The Best Volumizing Shampoos For Color-Treated Hair

If you have fine hair or flat roots, you’ve probably tried products like texture sprays and thickening pomades before. But another way to add volume to your hair is to deep-clean your scalp of product buildup and excess oil, which is where volumizing shampoos come in. When comparing them to other shampoo types, volumizing shampoos are especially effective at removing excess oil and other grime from the hair’s roots and shaft — the only issue is that, if you use them too often or choose the wrong formula, they can cause your color to fade faster. The best volumizing shampoos for color-treated hair are sulfate-free or labelled as “color-safe” on the bottle, and they work to remove excess oil from your roots while adding moisture and strength back to your hair.

What To Consider When Shopping For A Volumizing Shampoo

Color-treated hair goes through a chemical process that can open up the cuticles and cause each strand to become more porous, dry, and brittle. Although shampoo is great for adding volume by stripping away excess oil from your hair’s roots and shaft, using any shampoo can strip your hair of moisture, and can even lead to color fading (which means more frequent trips to the salon for color touchups). So, you’ll want to look for volumizing formulas that are labeled as safe for color-treated hair, and that contain both hydrating and moisturizing ingredients to restore your dyed hair’s softness and shine. If your hair is bleached, look for formulas that contain proteins or keratin to help strengthen your hair and repair damage.

Typically, color-safe is another word for sulfate-free, and since sulfates basically do too good of a job at cleaning hair, most people who dye or chemically treat their hair choose to avoid sulfates, since their deep-cleaning action means they can strip your hair of its color and moisture. However, some people believe that sulfates can actually be beneficial for your hair, and this may be the case if you’re someone who loves the feeling of squeaky-clean hair.

Now, shampoo *is* a cleanser, so over time, some color fading and moisture loss is to be expected. When considering color-treated (and dry or damaged) hair, try to go longer in between washes — depending on your hair type, aim for shampooing anywhere between one to four times a week. And make sure to use a color-safe clarifying shampoo once every week or two for a deep clean that will remove any product build-up and excess oil from your roots, which can build up and cause your hair to look weighed down.

Shop The Best Volumizing Shampoos For Color-Treated Hair

If you need to try a shampoo ASAP, here are the best volumizing shampoos for color-treated hair:

1. The Overall Best Volumizing Shampoo: Living Proof Full Shampoo
2. The Best Drugstore Volumizing Shampoo: L’Oréal Paris Ever Strong Thickening Shampoo
3. The Best Volumizing Shampoo Made With Keratin: VIRTUE Full Shampoo
4. The Best Natural Volumizing Shampoo: Rahua Voluminous Shampoo
5. The Best Volumizing & Clarifying Shampoo: Philip B. Peppermint Avocado Shampoo

1. The Overall Best Volumizing Shampoo

Pros:

• Free of sulfates, parabens, and silicones.
• Smells like fresh flowers without being too overpowering.
• Color-safe.

Cons:

• Pricey.

If you love the feeling of a deep clean, but prefer to avoid sulfates, try Living Proof’s Full Shampoo. This formula offers a deep, foaming clean that leaves hair feeling soft and bouncy, and it helps keep color-treated hair healthy thanks to the addition of lightweight conditioning ingredients. Since it’s free of silicones, it won’t contribute to product buildup, which can lead to a loss of volume and make hair feel weighed down over time.

Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed soy protein Cruelty-Free: Yes Size: 8.0 oz.

2. The Best Drugstore Volumizing Shampoo

Pros:

• Free of sulfates and parabens.
• Contains arginine, a building block for keratin.
• Less than $10.
• Color-safe.

Cons:

• Is not cruelty-free.

For a more affordable option, L’Oreal’s Ever Strong Thickening Shampoo is a great contender. This sulfate- and paraben-free formula cleanses hair with vegetable fatty acid-based surfactants, which add volume at the roots without stripping color. The shampoo also contains arginine, an amino acid that does an exceptional job of adding moisture back to dry hair.

Key Ingredients: Arginine Cruelty-Free: No Size: 8.5 oz.

3. The Best Volumizing Shampoo Made With Keratin

Pros:

• Free of sulfates and parabens.
• Contains Alpha Keratin 60ku®, VIRTUE’s proprietary keratin extraction.
• Color-safe.

Cons:

• This is the most expensive product on this list.

VIRTUE’s Full Shampoo is an ideal choice if you’re looking for a keratin-rich product to repair your color-treated hair while upping the ante on your hair’s fullness and bounce. This formula contains VIRTUE’s proprietary Alpha Keratin 60ku®, which is keratin derived from real human hair, which enables your hair to recognize it as its own. Alpha Keratin 60ku® works to seal frayed cuticles to increase your hair’s shine and strength, while hydrolyzed quinoa offers further moisturizing benefits.

Key Ingredients: Alpha Keratin 60ku®, hydrolyzed quinoa, biotin Cruelty-Free: Yes Size: 8.0 oz.

4. The Best “Natural” Volumizing Shampoo

Pros:

• Free of sulfates and parabens.
• Of all the shampoos on this list, this comes in the biggest size.
• Color-safe.

Cons:

• Pricey.
• You may have to use this shampoo twice for a deep clean.

Rahua’s Voluminous Shampoo gives a new meaning to the concept of forest bathing. If you’re a fan of “natural” or plant-based formulas, you’ll want to take this volumizing shampoo for a spin. It’s made with mostly plant-derived ingredients, including the brand’s namesake, rahua, an omega-rich tree nut oil from the Amazonian rainforest. This formula also contains hydrolyzed quinoa to moisturize the scalp and strengthen dry, damaged hair, while eucalyptus provides a fresh feel. Plus, the rosemary in this formula helps to support hair growth, making it great for people who have both thin and oily hair.

Key Ingredients: Hydrolyzed quinoa, eucalyptus, rosemary Cruelty-Free: Yes Size: 9.3 oz.

5. The Best Volumizing & Clarifying Shampoo

Pros:

• Paraben-free.
• Color-safe.

Cons:

• Contains sulfates.
• Pricey.
• Not suitable for everyday use.

A deep clean is a surefire way to achieve voluminous hair, and Philip B.’s clarifying shampoo aims to get rid of excess sebum and product buildup while simultaneously restoring moisture. This shampoo uses peppermint to balance oil production and invigorate the scalp, while also giving it a refreshing feel. Meanwhile, nutrient-rich avocado oil prevents this clarifying formula from drying out your hair. This is a clarifying shampoo, and it does contain sulfates, which means you’ll only want to use it once every week or two to reset your hair, and don’t forget to follow up with conditioner (on the ends only).

Key Ingredients: Peppermint, avocado Cruelty-Free: Yes Size: 7.4 oz.