L’Oreal’s EverPure Moisture Shampoo Made My Hair Dramatically Softer

I’m a sucker for any beauty product that claims to hydrate. Be it my skin, my hair, my lashes, my lips… I guess you can say I’m a big believer in the power of hydration and the natural glow it emits. As someone with thicker hair that has natural movement, moisture has always served my hair well. Serums and leave-in conditioners are a staple in my hair care routine because they give me extra moisture, which in turn eliminates frizzing and keeps my hair tame. When I got asked to test out the L’Oreal EverPure Sulfate-Free Moisture Shampoo, it was an easy yes because moisture, historically, has always been on my (hair’s) side. Keep reading for my honest review. 

About My Hair: Course waves

My hair is at a medium length around the shoulder and doesn’t have a ton of shape to it, so my waves have been air drying a little wonky lately. Typically, I wash and condition my hair every three days, and I try to follow up post-shower with some sort of moisturizing product to help my waves find their groove and ward off unwanted frizz. Typically I use a serum or leave-in conditioner spray for this. The added moisture has always really helped my hair. I have no color in my hair at the moment, but I use heat to style it two to three times a week. While trying this new Ever Pure shampoo, I decided to eliminate my post-shower moisture assistants to see how much the shampoo could do on its own. 

The Feel: Thin and sparse

I found this shampoo had a lightness to it, down to the touch. Its formula is thin and disperses easily into the hand. I felt the need to use two small handfuls instead of one while shampooing to cover every inch of my scalp and ensure I was lathered up all over. It never felt heavy in the shower, and it rinsed out with ease. I was surprised it didn’t smell anything at all like rosemary or have any herbal aroma to it as it was working in action, but it still had a nice generic fragrance to it and never left any noticeable weight behind. 

Ingredients: Rosemary botanicals

Rosemary itself has a pretty solid rep when it comes to hair care and is known to be one of the few essential oils to promote hair growth and reduce hair loss. It can even show an improvement for those who struggle with different types of alopecia. Rosemary’s great for the scalp and can help improve its circulation, which is a key component of hair growth.

This sulfate-free formula that’s infused with rosemary botanicals is largely targeted to hair that has been chemically treated and is therefore dry, brittle, and damaged. It is also made without parabens or harsh salts to keep from stripping the hair of its color. While I didn’t get to try this with color-treated hair (a recent first for me), I know how critical those details are and how detrimental sulfates and parabens can be on a high-ticket color job. Although this shampoo is free of the damaging ingredients listed above, it still doesn’t meet our Byrdie clean pledge due to its inclusion of PEGs and BHT. 

The Results: Flat out smooth 

I was surprised by the results I got from using this shampoo. The first time around my hair felt immediately softer, even while it was still wet! What surprised me most was the second and third time I used it, my hair air-dried so much flatter and smoother, so my waves were practically non-existent. In a way, it was kind of nice because I didn’t have to whip out the flat iron as I do normally, so I guess in a sense it did help prevent me from getting dull, dried-out hair. I typically like to see my waves more defined from using moisturizing products, but while adjusting to this new length of mine, I didn’t really mind it too much. If it hadn’t weighed down my natural volume at the roots, I think I’d have been much happier overall with the smoothness I got from using this shampoo. 

The Value: Budget-friendly

If you aren’t someone who likes to splurge on basic necessities like your daily shampoo, this is a great option at just under $8, especially if you’re spending your money on a killer color job that may or may not be high maintenance to hold up and you’re looking to cut costs somewhere. A good hydrating shampoo doesn’t need to be expensive for it to work well. While many of the other options on the market tend to range from $5 to $30, the Ever Pure leans on the lower end of the spectrum. 

Similar Products: You’ve got options

Verb Ghost Shampoo: For finer hair types, the Verb Ghost Shampoo ($18) will defrizz and detangle colored hair. With quinoa protein and sunflower seed extract as some of the main ingredients, this clean formula will help repair damaged hair from the inside out and protect them against stressors that may be causing dryness, dulling, and breakage. 

Rahua Hydration Shampoo: I've used the Rahua Hydration Shampoo ($34) in the past, and while it did give me smooth hair, I didn’t lose my natural volume or texture as time went on. It has a nice tropical scent to it and is made with all organic ingredients, with mango being a frontrunner. This shampoo doesn’t target colored hair specifically, and it is on the pricer end, but it does noticeably help to repair hair that is dry and damaged.