Has your hair been looking dull and lifeless of late? It could be looking like that due to dryness, excess humidity, thinning, breakage, product usage, thermal damage, over-manipulation (from protective styles), or even damage from hair color and bleaching. When I had damage after dyeing my hair, I started by looking for the best shampoo for dull lifeless hair.
Honestly speaking, having damaged hair should be listed top among the things that could make anyone lose their self-esteem because it is not usually a pretty sight.
Instead of dwelling on why your hair got damaged, let’s look at how using the right shampoo can get your hair back on track.
Here are my top three picks for the best shampoo for dull lifeless hair:
- Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo
- Ouidad Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil Shampoo
- Davines Dede Shampoo
Table of Contents
Best shampoo for dull lifeless hair – Comparison table
| Brand | Image | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo |   | . Repairs damaged hair . Helps hair retain moisture . Ideal for fine, medium and thick hair |
| Ouidad Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil Shampoo |   | . Nourishes curly hair . Enhances hair volume and shine . Protects curls in need of repair |
| Davines Dede Shampoo |   | . Ideal for medium fine, fine hair . Hydrates and nourishes hair . A little goes a long way |
| R+Co Atlantis Moisturizing Shampoo |   | . Perfect for thick and coarse hair . Deeply cleans hair and scalp . Strengthens the hair shaft |
| Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Shampoo |   | . Ideal for medium to thick hair . Detangles hair . Protects hair against breakage |
| PURA D’OR Anti-Thinning Shampoo |   | . Hydrates hair and scalp . Nourishes hair follicles with essential nutrients . Promotes healthy hair growth |
| Briogeo Be Gentle Be Kind Superfood Shampoo |   | . Hydrates hair . Supports a healthy scalp . Protects hair against environmental damage |
Best shampoo for dull lifeless hair
One of the ways to make your hair look great again is by changing your shampoo.
Using the right shampoo can make your hair look beautiful, vibrant, and most importantly, healthy.
To get your hair out of its current dull and lifeless mess, here are a few shampoos you can try out to give you the exact result you are looking for, or at least, something close.
Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo
Infused with keratin, argan oil and fatty acids, this shampoo doesn’t just clean your hair, it moisturizes it as well.
This hydration revitalizes your hair while tending to the damaged strands.
This product is perfect for people who are trying to recover from damage caused by heat, color, or chemical processing. It leaves your hair soft and moisturized after each use.
The keratin is essential for reconstructing broken strands, while the argan oil contains antioxidants that help to improve the integrity of the damaged hair.
The fatty acids are key in helping your hair stay silky.
This shampoo restores the hair’s elasticity and balances the pH of the hair, giving your hair the chance to start producing its natural oils for hair nourishment and growth.
This product also helps to strengthen and renew the cell structure of the hair.
For best results, apply the shampoo to wet hair. Massage it into the hair and scalp.
It’s advisable to continue adding water to activate a rich lather. Finally, rinse out the shampoo until water runs clear.
This product is free from sulfates, phosphates, and parabens.
Pros
- It’s color-safe
- Ideal for fine, medium, and thick hair
- Repairs color, chemical and heat damage
- Hydrates hair and helps it retain moisture
- Leaves hair soft, smooth and shiny
- It gives the hair more volume
- Strengthens hair
- It reduces hair loss
- A little goes a long way
- Tames frizz
Cons
- Some users find the scent to be too strong
Ouidad Ultra-Nourishing Cleansing Oil Shampoo
This is the shampoo I used after my hair was damaged by color. It came highly recommended.
This unique shampoo is specially formulated for cleansing and nourishing curls. It gives them exactly what they need to remain happy.
This product restores the much-needed moisture to curly hair that is dry and damaged.
It utilizes Ouidad’s proprietary CR-4 Repair Complex that features fatty acids and fortifying proteins to repair your follicles from the inside out.
Use it to prevent any further damage to your hair. It restores the hair’s natural shine while taking away from the dull look the hair had as a result of damage.
This special shampoo mimics the hair’s natural oils to infuse moisture to your hair, preventing dryness and brittleness.
One thing you need to understand if you have curly/coily hair, is that our hair structure actually prevents the natural scalp oils from traveling all the way down the hair strand.
You’ll, therefore, need to use hair products that constantly moisturize your locks, while avoiding those that contain harsh ingredients that can easily dry out your hair.
Make this gentle shampoo part of your hair routine as a way to care for your curls. It thoroughly cleanses the hair by removing all traces of product build-up and grime.
To achieve the best results, use this shampoo on wet hair and gently massage it into the hair and scalp.
Follow that by rinsing it off with warm water then use a conditioner for added benefits.
Pros
- Nourishes curls through hydration
- Deeply cleans your hair and scalp
- Enhances the hair’s body and shine
- Protects curls in need of repair
- Doesn’t weigh down hair
- Defines your curls
- Softens extremely dry hair
- It’s color-safe
Cons
- Contains silicone
Davines Dede Shampoo
There are moments when your hair can get too dry and lose its bounce. With that comes itching and scratching that results in redness on the scalp.
At this point, you need a special shampoo like this one from Davines to restore moisture back to your hair strands.
The shampoo works to nourish your hair while preventing further itching on the scalp.
This much-needed moisture infusion helps to prevent hair damage as a result of excessive dryness.
A lot of things can cause your hair to get extremely dry.
For instance, if you’ve been using shampoos that contain harsh ingredients, you’re likely to end up with dry and brittle hair because the shampoos strip away your hair’s natural oils.
Using alcohol-based styling products can also make your hair extremely dry.
In my case, dyeing my hair (and not using the right products) completely dried out my mane.
The Davines Dede shampoo strengthens your hair, preventing further breakage due to brittleness.
This product has a formulation geared towards shine restoration bringing life back to your hair.
You can use it easily on your hair without worrying about greasiness or any residue behind left behind.
For the best results, wet your hair and massage a generous amount of the shampoo into the hair and scalp.
Rinse it off and follow this with a moisturizing conditioner.
Daily use is encouraged when you want to reverse hair damage that makes your locks look quite dull.
Pros
- Hydrates and nourishes your hair
- Leaves hair soft and easy to manage
- Gentle enough for daily use
- A little goes a long way
- Ideal for medium fine, fine hair
- Deeply cleanses your scalp
- Doesn’t cause greasiness
Cons
- Some users don’t find the scent appealing
R+Co Atlantis Moisturizing Shampoo
This R+Co Atlantis product is a super hydrating shampoo that revives your dull and lifeless hair.
It is perfect for hydrating dry hair of all types as it slowly infuses moisture into the hair during the cleansing process.
The shampoo is enriched with Pro-Vitamin B5 that provides intense hydration.
The lubrication that it provides protects your hair from brittleness and resultant breakage.
Its moisturizing effect also helps the mane retain length and volume.
This product is perfect for hair that is recovering from heat, color, or chemical damage. It revitalizes the hair and gives it a natural shine.
Another ingredient contained in this product is glycerin – a humectant that helps hair retain moisture, thus protecting it from dryness.
The shampoo also contains babassu oil and witch hazel which are instrumental for moisturizing, balancing, and smoothing hair.
The rosemary in this product protects against product buildup, while nettle softens the locks.
This shampoo is vegan, has not been tested on animals, and it’s free from sulfates and parabens.
Pros
- Hydrates hair and scalp
- Leaves hair smooth, shiny, soft and manageable
- It’s color-safe
- A little goes a long way
- Deeply cleans your hair and scalp
- Perfect for thick and coarse hair
- Strengthens the hair shaft
- Tames frizz
Cons
- Can leave some hair types a little greasy
Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Shampoo
This shampoo is made with six amazing nutrient-filled oils: coconut oil, argan oil, macadamia nut oil, sweet almond oil, safflower seed oil, and grapeseed oil.
It’s a feather-light shampoo that is capable of instantly moisturizing straight, wavy, or curly hair that is dry, coarse, or brittle.
This invisible oil shampoo helps to reverse hair damage while it protects the locks against further damage.
For the best results, work a small amount of the product between your hands and massage into the hair and scalp.
Don’t be surprised if the shampoo doesn’t lather because it isn’t meant to. Rinse after the massage.
This shampoo hasn’t been tested on animals and is free from parabens, phthalates, formaldehydes, and mineral oil.
Pros
- Ideal for medium to thick hair
- It detangles your hair
- Moisturizes the hair
- Leaves hair soft, smooth and silky
- It tames frizz
- Leaves the hair with a noticeable glow
- It’s color-safe
- Protects hair against breakage
- Doesn’t weigh down the hair
Cons
- Can leave some hair types greasy
PURA D’OR Original Gold Label Anti-Thinning Shampoo
This shampoo is great for thinning hair. The thinning can be caused by old age, breakage, heat damage, chemical damage, among other reasons.
This product reverses the thinning by helping to reduce shedding.
It contains 17 key ingredients, all of which are instrumental in adding nutrients to the hair.
Ingredients such as black cumin seed oil, biotin, nettle, and pumpkin seed help to thicken hair and increase volume.
This shampoo also supports a healthy-looking scalp and enhances the overall appearance of dry and damaged hair.
The shampoo doesn’t contain any sulfates; so it does not strip the hair of its natural oils. It instead adds more moisture to the hair to encourage better growth.
For the best results, apply the shampoo to wet hair and massage into the hair and scalp.
Leave it on for two minutes and then rinse. The manufacturer advises people to use the product daily for at least months for noticeable results.
This product is vegan, hypo-allergenic, and cruelty-free. It’s also free from parabens, gluten, and harmful chemicals.
Pros
- Hydrates the hair and scalp
- Safe for daily use
- Fights against hair loss
- Reverses damage and begins the healing process
- Nourishes hair follicles with essential nutrients
- Leaves hair soft and easy to manage
- Strengthens hair strands
- Promotes healthy hair growth
- Color-safe
- Unisex
Cons
- Can leave your hair greasy
Briogeo Be Gentle Be Kind Matcha and Apple Replenishing Superfood Shampoo
This apple-infused shampoo not only smells like a fresh green apple but as the name suggests, it is kind and gentle on your hair.
The manufacturer highly recommends it to people looking to improve their dry, parched, and dull hair.
The shampoo does this by harnessing the power of fruit and vegetable fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, to boost the hair’s hydration and restore shine and vibrancy to the locks.
Apart from the apple and the matcha, other ingredients contained in the shampoo include broccoli, spinach, and cucumber.
They all work together to give better nourishment to the hair.
For best results, apply the shampoo to wet hair and vigorously massage for 30 seconds as the lather builds, then rinse.
This product is vegan, hasn’t been tested on animals and is free from gluten, parabens, phthalates, and sulfates.
Pros
- Hydrates the hair
- Leaves hair soft, silky and shiny
- It’s color-safe
- Safe for keratin-treated and chemically-treated hair
- Supports a healthy scalp
- Protects hair against environmental damage
- Thoroughly cleanses the hair
- Doesn’t weigh down your hair
Cons
- A few users are left with dry hair and an itchy scalp
- Weighs down some hair types
Conclusion
Having great hair does a lot more than making you look absolutely stunning, it raises your confidence up a notch.
One of the ways is maintaining healthy and glossy-looking hair is to make sure you keep your hair safe from products that would harm it, including your shampoo.
I’ve reviewed a number of products in this post that can be of great help if you’re looking for the best shampoo for dull lifeless hair.
The trick to always having healthy-looking hair that is to always make sure that it’s always moisturized.
Go for products that will add that much-needed moisture to your hair.
Another important thing is to ensure that you avoid practices that dry out your hair and leave it damaged.
These include things like frequent heat styling, coloring or bleaching your hair without proper professional advice, over-manipulating your hair, and using hair products containing harsh ingredients.
And did you know that one of the benefits of scalp stimulation is that it helps redistribute excess natural oils to keep your scalp and hair from drying out?
Yes, the simple act of massaging your scalp regularly helps to evenly redistribute excess natural oil which keeps the rest of the hair follicles moisturized and prevents the scalp from drying out and causing itching.
It’s the small things that count. Employing the best hair practices and using the right products can save you from having to deal with dull, lifeless hair.