While there are tons of products available just waiting to be added to your wash-day routine, finding an ideal shampoo and conditioner combination that actually works for your hair type can sometimes be a challenge. That’s why for our 2020 Healthy Beauty Awards, we asked a panel of dermatologists for their recommendations on what people with different hair types and concerns need and what to prioritize when deciding which products to test.
For those with fine or thinning hair in need of extra volume, for example, our experts suggest keeping an eye out for products that contain silicones, like dimethicone, which hug the hair to prevent moisture loss, resulting in a plumper look overall.
Natural or textured hair types should opt for products that help keep strands as hydrated as possible, since natural hair can be prone to dryness, breakage, and damage as well as some unique types of hair loss.
Anyone who deals with excess oil can benefit from shampoos and conditioners that can gently cut down on oil, but also moisturize to avoid drying your hair out. If you have dandruff, our experts suggest looking for products with exfoliating ingredients, like salicylic acid or glycolic acid. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, when it comes to drier hair types, products that provide optimal moisture are key ingredients like shea butter, argan, jojoba, olive, and avocado oils, which work well to keep dry scalp and hair hydrated.
Once we established which products met our expert criteria for our Healthy Beauty Awards, we had a group of more than 70 judges actually test out more than 1,000 products over the course of a few weeks. We collected their feedback, compared it to the list of criteria we formulated with the experts, and created a list of the best new skin-care, makeup, and hair-care products. These expert-approved shampoos and conditioners were the absolute standouts in the hair-care category. Check out the 23 winners that our testers loved below, and make sure you go here to check out all of this year's Healthy Beauty Award winners.
Reviews have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.