Professional Vs. Drugstore: The Best Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair (22 Brands Tested)
We tested 24 shampoos from 22 of the most popular hair care brands to figure out which products are best for preserving color-treated hair. For more information and more images of the results, check out the full article on our website: https://productadvisor.com/best-shampo...
We are not affiliated with any of the 22 brands used in our test. We did not receive any products for free, nor did we receive compensation from anyone to perform this test. This test has been planned, funded, and carried out solely by ProductAdvisor.com, an independent research website for consumer products. Each product was tested using fair and equal methods in order to receive the most accurate, unbiased results.
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Hey everyone welcome to product advisor today we're going to be doing a test on professional versus drugstore shampoos to figure out which is best for color treated, hair. Here'S how the test is going to work. We'Ve gathered 24 color care shampoos from 22 of the most popular brands out there and we're going to put them all head to head in a wash test by mixing each shampoo in a cup of water, along with a section of color treated hair. The goal here is to figure out which shampoos strip the most color and obviously the less color script, the better. By the end of this video, we want to be able to answer two questions. First, on a broad comparison to professional shampoos really offer better results than drugstore shampoos and second, overall, regardless of professional or drugstore, which brand is best before getting started. Let'S quickly introduce the products and materials that we use in our test, we included every popular brand. We can think of on the drugstore side. We'Ve got dove: tresemme pantene, l'oreal, garnier, suave herbal essences bed head john frieda and aussie. On the professional side, we've got redken paul mitchell, matrix wella, joyco aveda nexus, caristas fakay purology, it's a 10 and sexy hair. As for the hair, we're using real human hair that was donated to us by our local salon, specifically for this test, it's been professionally colored using pravana hair color, which was done five days prior to the test to ensure the dye had plenty of time to set Before we washed it, we wanted the variables to be as scientifically equal as possible, so we broke out our measuring cups and timers to make sure we tested each product using exactly the same methods. To start, we added exactly one ounce of shampoo to each cup, using the bottom ridge of our solo test cups to mark the spot, make sure we measured each cup evenly. Next, we filled each cup with exactly eight ounces of water. We then mixed each cup for exactly 15 seconds to make sure each shampoo was evenly mixed. After that we lined up the hair. As you can see, we did our best to ensure each strip was exactly the same size, and we also made sure that the coloring was as consistent as possible across all the hair. Our last step was to finally mix the hair in the shampoo water to figure out which products offer the best care. Each strip of hair was mixed for exactly 15 seconds and then removed. So, let's check out the results question one: do professional brands really offer better results than drugstore brands, comparing each group of results side by side we found that the professional shampoos did in fact perform better. The difference wasn't quite as significant as we thought it would be, and several professional brands were even right on par with the drugstore brands, but as a whole. The cups mixed with professional shampoos were lighter shades than the drugstore mixtures, meaning they didn't strip as much color and now. The second question, and probably the most important question to ask which specific brand is best since each shampoo starts out with its own unique color and consistency. We took pictures of each cup before and after they had been mixed with the hair. This way, we'd be able to get the most accurate look at how much the color of the cup changed and therefore how much color was actually stripped from the hair after carefully studying each and every comparison. There are some clear winners. The best performer by far was wella, as you can see, the color of the cup barely changed shade after being mixed with the hair, so if you've got colored hair and you want to preserve it for as long as possible. Well, as brilliant shampoo is your best bet, according to our test, our second spot goes to pureology, while performing the test. We didn't think it looked like much of a contender, but after comparing the before and after shots, you can see the color didn't change too much. There were a few contenders for third place, but after some consideration, we'd say there was a pretty even tie between fakay and bet head. That concludes our video. But if you want to see more details on the experiment or if you want to check out pictures of all the results for yourself, we've got everything covered on our website at productadvisor.com. Thanks for watching
Comments
It's Me Mrs. Ruby: This was executed perfectly! Thanks!
Phoebe W.: This is a FANTASTIC video! Worth so much more than a beauty blogger "my top 10 faves!" video. Would love to see more videos from your channel, specifically a conditioner version of this product test! Thank you for making quality content! Subscribed! Can't wait for more. :)
Rosa indica: The amount of effort you put into this is just mind blowing. Thank you so so much! This really helped me to find the best shampoo for myself
beneath.the.roses Lucid Dream Journal: I wish they would have also included the worst the one that rated last place that would have made it a little more interesting and informative
sunnydaysam: This is awesome! Would you consider doing a long term test? The mixture color probably would be difficult to compare after 5 or so days but the hair color before and after would be a neat follow up!
Becca Storm: Awesome! Would love to see you actually rank every one in order from best to worst though! For those months I can’t afford Wella or Pureology
Fashionwork12: As a hairdresser I’m here to tell you whether you wash PINK HAIR in a cup of Ajax dish soap or in a cup of pureology shampoo both will run pink! SEMI and DEMI permanent dyes especially those of fashion colors will ALWAYS run ! Especially a freshly done color that was washed 5 days prior.. the ultimate test would be to do a glaze on the hair of Redken Shades EQ and test it that way...
Helena DM ❤🐝: Wella is an amazing brand, and not too expensive. I can see why they've been selling it at the hair dresser for so long. I used to love it for removing brasiness. Should try them now for my colored hair. I love that it is called 'Brilliance' cause I need shine in my hair.
Shyanna Tucker: This is very helpful. There’s so many brands out there to choose from, and there’s so many that damage and strip your hair. This was awesome. Thanks.
PlatinumCyGirl: Thanks a lot! I love how well done the tests are. I need this so I can get a color safe shampoo from ulta lol
Quiet Riot: THANK YOU for a nice, quick, simple, test based video. I love this kind of content. Facts and not opinions
TampaBae89: Thank you for doing this! It was extremely helpful and very thought out :)
Lauren G: It would have been nice to see the before and after cups in front of a color other than white, you cant see the thickness of the white before hand, and if it was really white it would take more red to change the color of the water so this test is kind of wonky. Also did no one else notice that nexxus & paul mitchell stripped noticeably less than pureology?
pludgooey: Sad that the Wella is discontinued and impossible to find anymore! Would love a 2021-updated redo of this test!
asawacreations.jewelry: WOW! This was executed amazingly My perfect timing, after parking at the front of the store, I checked to see what's the best hair conditioner for my colored hair and BANG this video showed up, so now I am confident to go grab my hair shampoo and conditioner. Hoping it's going to work better for my hair now, because all the hair shampoos I've used didn't gave the best result.. so thank you
Beth Mills: Loved Fekkai when I used to color my hair. It smelled amazing I wasn't a big fan of the Paul Mitchell color shampoo smell. But since I don't color my hair anymore but I love PM original one shampoo and the leave in conditioner.
Charlyn Gardner: This was so well done! Please make more!
Abyss: Thank you for doing such a calculated test! Super helpful!
Annie Cambern: This was so well done! Thank you, very informative.
Natalie Tietz: The problem when it comes to drugstore shampoo is that theres so many additional ingredients that are damaging to the long run. For example, in pantene, theres wax and it coats your hair. It makes color services super difficult and it strips the natural oils off. So when your stylist uses a clarifying shampoo to get all that crap off it makes it seem like theyre the bad guy because your hair feels all dry and rough. But the big thing is that a lot of drugstore products causes adverse reactions to professional product.
Ayse Glr: Amazing video and really informative, sad that there is only one video tho. Still hope that other awesome video’s are coming! ❤️
Regan J: Thank you so much for this. I saw another video like this on Facebook and they used a professional shampoo but didn't keep it in as long as the drug store.
Bill Chandler: I use 'Suave Professionals Men' 2 in 1 alpine fresh shampoo + conditioner. It cleans and conditions all in one step, as well as protects VERY well my dyed hair!
Soumita Patra: This channel only has one video?? And that's also 3 years ago, Why?? This was so informative I wish you start uploading again! Of course if you want to.. no pressure
***Amy LeoGoddess***: Thanks for doing this !!!! I love videos like this!! So informative!!!
Ivy🥀Rose: It sucks that the best shampoos change their formulas so often so you have to find new ones so often!
Carl Bull: TIGI aka Bed Head is not a drug store brand. I was an educator working for the brand whilst in the UK. Sadly when salons close down, large chain store buy what’s left over from these places which is why you’ll only see small amounts of the brands products being sold there. TIGI is an awesome brand which I still use on my clients.
witty pedia: Best video ever. The best part it they review so many brands that you will find ones available in your country. Thank you so much. Specially because i have that exact same colour on my hair
Helaine Fossier: Wow! This video was great and very informative. Great testing method! I’m glad I found this channel.
Brianna Dawson: Thank you sooo much ❤️ just dyed my hair blonde and I’m really trying to figure it a good shampoo/conditioner to use !
Mary M: So Bed Head was the best performing drug store brand tested. Great experiment! Thanks!
Katelyn T: Wish yall made more videos. This was amazing
Chintya Ongki Jaya: Super infomative video. Wish you could try another professional brand such as pulpriot, pravana, etc.
Miss Lilfox: Can’t believe Pureology was second for color it never worked for my dye it faded so much. I think it’s one of the worst products out there. My hair was not smooth in the slightest it was so dry & so was my scalp.
Angela: If you go to the drugstore and grab a salon brand such as paul Mitchell turn the bottle around and read the bold print. It actually tells you not to purchase it from a drugstore because it’s probably fake or tampered with....
Isha: i thought that you should use shampoos without sulfates for colour treated hair, so how come the wella invigo brilliance worked the best when it has sulfates in it?
Jess R: I work for a company that sells Wella and haven't even tried this shampoo, now I have to, great video!!
Diane Vitale: Looking at reviews, sadly, Wella dries out hair a lot making very frizzy. Prology reviews show many getting itchy and rashy scalps. Want my copper dark auburn dyed hair to last as long as possible, however my curly thick hair is already a battle with frizzies , and have sensitive skin...so I will buy Bed Head. Do very much appreciate this video!! Hairdresser yesterday kept telling me to get Aveda...hahaha...not in the running here. Glad I saved my money.
Bailey Madison: Shea moisture is amazing at not stripping color and hydrating your hair
MsLouisV: Wow impressive…. precise, scientific, concise, factual and to the point. thank you so much for not ranting and raving and getting emotional like the other Youtubers on which I learned nothing. subscribed.
C. F.: This is an amazing and informative video. Thank you so much
Maria Cherry Abes: Very informative and worth watching.well done
Myra Beredo: Aren't u going to film another video? I like how you execute your experiment. Hope to watch more of you soon!
Nivedita Roy: I hv been using wella professionals fr last 2 yrs since 2017.. it helps getting hair texture better too.. will recommend fr sure
Alimrac Saints: Wow this was helpful for me who loves coloring my hair and cannot find a good shampoo for it. Thanks
S. Kenzig: Ok random question...can you use a leave in conditioner as a hair mask? Applying a generous amount leaving it on your hair for awhile (30m or a couple hours) and then rinsing it out? I have a product I don't like the smell of so don't want to use it as a leave in treatment but want to use it up since I can't return it.
Ethan&Jaycob: Wow u should do an updated video like this because this was perfectly done
Marion S.: My biologist heart is extremely happy with the methodology.
Crystal Arenivas: Can u number the most important major shampoo for red hair? I'm ready buy the Tresemme , because I didn't have the much money to buy the Joico, but this shampoo is just temporally, but I can try to not wash as much
Seplinda Tan: this is really helpful tho. didn't really regret buying biolage shampoo :")
Hema S: Cup only tells so much...hair changes are more important than that. Wish you had dried and showed the hair color after!
Martin Gaudion: Unfortunately this is not an extensive test. it is definitely informative to the naked eye yet... There are other factors in play here, The colour used on the hair, was it semi, demi or permenant, Was the hair previously lightened, From the looks of the hair you use, it was in fact taken from a training dolly block, The hair on these training blocks are not of the best quality and are previously coloured before worked on by the trainee... Therefor changing the condition of the hair aka, the porosity, Elasticity and overall colour build up in the hair itself. Due to this, these factor do play a significant role, Also the hair may not all come from the same model to whom donated the hair for the training purpose. So the factors within each strand may differ, that being the porosity and elasticity and even in some cases the ethnic back ground of the hair itself, That being a more than likely Asian, European , Brazilian and Russian mixture of hair within these tests. The tests you did where informative and educating in many ways but the Trichological means of information lacks when it comes to testing these brands. I myself am a specialist in hair colour and take the science of my trade very seriously, We live in the age of information, as professionals this information is expected to be delivered during consultation and service and even for after care. Professional brands are wonderful with the correct professional guidance behind it. Also a side note, Freshly coloured hair... Even after few days after colouring will still have colour excess and will wash out. The best way to know the correct brand of colour preservative shampoo to find is to simply try it yourself and see how long your hair colour remains pleasing to you. This hair colour is red and is known for being a very easy colour to fall our of the hair if the hair is porous due to the size of the molecule of the colour itself being very tiny. With that said the colour can seep further into the cortex/ modular and can stain the hair easily making it difficult to remove. again factors of condition come into play here.
redhots308: The test can not be that accurate because you use the same stick in like 2 cups so you you cross contaminate the products it probably would work it's best if you used one stick per cup to stir each product in it's on cup. Only every other cup was probably accurate in the test.
koopaflower: Your best bet is to avoid color care shampoos that don’t have sulfate in it. (Bed Head Colour Goddess has sulfate, it smells amazing though)
Jessica Pereira: This was so helpful thanks!
TroyLynn Heckman: Just because you can buy Bed Head at Walmart does not mean it is a drugstore shampoo. Bed head is still a professional product.
missjoasia123: I wish you you the orchid oil OGX shampoo here cuz that’s what I use lol awesome video thank you
Nichelle S: While it's good that the color didnt get stripped how does the hair feel after the use of this product would have been better.
TheBigpapax30: The best Brand to buy: Keratase, Wella and Bed Head to preserve hair color longer.
Rabail Tariq: Thanks ☺ i was wondering which shampoo to buy... u solved my problem
R Brar: Could you please make a video for rebonded hair. Like which shampoo, conditioner or mask is best for rebonded hair. Would be appreciated. Thanks
flower candy: For the professional brands they sell all those brands at walmart where I live as a hair dresser I find it so odd !! Like why do they sell them???
Sylvia: I agree Bed head is overall very best. I am going to order them now.
Wyla: Bedhead is a professional brand, that’s my only critique. Very thorough video though!
Tiffany 562411: They all removed hair color & even the wella removed hair color too. These companies should be sued for saying their color safe & so on when their NOT I want a shampoo & conditioner that wont remove no color! HELP
Tiffany 562411: WHAT ABOUT Hempz blushing grapefruit & raspberry creme color preserving herbal shampoo? Can u do a test on that please!
PerrBear: Okay i work at ulta and we consider bed head a pro brand and nexus a drugstore brand. We also have prestige pro ex dry bar and living proof
Mia Song: Thank you for sharing. Great video!
Milky Cat: Sad to say this channel become dead, anyway thanks for this content. I love it.
Rubina Hafeez: 1) wella 2) pureology 3) fekkai and bed head
Ambra Dawn Halley: The winner is my FAVORITE shampoo EVER. It smells SO GOOD.
DominosAndHearts: Garnier colour protect faded my hair so fast when I had my blue hair :(
Feed Me Unagi: Thank you I am gonna dye my hair soon :) I will buy Wella!
Anna Adams: the wella one is only 8 bucks online
M Sherazi: Great topic- thank you!
Calista V.B.P: can a balayage be used on the wella shampoo?
Anutrisha: Excellent video
Lorna Gabrillo: Thanks for sharing...great.it was executed perfectly..
Swagata Dutta: Thank u soo much! Such a useful video
Masha Kalinkina: Why is the color so not bright & saturated as the baseline when it's only 5 days post coloring with Prevana?
Linda Lincoln: Could you do an updated version as Wella changed there formula everyone hates it. Thanks
Keona Hawkins: Bed head is not drug store. It’s a professional product
SuzanneM0814: red hair dye runs easy...you should use other color hair too
Nona Online: Thank You for this Video so #HELPFUL
A: Awesome content
Gigi Perez: Suuuper informative!
Sam Rabaa: If you want to save your hair use professional hair products.
Christian Ada: I'm going to be that weirdo that he's the kind if guy that can turn a girl's head. Very good looking. Love his voice too Thank you for the video very informative
Eughan Badli: Very informative - now I know Wella is the one for me
Fiorella Den 4 Powerpuffpinglan: Fucking amazing video! So so so thankful. Excellent talking and demonstrating everything! Awsome!
Malik Alishba: Fantastic video
Twinkletoesss27: The link in the description doesn’t work anymore!! I would love to see all the pictures…could you fix it?
SIDRA KHAN: Which conditioners are best for colored hair in pakistan
Bad Boy: No more so called purple shampoo
Sadaf Jahan: Good job
Jetta Cards: First of all your test is not accurate at all. It all depends upon warm water with skin strip your hair color quicker anyways. Honestly you should never buy a drugstore brand shampoo it's a proven fact that Pantene Pro-V with years of use well actually leave a film on your hair similar to floor wax. You will not be able to color it over here that has been used multiple times with Pantene Pro-V. Well presented video but incorrect facts
Frankiie Danielle: Can you do this with purple shampoos lol
Kat Baldwin: Bed Head is not a Drug Store brand. My current stylist and my last stylist both recommended Bed Head for my hair; it is a low-end salon brand, it works amazingly on my fantasy coloured hair, it keeps my colour longer than the matrix colour shampoo and the price is better.
C T: Pureology made my hair fall out!
Ricky C: Anything with panthonal is not worth your money don’t buy it! Read your ingredients before you buy your shampoo & conditioner!