Best shampoos and conditioners for dry and damaged hair (according to the experts)

Want to solve the problem of dry and damaged hair? Here Ireland’s top hair experts share their top shampoos and conditioners that will have your hair soft and healthy in no time

It’s hard being a woman.

It’s exhausting having to preen ourselves and pluck wherever is growing unruly. It’s difficult having a 10-step skincare routine. And it’s even worse that we often feel obliged to dye our hair to our desired colour (and then damage it more by incessantly using hot tools).

Thus, we are left with dry and brittle hair.

Damaged hair won’t sit or feel right. From personal experience (I am a fake blonde), damaged hair is like a bad habit; you know you need to stop but sometimes it’s just too hard. We know we need to leave the bleaching and the heat styling behind – but we can’t.

So what do we do? Well, investing in a good shampoo and conditioner is the first step. Luckily, we had the opportunity to ask some of Ireland’s leading hairstylists for their top picks. Each of the stylists below is nominated in this year’s IMAGE Business of Beauty Awards – so they know exactly what they are talking about.

REPAIR.ME Wash and Rinse by Kevin Murphy

Repair Me Wash, €28

Repair Me Rinse, €28

Re.Store, €34

Thiago Carvalho of Maven Hair Studio says, “These products contain a blend of proteins and enzymes that will help to strengthen, repair and renew over-processed hair. It helps hair to look and feel smoother and stronger.

“Replace this product on its own in your third wash and you won’t need your shampoo and conditioner on the day you are using RE.STORE. This product is everything,” he says.

The Salon at The Shelbourne’s Cian Kavanagh also agrees with this choice, saying, “Ideally, I like to use Kevin Murphy REPAIR.ME wash and rinse alongside the RE.STORE treatment as it has superfood proteins and amino acids to naturally repair brittle hair. My top tip is to use a heated towel after the treatment has been applied (to allow the cuticle to open and penetrate into the hair follicle, receiving better results).”

Redken All Soft Mega Shampoo and Conditioner

Shampoo and conditioner, €27.45 at Look Fantastic

According to Craig Fitzpatrick of Sugar Cubed, “All Soft Mega by Redken is a range suited best to severely damaged and dry hair, and with its lightweight consistency, you get all the protection with none of the weight.”

Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset

€32.90 at Millies

Gemma Murphy of Dylan Bradshaw says of this shampoo, “So many people have damaged hair – whether it’s from heat damage, over colouring, environmental factors, etc. Again, I would always say have a consultation to find the best product for your own hair but a great range I always recommend to my clients is the Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset for very damaged hair. It helps to strengthen the hair as well as protecting from further damage.”

Congratulations to all of our shortlisted candidates! Voting is now open here. Voting ends at midnight, Friday March 6. For voting terms and conditions, click here.

IMAGE BOB 2020 will kick off at 6.30pm with a cocktail reception on Sunday, March 15, at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road in Dublin 4. Early bird tickets are available here at €191 including VAT for a limited time. Tables of 10 and 12 guests are available.

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