Editor’s Note: I find perms are a very unique style, and this look is coming back into popularity in recent times. If you know anything about perms, it’s that they need to be cared for in a very specific way so those amazing curls stick around for as long as possible. If you’re considering a perm, or if you already have one and want to be sure you’re taking the best care of it, review our curated list of the best shampoos for permed hair. We’ve chosen the products on our list for their ability to gently cleanse your permed hair and care for it without destroying those permanent waves and leaving you dealing with frizz.
The perfectly-defined perms from the very bold and outspoken 80s are now making a comeback and are more gorgeous than ever in 2026.
A perm, which is the shortened term for “permanent wave”, is a hair treatment process that uses chemicals to break down the hair structure and rebond it into a curl or a wave. This process changes the hair texture entirely, which means that previously straight-haired girls would have to adjust to an entirely different hair care routine in order to take care of their newly-permed hair.
- Factors to Consider When Buying Shampoos for Permed Hair
- Top 16 Best Shampoos for Permed Hair 2026
- 1. Best Overall Shampoo: Pure Nature Argan Oil Deep Hydra Nourishing Shampoo
- 2. Best Budget Shampoo: Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo
- 3. Best Premium Shampoo: Hask Coconut Milk & Organic Honey Curl Care Shampoo
- 4. Best Shine-Boosting Shampoo: Marc Anthony Strictly Curls Curl Defining Shampoo
- 5. Best Moisturizing Shampoo: SheaMoisture Curl and Shine Coconut and Hibiscus Shampoo
- 6. Best Damage-Repairing Shampoo: Arvazallia Advanced Hair Repair Moisturizing Shampoo
- 7. Best Detangling Shampoo: Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Shampoo
- 8. Best Gentle Shampoo: L'Oreal Paris EverCurl Hydracharge Sulfate Free Shampoo, with Coconut Oil
- 9. Best Curl-Enhancing Shampoo: SexyHair Curly Curl Enhancing Shampoo
- 10. Most Nourishing Shampoo: Dove Nutritive Solutions Anti-Frizz Oil Therapy Shampoo
- 11. Best Color-Safe Shampoo: Nioxin 6 Color Safe Cleanser Shampoo
- 12. Itallian Hairtech Professional Trivitt Chemically Treated Hair Shampoo
- 13. Zotos Nutri-Ox Chemically-Treated Hair Shampoo
- 14. MATRIX Total Results Curl Please Shampoo
- 15. Curly Hair Solutions Treatment Shampoo
- 16. Pantene Pro-V Curl Perfection Shampoo
- Guide to Taking Care of Permed Hair
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
Factors to Consider When Buying Shampoos for Permed Hair
One example of a hair care product that you should consider switching when you undergo this chemical process is shampoo. But it’s not enough to pick any bottle with “perm” or “curly” written on it—there are some things you’ll want to consider to make sure that you get the hair product you deserve.
How to Choose the Best Shampoos for Permed Hair
With dozens or even hundreds of products out on the market today, how exactly do you choose the best shampoos for permed hair? Here are some things you should consider before buying a shampoo.
Natural Ingredients
Since permed hair is already made more fragile by various chemicals, you should try to avoid shampoos with plenty of difficult-sounding ingredients and stick to natural ones. In addition to this, natural ingredients like aloe vera, shea butter, plant-based oils, fruit extracts, and leaf extracts have moisturizing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties that are good at taking care of your permed hair.
For Hair Moisturization: Humectants
If your biggest hair problem is severe dryness, you should definitely look into humectants. Humectants are ingredients that can lock in moisture and soften dry hair. Since permed hair can easily get dehydrated, humectants, like sorbitol and glycerine, are an important main ingredient in shampoos for permed hair.
For Hair Reconstruction: Keratin and Collagen
Permed hair is more prone to getting damaged, which is why a lot of people with permed hair turn to shampoos that promote hair reconstruction. These shampoos typically contain proteins and amino acids, which can repair your hair and smoothen its structure. Most common in shampoos are collagen, a high molecular weight protein, and keratin, a hydrolyzed protein.
Paraben and Sulfate-Free
Parabens and sulfates are chemicals used in shampoos to aid with preservation and additional cleansing properties. However, although these ingredients do present some benefits, their drawbacks are simply not worth it. For instance, while parabens can prevent fungi growth in shampoos, they can also dry out your hair and cause hair to fall out.
Sulfates, on the other hand, are effective at cleansing and foaming but they strip your locks of essential natural oils, leading to frizzy and dehydrated strands.
Value for Money
You should also factor your budget in when considering which shampoo to buy. Some shampoos may be more expensive than others but do not necessarily offer more value for your money. Others, meanwhile, may seem too affordable, but they already offer everything that you need.
Remember, having the right shampoo is the best way to make permed hair maintenance more affordable in the long run. It’s always better to buy a relatively expensive shampoo that’s formulated especially for permed hair than to have to redo your perms. Or worse, to get an even more expensive hair treatment to repair your damaged hair.
To help you out, we’ve gathered the sixteen best shampoos for permed hair that can take your gorgeous new locks to a whole new level.
Top 16 Best Shampoos for Permed Hair 2026
1. Best Overall Shampoo: Pure Nature Argan Oil Deep Hydra Nourishing Shampoo
Editor’s Rating:
Pure Nature Luz Spa Argan Oil Deep Hydra Nourishing Shampoo is a fantastic shampoo if you want to hydrate, moisturize, nourish and repair frizzy, dry, and damaged hair due to excessive styling or chemical treatments. It also contains UV and thermal protectants that can mitigate the damages caused by overexposure to sunlight and heat-styling products.
Safe and healthy to use for colored and keratin-treated hair, this shampoo contains no sulfates, parabens, sodium chloride, gluten, or phthalates that may cause irritation and disease to the hair and the scalp. It’s also perfectly suitable for frizzy, curly, wavy, fine, or thick hair, so if you don’t want to keep perming your hair anymore, you can still use this.
This shampoo is also great at moisturizing the hair to make it soft, manageable, and shiny. It also smoothens frizz and softens and defines curls. Lastly, it contains vitamin E that helps make the hair stronger, thicker, and younger-looking.
It’s not organic, so if that matters to you you’ll need to spend a bit more to get something like the Hask Coconut Milk & Organic Honey Curl Care Shampoo.
Ingredients
This shampoo contains hydrolyzed wheat protein, coconut oil derivative products, unsaturated essential fatty acids, and vitamin E, all of which can hydrate and restore hair moisture levels while providing the proper nourishment that damaged hair needs.
Pro Tip: For soft, shiny, manageable, clean, and easy to style hair, use the Deep Hydra Nourishing Shampoo with its counterpart conditioner, Deep Moisture Repair Conditioner.
Pros
- Allows hair nourishment, elasticity, control, and shine
- Repairs hair damage
- Keeps hair safe from UV rays, pollution, and other drying and freezing environmental factors
- Protects hair color
Cons
- Lower levels of lathering
- Not 100% organic
2. Best Budget Shampoo: Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo
Editor’s Rating:
Garnier’s Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo is a great choice for those who are looking for a budget shampoo that contains natural ingredients and has no parabens or sulfates. It boasts an ‘Active Fruit Protein’ formula which apparently includes an exclusive combination of vitamins, citrus protein, natural extracts, and special conditioners that are formulated for healthier and stronger hair.
It also has coconut oil that gently cleanses the hair so that it’s not stripped of its natural moisture. If you suffer from dryness, this shampoo can also deeply nourish your strands so that you can get well-defined and frizz-resistant curls that can last throughout your entire day.
It’s not great for thick curls, though, so if you’ve got a heavy set of curls you might want to try something made for detangling like the Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Shampoo.
Ingredients
The natural extracts for the Active Fruit Protein formula include fruit and plant extracts like sugar cane extract, lemon peel extract, lemon protein, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, jojoba seed oil, radish root ferment filtrate, and camellia sinensis leaf extract, among many others.
In addition to all these natural extracts, Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo also uses fragrance ingredients naturally occurring in essential oils such as hexyl cinnamal, linalool, coumarin, limonene, geraniol, and citronellol.
Pro Tip: To complete the Curl Nourish hair care routine, after washing your hair with the shampoo, condition your hair with Curl Nourish Conditioner, and then after you’ve taken a bath and your hair is only damp, apply the leave-in treatment Curl Nourish Butter Cream.
Pros
- Plant-based shampoo formula
- Sulfate- and paraben-free
- Defined and frizz-resistant curls for 24 hours
- Works well in high humidity areas
- Protect hair during aggressive heat styling, even up to 446F
Cons
- May not be able to handle heavier curls
- Not for those who don’t like scented products
Editor’s Rating: