How To Choose The Best Hair Product Brands For Women
Are you someone who just feels more confident and put together when you’re having a solid hair day? Nothing feels better than when your hair is bouncy, full of body, and your color is looking vibrant and fresh.
For those who weren’t blessed with naturally amazing tresses, it’s really the best hair products for women that should be voted the true heroes here.
Think about it. So many of us turn to cosmetics and beauty products to help enhance our natural features, or maybe go all out and feel like a different person for a night with some killer eyeshadow and lashes. Why not do the same for our hair? A transformation to shinier, silkier, more luscious ’do can be a major confidence boost. The best hair products can make it happen.
For those who are already into haircare or even for those simply looking for one or two reliable show-stopping hair products to deliver healthy and luxurious-looking locks, the market is practically ocean deep. So, we’ve narrowed down the list to the 10 best hair products for women.
Grab your phone, hair brush, curling iron, maybe even your favorite banana clips, and definitely your credit card, because you’re about to feel really inspired to do some shopping for the best hair products!
Reasons You Should Use Women’s Hair products
It’s likely time to change up your routine and the women’s hair products that are continually in use in your shower and bathroom if you find your hair looking dull, lifeless, dry, or damaged. Some products just don’t get the job done. If that’s the case, it’s time to make a switch.
Just like our skin, hair can change over time and require different care. You might be surprised to discover what your hair’s been missing, those proteins and vitamins your hair is craving, when you change things up and try some of the best hair products for women. Once they absorb some of those much-needed nutrients, your hair could look and feel completely different.
In today’s market, you can find some really great drugstore hair care products manufactured with clean ingredients that are nourishing and safe. But, you’ll inevitably come across certain brands that use ingredients like sulphates or parabens, which can be really stripping and damaging. It’s important to find women’s hair products that are free of those fillers.
The market for women’s hair products is so saturated nowadays that it can be hard to decipher which brands are actually worth your time and money. With so many options, it can be difficult to tell which brands are going to offer salon-quality products with the right transformative properties to help your hair feel healthy and look beautiful.
That’s why we’re about to open up our supreme hair care arsenal and dig into the best hair products for women, and the great brands that have brought them onto the market.
10 Best Hair Product Brands for Women
Without further ado lets dive directly into the top 10 hair product brands for women and see how they each stack up.
1. Amika
You can spot Amika hair care products from a mile away thanks to their bright and flashy packaging with lots of yellows, oranges, and bright pinks. Their packaging is very ’70s and it works!
Amika was co-founded by Vita Raykhman in 2007 and the word Amika actually translates to mean “friend” in Esperanto.
With that in mind, Amika is one of the best women’s hair products that was created for every hair texture, hair type, and style. In their words, “all hair is welcome.” This hair care brand works to be inclusive as it was truly created for everyone. No matter your hair needs, Amika has a solution – from bond-repairing conditioners, to curl care, to toning kits.
Related: View our full Amika Hair Products Review to learn more.
Amika makes cruelty-free hair care products and they also work to be as green as possible. Their product line includes shampoos, treatments, masks, styling products and heat tools, with the average price starting around $25. One of their popular products is their Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo ($10-$25). It’s cleansing, but doesn’t leave any unsightly white residue behind.
Amika experienced immense growth thanks to their ethos and quality. According to Glossy, their e-sales have climbed by 82% from 2019 to 2020, and are only going up. The hair care brand has also amassed 355k followers on Instagram as well. That’s pretty impressive!
2. Oribe
If you’ve ever been on the hunt for the best hair product to create effortless texture without weighing hair down or making it feel dirty, the uber-popular Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray ($48) could help you and your hair out in a massive way.
Oribe was founded in 2008 by Daniel Kaner and Tevya Finger. Above all else, the two wanted to create a hair care brand that was elevated, innovative, and luxurious. The two found their ideal collaborator in the late stylist Oribe Canales, and a celeb-favourite brand was born.
Oribe has a number of high-performance hair care products, like shampoo, conditioner, treatments, styling gels and sprays, masks, body products, and creams. Most Oribe hair care products also come in travel size.
Related: Check our Oribe Hair Products Review for a full analysis.
Oribe hair products were the first to use a fine fragrance in their products. It’s so iconic and in-demand they launched a corresponding fragrance line.
Popular with celebs, stylists and shoppers, Oribe has amassed a strong social media following with 344k followers on Instagram. They’ve also won a number of awards over the years. The brand took home the prize for best texturizer for the famed Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray from the 2021 Glamour Beauty Awards.
3. L’Oreal
You simply can’t think of quality women’s hair products without thinking of L’Oreal. The brand was founded in 1909 in Paris, France. One of the largest beauty companies in the world, the brand’s roots are in a hair dye that was created by the controversial Eugene Schueller. L’Oreal was later taken over by his daughter, Liliane, after Schueller’s death in the late 1950s.
Today, L’Oreal’s mission is to “create beauty that moves the world.” That’s embodied in their expertly formulated skin and beauty products, fragrance, and some of the best women’s hair products on the market.
Their entire range of boxed DIY dyes, from Feria to Preference, is known for its accessibility and performance. Getting professional results is as easy as going to your corner store and buying the box. The on-trend colours are user-friendly and results are quick and consistent.
If you visit any beauty or hair care section in any grocery or department store, you’re likely to be met with a full display of L’Oreal hair products that have been specially formulated to care for an array of different hair types: dyed hair, fine hair, extra dry hair, hair that needs volume and lift. The list is practically endless.
This classic brand has been around for more than a century, but L’Oreal is as popular as ever. They have over 2.7 million Facebook followers and a dedicated Hair.com Instagram with 319k followers. It’s no surprise, either. Their products, like L’Oreal Paris Total Repair Shampoo ($10) sitting at 4.5 out of 5 stars on Influenster out of a whopping 6,971 customer reviews, are beloved drugstore staples for a reason.
4. Joico
You simply couldn’t go to a chic hair salon in the 1990s without spotting Joico on the shelves. Joico has always been associated with the high-end hair experience, and even though you can get it at nearly any store now, this beloved women’s hair products brand still stands for luxury, quality, and beauty.
Joico was founded in 1975 by Steve Stefano. The hair care brand actually claims to be the first to use the keratin protein to repair damaged hair, a common ingredient now but groundbreaking at the time. At their core, Joico has never strayed far from their original goals, working to bring the “beauty of healthy hair” to women for over 40 years.
Related: To learn more view our Joico Shampoo Review
Joico features some of the best hair products for women that are scientifically formulated (as well as cruelty-free) to repair damage, moisturize, keep color fresh and vibrant, create volume as well as strengthen hair from within.
In their extensive range, you’ll find shampoos, conditioners, hair dye, masks, treatments, as well as styling gels and creams. Their popular Joico K-PAK Repair Damage Shampoo and Conditioner combo ($19 each) is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars out of 1,740 customer reviews on Amazon.
Salon Magazine awarded the women’s hair products brand with the “bonding system” award to their Joico Defy Damage line. The hair care brand has also amassed a huge social media following with 436k followers on Instagram lapping up every single tip and tutorial.
5. Kerastase
Hair scientists from the L’Oreal Advanced Research department started Kerastase in 1964. At its core, it’s one of the best hair products for women looking to meet their hair needs with science-driven, innovative formulations.
Kerastase is inspired by the modern woman and her desire for “exceptional hair” to guide their product philosophy. That’s led to the creation of one of the more highly specialized lines on our list of the best hair products for women: Cleansers, pomades, creams, gels, sprays, protectants, and oils all designed for needs like sun care, aging hair and density.
One of their most well-known products are their Kerastase Hair Serums (~$50 each), available in a variety of formulations to help correct, fortify, strengthen, and transform. Cosmopolitan named the Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Relax Serum as the “best hair serum for dry ends” in 2019 with its specialized formula featuring seed butter and palm oils.
The hair care brand also has an impressive social media standing with 1.6 million followers on Instagram. Recently, the brand’s followers have been drooling over their uber-popular Kerastase Blond Absolut Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo ($35) which helps to get rid of brassiness in blonde or grey hair.
6. Bumble & Bumble
Like many luxury hair brands, Bumble & Bumble has its roots in the professional hair industry, as the house line of their namesake salon.Though the brand was founded in New York in 1977 and has released many ride or die products, the name would eventually become synonymous with big, sun-drenched California waves.
In the early 2000s, you really couldn’t shake a stick (or traipse a boardwalk) without coming across someone raving about the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray ($29) and its ability to give effortless beach texture with just a few salt-infused spritzes.
At its core, the brand’s mission rests on the “transformational power of hair” and creating specialized formulas that help both hairdressers and everyday consumers create their ideal, individualized crowning looks.
Related: View our full Bumble & Bumble review to learn more.
Now part of the Estee Lauder company, Bumble & Bumble sells everything from shampoos, conditioners and masks, to primers, sprays and gels, and treatments that work to repair damage, save color, de-frizz, add volume, and give strength.
Currently, their Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer ($29) is a top-seller for this legendary brand. It’s a light, almost dry-textured leave-in oil that helps fight frizz, detangle, condition, and protect hair from harsh heat processing.
7. Ouai
Jen Atkin was a renowned and sought-after hair stylist to the stars when she founded her own line, Ouai, in 2016. It took no time at all for people to catch onto the brand’s magic.
You can find their array of shampoos, conditioners, treatments, cremes, sprays, oils, masks, and even supplements for thinning hair, on their website and at Sephora.
Pronounced “way,” Ouai are known for their simplified and luxurious minimalist look. But they’re not just about pretty packaging. Their goal is to foster a “socially connected” company that listens and responds to what customers need from their hair care.
Related: Want to learn more? Check out our Ouai Shampoo Review
Ouai is also infamous for their scents. Every Ouai hair product smells amazing, inspired by the scent-memories of Atkin’s world travels, and they’ve also launched perfumes and other scented products.
If you’re as swayed by Ouai’s way with scents as we are, you won’t want to miss out on the recently launched Ouai Leave-In Conditioner x Byredo collab. It combines cult fragrance line Byredo’s Mojave Ghost with an ultra-repairing leave-in spray ($26).
Ouai’s reliable quality, surreal scents and reasonable prices for luxury hair care make for some of the best hair products for women available, as evidenced by their strong social media impact. The brand currently sits at 1.4 million followers on Instagram and has thousands of mostly 4 and 5 star reviews from Sephora customers. Those are some dedicated Ouai lovers!
8. Briogeo
Briogeo hair care was founded in 2012 when former financier at Goldman Sachs, Nancy Twine, recognized a massive gap in the clean hair market. With that in mind, Twine began working on her own eco-friendly formulations in her NYC apartment. Seeing potential in her products, Twine brought a chemist on board and Briogeo was born.
With their natural hair care formulas, Briogeo features some of the best hair products for women that are inclusive, innovative and unique. Twine believes “we should treat our hair the same way we treat our skin; by nurturing it with ingredients that detoxify, hydrate, and protect,” and her products follow through.
Related: Check the full Briogeo Hair Care Review for more information.
Clean and free of sulphates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, and synthetic color, as well as cruelty-free and vegan, Briogeo features an array of shampoos, conditioners, styling gels, treatments, sprays, finishers, and supplements that centre effective but earth-friendly ingredients.
The brand is also focused on sustainability in their manufacturing and packaging, delivering on their ecologically responsible promise from the inside out.
In 2021, the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask ($38) was an Allure reader’s choice award winner in hair care. The love just keeps on flowing for this brand that sells clean women’s hair products as they currently sit at 390k followers on Instagram.
9. Verb
Verb hair care was developed in 2011 by Claire Moses and a team of veteran stylists from the New York salon community. If you’re on the hunt for budget-friendly women’s hair products that are still lavish and effective, Verb is definitely worth checking out.
Verb offers sulfate- and paraben-free products containing “only good stuff” at drugstore prices. Their mission is to make salon-level hair care accessible to drugstore customers, because it shouldn’t cost a fortune to have hair that looks like a million bucks.
Cruelty-free, mostly vegan, Verb’s product line is extensive, with shampoos, conditioners, dry shampoo, hair treatments, styling sprays, and oils, all in recyclable packaging.
Related: Find out more in our full Verb Energy Review.
One of their most popular hair products is the Verb Ghost Oil ($18), which Verb says has been clinically proven to up your shine factor by 75% in third-party testing. No wonder it’s so beloved by fans and stylists.
Verb’s accessibility doesn’t just start and end with price. New customers and those looking for a change can take the Verb hair quiz on their website. It takes you through a series of questions about hair texture, type, and issues, in order to help you pick out the Verb hair care products that’ll work for you.
In the end, Verb is all about making things super easy for the customer and providing them with the right tools to get beautiful hair.
10. Olaplex
Originally a salon-only brand, Olaplex have truly made a name for themselves in the hair care world, with the likes of everyone from the Kardashian crew to Drew Barrymore singing their praises.
Olaplex was founded by Dean Christal and science experts Dr. Craid Hawker and Dr. Eric Pressly, who sought to create repairing products that delivered “results proven by science.”
To do that, they created a special bonding molecule that works to repair and strengthen damaged hair from the inside. From that tech, Olaplex created a full line of damage-healing and colour-boosting professional hair products that allowed colorists to push the limits without sacrificing their clients’ hair.
Related: Want to learn more? Check out out Olaplex Shampoo Review.
Olaplex got so huge that the company branched into at-home hair solutions, releasing hair health products that could transform your shower into a luxe salon.
Among their most popular women’s hair products is the Olaplex Hair Perfector, a treatment you can use once or twice a week and whenever you touch up your colour. It rebuilds broken bonds, giving strength, reducing breakage and repairing visible damage.
Olaplex also offers an array of scientifically-formulated shampoos, conditioners, hair oils, treatments, and repair kits.
Used by salon professionals and hair care enthusiasts around the world, Olaplex has garnered quite the social media following with over 2.1 million followers on Instagram.
What Can The Best Women’s Hair Products Do?
The best hair products for women serve as a great reminder that hair care is simply not just about shampoo and conditioner anymore. Our hair is put through the ringer with heat styling, hair dye, using dry shampoo for three days in a row, not to mention various environmental factors, like sun damage. It could use all the TLC it can get!
To combat all of those factors and come out with healthy-looking hair on the other side, you truly need the best hair products on the market that offer performance, value, consistency, and kind ingredients that make you feel good using them.
So, what is it that these products can do that puts them a cut above the competition? We found the best hair products for women actually listen to their customers, who want tailored solutions to their hair needs and types, be it:
- Colour protection
- Scalp care
- Damage control, or
- Curl power
If you’re someone who has been coloring their hair for years, you need to be thinking about super-hydrating properties and repairing technology because routine hair coloring can often lead to damage and excess dryness. That’s where brands like Olaplex and Joico step in with their repairing, colour-boosting and healing formulas.
If an itchy scalp plagues you, it’s critical to find the best hair products that can soothe, ease irritation and minimize dandruff and flakes. Conventional scalp shampoos don’t always leave you with beautiful hair, or make the issues worse with harsh ingredients, which is why consumers reach for gentle options like Briogeo and Oribe.
When broken hair and frizz gives you a headache when you look in the mirror, then looking into the best hair oils, conditioners and styling products from brands like Kerastase and Verb are a sure-fire way to help heal your hair.
Then, those curly girls who either want to perfect effortless bouncy curls or straighten things out and escape the tendril life entirely, brands like Amika and L’Oreal offer texture enhancers and smoothing serums so you can take advantage of all of your hair possibilities.
The best hair products for women exist to help with any and every hair issue, ailment, or predicament under the sun, whether they’re natural or self-induced (hey, bleach happens!). You may need to try a few different things out to discover what works for your tresses, but the best hair products offer no shortage of reliable options!
What Products Should Women With Different Hair Types Use?
Now that we’ve equipped you with all of the best hair products for women that are available both online and at your local pharmacy, you may want to stop and consider what products are actually proven to perfect 5 of the most common hair types:
- Fine
- Thick and coarse
- Curly
- Oily
- Thin
Fine Hair
For those who have fine hair that falls flat right after styling or can’t hold a curl, you want to be sure not to weigh it down with anything too heavy. Think volumizing shampoos that are still gentle yet moisturizing, like Oribe’s Shampoo for Magnificent Volume ($57).
Any woman with fine hair should also make friends with a good dry shampoo, because you’ll cut down on washes and the good ones also work to add volume, like Joico Weekend Hair Day Dry Shampoo ($19).
Thick Hair
If you’re someone with thick or coarse hair, it may be difficult to manage those unruly strands into the style you want. This is where those leave-in conditioners or moisturizing hair oils and serums come into play, or you can try adding Olaplex treatments to your routine. They’ll all help to tame, smooth and add shine to your locks.
Curly Hair
We always covet what we can’t have – for women with curly hair, that often means a pin-straight, super-smooth hair cape. But with a good defrizzer like the Kerastase Discipline Anti-Frizz Smoothing Spray ($57) and some high heat, you can get a little closer to the mile-long Cher hair of your dreams.
If you want to amp up your texture, investing in a trusty curl cream like the Oribe Styling Butter Curl Enhancing Cream ($46) or a refreshing spray like Amika’s Curl Corps Power Hour ($25) can really do wonders for spring and definition.
Oily Hair
You might also find yourself with hair that gets greasy easily. This can be due to your scalp’s sebum glands overproducing oil, or product buildup. If that’s the case, you’ll want to be sure to not use shampoos or conditioners that are too heavy. A good clarifying shampoo, like the Ouai Detox Shampoo ($37) can do it all, fighting oil and removing product buildup.
Thin Hair
If you have thin hair that needs some major lift and volume, check out products like the Bumble & Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish ($38). It’s a great texturizing spray that you can spray at your roots and be met with instant volume and hold.
Things To Consider When Buying Women’s Hair Products
Still feeling a bit overwhelmed when considering all the best hair products for women? Here are a few helpful things you can consider when narrowing down your choices:
- What do you need most?
We all have things about our hair we love and things we want to improve. When choosing a product or a brand, it’s important to pick one that has a wide range of products for what you really need.
For example, if you’re someone who uses hair color on the regular, it’s important to use the best hair products that won’t fade your color after a few washes. There are often whole collections on the market, like the L’Oreal Color Radiance range, that include shampoo, conditioner, protectants, and treatments that keep your color looking vibrant for weeks.
- What’s in your products?
Good ingredients are the key to good hair care. For some of us, that means looking to products that are natural and kind to the environment.
It used to be harder to find kind hair care, but there are now loads of different clean brands, such as Briogeo and Verb, that no longer use parabens, sulphates, and any of those other harmful ingredients.
You’ll also want to be mindful of sensitivities and aversions to certain scents or even natural ingredients. That’s why we always recommend checking the ingredients and even looking for smaller travel sizes, so you can be really sure a hair brand is right for you before splurging for the whole line.
- Cost
If you’re on a budget, you’ll probably want to shop around and really cost things out because the best hair products for women can sometimes come with a hefty price tag. However, there are wonderful drugstore options on our list, like L’Oreal and Joico, that make great hair accessible for everyone.
That said, those high prices are often because the best hair product brands are using the very best ingredients and investing in scientifically proven formulas. And those great ingredients translate into products that perform better, require less to work, and often eliminate the need to use a multitude of products to get beautiful results.
Whatever hair care brand you ultimately try on the next step of your hair journey, the best hair product brands for women give you so many quality options that it’s hard to go wrong.
Offering not just your average shampoos and conditioners, but a whole slate of effective treatments and styling products that anyone can easily incorporate into their everyday routine, we’re confident these brands will get you closer to healthy, lively, gorgeous hair.
In the end, your hair will thank you for doing your research and making the switch!
Looking for other top brands? Check out these curated lists below:
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