Shampoo junkies over here please! I need an intervention

[FoofFighter]

I cannot seem to find a shampoo that suits my hair. I'm early 40s and it's just gone haywire in the last few years.

It's dry yet greasy, thick yet limp, greasy yet frizzy. I think it's peri-menopuasal!

I used to have lovely shiny flowing locks :( I have to wash it most days I am working or use dry shampoo in between, which I prefer not to as it's probably not good. It also takes me a good hour to wash, dry and straighten (can't get away with leaving it to dry on it's own as it's got a mind of it's own and kinks out all over the shop in varying directions) which is unsustainable for me to do daily.

The only shampoo in recent years I have had any success with was the pink Elvive but even that's not suiting any more.

On the back of a thread about cheap shampoos I bought some L'Oreal Hair Expertise and have used it 3x now but not hugely liking it, my hair is dull and feels yucky :(

So can anyone recommend anything please?

I've got hard to please hair too but find John Frieda shampoo & conditioner to be an absolute life saver!

I love the Amino Acid Shampoo and Conditioner (separate bottles, not 2-in-1) by Kiehls. Pricey but amazing. In fact, i love pretty much everything Kiehls 😂 the handcream is AMAZING

I swear by Aussie and their 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner. It leaves my hair soft and shiny and not too pricey either.

You might have over loaded your hair with silicone?
Silicone build up symptoms: limp hair, slightly greasy or waxy feeling, takes longer to dry than dry than usual, feels dry.

A decent clarifying shampoo might help? I deep clean mine once a week with Tresemme deep cleanse (the green label) shampoo.

Hi Foof

I've done a fair bit of research on shampoo recently as I have quite thick, frizz prone hair, and recently I had one of those brazilian blowdries which has reduced the frizz by about 80%, at the Hair Academy where you can get GREAT free or very cheap cuts, colours etc. Anyway to keep the bbd going in your hair, you're advised to avoid shampoo with salt - sodium, durr - and sulfates. Or at least 'low in sodium'.

Such as:
The body shop - Rainforest - £5
Botanical Shine - Liz Earle - £5.75
Yes to Cucumbers - £4.99
L'Oreal Elvive - Extraordinary - about £5.50 (I use that one)

I also use the Aveda Pure Abundance Volumising - £18.50

I swap back and forth so my hair never gets used to one particular type, but google 'sulfate free shampoos and conditioners' - they don't have to be madly expensive. The Weleda range are highly spoken of although I haven't personally used them.

The other thing I now do is to apply Virgin Coconut Oil - order online - it's not expensive to dry hair - sleep in it and shampoo out the next day. Sometimes I use Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer - it's about £35 but leaves my hair silky and full without weighing it down. Still insanely expensive but one night a week I use coconut oil and once a month the Phillip Kingsley.

I've also invested in a satin pillowcase - again online. I do think the whole regime has made a difference. I only ever wash my hair once - ie I don't do two shampoos, and as I live in a hard water area, twice a week I rinse with warm water and a splash of ordinary vinegar.

I hope this information helps.

Another vote for Kiehl's Amino Acid shampoo and conditioner. I also really like the Elvive Extraordinary Clay shampoo and conditioner in the mint green bottles.

I used a clarifying shampoo (toni and guy) this week and wondered if it was just my hair getting used to not having the chemical crap in it? and that it'll be better after a week or two of using the new stuff?

The L'Oreal I switched to doesn't have cones etc in as far as I know.

I had high hopes for the clay elvive as the pink was so fab on my hair but alas not :( Noting down ones I've not tried for future use! I know little to nothing about hair and products etc so don't use anything!

Moroccanoil or Paul Mitchell - both absolutely amazing. Pricey, but sooooo worth it and they last ages!!

You are not gonna like this but yes, straightening your hair after every wash can cause a lot of damage and dryness.

The only shampoo that suits my hair is the ginger one from the body shop. I have nightmares about them changing the range so bulk buy. Apparently so do others as I went to a shop to get some this week and they sold out on the day of delivery.
Thankyou for the post about sulphates in shampoo, very interesting!

I alternate between various Aveda shampoos (all sulphate free) - pure abundance, Shampure and Rosemary & mint.
They are expensive, but you only need a small bit and only get through about 3 small bottles a year. It may seem counter intuitive, but have you tried washing your hair less/putting less shampoo on?

Also...Toni and Guy clarifying still has sodium laureth sulphate in. I would try a sulphate free shampoo a few times and see if you notice any difference.

Yours sounds similar to my hair. I had greasy roots, dry ends, fine, static-y hair but tons of it so it feels thick, so can feel really lank looking. Mine isn't frizzy but does tend to flip and twist all over the place at the slightes whiff of humidity or dampness. I'd also find that one brand of shampoo would work for a while, then I'd be back to square one again.

I vary between Bedhead urban antidotes and fudge smooth shot and use the bedhead blow dry lotion on the mid length to ends (never in the roots!) and it seems to be doing a good job and has been for about a year now.

Aveda and kerastese are best if you can afford them, and buy some Moroccan hair oil (glass bottle teal and orange label) and apply it while hair is damp. My hair rebels when I don't use Aveda, its upset with me at the moment. But I can't always afford the good stuff.

If you're willing to splurge la biosthetique (sp?) are so worth it!

Failing that I love lush shampoo bars xx

I find the OGX shampoos/conditioner really good on my menopausal hair. I've got the whole range and use a different one each night. They're not particularly cheap but you can often get a 3 for 2 on them.

This is my favourite one from the range but there are several different ones using different oils and they're all good.

Aveda Shampure or Rosemary and Mint have been around for ages because they really work. Cost a lot but you need to use far less than a normal shampoo - one wash only and a tiny amount so a bottle lasts a long time.

Have recently got some pure coconut oil as well - again a tiny amount over night, only when my hair looks like it needs it and the results are amazing.

Be careful though as a lot of high street coconut or argan oil hair products are filled out with silicones.

I second the OGX range. I have very long fine hair, but masses of it (so it appears thick). Frizzy and can be dry.

I double shampoo (two different shampoos), just the roots and top. Condition just the ends.

Followed by kerastese version of Moroccan oil which I prefer (which is expensive but makes such a difference to my hair).

Blow dry and repeat weekly. It's the only thing that works!

Get yourself some Redken Cleansing Cream. It was recommended to me on here and completely solved my hair issues (which were similar to yours). Much much better than a clarifying shampoo, it leaves my hair silky and soft and manageable. For the first few uses I lathered up and left on for a few mins before rinsing. Now I use it every other wash (alternate with Kerastase but I reckon any other shampoo would be good).

I can't recommend it highly enough.

Use Johnsons baby shampoo to clarify your hair (just the once!) and strip the silicone off it then go shampoo cold turkey and only use conditioner (silicone free) It means you stop stripping the natural oils out so it won't go dry and greasy. It's basically the curly girl method (which can be used on straight hair, minus the styling part) which is about having healthy strong hair.

Philip Kingsley shampoos and conditioners, elasticizer plus morccan oil, i have processed hair and these products really work.

Rahua. Fancied it for ages. Couldn't justify it. DH got me travel sizes as stocking filler at Xmas. No going back.

Aveda all the way
Camomile shampoo at the moment, but also the Brilliant range.

Little update :)

Persevered with the L'Oreal pure but really didn't like it, switched to OGX and oh my!!!! I have swishy glossy hair with minimal frizzy bits! I got the Kukui one and it smells divine. It's on offer at £3.50 in Asda ATM

Highly recommend!