25 Best Shampoos For Permed Hair To Keep Your Curls Locked In Place
Use a hair wash that will leave your curls fresh and with a beautiful bounce.
getty When it comes to permed hair, there are a certain levels of upkeep and care that one must maintain to keep those gorgeous and curly locks in place. This also includes deciding upon which shampoo to purchase.
While also being free of parabens and sulfates, the choice of the best shampoo for permed hair should be delicate on chemically treated hair. Below, we've provided 25 of our favorite shampoos on the market that are both safe for permed hair and will leave your hair silky, shiny, and fabulous.
1. Every Day Shampoo by Playa Beauty
Perfect for your curls, Every Day Shampoo by Playa Beauty is safe enough for all chemically treated hair (including permed hair). Playa Beauty's shampoo is made of a coconut cleanser, not only clearing your hair of dirt and excess oil, but providing hydration to your locks and naturally detoxifying.
(Amazon)
2. Hydrate & Conquer Shampoo by Original Mineral
Original & Mineral does an excellent job with their hydrate and conquer shampoo, giving chemically treated hair (like perms) a hydration makeover. Their formula is rich in Tasmanian sea kelp which contains vitamins A, B, C & E as well as 13 different amino acids, all of which strengthen and promote hair growth.
(Amazon)
3. Infra Shampoo by CHI
Safe enough for curly permed hair, CHI's Infra Shampoo contains ionic and catatonic hydration interlink technology while remaining sulfate- and paraben- free. This formula is known to add luscious shine while balancing both moisture and health between hair bonds.
(Amazon)
4. Baobab & Shea Hair Wash by LATHER
By adding any sort of chemical to our hair, including perms, there's sure to be some dry, dull and even frizzy strands due to stripping away hair proteins. But not to fear, Lather's creamy baobab and shea hair wash is designed for that purpose. With the baobab seed extract, it's abundant in necessary proteins and amino acids.
(Lather, $24)
5. Recovery Shampoo by Virtue Labs
Given the Best of Beauty Allure 2017 award, Virtue Lab's Recovery Shampoo cleans, replenishes, and nourishes permed hair. Given the damage permed hair endures after treatment, this shampoo helps rebuild any weared hair while simultaneously restoring lost nutrient, which will add body and health back into your hair.
(Virtue Labs, $38)
6. Moisture Intense Shampoo by Eufora
The promise of the Eufora formula is to help repair even the most damaged of hair. This is important when maintaining permed hair as the chemicals can interact and strip our hair. With Eufora's technology it not only moisturizes the hair but does so in a way that doesn't suffocate or clog the hair's pores and creating oily texture. So you're left with clean, shiny, and hydrated hair.
(Pandora Beauty, $25.99)
7. Head First Restoring Shampoo by Sumbody
For chemically treated hair, especially permed hair, the bonds in each strand are exposed to outside elements. With Sumbody's Head First Clarifying shampoo, the formula removes unnecessary build up of hair toxins and prevents the need to constantly wash your hair.
(Sumbody, $22)
8. Orchid Bliss Shampoo by White Sands
Keeping the hair healthy is huge feat after enduring a chemical treatment... like a perm. White Sand's Orchid Bliss shampoo helps do this by closing the outside layer of the hair (known as the cuticle layer) and eliminating frizz. The formula simultaneously creates healthy hair by filling in the missing cracks while making your locks shine brilliantly.
(White Sands, $20)
9. Ultra Rich Moisture Shampoo by Macadamia Professional
Intense hydration is one of the promising features of Macadamia Professional's Ultra Rich Moisture Shampoo. The formula provides this by containing the exclusive Pro Oil Complex of Macadaia as well as an assortment of argan oils and monogongo oil. These ingredients all work together (in addition to hydration) to combat frizz, and for permed hair support the hair's curl pattern and texture.
(Amazon)
10. CBD Shampoo by EMERA Nourishing
Made exclusively of CBD oil, EMERA's CBD oil shampoo has a numerous amount of benefits for permed hair. Cannabidiol oil (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound that can naturally coexist with the hair's endocannabinoid system to cure dry hair (which can be a side effect of the chemical used during a perm treatment). The shampoo contains vitamins A, C, and E which help nourish the body of the hair and help keep the curls intact.
(EMERA, $25)
11. No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo by OLAPLEX
Like the name suggest, this shampoo by OLAPLEX is a boost of bond maintenance as it repairs the moisture and strength of the curls. All while gently cleansing and promising not to strip away the treatment and keep the curls intact longer.
(Sephora, $28)
12. Coconut Power Strong And Long Moisturizing Shampoo by Pacifica
What's to love more: the price point, the scent of coconuts, or the ability to provide a long healthy life to your locked-in curls? The mixture of coconut, rice, and super fruits can assist in curing dry hair from chemical processes, over-washing, and environmental pollutants.
(Pacifica, $10)
13. TruCurl Curl Perfecting Shampoo by ColorProof
With Color Proof's TruCurl shampoo, the formula will help fight against humidity (which could weigh down the curls). Inside the shampoo contains:sugar cane, abyssinian, camellia, and grapeseed oils, and seaweed. Additionally, TruCurl also works wonderfully on color-treated as well.
(ColorProof, $39)
14. Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Shampoo by Bumble & Bumble
A preferred shampoo of choice of hair dressers and stylist, Bumble & Bumble's Hairdresser Oil Shampoo is an extreme multi-tasker. Hairdresser's Oil is known and claimed to instantly transform dry and treated hair to silky-smooth. The formula blends six different light-weight oils that help to tame and de-frizz curls.
(Sephora, $32)
15. Ghost Shampoo by Verb
Having moringa oil as the main ingredient in Verb's Ghost Shampoo infuses the hair with vital nutrients that can help smooth and de-frizz permed hair and promote shine weight-less locks. Verb is a cruelty free company and environmental lovers can rejoice in the ethical nature of a wonderful shampoo.
(Amazon)
16. Perfect Hair Day Shampoo by Living Proof
Say hello to Living Proof's Perfect Day Shampoo. One of the difficulties with permed hair is that the treatment can only withstand a certain number of washes. Once you limit your need for a constant hair wash, you're stretching out the lifespan of a perm treatment, making it a must shower accessory.
(Sephora, $26)
17. Pure Honey Moisturizing Dry Defense Shampoo by Creme of Nature
For an affordable price, Creme of Nature provides a sulfate and mineral-oil free formula that is safe on permed hair. Many of this washes benefits are known to help create healthy-looking hair by cleansing restoring while also softening and detangling with a touch of shine.
(Amazon)
18. Curl Shampoo by OUAI
OUAI's Curl Shampoo is a light cleanser infused with their own smart technology that cleans while leaving moisture and keeping bouncy and soft curls. The formula of the Curl Shampoo (in addition to their technology) contains tamarind Seed Extract, smart keratin, and an amino acid blend.
(Sephora, $28)
19. Discipline Sulfate Free Smoothing Shampoo by Kerastase
Keeping curls both buoyant and anti-frizz is a must with maintaining permed hair, but a lesser known detail many stylist will admit about keeping up with curly locks is their flexibility and proper hair movement. With Kerastase's Morpho-Keratine technology, these two elements are more likely to be cared for and nourished. This formula also has the ability to act as a surface perfector and create post-shower hair that is easy to detangle.
(Sephora, $33)
20. Curl Enhancing Shampoo by Moroccanoil
A curl-booster in a nutrient packed punch filled with argan oil to help bring back elasticity and shine, creating curls free of frizz. Made from hydrolyzed vegetable protein blend for weightless curls, and abyssinion oil to strength and protect, there's not much to beat when deciding which shampoo will add the proper amount of nutrients to your hair.
(Amazon)
21. Q-Shampoo by Lubricity Labs
While cleansing permed hair a couple of times a week, we must make sure to only strip away dirt and excess oil and not natural oils that are essential and necessary in storing bounce, shine, and luster. No one likes dry and frizzy curls, and Lubricity Labs couldn't agree more. The combination of lipids and quinoa proteins coat the curl strands for a better wash.
(Lubricity Labs, $28)
22. On The Rocks Clarifying Charcoal Shampoo by Dry Bar
The activated charcoal in the formula helps remove the impurities in the hair without drying out stripping the perms chemical treatment from the strands. Additionally, charcoal can absorb 100-200 times its weight in impurities. Another ingredient in the shampoo, vegetable protein, can help reinforce balance to chemically treated or damaged hair.
(Sephora, $26)
23. Cleanse, Defrizz, & Revitalize Shampoo by Hair La Vie
Containing Keratin to help maintain your perm's volume. Horsetail extract which is abundant in silica, a mineral known for hair growth and preventing split ends. Saw Palmetto which prevents shrinking hair follicles. Willow Bark for cleansing and balancing oil production. Soy Proteins and silk amino acids to strengthen as well as Vitamin b5 to increase your hair's water content which with improve elasticity and promote flexible curls.
(Hair La Vie, $24.50)
24. Moroccan Mud-Poo by Shea Terra Organics
Different than our traditional view of shampoo (and different than those on our list), Mud-Poo by Shea Terra Organics acts more as a deep rooted cleanser. Not a traditional shampoo, this formula comes as a powder to be mixed with water and applied two times a week.
(Shea Terra Organics, $16)
25. PlayCurl Shampoo by Ouidad
Without the right care, curls can fall, but Playcurl by Ouidad promises with their formula that curls will stay bouncy and afloat with their light-weight formula. Contains wheat protein, hydrolyzed silk, and botanicals like green tea and aloe, so you can be assured you'll only be putting top grade quality products into your locks.
(Ouidad, $18)
Elizabeth Blasi is a New Yorker. A lifestyle & travel writer, who is often seen with a suitcase in hand, jetsetting to her next location. But as a true Digital Nomad, her love of writing and romance novels means her laptop is always beside her.
YourTango may earn an affiliate commission if you buy something through links featured in this article.