“I encourage people to leave this particular shampoo on hair, with intent to reach the scalp, for a couple of minutes before rinsing out allowing those oils to retrieve full coverage,” Davie says. “The longer you keep it in and evenly massage into the head the better chances the scalp is stimulated for healthier growth.”
The Best Shampoo for Men with Thick Hair: Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo
Our Experience
If this article were called “Adam Hurly’s Favorite Shampoo of All Time,” then Davines’s LOVE shampoo would be in the first spot. But my needs do not match every reader’s needs, so this product will have to settle for “Best Thick Hair Shampoo” in the meantime. It is so difficult to find a product that tames my thick hair while it cleanses. The entire LOVE line is like a relaxer for my untenable and rigid-straight strands and becomes even more essential whenever I decide to grow my hair out. If you have coarse or thick hair—and especially if it’s on the straighter side—then this shampoo (and LOVE assortment) is a game-changer.
The Best-Smelling Shampoo for Men: Corpus Cypress Shampoo
Our Experience
This shampoo is more than just its delicious aroma, yes. However, we cannot ignore it: Corpus’ woodsy scent is on the more masculine side of the scent spectrum, should you want some aromatherapy that might pair nicely with your cologne. (Vetiver, cypress, and cedar take center stage in this one.) I would pump this scent throughout my home, and happily deploy this moisturizing, fortifying wash through my strands any day of the week. Use it as a beard wash, too, if you want to smell it even more each day.
The Best Shampoo for Men with Fine Hair: Ouai Fine Shampoo
Our Experience
Here is an all-time favorite of my fine-haired partner, who demands a shampoo that fights gravity and gives his hairs extra height and fullness. OUAI’s formula here has the ability to deeply rinse without causing any frizzing or fraying, unlike many shampoos that give volume by virtue of parching the hairs. So with OUAI, you get volume, density, and body, plus mega moisture to top it off.
The Best Shampoo for Men With Thinning Hair: The Grey Stimulating Shampoo
If cost were no object, this would be our best overall shampoo, too. However, I do think that a $75 bottle of shampoo is tough to promote as a universal option—but as a luxury pick, The Grey is a no-brainer. But this Dutch men’s label really packs on the active ingredients, a difference you feel in the strands after rinsing (you can peep the “key ingredients” above for that long list, which benefit far more than just thinning hair). While I never really advertise shampoos as the solution for hair loss—you need to take more clinical measures—however, a shampoo like this can be a game-changer when it comes to maximizing the potential of your precious hair. If you have a stylable length—let’s say an inch or more, then you might notice your styling regimen performing slightly better after a rinse from The Grey. It’s nourishing, it’s smoothing, it’s tingly and refreshing, and it smells brilliant.
The Best Custom Shampoo for Men: Prose Custom Shampoo
Given that basically no single shampoo will work for every guy, the easiest way to find one for you is to go to a customizing brand like Prose. Among the brand’s many made-to-order hair and skin care products, this shampoo factors in everything from your hair’s density and curl pattern, as well as scalp oil levels and sensitivities, plus the environmental conditions in your area (think: water hardness, air quality, humidity, and more). So, you receive something that doesn’t just suit your hair and scalp needs, but that considers all the variables that make for a good hair day.
It’s hard for me to tout this as a standalone product, too, considering the fact that Prose builds out entire regimens targeted to your hair and skin, all of which work together to achieve those results. I’ve always been impressed with Prose, even as my variables have evolved (more hair density due to hair growth efforts, a few zip code changes, seasonal shifts, and length variance). But if you’re wondering if Prose lives up to the hype, the answer is yes, absolutely.
The Best Shampoo for Damaged Hair: K18 Damage Shield pH Protective Shampoo
Few brands have skyrocketed quite like K18, which went from 0-60 in a couple years’ time thanks to fantastic reparative formulas. (The brand’s leave-in hair mask, despite the $75 sticker shock, is worth every penny if you have long and/or damaged strands.) And naturally, this balancing shampoo is part of its recipe for success. Not only does it flood your strands with fortifying proteins as it flushes away grime, but it also balances the scalp and strand pH levels. By collectively reducing inflammation and closing off the cuticles, it fights everything from frizz to breakage to swelling, all while giving your head its happy little rinse.
If I need to look my absolute best on any given day, I’ll do a full K18 routine, starting with this shampoo. It ensures I have no frizz, style-cooperative strands, and eye-catching natural shine for the next 24 hours or more.
The Best Shampoo for Men with Dry Hair: Olaplex Bond Maintenance Shampoo
This shampoo just missed out on the “best universal” winner, thanks to its cult-fave status and ability to resurrect the saddest, most frayed, and damaged hair from the brink of breakage. I’m even traveling right now for a couple of weeks as I write this, and this is the shampoo I’ve brought along to counter the cool air and keep my strands soft and strong.
The Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Ketoconazole 1% Shampoo
Our Experience
For my job, I can call in just about every product I want to test, to use up, to restock…It’s a nice gig, I admit. But sometimes there’s a product or brand that I don’t have a “professional relationship” with, and I actually pay for the thing myself. Nizoral is one of those products I always keep stocked. I can’t have a single conversation about dandruff control with my go-to dermatologist sources without this one being recommended. Not only that, but the active ingredient here, ketoconazole, is more than a fungal foe: It’s arguably the single worthwhile ingredient you can find in a shampoo that can temper follicle-thinning DHT (dihydrotestosterone) on contact, making it potentially the only true ingredient to seek out in “hair loss shampoos.”
Though not a body wash, I spot-treat other parts of my body with this one too, since sometimes I get flakes around my nose or beard dandruff. It’s a great groin-area wash too, if you’re prone to jock itch after a sweaty buildup. It isn’t something you want to overuse, though: This one is drying, so I would only recommend using it as an active treatment to counter dandruff, or every couple weeks to keep the problem at bay. But damn, does it work quickly and effectively. And, if you have severe flaking or itching up top, you can ask your derm for a 2% upgrade of this one, which is available via prescription.
The Best Shampoo for Men With Straight Hair: Living Proof Full Shampoo
Our Experience
This is one of the few shampoos that my partner and I will share—me for my extremely thick but straight hair whenever it’s grown out a few inches or more, and him for his fine hair at any length. It gives me just the right amount of movement, texture, and definition so that my hair doesn’t look limp or feel unstylable. I tend to cut back on the amount of conditioner I use afterwards too, since I like the style-ready results of the standalone shampoo. (That’s not a green light to stop using conditioner, but rather, to change your cadence on the days you shampoo.) Living Proof is also one of the best brands for finding a product that works with any hair type, not just this “Full” line that promises volume and texture.
The Best Solid Shampoo for Men: Church California Shampoo Bar
Our Experience
I find most shampoo bars feel like a solution for getting around TSA’s liquid regulations while flying, as opposed to actually great shampoos. But along comes Church, one of the US’s best barbershops and maker of some A+ hair stylers, with its first hair care product (as well as a conditioning bar to match it). I don’t know if there’s a liquid shampoo that can go toe to toe with Church’s bar shampoo in terms of fortifying and conditioning ingredients. I’d go so far as to call it a co-wash for this fact, not to mention, it will also outlast any liquid shampoo that you buy, too—assuming you don’t store it in a pool of water.
How to Choose the Right Shampoo, According to the Experts
Know Your Hair Type and Oil Levels
The first step to finding the right shampoo is to understand your “variables.” This means your strand’s overall texture (so, it’s curl or wave pattern, or lack thereof), as well as the individual strand density, the oil levels in your scalp, any sensitivities, etc. Finding a shampoo that matches your needs—and learning the right cadence of using it—is crucial for healthy hair. “I recommend everyone tailor their routine to what works best for them and not just use products that are popular at the time,” Lee adds. “Whether you have short or long hair, your scalp health is important to focus on and make sure you give it what it needs.” Celebrity groomer Dan Perri (with A-list clients like Post Malone, Gerard Butler, and Brendan Fraser) adds that men’s hair needs and variables might even change as time goes on—aside from just natural thinning. “If you are someone who’s had the same shampoo for years it, may be time for a switch,” he says.
