Hello, Hair Repair: Meet 17 of Our Best Shampoos for Damaged Hair

Can Damaged Hair Truly Be Repaired?

Unlike your skin, hair doesn’t have regenerative abilities, so it can’t heal from chemical services, hair coloring, or mechanical damage. Only a significant haircut or buzz cut can fully remove existing damage, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. We’ll explain why next.

How Can I Repair My Extremely Damaged Hair?

With a proper haircare routine, you can strengthen your existing hair, improve its look and feel, and minimize future damage. Frequently trimming split ends (about every four to six weeks), deep conditioning hair, with products such as the L’Oréal Paris Feria Strength Repair Ultra Care Conditioner, and reducing heat styling are small but mighty steps you can take toward reviving your locks. We also suggest being extra gentle when styling hair and avoiding harsh hair accessories like tight elastics or extremely taut hairstyles, which can put tension on already sensitized strands.

Can Shampoo Repair Damaged Hair?

Shampoo can help improve the look and feel of damaged hair, depending on the formula. When searching for the best shampoo for damaged hair, look for ones with strengthening ingredients like proteins. If you’re seeking the best shampoo for dry, damaged hair, we recommend moisturizing ingredients like oils and ceramides to defend against split ends and breakage. For bleach or chemically damaged hair, bonding shampoos are the way to go. Hair bonding formulas target the broken proteins within strands that keep them strong and healthy. When bonds break from mechanical, physical, or environmental damage, it changes the look and feel of hair. For more advanced hydration and repair for bleach-damaged hair, add a nourishing deep conditioner like the L’Oréal Paris Feria Strength Repair Ultra Care Conditioner

What Shampoo Is Best for Damaged Hair?

The best shampoo for damaged hair is contingent on hair type and the kind of damage incurred. You may even need to experiment with more than one shampoo before finding the right fit. Here are 17 of our best damaged hair shampoos from the L’Oréal portfolio of professional brands to get you started, including a few exciting bonding innovations.

Our 17 Best Shampoos for Damaged Hair

Best Bonding Shampoos

Biolage Professional Bond Therapy Shampoo

First up is Biolage Professional’s Bond Therapy Shampoo, which helps transform over-processed hair using citric acid and conditioning coconut oil. The former ingredient is a very small alpha-hydroxy acid that can penetrate hair’s fiber, helping rebuild broken hair bonds from the inside out.

Kérastase Première Bain Décalcifiant Réparateur Repairing Shampoo

Minerals in hard shower water, like calcium, can build up on the hair shaft, making strands stiff, dull, and brittle. If you have hard water in your shower (and around 85% of the U.S. population does), pick up Kérastase Bain Décalcifiant Réparateur Repairing Shampoo. When layered on top of the Première Concentré Décalcifiant Ultra-Réparateur Repairing Pre-Shampoo Treatment, the powerful system removes calcium build-up, repairs persistent damage, reverses stiffness and dullness, reinforces weak hair bonds, and reconnects broken links between keratin chains* for stronger-looking and feeling hair.

*with continuous use of the full system Première Concentré + Bain + Fondant/Masque

L’Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Molecular Shampoo

The L’Oréal Professionnel labs have created a patented formula with five amino acids and 2% peptides bonder to repair hair’s structure on a molecular level. The result is the Absolut Repair Molecular collection, a system shown to visibly fight two years of damage in just one use*. The products work most effectively together, so we suggest washing your hair with the Absolut Repair Molecular Shampoo, then following it up with the Rinse-Off Serum and the Leave-In Mask.

*with system of Shampoo, Rinse-Off Serum, and Leave-In Mask

Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo

Redken’s Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo is a sulfate-free bonding shampoo powered by an acidic formula and highly concentrated bonding ingredients. It offers strength repair, intense conditioning, and color fade protection. For best results, apply a dime-size amount to fine hair, a nickel-size to medium hair, and a quarter-size to thick hair.

If your locks are extremely damaged, you can pre-treat the shampoo with the line’s Intensive Treatment. Hair stretches up to 50 percent when wet, and shampooing can add more tension to already-weakened strands. The Intensive Treatment strengthens wet hair to prepare it for the washing process, cutting down on further damage.

L’Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Instant Resurfacing Shampoo

Made with strengthening proteins and superfood quinoa, L’Oréal Professionnel’s Absolut Repair Instant Resurfacing Shampoo immediately cleanses strands, restructures them with every use, and leaves hair feeling lightweight.

Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ultimate Repair Shampoo

Shu Uemura Art of Hair’s Ultimate Repair Shampoo is luxury hair restoration at its finest. This delicate cleanser helps to lift away dirt, impurities, and product build-up while strengthening strands from root to tip. It contains Japanese-sourced rice extract, an ingredient Japanese women cherish for its ability to hydrate and protect the hair.

Best Shampoos for Blonde-Treated Hair

Deep Conditioner for Bleached Hair: The L’Oréal Paris Feria Strength Repair Ultra Care Conditioner

Even though this isn’t a shampoo, we wanted to include it anyway for people who are experiencing bleach-damaged hair. When it comes to restoring health and vitality to bleached, dry, and damaged hair, the L’Oréal Paris Feria Strength Repair Ultra Care Conditioner stands out. This deep conditioner is designed specifically for hair that's been damaged by chemical treatments or environmental factors. Its advanced formula nourishes and strengthens strands while delivering intense hydration. Whether you’re seeking to repair your bleached mane or prevent future damage, this product is a must-have for your haircare routine. Say goodbye to dryness and hello to revitalized, smooth hair.

L’Oréal Professionnel Blondifier Gloss Shampoo

Thanks to the bleach required to reach your blonde bombshell dreams, this hair hue requires more heavy-duty repairing action. L’Oréal Professionnel’s Blondifier Gloss Shampoo uses Açai berry polyphenols to nourish color-treated blonde strands and emphasize their multi-dimensional shine.

Matrix Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo

Add Matrix’s Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo to your lineup, and you’ll be waving goodbye to breakage caused by chemical damage. This product reinforces weakened bonds and revives all types of lightened, sensitized hair—even brunettes with blonde highlights.

Pureology Strength Cure Best Blonde Purple Shampoo

Pureology’s Strength Cure Best Blonde Purple Shampoo is a shampoo for damaged hair that does it all. Not only does the anti-brass purple formula brighten, tone, and fortify lightened hair, but it also helps hair heal from damage.

Best Shampoos for Color-Treated Hair

Kérastase Bain Riche Chroma Respect Shampoo

Medium to thick, color-treated hair may require a richer, more intense lather. Try Kérastase’s Chroma Absolu Bain Riche Respect Shampoo. This sulfate-free shampoo features breakthrough technology that infuses centella asiatica (a flowering plant with soothing and recovering properties) with lactic acid to help gently exfoliate damage and seal the hair’s surface.

Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo

In a consumer study, participants reported that washing with Pureology’s Strength Cure Shampoo left hair feeling two times stronger. This sulfate-free shampoo provides a gentle, rich lather that fortifies and repairs damaged hair, while Pureology’s Antifade Complex® ensures that the vibrancy and shine of your salon color remain intact.

Best Shampoos for Breakage

Matrix Instacure Anti-Breakage Shampoo

Brimming with liquid proteins, Matrix’s Instacure Anti-Breakage Shampoo realigns hair’s cuticle to create a more even and balanced (read: smooth) surface.

Redken Extreme Length Shampoo With Biotin

If split ends prevent you from reaching your long hair goals, Redken’s Extreme Length Shampoo With Biotin may be the antidote. While nothing can make hair grow faster (except for precious time), this shampoo with biotin, castor oil, and Redken’s Length Care Complex prevents hair breakage, so you can more easily achieve your desired length.

Kérastase Resistance Bain Force Architecte Shampoo

You don’t need a miracle to cure brittle strands—you just need to stock your shower shelf with Kérastase’s Resistance Bain Force Architecte Shampoo. This strengthening shampoo hydrates and reconstructs your hair, making it shiny and smooth with controlled split ends.

Kérastase Resistance Bain Extentioniste Shampoo

The breakage from frayed, damaged hair can make hair growth feel drawn out. Kérastase’s Resistance Bain Extentioniste Shampoo has an exclusive complex composed of the amino acid creatine, reinforcing the internal structure of the hair fiber to support healthy lengths.

Best Shampoos for Strengthening

Biolage Professional Strength Recovery Shampoo/h4>

Biolage Professional’s Strength Recovery Shampoo is a gentle cleansing shampoo that reduces breakage and leaves hair feeling softer. The creamy formula features vegan squalane, ethically sourced from olives, to provide intense repair.

Redken Extreme Shampoo

Redken’s Extreme Shampoo is a game-changer for damaged locks thanks to its RCT Protein Complex, which helps fill in weakened parts of the hair. The smart delivery system has three proteins that attract to where the hair needs it most, delivering custom nourishment to the root, the core, and the tip. If you need more convincing, read one editor’s Redken Extreme review.

Shu Uemura Art of Hair Silk Bloom Shampoo

With the help of vitamin E, ceramides, and nourishing argan oil, Shu Uemura Art of Hair's Silk Bloom Shampoo repairs and reinforces the hair fiber and leaves behind a silky finish. Plus, it’s safe to use on color-treated hair.

Next Up: 15 Hair-Strengthening Products for Dry, Brittle Hair

Use our salon locator to try one of these shampoos with a pro in your area.

This article has been updated for accuracy, clarity, and relevant product data since its original publication.
Product selections are made using editorial research and brand knowledge; personal use or testimonials are noted where applicable