12 Best Red Hair Shampoos To Maintain Your Vibrant Locks
Including Ree's all-time favorite brand!
Every item on this page was chosen by an editor from The Pioneer Woman. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
When it comes to red hair, there's no shame in using a little extra product to keep your locks red-hot. Even Ree Drummond, who's famous for her naturally ginger hair, turns to color-saving products to maintain her hue. "I'm a natural redhead but I get a lot of help from the bottle," Ree says. Whether you touch up your hair at home with red hair dye or get it done professionally, finding the right products, including the best shampoos for red hair, is crucial in preventing fading between colorings.
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Why? According to celebrity stylist Cody Renegar, both natural and salon-produced red hair tends to fade faster than other colors. "So we have to treat it gently if we want to maintain its vibrant and reflective surface," says Cody. "Sun damage, water damage, or product damage can happen very easily, and it scruffs up the cuticle, causing the hair shaft to become dull and reflect less light."
The best shampoos for red hair in this roundup will help reduce that damage, cleanse the scalp and strands, preserve moisture and shine, and prevent loss of color. It won’t take long to find the perfect one that works for your hair. And if you're on the hunt for more products to add to your routine, don’t forget to take a look-see at the best leave-in conditioners and DIY hair masks for maintaining a beautiful sheen!
Pros
- Removes product build up
Cons
- Can be drying
- Sulfate-free
A clarifying shampoo might sound counterintuitive when trying to preserve the color in your hair, but this one by Color Wow reduces build-up without reducing color. Plus, it's made with clean ingredients and is free of sulfates.
Pros
- Hydrating
- Good for dry hair
Cons
- Expensive
Although its unusual ingredients like watermelon extract and baobab tree extract almost sound made up, you can rest assured that this shampoo will do the trick and help you maintain your beautiful color. Oribe's Signature Complex preserves color and protects hair from the color-depleting effects of the sun, and baobab tree extract infuses much-needed moisture and hydration into even the driest of locks.
Pros
- Weightless feel
- Prevents fading
Cons
- Some customers say it can be drying
Ree Drummond's go-to brand for her color-treated hair provides the protection you need and keeps hair healthy. Plus it leaves behind a light, pleasant scent.
Pros
- Affordable and widely available
Cons
- Contains sulfates
This drugstore gem is one for the books—cool water and this shampoo is all you need for soft, smooth, minimally faded auburn locks.
Pros
- Prevents fade
- Good for fine hair
Cons
- Can be pricey
This pick from Redken is sulfate-free, which means that it won't strip strands of that oh-so-beautiful color. It's also chock-full of amino acids that work hard to protect against fading.
Pros
- Made with natural ingredients
- Good for copper hair
Cons
- Pricey
If vibrancy is your goal, this color-enhancing option is definitely a strong contender. It brightens and intensifies reds and coppers both natural and dyed.
John Frieda Radiant Red Red Boosting Shampoo
Pros
- Color-depositing
Cons
- Can wash out quickly
Infused with nutrient-rich ingredients like vitamin E and pomegranate extract, this wallet-friendly find is reliable, supportive friend of all shades of red. For an extra buffer between your 'do and the elements, pair the shampoo with the conditioner in the same line.
Pros
- Sulfate and paraben-free
Cons
- Can stain skin and clothes
This option has earned many a dedicated fan and for good reason—it delivers both good-for-hair ingredients like green tea extract, antioxidants, keratin, and rosehip oil as well as red pigment to fade-proof your style.
Pros
- Keeps color vibrant
Cons
- Can discolor skin and clothing
- Has to absorb into hair to see results
This formula's signature blend of wheat protein, vitamin E, and sunflower seed extract combats damage. Also, the shampoo deposits color so that you can go as long as possible between salon visits!
Punky Redilicious 3-in-1 Color Depositing Shampoo & Conditioner
Pros
- Affordable
Cons
- Can stain skin
This shampoo for red hair makes things easy—shampoo, condition, and touch up the color of your hair in one go! While showering, you can place it on your strands for more or less time depending on how much color you want to add.
Pros
- Widely available in many stores
- Has a pleasant smell
Cons
- Can make hair feel greasy
This sulfate-free shampoo promises to lock color in and nourish hair. It especially focuses on providing amino acids to help re-build the protein often lost when hair is dyed.
Pros
- Contains UV filters and antioxidants
- Smells good
Cons
- Can weigh down hair
This shampoo has a hidden superpower: It has the ability to protect against harmful sun rays thanks to its UV filters. Like any great product for red hair, it also extends the lifetime of your color with ease.
Carol Lee is the Associate E-Commerce Writer at ELLE.com, where she covers all things beauty and personal care. Before joining the team, she was an editor at Food Network Magazine and HGTV Magazine and ran the beauty section at The Pioneer Woman. Carol received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from New York University and was one of the first customers to visit Glossier’s flagship store in New York’s Soho neighborhood. Over the years, she’s tested countless makeup, hair, and skin care products, and written hundreds of articles covering the beauty space, from pieces about the trendiest launches to roundups of the best products on the market. As a Korean-American, she grew up in a sea of Korean makeup and skin care products and is a bona fide expert on the ever-expanding world of K-beauty, helping lead our coverage. Additionally, she’s also always on the hunt for the perfect lipstick and watches the same few comfort sitcoms (Frasier, Cheers, Seinfeld, New Girl, etc.) over and over again.
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