10 Best Shampoos for Color Treated Hair

What’s the Difference Between Normal Shampoos and Shampoos for Color Treated Hair?

When you got your color job done, your stylist would’ve told you not to use mainstream shampoos. At the very least, you would’ve been told to avoid all shampoos that contain substances like sulfates and parabens.

This is the biggest difference between a shampoo developed specifically for color treated hair and a mainstream shampoo. Mainstream shampoos contain considerable amounts of sulfates or natural replacements while shampoos meant for colored hair do not.

Their sulfates content allows mainstream shampoos to cleanse the hair of dust, grime, and product buildup. Unfortunately, sulfates tend to strip away the dye from hair strands too and this causes the hair to become discolored. In fact, shampoos made for people with colored hair will always be milder than mainstream shampoos because of the absence of sulfates.

Another difference between the two types of shampoos is silicones content. Shampoos intended for colored hair contain silicones or their natural replacements.

Silicones coat hair strands to seal them off from negative elements in the surrounding environment. Negative elements that can lead to discoloration include excess use of hot tools, too much use of hair products, pollutants in the air and water, and even ultraviolet rays of the sun.

The problem with silicones is that when they seal off the hair from negative outside influences, they also end up blocking off moisture. As a result, they can cause the hair to dry up in the long term. This is why shampoos for color treated hair almost always have powerful hydration and moisturization qualities in comparison to mainstream shampoos.

The final difference between these two types of shampoos is that shampoos for color treated hair often have excellent reparative qualities and the ability to strengthen weak and brittle hair. This feature is critical for women who color their hair frequently as overexposure to dyes can damage the hair.

10 Best Shampoos for Color Treated Hair Comparison Table

Top 3 Budget Shampoos for Color Treated Hair: Detailed Reviews

1. L’Oréal Paris Elvive Color Vibrancy Protecting Shampoo

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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L’Oreal is a commonly known brand when it comes to personal and hair care. Their products have always been popular amongst the users and you’ve likely used a few in your life too.

However, regardless of how familiar you may be with L’Oreal’s shampoos, it’s highly likely that you’ve not heard of their Paris Elvive line of products. The reason isn’t that this is a new line of products. Instead, it is that this is a new name for an older series – L’OrealParis Hair Expert.

This shampoo from the renamed series is meant specifically for people with colored hair. While intended specifically for people with color treated hair, this shampoo can also be used by people with normal hair too.

As its name suggests, this shampoo works to keep the color in your hair from fading away. It does this primarily because it contains antioxidants and ultraviolet filters.

These ingredients are very effective at shielding the color in your hair. As per the company’s claims, if you wash your hair with this shampoo four times every week, then you can expect to retain your hair color’s vibrancy for up to two months.

Along with ultraviolet filters, this shampoo also contains silicones. Siliconescoat hair strands and seal them off from negative external influences. Unfortunately, they also end up sealing the hair off from moisture. This can cause the hair to become too dry over time. Moreover, as the hair dries up, it will also start becoming rougher.

This shampoo even contains salicylic acid, which is beneficial in various ways. This ingredient has two major actions. The first is that it prevents product or sebum build up in the scalp and the other is that it combats dandruff and flakiness in the scalp.

The shampoo also has a fairly neutral smell that most people seem to like. Further, if you’re the kind of person who likes their shampoo to lather well, then this shampoo won’t disappoint you because it contains sulfates. It lathers well enough that a little of it goes a long way. This makes an already incredibly affordable shampoo even more economical.

This shampoo’s sulfates content, however, gives us pause. Even though not the majority of its usershave been positive about its ability to protect hair color, some cases of minor discoloration have still been reported. Therefore, if your hair doesn’t hold color well, then we would suggest finding a shampoo that is completely free of sulfates.

Who’s it for: If your primary requirement is to protect your hair color from fading away under the sun and you have minor dandruff issues, get this shampoo.

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2. Tigi Bed Head Colour Goddess

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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Most shampoos for color treated hair tend to only focus on color protection and hydration. Very few go as far as to nourish and strengthen the hair. The Colour Goddess from Tigi Bed Head, though, is one such multipurpose shampoo.

Developed specifically for color treated hair, this shampoo cleanses the scalp, nourishes the hair with key nutrients, and protects it from damage in addition to color loss.

This shampoo protects hair from damage and prevents color loss through two channels. The first is its silicones content. The silicones coat and seal the hair strands from adverse external influences.

By blocking off chemicals in the surrounding environment from affecting the dyes on the hair, the silicones ensure that the chemical composition of the dyes remains stable and constant.

However, these same silicones can become too effective at sealing off the hair. When this happens, they also end up sealing the hair strand off from moisture, causing it to dry up. This shampoo’s alcohol content doesn’t help either since alcohols are known for drying scalp and hair.

The formula of this shampoo tries to counter that risk by incorporating coconut oil and almond oil. These oils coat the hair and protect it too, but they do it while hydrating it effectively.

Moreover, these oils are very beneficial for the hair since they contain multiple nutrients crucial to hair follicular health. In addition to these oils, this shampoo also contains keratin, the most important protein as far as hair is concerned.

Keratin in this shampoo’s formula strengthens and repairs weak and brittle hair. An added facet of all these benefits is that this shampoo leaves the hair smooth, shiny, and significantly more resistant to breakage.

This shampoo has a distinctly sweet, vanilla scent with a hint of caramel thrown in too. While the smell is pleasant, it is a little too strong and overpowering. Its overwhelming nature could bother some of you.

In terms of lather, this shampoo does quite well, but that is because it contains sulfates. Using a shampoo containing sulfates is never a good idea for people with color treated hair since it is very harsh and strips away the color from the hair. However, the sulfates content of this shampoo is very low, which means that you don’t have to worry about color loss.

The best part is that this is an incredibly affordable shampoo. So, you don’t have to spend a lot to maintain the hair color you got by breaking the bank in the first place.

Who’s it for: If you want nourishment for your hair along with color protection, get this shampoo from Tigi Bed Head.

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3. Nexxus Therappe Humectress Combo Pack Shampoo and Conditioner (Best Budget)

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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This is easily the best shampoo you can find for color treated hair, especially if you can’t spend a lot of money. This is a professional product from a salon-grade brand that may not have been developed specifically for color treated hair but is still an excellent choice.

In fact, many seasoned hairstylists recommend this shampoo and conditioner combo to men and women with color treated hair. The reason for this is that this is one of the gentlest and mildest shampoo and conditioner combos you’ll find on the market.

Its gentleness makes it ideal for color treated hair, which cannot handle tough formulae. Additionally, this combo really excels when it comes to moisturizing dry hair. In fact, it specializes in hydration without weighing down the hair, something that very few shampoos or conditioners can claim in the market right now.

Both, the shampoo and conditioner are based around a caviar protein complex with concentrated elastin. This unique protein complex is the reason why this combo is so good at moisturizing even the driest of hair. However, its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness.

The fact that it is so accomplished at hydrating hair means that it may not be very suitable for people who have oily hair. Therefore, if you have oily hair, then this combo may make your hair too greasy.

Further, the conditioner is especially adept at detangling tough hair and softening it simultaneously. However, this combo does this without the help of silicones, as is the case with the majority of its competitors. This means that the hydration this combo will provide your hair will not be countered by silicones’ ability to dry hair from the inside out.

At the same time, you need to be a little careful with this combo because the shampoo does contain sulfates. Sulfates are known for two things – producing a lot of lather and stripping away hair color. In this shampoo, though, they only do one of those two things, i.e. produce lather.

Despite its sulfates content, none of the people who have bought and used this shampoo on colored hair have complained of it stripping the color away. Despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews, we still advise caution.

In terms of smell and consistency, this combo has a very light, coconut scent and thin, watery consistency. Fortunately, this combo is also priced very competitively. If it wasn’t this affordable, its watery consistency may have been a problem because products with thin consistencies tend to finish off very soon.

It also helps that the bottles come with pumps dispensers. Pumps prevent wastage. You can get this product in three different variations and sizes. The first is a single 33.8-ounce bottle of shampoo. The other two are shampoo and conditioner combos with one comprising 13.5-ounce bottles and the other comprising 33.8-ounce bottles.

Who’s it for: If you not only want to protect the color in your hair but also want solid hydration, get this shampoo from Nexxus.

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Top 3 Value Shampoos for Color Treated Hair: Detailed Reviews

4. Redken Color Extend Shampoo

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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Redken is another professional brand known for manufacturing salon-grade hair products. Their Color Extend Shampoo is meant specifically for color treated hair. It is formulated to protect the color in your hair so that it doesn’t fade away and become dull.

As a result, this shampoo ensures that your hair remains vibrant even after multiple washes. It achieves these results by negating all the elements that may make your hair color fade. It combats all the major causes of hair discoloration, including water with color altering chemicals, poor hair cuticle health, surrounding pollutants, and other environmental aggressors.

The formula of this shampoo contains multiple ultraviolet filters and Redken’s proprietary interlock protein network. The filters and the network shield the hair from adverse external influences, preventing color loss and ensuring shine.

The company’s interlock protein network, though, contains silicones. Silicones are artificial compounds designed to coat and seal the hair cuticle. Unfortunately, they can also make the hair too dry because they seal it off from moisture.

This shampoo can cause your hair to become too dry if you use it too much or for too long because it contains sulfates along with silicones. Sulfates are cleansers included in shampoo formulae because they produce a lot of lather. However, they also strip away the natural oils produced by the scalp, causing the hair to become very dry.

This formula’s salicylic acid content counters the dryness created by its sulfates, though. Even so, we will advise you to use a good conditioner after washing your color treated hair with this shampoo.

The good news is that this is a pocket-friendly shampoo. The bottle lasts a long time too, since a little of the shampoo goes a long way. This makes this product even more affordable than its price tag shows.

You’ll also get multiple size options to choose from, including a pack with two 33.8-ounce bottles, a pack with three such bottles, and a single bottle.

Who’s it for: If the most important thing for you is to protect the vibrancy of the color in your hair, get this shampoo.

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5. BIOLAGE Colorlast Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair (Best Value)

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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This shampoo from BIOLAGE is unique because it contains purple orchid extract. As per the company, the purple orchid is “nature’s fade-defying” gift to mankind. So, it isn’t all that surprising that this shampoo’s greatest quality is derived directly from purple orchid extracts.

This means that it is excellent at maintaining color quality in the hair in terms of depth and tone both. Additionally, this shampoo is also very good at cleansing the scalp and leaving the hair shiny and silky after every wash.

It also contains salicylic acid that is helpful against dryness and dandruff to a certain extent. This is a gentle shampoo too, especially if you consider its low pH.

Another great quality of this shampoo is its smell. Its scent is completely gender-neutral, rendering it incredibly suitable for both genders. In fact, the smell neither lingers nor is it overpowering. Instead, it is soft and fresh.

Further, the shampoo produces lather as well as most mainstream shampoos. It gets its lathering powers from sulfates, which isn’t ideal for color treated hair. However, it doesn’t contain sulfates in higher concentrations, which is why it doesn’t strip dyes and cause color loss.

There’s still enough in the formula to dry up your hair, though. So, you will have to use a reliable conditioner after every wash. Even though it contains sulfates, it is free of parabens and silicones.

This shampoo’s price makes it affordable to get and its creamy consistency makes it affordable to use. Its creamy consistency ensures that you don’t have to use a lot of the shampoo in each wash and makes the bottle last a long time.

However, the shampoo’s creamy consistency and nature of ingredients do make it more likely to weigh down your hair.

You can get this shampoo in three different sizes. The smallest is a 1.7-ounce bottle that you can buy to try this shampoo. The second is a 33.8-ounce bottle. The third is a combo pack containing 33.8-ounce bottles of shampoo and conditioner both.

Who’s it for: If you’re looking for a unique shampoo for color treated hair, try this one from BIOLAGE.

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6. DevaCurl DUO – No-Poo and One Condition (Original Kit)

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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Shampoos often cause more problems than they solve for people with extra-curly or very coarse hair. These types of hair tend to get dry easily since the oils produced by the scalp can’t reach the tips of the hair.

Therefore, even shampoos with the mildest of cleansing agents can make matters worse for these types of hair. This is why the entire CurlyGirl concept or No-Poo philosophy came into being.

The interesting bit here is that the No Poo can be equally beneficial for color treated hair as extra-curly or very rough hair. The DevaCurl DUO is one of the best options when it comes to this philosophy.

This is a combo that contains a No-Poo and a conditioner. As is obvious, it is completely free of sulfates, parabens, and silicones, making it one of the gentlest hair products around.

Even though it is incredibly mild, this combo is still very effective when it comes to moisturizing hair. These two qualities of this combo are why it is so beneficial for color treated hair. However, if you already have oily hair, then this combo may not be right for you because it will end up making it very greasy.

This combo also has a very good smell that should appeal to most people. The scent, itself, is quite unique and very tough to describe. However, it does have a citrusy note. Its uniqueness, though, may cause some people to dislike it, especially if they’re used to mainstream hair care products.

Both the shampoo and the conditioner in this combo come with a pump, so they’re fairly easy to use. At the same time, there are a few reports of the pumps not being reliable enough and breaking down unpredictably. They can fail in both ways, i.e. not dispensing enough or dispensing too much no poo.

Who’s it for: If you want to wash your color treated hair with a cleanser-free shampoo, get this No Poo.

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Top 4 Premium Shampoos for Color Treated Hair: Detailed Reviews

7. Pureology Hydrate Shampoo

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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Pureology is one of few brands that specialize in products for color treated hair. The vast majority of their products are meant solely for people with color treated hair. Even the tag line under their name says “serious color care”.

When it comes to shampoos for color treated hair, you’ll find the Pureology Hydrate Shampoo to be one of the best. It is an amazingly mild shampoo that doesn’t contain any sulfates. The gentleness of this shampoo means that it is perfect not only for color treated hair but also chemically treated hair.

In fact, this shampoo is an excellent choice for men and women who have been coloring their hair for years. Repeated color treatments can cause hair to become very dry and extremely brittle.

Further, over-processing can even damage the hair over time. This shampoo is suitable for even those extreme conditions. The reason for this is that this shampoo not only protects hair but also strengthens and nourishes it. It contains silicones that coat every hair strand. The protection offered by silicones keeps the hair color stable and the dyes from being stripped away.

The only problem with silicones is that they can also seal off moisture resulting in the hair becoming too dry. This is possibly why Pureology has given this shampoo such awesome hydrating powers.

This shampoo’s formula contains multiple ingredients aimed at making it a stupendous moisturizer. Unfortunately, this means that this shampoo isn’t the best choice for people with oily hair. The excess hydration this shampoo provides will render your oily hair greasy within a couple of washes.

The moisturizing ingredients this shampoo contains also carry multiple nutrients meant to strengthen and nourish hair and hair follicles. These ingredients are, thus, responsible for helping damaged hair recover.

Surprisingly, even though this shampoo contains zero sulfates, it still produces an impressive amount of lather. You don’t even need to use a lot of it to get this lather either. A little will go a long way, meaning the bottle will last you a long time. Since you won’t have to go for refills often, you’ll end ups saving money in the long term.

The smell of this shampoo, though, is a little divisive. It has a clean and fresh scent reminiscent of pine trees. The problem is that it has a chemical note. Whether you like its smell or not will depend upon how its chemical note affects you.

This shampoo is neither too expensive nor very affordable. However, the fact that it is long-lasting does mean that it offers good value for money. They even offer multiple sizes for you to pick from.

The smallest one is a 1.7-ounce bottle that is excellent if you want to try this shampoo before committing to it. The biggest one is very pocket-friendly since it contains 33.8 ounces of the shampoo. The middle one contains 8.5 ounces and offers a good balance between quantity and cost.

Who’s it for: If you want a shampoo from a company that specializes in products for color treated hair, get this superb Hydrate Shampoo from Pureology.

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8. AVEDA Color Conserve Shampoo

Editor’s Rating: 4.25/5.0

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Aveda is another highly-respected name when it comes to products used for maintaining hair color. Their Color Conserve Shampoo may not be as popular as most of its competitors, but it is still very effective and quite unique.

This is one of few shampoos in the market that boast of having lycopene as one of its major ingredients. Lycopene is one of the most beneficial nutrients when it comes to skin and hair health. As far as hair is concerned, it not only slows down hair loss but also encourages hair growth.

It slows down hair loss by countering the negative effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the scalp. DHT causes hair loss by bonding with hair follicles and preventing them from growing hair. Since lycopene counters DHT, hair follicles remain healthy. Lycopene helps hair growth because it is an antioxidant that nullifies all free radicals in the scalp.

Despite the multiple hair benefits provided by this shampoo, it is developed to conserve hair color. It does so on the back of its silicones content. The silicones coat the hair and prevent the color from interacting with elements in the surrounding environment. Further, they also smoothen the hair and make them shiny. This shine makes the hair color even more vibrant.

Unfortunately, silicones also have a dark side. Along with cutting off negative elements, they also cut off moisture. As a result, they can often make the hair a bit too dry. Therefore, if you’re going to use this shampoo regularly, then we strongly suggest getting a conditioner to supplement its effects.

In terms of its smell, this shampoo appeals to most people. In fact, the majority of its users seem to like this shampoo’s lavender-like smell, with very few complaining otherwise.

On the other hand, people do complain about this shampoo’s lathering capabilities. Simply speaking, it doesn’t lather very well, but we feel that that could be because it doesn’t contain any sulfates.

If you have color treated hair, it is better for you to have a shampoo that doesn’t lather than one that contains sulfates. As a result, we see the absence of sulfates as a very positive feature.

You should also take note of the fact that this shampoo is quite expensive, but since it contains lycopene and doesn’t contain sulfates, we feel that it is more than worth the extra outlay.

Who’s it for: If you want the benefits of lycopene while protecting your hair color, get this shampoo from AVEDA.

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9. Tru Moroccan Repair Shampoo

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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This is another shampoo that may not have been specifically formulated for color treated hair but is still one of the better options available in the market. In fact, this shampoo is ideal for people who have high highlights and low lights instead of a head full of colored hair.

The shampoo will preserve the highlights and low lights while also taking care of the rest of the hair. Moreover, if you have dry hair as well, then this shampoo will be even more beneficial for you. Three reasons make this shampoo suitable for these types of hair. The first is its mildness, the second is its moisturizing capabilities, and the third is its reparative qualities.

Mildness is the most important since harsh shampoos can strip away the dye from color treated hair. This is why mainstream shampoos almost always dull colored hair. The mildness of this shampoo is typified by the fact that it doesn’t contain any artificial, harsh substances such as parabens, sulfates, and even silicones.

The absence of such compounds and chemicals also means that this shampoo doesn’t leave the hair dry. In fact, it is tremendous when it comes to moisturizing hair because it is built around argan oil.

Argan oil is one of the most effective natural moisturizers on the planet. However, argan oil does much more than just hydrating the hair. It also makes it softer and silkier in addition to giving it a very attractive shine. Even more, it contains numerous nutrients that make the hair stronger and healthier.

However, this isn’t the only wonder ingredient in this shampoo. It also contains several other gifts of nature such as red clover, elder flower, chamomile, and white willow bark.

Red clover contains a lot of isoflavones, which can prevent DHT from bonding with hair follicles and forcing early miniaturization. As a result, the red clover content of this shampoo promotes hair growth.

Elder flower and chamomile in this shampoo’s formula help counter excess dryness and dandruff. As is natural, they also hydrate the hair. This shampoo contains white willow bark to cleanse the scalp of buildup, even though it doesn’t generate a lot of lather.

The combination of all these natural ingredients is that this shampoo can repair excessively damaged hair. The ingredients also combine to give this shampoo a very nice smell. Its smell is fresh with hints of sweetness and citrus both. It is highly unlikely that you won’t like the smell of this shampoo.

The consistency of this shampoo is a problem, though. It is far too thin and watery when compared to its competitors. This makes it very difficult to use since the watery shampoo will drip through your hands every time.

This kind of wastage will result in the bottle emptying very quickly. Since the shampoo is very expensive, wastage only makes you spend more to replace the bottle. Therefore, we think you should get a different bottle with a pump dispenser if you want to make this shampoo last.

Who’s it for: If you want a shampoo that you can use for color treated hair and normal hair, get this one from Tru Moroccan.

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10. ORIBE Shampoo for Beautiful Color (Top Pick)

Editor’s Rating: 4.75/5.0

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This is the most expensive shampoo you can get for your color treated hair. However, it is also the best shampoo you can get for your color treated hair. It is miles ahead of its competitors, regardless of how you choose to evaluate it.

The ORIBE Shampoo for Beautiful Color is an amazingly gentle shampoo that should suit even people with hair extremely prone to shrugging off color. On top of this, this shampoo has superb moisturizing qualities that should help even extremely damaged and over-processed hair.

However, the one area where this shampoo excels more than all others is color preservation. It not only negates all the pollutants that colored hair is particularly susceptible to but also counters the worst effects of excessive sunlight exposure.

All these qualities are a result of the fact that this shampoo is based on Oribe’s proprietary Signature Complex. The Signature Complex is developed with three key ingredients. These ingredients are watermelon extracts, lychee, and edelweiss flower.

As per the company, it’s Signature Complex directly counters the natural deterioration of keratin. Since keratin is the protein that every hair is made up off, this property of the shampoo is very helpful.

Further, it nullifies photoaging and oxidative stress both. It contains several other highly beneficial ingredients as well, such as baobab tree extracts, bioflavonoids, and kaempferia galanga root extract.

Baobab tree originates in Africa and is known for its ability to store moisture. It imparts this same quality to hair. Bioflavonoids are known for their ability to preserve colors in fruits and offer the same benefits to colored hair. Similarly, kaempferia galanga root can protect hair from discoloration caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays.

This shampoo’s formula is also free of artificial substances such as sulfates which can be very harmful to color treated hair. Even though it doesn’t have any sulfates, it still lathers like a normal shampoo, which is a rare feat to achieve. Apart from sulfates, this shampoo doesn’t contain either silicones or parabens.

Further, this shampoo has a glorious smell. All its users praise the smell, and there is virtually no one out there complaining about it.

As we mentioned in the beginning, the only problem with this shampoo is its cost. However, it is only natural for the best product in the industry to have the highest price. The saving grace, though, is that this shampoo doesn’t finish very early.

In every wash, you’ll only have to use a little bit of the shampoo. Moreover, the bottles come with a pump, which further prevents wastage. The result is that the bottle lasts a really long time. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about recurring costs too much.

If you’re unsure of how this shampoo will react with your hair or simply want to test it before committing so much money to it, you’ll have the option for a trial. It comes in three sizes.

The smallest one only contains 1.7 ounces of the shampoo and can be used for trialing the shampoo. The largest one has 33.8 ounces for long term use and the third one contains 8.5 ounces if you want to balance quantity and cost.

Who’s it for: If you don’t mind spending extra for the best shampoo for color treated hair in the market, get this one from Oribe.

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