11 Shampoos for Colored Hair That Won't Strip Your Fresh Dye Job

Olaplex, simply put, is the gold standard of hair color aftercare. Equally as popular at the No. 3 hair treatment, this sulfate-free, reparative shampoo rebuilds hair bonds that are damaged during the color process to strengthen brittle, dry hair and protect against future damage. The No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo still foams, creating a luxurious lather that dutifully cleans hair without stripping the life out of it. 

This sulfate-free shampoo is far from abrasive. It gently cleanses colored hair while adding subtle volume, all with a minty, rosemary scent that reviewers found refreshing. Another surprise? For a color-friendly shampoo without any sulfates, it conjures up a rich foam with barely any effort, which is good news if you’re unnerved by the lack of suds in most sulfate-free shampoos. 

Sulfate-free shampoos often sacrifice cleanliness in favor of polite formulas that do little to remove buildup, but not this ultra-gentle Verb shampoo. Quinoa protein and pro-vitamin B5 pop up in the ingredients list to help strengthen hair, and reviewers were pleased with the way the shampoo cleansed, moisturized, and soothed hair all while leaving hair color intact. For handfuls of cloudlike foam, a dime-sized amount of product is all you need. 

Blonde hair, unfortunately, is prone to turning brassy—encounter a little chlorine or hard water and you might find your hair pulling too yellow-green, even orange as time goes on. To remedy this, try this purple shampoo from Amika. It contains nourishing avocado oil and sea buckthorn berry. The “ultra-violet” shampoo dispenses a rich purple product that isn’t too runny, which helps with application control, and even softens stressed-out strands.

The Restore Shampoo features Living Proof’s “Patented Healthy Hair Molecule,” the reparative compound created by MIT scientists that is pretty much the reason all Living Proof products exist. Packaged in what looks like a color-blocked milk bottle, the citrusy formula leaves hair shinier, bouncier, and healthier-looking without ruining your hair color. It won’t undo existing damage to hair, but it’ll help you hold over until your next appointment. Like the other products in this list, the sulfate-free Restore Shampoo does work up a nice foam.

This minty shampoo from Matrix contains soothing mint leaf to balance the scalp without stripping hair color. The Biolage Scalpsync Cooling Mint Shampoo removes build-up without that dreaded squeaky feeling, leaves hair hydrated and healthy, and according to reviews, even helps with dandruff and flakiness.

Heads up: This pick from Tresemme does contain sodium laureth sulfate, one of the sulfates flagged as a potential irritant, so it could be worth patch-testing if you don’t react well to surfactants. But, if you can tolerate sulfates, according to reviews, this drugstore option removes buildup without stripping moisture, shine, or color. Between the generously sized bottles (with a convenient pump), weightless formula, and a pleasant, luxurious scent, the Tresemme Color Revitalize Shampoo is a worthy alternative to pricier color-safe shampoos. 

Thanks to its structure, curly hair is naturally prone to being dry. Add in harsh hair dyes and it quickly goes from dry to parched. That’s where Amika’s Velveteen Dream Shampoo comes in. The color-safe shampoo is dedicated to restoring moisture, which keeps frizz in check and prevents additional damage, including split ends and breakage. It even has time-released humidity protection to keep strands smooth in any weather. The shampoo includes Amika's signature ingredient, sea buckthorn, an antioxidant that is packed with high concentrations of hard-to-find omega-7, which promotes collagen and fights free radicals, as well as vitamins A, C, and E. 

Virtue’s Recovery Shampoo doesn’t just condition damaged hair—it rebuilds it every time you lather up. To keep hair shiny and healthy, and color vibrant, it gently washes away buildup and leaves crucial nutrients behind. The entire Virtue line contains its signature Alpha Keratin 60ku, which is an exact copy of the keratin that naturally makes up the hair. Essentially, this shampoo is hair rehab in a bottle—locks are left incredibly silky and soft. 

There is no need to worry about icky ingredients—including sulfates—with Biolage’s R.A.W. Color Care Shampoo. It's made with 98% naturally-derived goodness. The vegan formula is also free of silicones, artificial colorants, and parabens. Instead, it contains coconut milk and antioxidant-packed meadowfoam, which help to deliver its promise of delivering five times more shine and three times more moisture. Though gentle, the formula is strong enough to tackle build-up, leaving you with light, soft strands.