12 Best Hair Straightening Shampoos For Curly Hair
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Curly hair is beautiful, but sometimes you want to switch it up and rock straight hair. However, straightening curly hair is not that simple.
You need to ensure that you are prepping your hair correctly with the right shampoo before going in with any hair straightening products or hot tools.
Using a hair straightening shampoo will help keep your hair smooth, moisturize, and enhance your results when going in with a flat iron.
So now the real question is, which are the best straightening shampoos on the market?
Luckily for you, we've rounded up the top 12 best straightening shampoos for curly hair. Keep reading to discover which shampoo is right for your hair type.
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What are straightening shampoos?
Straightening shampoos are also known as smoothing shampoos. These types of shampoos are unique because they contain ingredients such as keratin protein, rich oils, and other frizz-fighting agents.
The key ingredients that make up these shampoos will clean and hydrate your curls.
Having hydrated hair makes the hair straightening process easier. Your hair is more manageable, less frizzy, shiny, and stays smoother longer.
However, keep in mind that a straightening shampoo will not make your curly or wavy hair straight.
A shampoo like this will give you better results when you use a blow dryer and flat iron to achieve that straight look.
Dose straightening shampoo work on curly hair?
Yes, straightening shampoos work on curly hair. These types of shampoos smooth and hydrate your hair, which is exactly what you need when you want to achieve silky smooth hair.
In reality, straightening/smoothing shampoos are made for those with curly hair types or with frizzy hair.
Which shampoos make curly hair straight?
12 best hair straightening shampoos for curly hairWe have pulled together not just one of the best hair straightening shampoo for your curly hair, but we managed to round up 12 of the best shampoos that will help make your curly frizzy hair nice and straight. Check out the list below!
12 best hair straightening shampoos for curly hair
1 — Best For Fine Hair
Verb Ghost Shampoo
Hair Type: Fine - Medium
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: A lightweight shampoo for fine to medium hair that is infused with moringa oil which helps smooth, detangle and moisturize hair.
Key Ingredients: Moringa seed, quinoa protein, and sunflower seed extract. These ingredients help to repair damaged hair, prevents breakage, and are packed with protein which helps to promote healthier hair.
2 — Best For Coarse Hair
Global Keratin Moisturizing Shampoo
Hair Type: Medium and thick hair
Hair Texture: Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: A moisturizing shampoo that coats each one of your hair strands with protein. The protein within this shampoo will help to remove frizz, lock in moisture, and also make your hair more manageable.
Key Ingredients: Juvexin - A keratin protein that nourishes, smooths and helps repair extremely damaged hair.
3 — Best Affordable
John Frieda Forever Smooth Shampoo
Hair Type: Medium to thick
Hair Texture: Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: An anti-frizz shampoo that builds an internal barrier that helps fight frizz. It is great for all leaves of frizz and is also safe for colour-treated hair.
Key Ingredients: Coconut oil is a rich oil that hydrates and adds instant shine to your hair.
4 — Best Overall Value
Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Ultra-Rich Shampoo
Hair Type: Medium and thick hair
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: An ultra-rich, creamy shampoo that contains hyaluronic acid, which helps to add moisture back into dry hair. This rich formula will also help control unruly hair from frizz and add shine back to your dry hair.
Key Ingredients: Kalahari melon seed oil is an oil that helps provide instant moisture to the hair.
5 — Best Professional Quality
Olaplex No 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo
Hair Type: Medium and thick hair
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, Coiled, Tightly Coiled
What is it: A highly concentrated shampoo that strengthens brittle hair by repairing and maintaining the bonds within the hair. This product also helps to prevent further hair breakage and eliminates frizz.
Key Ingredients: Bis-Aminoproply Digylco Dimaleate is a patented bond-building technology that is found in all Olaplex products. This technology rebuilds broken and weakened bonds.
6 — Best Premium Brand
Kérastase Discipline Sulfate Free Smoothing Shampoo
Hair Type: Fine, Medium, and Coarse Hair
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: A sulfate-free shampoo that smooths unmanageable hair, prevents hair from heat damage and leaves you with shiny hair.
Key Ingredients: Surface protector makes your hair soft and also helps when trying to detangle your hair. This is a must-have ingredient for curly hair. This product has lipid agents in it as well that help smooth and protect hair from frizz.
7 — Best splurge
Oribe Shampoo for Moisture & Control
Hair Type: Medium and thick hair
Hair Texture: Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: An ultra-luxurious hair shampoo that is designed to moisturize, tame frizz, and enhance your natural waves or curls. This rich formula will also leave your hair smooth, sleek, and polished if you desire to wear your natural curls straight.
Key Ingredients: Amino acid complex will help add moisture to your hair all while strengthening and repairing the hair's damaged cuticles. The other most important ingredient found in this shampoo is the microemulsion smoothing system that bonds with the hair's cuticles to deliver deep moisture into the hair.
8 — Best For Hair Growth
Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo
Hair Type: Medium and thick hair
Hair Texture: Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: A shampoo that is specifically made to straighten and restore damaged hair. This rich formula has conditioning ingredients that will add moisture to your hair while increasing hair's resistance to breakage.
Key Ingredients: Organic shea butter will moisturize the hair and scalp. Jamaican black castor oil adds omegas into the hair that reduce breakage and promote healthy hair. Peppermint oil stimulates the scalp.
9 — Best Colour-Safe
Matrix Mega Sleek Shampoo
Hair Type: Fine, Medium and Thick hair
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: A mega sleek shampoo that smooths unruly hair and manages frizz against humidity. This shampoo is also suitable for colour-treated or natural hair. It also helps damage frizzy hair stay smooth, hydrated, and frizz-free longer when using this line.
Key Ingredients: Shea butter for increased manageability.
10 — Best hydrating
Briogeo don't despair repair super moisture shampoo for damaged hair
Hair Type: Medium and thick hair
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Coily, Tightly coiled
What is it: Ultra-hydrating cleansing shampoo that removes dirt, oil, and buildup from your hair. It replenishes hair by adding hydration and nutrients back in. Along with repair benefits for damaged hair.
Key Ingredients: Algae extract, panthenol biotin, and rose oil. These key ingredients all condition and help repair your hair.
11 — Best Vegan
Amika Normcore sulphate-free Shampoo
Hair Type: Medium and thick hair
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Coily, Tightly coiled
What is it: A sulfate-free hydrating shampoo that gently removes buildup and infuses hair and scalp with omega-7-rich sea buckthorn for soft, silky, bouncy hair
Key Ingredients: Coconut Acid and Sea Buckthorn are rich ingredients that help clean the scalp, add shine, and help keep your hair healthy.
12 — Best Overall
AG Hair Fast Food Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Hair Type: Fine - Medium
Hair Texture: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Coily
What is it: A lightweight shampoo for fine to medium hair that is infused with moringa oil which helps smooth, detangle and moisturize hair.
Key Ingredients: Moringa seed, quinoa protein, and sunflower seed extract. These ingredients help to repair damaged hair, prevents breakage, and are packed with protein which helps to promote healthier hair.
What are the advantages of using a straightening shampoo for curly hair?
There are many advantages to using a straightening shampoo vs a regular shampoos when it comes to your curly.
One of the main benefits is that you will have less frizz when blowdrying and flat ironing your hair.
The shampoo can also protect your hair from heat damage.
Your hair will stay smooth and straight longer because of the extra hydration that is added to each hair strand.
Expect your hair to have an extra boost of shine to it when using these shampoos.
Helps with detangling your hair.
Can help reduce drying time.
Softens your hair texture to make it more manageable.
What are the disadvantages of using a straightening shampoo for curly hair?
There are a few disadvantages of using a straightening shampoo for curly hair.
Your hair may build up a coating on the outer layer of each hair strand. This is because these shampoos have strong conditioning agents within them. These stronger conditioning agents tended to leave a build up over time. This build up can be removed with a clarifying shampoo that is safe for curly hair.
If your scalp is on the oily side you might find that straight shampoo makes your hair oily faster.
Higher quality straightening shampoos can be on the pricer side.
What products should I use to straighten my curly hair?
A pro tip when straightening out your curly hair is not only to use a hair straightening shampoo but to also use straightening products that will enhance your results when you go-to flat iron your hair.
When you are on the hunt to add in a hair-straightening product to your hair care routine you need to find a product that will smooth, add shine, blocks moisture from your hair, and lastly protects your hair from heat damage.
It may seem hard to find a hair straightener product that really works for you.
In reality, everyone's hair takes to hair products differently so you may need to try out a few products before you find one that works for your curly hair.
There are a few keywords that you can look out for when you are shopping around for hair straightening products, such as:
Keratin protein
Smoothing
Frizz-free
Straightening
Hydrating
Moisturizing
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