Whatever your hair type or concern, whether it’s fine, normal or coarse, dry, frizzy, coloured or damaged, you need a shampoo that washes off dirt and product residue well. You also need treatment products that keep frizz at bay in Singapore’s humid weather, yet won’t weigh down hair.
BEST MOISTURISING SHAMPOO FOR NORMAL HAIR (STORE)
Hysses Neroli Lemongrass Shampoo, $25.90
It washes and moisturises well without leaving a greasy residue or feeling heavy on hair. As a plus, its relaxing fragrance isn’t overpowering.
BEST SMOOTHING SHAMPOO FOR NORMAL HAIR (STORE)
Tsubaki Smooth Shampoo, $14.90
A creamy shampoo that smooths hair without stickiness or greasiness. It left our tester’s hair light and bouncy, with a healthy-looking shine.
BEST LIGHTWEIGHT CONDITIONER FOR FINE HAIR (STORE)
Essential Weightlessly Smooth Conditioner, $10.90
It leaves hair feeling much softer, smoother, and tangle-free. But as it has a mushy texture and a powdery scent, it might not appeal to everyone.
BEST CONDITIONER FOR NORMAL HAIR (STORE)
Tsubaki Smooth Conditioner, $14.90
This is super-lightweight, yet spreads effortlessly over hair. It leaves hair smooth, soft and tangle-free, and also makes it easier to blow-dry after.
HAIR MASK FOR FINE HAIR (STORE)
Schwarzkopf Professional Oil Ultime Marula & Rose Light Oil-in-mousse Treatment, $35
After rinsing out the treatment mask, hair feels light, soft and smooth, and is shiny and easy to comb through. Frizz is kept at bay. Bonus points for the soothing rose scent.
BEST LIGHTWEIGHT SHAMPOO FOR FINE HAIR (STORE)
Je L’aime Relax Bounce & Airy Shampoo, $18.90
The thick and honey-like shampoo has a pleasant, mango pudding-like smell. It lathers easily, so you need less product. Using less shampoo also means it won’t weigh down fine hair. It left the hair so soft, light and airy that our tester didn’t need to use a conditioner.
BEST LEAVE-IN TREATMENT FOR FINE HAIR (STORE)
Schwarzkopf Professional Oil Ultime Rose Finishing Oil, $32
Used on towel-dried hair, the oil detangles, moisturises and smooths, making combing through easy. On dry hair, it is absorbed quickly without an oily residue. It also gives hair a healthy-looking shine and controls frizz until the next shampoo.
Phyto Paris Phytodensia Plumping Serum, $65
The lightweight serum can be used on both the scalp and hair. It made our tester’s scalp feel light and refreshed. It was also absorbed quickly by her hair, and detangled it easily.
BEST VOLUMISING SHAMPOO FOR FINE HAIR (STORE)
John Frieda Luxurious Volume Core Restore Protein-infused Shampoo, $15.90
The scalp and hair feel light and refreshed after using this. The shampoo both moisturises and volumises fine hair, leaving it less tangled. Our tester was able to skip conditioner after.
BEST VOLUMISING CONDITIONER FOR FINE HAIR (STORE)
Orbis Natural Repair Conditioner (Volumising), $23
A scent-free conditioner that gives fine hair natural but not over-the-top volume. It made our tester’s hair soft and tangle-free, and wasn’t so greasy that it was hard to wash off.
BEST ANTI-FRIZZ SHAMPOO (STORE)
Je L’aime Relax Soft and Moist Shampoo, $18.90
More than 90 per cent of this shampoo is made of natural ingredients. It smooths and detangles frizzy hair and has a light and pleasant scent.
BEST ANTI-FRIZZ CONDITIONER (STORE)
Orbis Natural Repair Conditioner (Refining), $23
An unscented creamy conditioner, it washes out easily but leaves a light coating which makes hair feel silkier and more moisturised. It is great at smoothing frizzy hair and keeping it soft and shiny.
MOST COMPREHENSIVE RANGE FOR DAMAGED BRITTLE HAIR (SALON)
L’Oreal Kerastase Resistance, $41.73-$73.83
With a shampoo, conditioner, mask and leave-in treatment that can be used on both scalp and hair, this range combats hair breakage, a problem that is common in damaged, brittle strands. Every product in the range is lightweight enough not to weigh down the hair.
BEST REPAIRING SHAMPOO FOR DAMAGED BRITTLE HAIR (SALON)
Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair Restoring Shampoo, $30
This aims to reduce hair fall and breakage from the first use. Our tester liked that the shampoo, while creamy, was still lightweight enough to not leave a sticky or heavy feel.
BEST REPAIRING CONDITIONER FOR DAMAGED BRITTLE HAIR (SALON)
TK Trichokare Complete Care Conditioner, $50.29
This conditioner is formulated to repair brittle hair intensively. Our tester spotted only a few strands of hair – sometimes, none at all – in the bathroom drain after using it.
BEST HAIR MASK FOR DAMAGED BRITTLE HAIR (SALON)
Svenson Defence Hair Booster Nutrition Pack, $55
The treatment mask, which can also be used on the scalp, is said to reduce hair breakage and hair fall. Its rich texture means a little goes a long way – two 20 cent-sized amounts are sufficient for a neck-length bob. Use too much and it may leave a sticky residue behind. Available at Bella Marie France.
BEST MOISTURISING SHAMPOO FOR DRY HAIR (STORE)
Muji Seaweed Shampoo (Refill), $16
The shampoo washes out easily and moisturises both hair and scalp. The luxurious spa-like scent makes the whole experience even more soothing and relaxing.
BEST MOISTURISING CONDITIONER FOR DRY HAIR (STORE)
Timotei Precious Oil Conditioner, $6.90
It smooths dry, prone-to-tangling ends, making hair feel softer and silkier. It also has a slight straightening effect, so flyaways become more manageable.
BEST HAIR MASK FOR COLOURED HAIR (SALON)
Goldwell Dualsenses Color Extra Rich 60sec Treatment, $36
It conditions well, making hair look and feel softer. It also gives hair a healthy shine, although our tester said the mask made her hair feel a little heavier after it dried.
BEST COLOURTONING CONDITIONER (SALON)
Kimage Rinfa Color Care, $68
The unscented conditioner doesn’t feel too heavy, and it helps maintain colour while making hair feel softer and more manageable.
PHOTO FRENCHESCAR LIM ART DIRECTION SHERLI CHONG
For Sleek, Smooth Hair
BEST REPAIRING SHAMPOO FOR DAMAGED COLOURED HAIR (STORE)
Moist Diane Perfect Beauty Extra Damage Repair Shampoo, $16.90
It washes out easily, and both scalp and hair feel refreshed after. The tester’s hair appeared shiny and smooth.
Dove Advanced Hair Series Colour Vibrancy Shampoo, $13.90
The shampoo brings a vibrancy to hair colour while imparting healthy looking shine and bounce. Its light floral scent is also pleasant.
BEST HAIR MASK FOR DAMAGED COLOURED HAIR (STORE)
Mediheal Hair Sheep Steam Pack, $39 for five masks
The hair mask, which is spread onto a “shower cap”, is a lot less messy to use than some other masks. It softens even bleached hair without making it feel heavy.
BEST LEAVE-IN TREATMENT FOR DAMAGED HAIR (SALON)
Follizin Hair Renew, $50
The spray-on treatment gives instant results – frizz is tamed and hair is smoothed, with a naturallooking shine. It doesn’t feel greasy or heavy, even though it has argan oil.
BEST REPAIRING SHAMPOO FOR DAMAGED HAIR (STORE)
Phyto Paris Phytoelixir Intense Nutrition Shampoo Ultra-dry Hair, $45
With a rich, conditioner-like texture, the shampoo lathers up well, working through hair easily. It tamed our tester’s chemically damaged hair, which felt soft and looked shiny after use, even on the next day.
BEST REPAIRING SHAMPOO FOR DAMAGED HAIR (SALON)
Amos Professional Repair Force Shampoo, $48
Hair is shiny and feels smooth and manageable. The shampoo itself has a pretty pink shimmer, and it lathers well and washes off easily.
BEST HAIR MASK FOR DAMAGED HAIR (STORE)
Tsubaki Premium Repair Mask, $19.90
This mask, which smells like a sweet jelly, feels luxurious but rinses off easily. It doesn’t weigh hair down, but softens it and makes damaged ends look healthier.
BEST DEEP-REPAIRING SHAMPOO FOR DAMAGED HAIR (STORE)
Je L’aime Amino Deep Moist Shampoo, $16.90
Despite it being a deeprepair shampoo, it is lightweight and has no hard-to-wash-off residue. It moisturises damaged hair well and keeps frizz at bay.
Essential Nourishing Breakage Defense Shampoo, $10.90
This not only softens hair, it keeps damaged ends from frizzing up. It also lathers well and doesn’t make hair appear flat after it is rinsed out.
BEST REPAIRING (MOISTURISING) CONDITIONER FOR DAMAGED HAIR (STORE)
A’kin Macadamia Oil & Wheat Protein Moisture Rich Conditioner, $38.50
This conditioner makes hair feel moisturised, soft and smooth. It even smooths dry ends, making hair easier to comb through. And it adds shine and some weight to the hair, which helps to make it more manageable.
BEST REPAIRING (ANTIBREAKAGE) CONDITIONER FOR DAMAGED HAIR (STORE)
Lux Luminique Acai Straight Treatment, $16.90
The conditioner spreads easily over hair and smooths it without weighing it down. It also gives it a light, healthy-looking sheen, with a pleasant scent that lasts almost the entire day.
