15 best sulphate-free shampoos to keep coloured hair vibrant for longer — tried and tested

Why we love: Living Proof’s Full Shampoo is one of the best in the industry if you want sky-high roots – plus, when you style with a round brush and voluming spray, the results are out of this world!

This is the type of shampoo that, even after one use, makes your hair feel genuinely soft, fresh and airy. It adds body and movement to flat lengths, giving the illusion you have more hair than what you actually do. Also, one of my favourite parts of a sulphate shampoo is the lather. It just makes me want to sing Pocket Full of Sunshine at the top of my lungs – if you know, you know. Though, despite being free of sulphates, this still lathers up well and has a fresh scent, too.

It may be a pricy bottle, but it gives weightless bounce to fine hair and boosts shine without loading on silicones.

Conditioner: Living Proof Full Conditioner

Why we love: Noughty is proving that you don’t need to spend major £££ to find a good bond repair shampoo. The Let’s Bond shampoo contains a blend of 11 amino acids to repair and rebuild damaged bonds at a molecular level – essentially fixing damage from the inside out. Amino acids also provide protection, boost keratin production and add hydration.

Noughty also conducted clinical studies, and found that when this shampoo is used in a regimen (alongside the conditioner and leave-in treatment), participants saw an improvement in hair strength by 70% and a reduction in breakage. That’s right, this isn’t just a pretty face.

Conditioner: Let’s Bond Bond Repair Conditioner

Why we love: Olaplex’s Bond Maintenance Shampoo is specifically designed to cleanse fine hair without weighing it down. It still has the same creamy, lather as the original Bond Maintenance shampoo, but a few changes have been made to make it suitable for those with thin strands.

It doesn’t include silicones – which can be heavy on fine hair – but instead uses surfactants to cleanse. It also contains lighter nourishing ingredients, like apricot oil, to boost hydration and shine, while an agent named sclerotium gum helps to increase volume. I was a huge fan of the OG formula, though, after trying this lightweight iteration, it showed me a side to Olaplex I never knew I needed. Full-bodied, clean, fresh-feeling hair come my way.

Conditioner: No4 Fine Bond Maintenance Conditioner

Why we love it: If you're noticing more shedding than usual (btw, we're meant to lose between 50 - 100 strands of hair a day), you may want to get yourself to a trichologist. In the meantime, the L'Oréal Paris Growth Booster Anti-Fall Shampoo will help clarify your scalp to encourage stronger and healthier growth.

A few uses of this won't solve all your hair-loss problems (once again, trichologist) but it's a good thing to use while on your growth journey. It’s all thanks to Aminexil: the core ingredient that helps to anchor hair fibres at the root to prevent shedding.

Conditioner: L'Oreal Paris Elvive Growth Booster Conditioner

Why we love: If you’re working with dry, damaged, straw-like hair that needs some serious TLC, look no further than Davines’ OI Shampoo. The rich texture alone shows just how yummy and conditioning this formula is.

It’s packed with Roucou oil: a plant-derived ingredient that helps to hydrate dry strands, boost shine and maintain soft, silky hair. And boy, how it delivers. After every use my hair feels softer than ever before – and it even has the most decedent (but not sickly) scent. It's earned cult status for very good reasons.

Conditioner: OI Absolute Beautifying Conditioner

Why we love it: Following four years of back-to-back hair extensions, this has been my go-to shampoo to bring health and life back into my strands. It’s formulated with pure citric acid and glycine to detoxify the scalp from hard minerals, product build up and grease – which, in turn, can cause further damage and a dull appearance.

Not only this, but the glycine works to rebuild broken keratin bonds caused by excessive heat exposure or colour treatments. It lathers into a rich, creamy foam and makes my strands feel super soft every time.

Conditioner: Première Bonding Advanced Conditioner

Why we love it: If you have curly or coarse hair, Curlsmith’s Core Strength Shampoo is calling your name. It’s packed with proteins to fortify damaged bonds, while also helping to restore a defined curl pattern to your hair.

It has a slightly thicker consistency so it works well on tight curls or textured hair to give it a deep cleanse, without stripping it of it’s natural oils. It also contains nourishing ingredients, like pumpkin seed oil, pressed hemp oil and guava juice to bring back moisture to dry ends.

Why we love it: If your hair feels dry and straw-like, it’s a wise idea to find out if you live in a hard water area, as hard water deposits minerals onto your strands leaving them feeling crispy and dry – not to mention the effect it can have on your hair colour, too.

Hello Klean’s Full Cover Anti-Thinning Shampoo contains amino acids and AHA’s to neutralise hard water minerals, while astaxanthin prevents oxidative stress that can cause damage. There’s also biotin which helps to boost your hair’s strength. Besides its major cleansing powers, it also ticks the box for the sensorial experience. It lightly lathers, making you still feel like you’re giving your scalp a good scrub.

So stay loyal to it and your hair will be stronger, softer and less prone to shedding.

Why we love it: Okay: let’s face it. As much as we want our shampoo to perform like a shampoo (read: cleanses, leaves hair feeling fresh and never stripped), we also welcome a sensorial shower experience. Bc the shower may be your only quiet time of the day: you want it to be relaxing.

Not only is the Coco & Eve’s Super Hydrating Shampoo a major hydration hit (it’s formulated with hyaluronic acid, coconut and avocado oil_ but it also has a tropical aroma to it with notes of fig, coconut, milk and sandalwood. No one will be able to resist you.

Conditioner: Super Hydrating Cream Conditioner

Why we love it: Anyone with colour-treated hair knows it's about as high maintenance as a puppy. If you can relate, this formula will give you a bit of a breather in between salon appointments with a boost in hair vibrancy. Don’t expect it to magically brighten your colour after one use, but it can keep things looking fresh, glossy and salon-worthy for longer, while preventing your shade from appearing dull or lacklustre between appointments.

It improves the condition of stands, too, thanks to a boost in moisture. Once dry, you'll see a reduction in flyaways and enjoy silky-smooth results.

Conditioner: Pureology Hydrate Conditioner

Why we love it: You only have to look at the raving reviews to know that this shampoo is well worth trying.

Most of us are striving for full, voluminous hair, and Philip Kingsley hits the nail on the head with this brilliant thickening formula. No it won’t physically make your strands thicker, but it does contain hydrolysed oat protein and amino acids to strength the hair and create the look of fuller, more volumised lengths. Even after one use, it’ll give flat strands more body, lift and a health dose of shine too.

Conditioner: Philip Kingsley Density Thickening Conditioner

Why we love it: Fine hair texture and coloured strands usually go hand in hand, which is what this shampoo is trying to counteract. The formula claims to prevent the blocking of hair follicles, which can cause thinning, while protecting your colour.

It doesn’t weigh down fine hair and freshness lasts longer between shampoos. It improves vibrancy, too making it an excellent option if you have brightly-coloured lengths.

Conditioner: Color WOW Color Security Conditioner

Why we love it: Camille Rose’s Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse Shampoo is a castor oil and aniseed cleanser intended for coily and textured hair types.

This nourishing cream is packed with strengthening and hydrating ingredients (read: ginger root extract, amino acids and pro-vitamin B5) to not only hydrate brittle strands, but also gently cleanse the scalp to encourage stronger and more fortified growth. After all, an unhappy scalp can’t grow happy hair. The result? Refreshed hair devoid of buildup.