, creates big and bouncy hair after the first wash. TikToker Imhannahcho shows us the process of washing her hair with this product, and the results are simply stunning. Her hair is shiny and it has so much weightless volume. It looks like she just left the salon.
Find Odele Volumizing Shampoo at Target for $11.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for daily washes
Even though it isn't normally recommended to wash your hair every day, for some of us it is unavoidable. If this sounds like you, Tree To Tub's Argan Oil Moisturizing Shampoo could be your new favorite. As explained by Thehealthyhur on TikTok, this product is perfect for daily washing as its ingredients are clean and work to make your scalp and hair healthier.
Get Tree To Tub, Argan Oil Moisturizing Shampoo at Target for $19.99.
Best drugstore shampoo for sensitive scalps
The Hask Tea Tree & Rosemary Oil Scalp Care Shampoo is formulated with two main ingredients known for removing impurities and soothing irritation. If you struggle with an itchy, irritated, or dry scalp, this shampoo will cool your follicles and leave you with very clean and nourished strands. You can use it daily or just a few times per week, depending on the dryness of your scalp.
Buy Hask Tea Tree & Rosemary Oil Scalp Care Shampoo at Target for $4.99.