All different hair types need their own specialized shampoo, and the same is true for different-length hair. If you have grown your hair out, then you will need the right shampoo to help maintain it.
A good shampoo can make such a difference to long hair and can keep it strong, healthy, and clean.
What is the best shampoo for long hair? The best shampoo for long hair should contain gentle cleansers and conditioning agents that gently clean hair and nourish it, and the shampoo should preferably be free from sulfates as well. Look for added nourishment in the form of vitamin E, B5, and other ingredients that promote hair growth.
If you are in the market for a shampoo for your long hair, to promote growth and maintain a healthy shine and nourished condition, keep reading for our top picks, as well as some tips on how you can go about choosing the best shampoo for long hair!
Buyer’s Guide – Shampoo For Long Hair
Choosing a good shampoo is the first step in your hair-care journey, and for long hair, there are some specific factors you need to keep in mind when choosing a shampoo.
When picking out the best shampoo for long hair, keep in mind your hair type, and whether your hair is fine, medium, or thick, and whether or not you have certain conditions such as dry scalp or if you battle with oil.
Here is what to consider when choosing the best shampoo for long hair:
Cleansing Shampoo
One of the main purposes of a shampoo is to cleanse the scalp and hair, and the cleansing power of the shampoo should be one of the first things you look at.
A shampoo should promote better scalp health, removing build-up and ensuring that hair follicles are kept nourished and healthy. Any build-up left on the scalp can inhibit proper hair growth, as the hair follicles are not given a healthy environment. Build-up can also lead to dandruff.
The shampoo should gently cleanse the scalp and the hair, and leave it free from oil and build-up, but without stripping the scalp of too much and leaving it dry and undernourished.
Moisturizing Shampoo
While it should cleanse the scalp, the shampoo should be moisturizing too. Most of us rely on a conditioner to moisturize hair, but a good shampoo should help with this as well.
The shampoo should help to lock in moisture to the hair shaft, which over time helps to prevent breakage and split ends. Overall, this leads to healthier-looking hair.
Free From Harsh Chemicals
It is so important to look for a shampoo that is free from harsh chemicals. Harsh chemicals can dry out the scalp and damage hair follicles and can end up doing more harm than good.
One way to stay away from harsh chemicals is to opt for a herbal shampoo, which should contain natural ingredients and essential oils, which will nourish hair and the scalp instead of damaging it.
Avoid shampoos that contain parabens, and benzalkonium chloride, and benzethonium chloride. These are preservatives and work as a surfactant, but can cause irritation to the skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
Artificial fragrances are also a no-go, as they can contain a whole host of chemicals, which are considered a trade secret, so they do not have to include the full ingredient list on the shampoo label.
Sulfate-Free
Where possible, choose a shampoo that is free from sulfates. Sulfate-free shampoos help with moisture retention, which is especially ideal for damaged or dry hair. The shampoo works to retain natural moisture, which is really the best moisture your hair can get.
A sulfate-free shampoo is also a good option for colored hair, as it will not strip hair of color too fast, and it is gentle and caring on colored hair as well, helping it recover from the chemical process of dying.
Nourishing Ingredients
While there are a good few ingredients that you should avoid in shampoos, there are some that you should look for.
These are some of the ingredients which shampoos might contain, that nourish and care for hair, giving it a beautiful finish and a healthy shine.
These are natural ingredients that are safe for long hair:
- Oils such as avocado oil, coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, grape seed oil
- Essential oils
- Herbal extracts such as dandelion, sage, chamomile, calendula, rosemary, peppermint, green tea
- Aloe vera
- Biotin
- Seaweed collagen
- Shea butter
- Honey
By choosing a natural shampoo, you aren’t giving up any of the benefits that a normal shampoo would have. Instead, you would be benefiting from all the natural nourishment and care that these above ingredients hold, most of which are better than any man-made ingredient, and which sure are safer to use.
The Best Shampoos For Long Hair
Here are our top picks for the best shampoos for long hair. We have included shampoos for different hair types, for colored and non-colored hair, and everything in between, so you are sure to find the shampoo that suits you best!
Keep in mind your hair type and your hair needs when deciding which shampoo is the right option for your hair, but you will definitely be able to find one from the list below, all of which are highly recommended!
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Redken Extreme Length Shampoo | Biotin, reduces breakage, strengthening |
| 2. | Biolage Hydrasource Shampoo | Nourishing, moisturizing, softening |
| 3. | Redken Volume Injection Shampoo | Lightweight, softening, creates healthy shine |
| 4. | Pureology Hydrate Shampoo | Sulfate-free, jojoba oil, lavender scent |
| 5. | Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo | Frizz-free, creates shine, shea butter |
| 6. | L’Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Shampoo | Paraben and sulfate free, silicone-free |
| 7. | Marc Anthony Grow Long Biotin Shampoo | Silky hair, caffeine, vitamin E |
| 8. | Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo For Damaged Hair | Repairs damage, smooth and shiny hair |
| 9. | Botanic Hearth Biotin Shampoo | Sulfate and paraben free, cruelty-free |
| 10. | LivSo Moisturizing Shampoo | Coconut oil, glycolic acid, anti-fungal |
| 11. | Tree Hut Extreme Moisture Shampoo | Pure shea butter, lightweight |
1. Redken Extreme Length Shampoo
The Redken Extreme Length Shampoo is the answer to damaged hair refusing to grow.
The Extreme Grow System contains biotin, which does a great job at helping long hair stay healthy and grow, by preventing breakages, and by keeping the mid-length of the hair strong.
Using Redken’s Length Care Complex, made with biotin and soy protein, the system strengthens hair from root to tip and can help reduce breakage by 81% when used as a complete system.
The Extreme Length Shampoo is great for damaged hair, but is also ideal for long hair, to reduce damage and breakage, and to leave hair looking strong, healthy, and full of shine. The Length Care Complex also ensures that long hair is kept in the best condition, while still promoting growth.
With a pH-balanced formula, the shampoo is gentle on the scalp and helps maintain the right scalp conditions which ensures healthy hair growth. Length fortifying and protection properties make this an essential shampoo for long hair that needs some love, and for those looking to grow their hair even longer!
The shampoo is best used along with the conditioner and treatment in the same range.
2. Biolage Hydrasource Shampoo
The Biolage Hydrasource Shampoo is a great option for dry or damaged long hair, with split ends and breakages. It helps to optimize the moisture balance in hair, to ensure it is healthy-looking and nourished.
Using this shampoo will leave hair cleansed and extremely moisturized, giving it a beautiful softness and shine. It can be used to gently cleanse thick, coarse, and dry hair.
The Biolage Hydrasource range offers essential care for all hair needs, quenching thirsty, under-nourished hair in the healthiest way possible.
The Biolage Hydrosource Shampoo will intensely moisturize hair, and the indulgent texture gently cleanses hair and the scalp for extreme softness. Along with these benefits, you can enjoy a blend of 27 notes that create a timeless, irreplaceable scent that you will fall in love with.
The vegan shampoo is full of natural ingredients that care for your hair, and make it safe for the shampoo to be used on colored hair too!
3. Redken Volume Injection Shampoo
Redken has another shampoo available that is a great option for long hair – the Redken Volume Injection Shampoo.
The Volume Injection Shampoo gives long hair lift and body, creating weightless volume, leaving hair light, soft and shiny, without being weighed down. The lightweight formula provides lift and body to hair, as well as unbeatable volume.
A pH-balanced formula with filloxane and bodifying complex makes even fine hair appear thick and full of volume. It is a great option for fine, processed long hair, which needs a little bit of life back.
This is a perfect choice if your long hair is in need of a volume injection, to prevent it from looking dull and flat, and for you to really make the most of all of your hair growth!
4. Pureology Hydrate Shampoo
The Pureology Hydrate Shampoo is a sulfate-free, creamy shampoo that helps to deeply hydrate normal and thick hair, and can be used to nourish color-treated hair too.
The thirst-quenching formula helps to promote moisture and touchable softness, as well as extraordinary color protection, even for dry hair. Only a small amount of shampoo is needed for long hair, so the bottle will last a long time.
Made with natural ingredients, the shampoo uses jojoba to add moisture, and sage and green tea to stimulate hair follicles and to support a healthy scalp. Moreover, the shampoo is made with a spa-like blend of bergamot, lavender, and patchouli for the most relaxing scent possible.
Normal and dry color-treated long hair will benefit from the moisture and softness this shampoo provides, and along with the conditioner, hair will be kept in the best state possible, fully nourished, and with optimal growth.
5. Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo
Matrix Mega Sleek Shampoo will give long hair the shiniest, healthiest appearance while nourishing it from deep within. The shampoo offers smoothing haircare for all types of hair prone to frizz and is ideal to keep long hair smooth and manageable.
The shampoo contains shea butter, which helps to control rebellious and unruly hair, and helps protect against frizz in humid environments.
Shea butter helps to seal hair cuticles, ensuring that frizz is kept under control. For many with long hair, frizz really dulls the appearance and potential of long hair, but with this shampoo, this is all kept under wraps and hair is smooth and shiny after continued use.
While the shampoo is not sulfate-free, all of the other products in the range are, and you can be sure of the best care and nourishment when using this shampoo.
6. L’Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Shampoo
The L’Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Shampoo is a creamy restoring shampoo that helps to visibly repair damage without weighing hair down. After using the shampoo, hair is left shiny and strengthened.
The shampoo protects the length of the hair by sealing split ends and ensuring that the scalp is kept cleansed and nourished.
It is made with a gentle restoring formula, with fine castor oil and vitamin B3 and B5. It is also made with a sweet, floral scent from pomegranate, caramel orchid, and milk sorbet extracts.
With the range of Dream Lengths, along with the shampoo, hair care is extended and magnified, making it perfect for everyday healthy long hair.
The best part of the L’Oreal Paris Elvive Dream Lengths Shampoo is that while it is ultra-caring and nourishing on hair, it will not weigh hair down, which is a problem often faced with long hair. The shampoo is also sulfate-free, paraben-free, dye-free, and silicone-free, ticking many boxes!
Using the Dream Lengths Shampoo, you’ll definitely be able to reach your hair goal dreams, and enjoy long, luscious locks!
7. Marc Anthony Grow Long Biotin Shampoo
The Marc Anthony Grow Long Biotin Shampoo For Hair Strength is sulfate-free caffeine and ginseng infused shampoo which is an absolute dream to use.
The creamy, velvety shampoo helps to transform long, dry and brittle hair into soft, silky, smooth locks.
The nourishing formula includes ginseng, caffeine, and vitamin E, which work to promote longer, stronger, and healthier-looking hair quickly.
With the added suppleness, hair will experience less breakage and split ends, and growth will be promoted.
Using innovative hair care, the shampoo features ingredients that hydrate, nourish, replenish and protect hair. The shampoo is also free from sulfates, and is of salon-quality, offering you the best care from the comfort of home.
Long, unmanageable hair will be transformed into long, hydrated hair with a beautiful shine and increased growth, with less breakage and more nourishment!
8. Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo For Damaged Hair
Using the Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo, you will be able to return your long hair to its optimal state, with the shampoo helping to heal visible signs of damage and breakage.
The Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo utilizes the science of protein, combining science and nature to revolutionize hair care.
Made with Proteinfusion, the shampoo has an exclusive blend of keratin protein and black rice, which gently cleanses hair and then repairs damage.
The shampoo offers a similar experience to a keratin hair treatment but has the benefit of being a cleanser at the same time and with the ability to be used more often than a keratin treatment would.
With the inclusion of keratin in the shampoo, hair will be made smoother and stronger by the cells that overlap being smoothed down. For long hair, this means less breakage, fewer split ends, and smoother, shinier-looking hair.
Enjoy salon-quality hair care at home with the Nexxus Keraphix Shampoo, as well as with the other products in the range, which are essential for healthy, shiny long hair that is allowed to grow healthy and remain nourished.
9. Botanic Hearth Biotin Shampoo
The Botanic Hearth Biotin Shampoo is a sulfate-free and paraben-free shampoo, which helps keep long hair healthy and nourished.
Made with ginger oil, the moisturizing hair cleanser will leave hair soft and silky.
It is also enriched with a blend of restorative and nourishing ingredients that promote long and thick hair. Hair is left fuller and shinier and this allows you to make the most of your length.
The shampoo is ideal for regular or daily use, as it is gentle enough to be used often, and is safe to use on color-treated hair too. It is a cruelty-free shampoo that is not tested on animals.
A formulation of ginger oil and keratin means that hair loss and hair thinning are reduced, and healthy hair growth is promoted instead. This goes a long way to ensuring long hair is kept in the best possible condition.
10. LivSo Moisturizing Shampoo
The LivSo Moisturizing Shampoo features a specialized formula that is suited for dry, damaged hair, as well as for curly and textured hair and itchy scalps. The rich ingredients which have been selected by dermatologists leave hair and scalp clean, moisturized, and healthy.
A nutrient-rich formula contains coconut oil, which adds natural and protective moisture to the scalp and hair, and glycolic acid, which is an exfoliating agent that helps to improve flaky and dry scalp. The addition of xylitol makes the shampoo anti-fungal too.
Being sulfate-free, the shampoo can effectively cleanse hair without stripping the hair or leaving it parched. It helps to maintain all of the essential moisturizing qualities it needs, without any heavy additives, leaving long hair light and manageable.
This is a great option for those with long hair, who need treatment for a dry and itchy scalp. Unlike other treatment shampoos, this will not leave your hair feeling heavy and unmanageable.
The added benefit of the shampoo is the inclusion of AHA – which gently exfoliates the scalp to prevent build-up and clogged pores, going a long way to reduce irritation and itchiness. However, with this, you might need to protect your skin from exposure to the sun.
11. Tree Hut Extreme Moisture Shampoo
Tree Hut Extreme Moisture Shampoo helps to look after and nourish long hair from the scalp down. Made with 100% pure natural shea butter, the shampoo offers deep moisture, with vitamins that hydrate, soften and smooth the scalp and hair.
With hyaluronic acid, the hair and scalp are moisturized and stimulated, which leads to fullness, but without the added weight that many other shampoos bring. Hair is left lightweight and manageable with beautiful lift and volume.
Sugar in the formula provides an exfoliating and stimulating scalp treatment, and also works as a natural conditioner to treat hair damage. Vegetable pea protein helps heal heat-damaged hair and combats dullness by boosting moisture.
Being sulfate and paraben-free, the shampoo is free from harmful chemicals, ensuring your hair is given the best and safest care possible, using natural ingredients that ensure long hair benefits from all mother nature has to offer.
The Best Shampoos For Long Hair
When choosing a shampoo for long hair, you need to make sure it is nourishing, cleansing and gentle, and that it moisturizes and hydrates hair without being heavy and adding weight to the hair. It should be light, volumizing, and make long hair manageable.
Above are 11 great options of shampoo for long hair, which all nourish and care for different hair types, and which will be perfect to use as your regular shampoo.
Along with the shampoo, choose a complete range including a conditioner and treatment for long hair, to ensure that your hair is given the best care possible.
Related Questions
How do I keep long hair from drying out?
To keep long hair from drying out, you should go for a trim when split ends appear, you should avoid washing your hair every day, and you should use natural shampoos that nourish and hydrate hair.
When caring for long hair, also avoid using heat styling tools too often, as these can be the main cause of damaged, dry hair.
How often should I wash long hair?
You should only wash long hair every other day, around every 3 days. There is no hard rule, and you should wash hair when it becomes oily and your scalp becomes itchy. Washing hair too often strips it of its natural oils, which are so important for healthy, nourished hair.
Is it better to let hair dry naturally?
Hair that is fine, straight, thin, curly, and dyed should be left to air-dry, as this reduces the amount of heat the hair is exposed to, and will not lead to dried-out hair.
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