The 7 Best Shampoos If You’re 40+ And Your Hair Is Suddenly Brittle And Confusing

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by The Candidly Team

Actually, it started when we hit 35.

Our hair just became…different. More frizzy. More dry. More brittle. Oh, and definitely more thin.

We continued using the same cheap shampoo we’ve used for years and it just wasn’t cutting it. So we have given ourselves permission to spend real money on hair products. Because when our hair is limp and frizzy and dull, we’re sad. And when it’s bouncy and shiny and healthy, we’re happy.

So in this one instance, money really can buy happiness.

If you have color treated or damaged hair, basically anything on this list will work for you. And yes, we know it’s waaaaay more than 7 like our lying title. But we’ve broken them up into 7 very general categories to help guide your search and give you options. It’s really astounding how finding the right formula can help soothe our hair during this new, strange stage of our hair-life. And further, it’s almost bizarre that the health of our hair isn’t really discussed as it relates to getting older. Just another way the internet forgets about us 40ish gals!

Something on this list will truly change your hair. And as we know…

 

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Oh and because we love you, ALL products sold at Dermstore are 15% off with the code CANDIDLY.

 

1. Best Overall So You Don’t Have To Even Read This Whole List

 

They’re all perfect.

 
 

2. The only drugstore shampoos worth your time and money

 

It doesn’t always have to be pricey. These are our favorites if you’re on a budget.

 
 

3. The shampoos for hair so oily come 3pm it looks like you haven’t washed it in days even though you literally showered that morning

 

Isn’t it fun? Your ends are dry and frizzy but your roots are oily! Wheee! These are absolutely the best choices to give rich hydration to your strands without build up on your scalp.

 
 
 
 
 

4. Best “clean” shampoos if you care about that sort of thing

 

For us, the jury is out on whether this is deeply important for a shampoo’s true purpose, which is to clean our hair. So we tested these against all others in terms of their efficacy. So they’re not just great for being “clean.” They’re great, period.

 
 

5. For thinning hair that’s weighed down easily

 

What if every time you’ve tried a “moisture” shampoo your hair goes limp and stringy because it’s just too much for your fine strands? We so deeply understand. Try these 4 and only these 4.

 
 

6. For extremely angry scalps

 

Yes, this is different than just oily. This is itchy. This is flaky. These all help after only one use.

 
 
 
 
 

7. The best dry shampoo (this counts, right?)

 

Ok, it’s not shampoo. But we use it just as much. Fine we use it MORE because we’re lazy pigs who don’t wash our hair.

 
 

BONUS: Hair masks that actually do something

 

There are an estimated 4,793,423 hair masks on the market. We’ve tried what feels like all of them. But these 5 are the ones we buy over and over again because they actually make a difference in our hair.

Pro tip: We like to use them on wet hair, overnight, in a soft bun, and then wake up, bleary-eyed, with the silkiest mermaid strands on earth.

 
 

Another bonus: Our favorite “mature” hair bits and bobs

 

Annnnnnd another section of our favorite products that we specifically love for 35+ hair. They’re all softening, gentle, extremely easy and fast to use, and all wildly effective. Ahhh.

 
 
 

At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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