I used to mask my horror when people told me they washed their hair with “any old thing”. These days, I am more relaxed. Not because it’s less alarming, but because this pedestrian approach is so prevalent, and part of me gets it. Hair washing is, let’s be honest, a perfunctory necessity. And we achieve this with an equally perfunctory commodity, aka soap. But really, if you care a jot about the stuff that sprouts from your hair follicles, what you wash your hair with is important. Because washing your hair is so much more than cleaning. It can make the difference between hair that feels and looks more brusque than a bad temper and hair that brims with health and hydration, even in the depths of winter. A good shampoo is about reducing breakage, promoting scalp health and stimulating growth (Barbara Sturm, Augustinus Bader), maintaining colour (Kérastase), fighting pollution (Christophe Robin) creating body and volume (Philip Kingsley), and springy coils as opposed to frizzy ones (Pattern, Charlotte Mensah, Living Proof). Every so often, if you can’t be bothered to wash your hair, a decent dry shampoo (Davines) will give your hairstyle new life (until you really need that wash). Of course, this won’t wash on every hair – dry shampoo and Afro hair do not make good bedfellows. So this is not for everyone. But a good co-wash is. Function of Beauty’s version – a rich, cleansing conditioner that cleans and moisturises hair – is customised to your preferences. So there we are. Hair washing. Anything but basic.
1. Kérastase Chroma Absolu Bain Respect £22.40, kerastase.co.uk
2. Christophe Robin Purifying Shampoo £29, christopherobin.co.uk
3. Davines More Inside Dry Shampoo £23, uk.davines.com
4. Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Shampoo £24, libertylondon.com
5. Dr Barbara Sturm Anti Fall Shampoo £50, net-a-porter.com
6. Augustine Bader The Shampoo £40, augustinebader.com
7. Pattern Hydrating Shampoo £17, patternbeauty.com
8. Living Proof Curl Shampoo £31, cultbeauty.co.uk
9. Philip Kingsley Body Building Weightless Shampoo £18.45, feelunique.com
10. Function of Beauty Co-Wash £19, functionofbeauty.com
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