Best hair products for long straight hair

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These are the best hair products for long straight hair that I’ve tried personally. I’m not as much of a connoisseur for haircare as I am skincare, but I’m really enjoying testing more out and reporting back my brutally honest thoughts.

My hair type

I would describe my hair as long, naturally straight, very fine and tangles easily – even though it isn’t damaged. I believe it is low porosity.

I can recommend these products for my hair type, but unfortunately I can’t speak on behalf of other hair types. I also don’t have as much technical knowledge on haircare, so I can really only say what I like and dislike!

Best high end shampoo and conditioner for straight hair

These are my favourite high end shampoos and conditioners for long, straight hair.

1. Pureology Smooth Perfection Shampoo

This is my go-to first shampoo, because I like to double shampoo (my technique is at the end of this post). I always choose a smoothing shampoo first, so it can detangle my hair and get my hair ready for the second wash.

I tend not to only use a smoothing shampoo because they end up making my hair super flat. Usually my hair will look nice for a couple days but get greasy very fast if I don’t follow it up with a volumising or clarifying shampoo. But if I only use a volumising/clarifying shampoo then my hair will get super tangly in the washing process and feel too dry. Smoothing then clarifying or volumising is my ultimate combo.

2. Pureology Hydrate Moisturising Shampoo

I also love the Hydrate shampoo by Pureology and can see why it is one of their best sellers. This one isn’t as rich, so you could more easily use it on its own and it is less likely to make your hair greasy without a second wash. I guess I’d say it’s more versatile than the Smooth Perfection.

3. Kevin Murphy Plumping.Me Wash Shampoo

I really enjoyed using this shampoo and it made my scalp and hair feel super balanced. The only thing that stops me from re-buying it is that it is very heavily scented, it was just too much for me. Also, it’s quite hard to get online/a bit of a faff!

You’ll walk past salons and it’ll be sold in many of them, though, if you’re keen to try it.

4. Davines Volu Volume Enhancing Shampoo

I discovered Davines in east London hair salons – it seems to be the go-to brand for many of them. Volu is a volumising shampoo that I use as a second shampoo and it works great. I also love the Davines OI All in One Milk which I love for a leave-in treatment – but be warned, it smells of parma violets in case you love/hate that.

5. Amika Normcore Conditioner

This was the first expensive conditioner I tried and, to this day, it’s still the best ever for me. I don’t know what they put in it but it seems to just melt away tangles.

I have tried the matching shampoo and I thought it was nothing special, but I haven’t found another conditioner to exactly match this one for my fine, straight hair, although the Aveeno Oat Milk does come close.

I buy the 1000ml bottles so it can last me 9-12 months!

Best drugstore shampoo and conditioner for straight hair

1. Aveeno Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying Shampoo

This is one of the best drugstore shampoos for all hair types, I feel. It genuinely is clarifying without being too drying, it lathers nicely, distributes nicely and I can’t fault it overall.

2. Aveeno Oat Milk Blend Shampoo

I also use this one as a smoothing shampoo, so the clarifying one goes nicely with it. I’ve noticed they have brought out a smoothing shampoo, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Personally I just use anything that says it’s for dry hair as a smoothing shampoo, because you know it’s gonna be very rich. Both of the Aveeno shampoos smell amazing!

3. L’Oreal Elvive Nutri Gloss Mirror Shine Shampoo

I picked this one up in Poundland and I think you can get it in Asda, too. It’s a great budget smoothing shampoo, but my hair goes greasy quickly if don’t use the right second shampoo. Sometimes if i’m feeling lazy and I know I don’t have any plans coming up, I’ll just cleanse one time with this and expect my hair to need washing sooner.

But I also know it won’t cause any damage and will hydrate it nicely in the few days in between, so it feels like a good choice for my hair health.

4. Aveeno Oat Milk Conditioner

This is the only cheaper conditioner that I actually want to use, all the others seem to pass through my hair like water! It’s interesting to me that both this conditioner and the Amika Normcore are similar in texture and consistency, it makes me wonder if the ingredients are similar and perhaps that’s why they both work well for me.

It is not as good as my favourite Amika one (above) but it does come close, much closer than anything else I’ve tried.

Drugstore vs high end shampoo: which is better?

If you’re wondering which is better between drugstore vs shampoo shampoo, I will share my thoughts. Ultimately you can get good products at both ends of the market, but I think the majority of high end shampoos are better than the majority of cheaper shampoos – if that makes sense.

I used cheaper haircare until I was around 23/24, when I started living with a friend who exclusively used more expensive shampoo and conditioner. She swore by it and, honestly, I always used to think it was a bit silly. At the end of the day, drugstore vs luxury cosmetics typically all use the same range of ingredients, so I felt like she may have been experiencing a placebo effect.

However, I then started experimenting with luxury haircare and I was wowed by how much better my hair looked and felt. I don’t have a scientific explanation for this, it’s just the way it is. I fully appreciate it’s nonsensical, but that’s just how I feel. I don’t feel the same way about skincare at all, conversely I often think expensive skincare is worse than cheaper brands.

I think ultimately it comes down to trial and error, and making sure your technique is on point.

Proper hair washing technique

This is the proper hair washing technique that works well for me:

1. (Optional) pre-wash scalp serums and oils are nice but not completely essential to a good hair wash
2. Smoothing shampoo – for this hair type, I love to use a smoothing shampoo first. I find it detangles your hair nicely, so that your next shampoo doesn’t tangle your hair (fine hair often tangles easily).
3. Lather a dollop of the shampoo in your hand before you apply it to your head. Don’t lather it on your head or the distribution of it is often uneven and it can cause tangles.
4. Use your fingers to distribute the lather evenly throughout your hair.
5. Rinse & repeat the process with your second shampoo – I like to use either a clarifying or a volumising shampoo to get rid of some of the excess moisture, and leave the hair perfectly cleansed without being stripped.
6. Squeeze excess water out of the mid lengths and ends of the hair.
7. Apply conditioner to mid lengths and ends.
8. Use a wet brush to comb through the ends.
9. Rinse out.