16 Cheap Shampoos That Are Just as Good as Expensive Ones

I’ve spent most of my time as a beauty journalist working directly with hairdressers covering trends, news and advice. And for the most part, I treat the hair advice I’ve received as gospel, and I drill home the importance of listening to pro hairdressers about at-home maintenance. However, there is one point, in particular, where I veer from hairdressers’ advice: cheap shampoo. I use it all the time.

Professional and salon-quality haircare and styling products are really important for healthy hair. I just needed to say that before we continue. For the most part, you’ll find that they have fewer filler ingredients and synthetics that cheat the feeling of smooth hair and actually have a higher concentration of nourishing and protective ingredients. But when it comes to shampoos, this is a step in which you can’t really add much to the quality of your hair; you can only take away. So if there is any place to save money on in your haircare routine, it’s here. You just have to be aware of the ingredients in the bottle and how susceptible your hair is to being stripped of moisture.