43 Hair Products That Are Actually Worth Your Money (2025)

The Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab scientists test hundreds of hair products every year, from shampoos and conditioners to hair masks, leave-in conditioners and every hair styling product on the market, including hair serums, mousses, hairsprays, dry shampoos and more. To find the best of the best, each product undergoes a rigorous testing process to determine which haircare and styling products really work.

To start, our scientists send label-masked products to a panel of thousands of readers across the country, who then use them in their day-to-day lives and evaluate them on everything from performance to packaging to scent. Meanwhile, in the Beauty Lab, GH analysts and chemists use state-of-the-art tools to scientifically measure the products' efficacy, like an Instron machine, which gauges a product's conditioning capacity, and a swatch-wash station to calculate a shampoo's ability to cleanse or protect against color fade. We also conduct weathering procedures to mimic hair exposure to UV light and heat styling and an environmental chamber that exposes hair to high levels of humidity to test frizz-fighting claims.

So, what products should you actually use in your hair? According to GH Beauty Lab testing, here is a definitive list of the absolute best hair products and haircare brands that are proven to work, including top picks for all hair types and textures (curly, natural, wavy, long, short, dry, damaged — you name it!).

The winner of the GH Beauty Lab’s travel hair dryer test, Drybar’s top-of-the-line model delivers fast-drying power in a portable package. It scored perfectly in Lab evaluations for having easy-to-use controls, dried hair samples quickly, had strong airflow, and was easiest to maneuver and comfortable to hold. This "light" tool "is the right size and could do double duty for home or away,” users noted.

Salon hair color goes “green” with first-of-its-kind, GH Beauty Award-winning Biolage dye, which uses plant-based pigments. It has a wide range of 20 ammonia-free shades, with 10 ingredients at most, making it gentle enough for even damaged hair. The color had an earthy scent and went on evenly in GH Beauty Lab testing on hair samples.

Like lip gloss for strands, hair glosses like this GH Beauty Lab test winner from John Frieda impart a shade-boosting hint of color and shine. Tops with testers, this color gloss (in shades for blonde, brunette, red and black hair) was loved for its "easy" application and "super-shiny" results that "extend the life of hair color."

Herbal Essences’ products, made with coconut extract and aloe, boasted the highest level of conditioning in the GH Beauty Lab’s test of hydrating shampoos and conditioners for dry hair, with this pair performing best in a test with the Lab’s Instron machine which gauges combing force through wet hair, proving strong conditioning benefits. Consumer testers loved these infusions, too: “My dry hair was much more moisturized,” one tester marveled.

Get bigger, bouncier hair with this Garnier pair, which tied for best in the Beauty Lab’s volumizing shampoo and conditioner test. “My hair felt fuller after just one use," a tester raved. In Lab evaluations, these came in highest for noticeably upping hair’s volume.

Inject lasting body and fullness into fine or flat hair by misting this GH Beauty Lab thickening spray test winner from hairstylist Kristin Ess. 91% of users agreed that it made hair look instantly voluminous, and it was tops for thickening. “Fantastic volume that lasted two days!” a tester raved.

A GH Beauty Award winner, this innovative L’Oréal Paris liquid treatment with wheat protein imparts weightless silkiness and shine to even damaged hair in seconds. 83% of GH Beauty Lab testers found that it made strands feel silkier; 88% reported that it didn’t weigh hair down.“I couldn’t believe how incredibly shiny and smooth my hair was,” one said.

A GH Beauty Award winner, this inventive 2-in-1 Drybar hair styling tool combines a hair dryer and a hair brush in one wand that dries strands as you brush through. The top-ranked hair dryer brush was “comfortable to hold” and glided smoothly through hair, testers reported, and it didn't overheat the hair or scalp. “I loved it!” one raved.

A salon splurge that’s worth it, Kérastase’s indulgent duo tied for best in the GH Beauty Lab’s volumizing shampoos and conditioners test for thickening strands using ingredients like peptides and hyaluronic acid. Testers “loved” this fine-hair “Holy Grail” that “truly worked” for “all-day body.” These won for thickening strands and making styles fuller compared with other shampoos and conditioners, data revealed, and also earned top points for weightlessness.

This light, refreshing Dove shampoo (used with the matching conditioner) was by far the tester favorite in the GH Beauty Lab’s test of hydrating shampoos and conditioners, with 100% stating that they would continue using it. “The effects were wondrous,” a fan raved. “My hair was fantastic — brushable, silky and flowing.” In Lab evaluations, the formulas rated best for leaving hair clean and easy to style.

This argan oil-infused Garnier Fructis cream, a winner of the Beauty Lab's test of smoothing styling products, effectively fends off frizz and makes strands sleek. The formula earned high marks with testers for daylong frizz defense and for immediately smoothing hair with no oily or sticky effects. “It rained for almost a solid week, and I didn’t have a problem with frizz,” a user revealed. “I love the texture it left my hair with — smooth and bouncy,” another said.

This milky Garnier mist, a GH Beauty Award winner, melts through knots and nourishes hair with botanicals like oat and rice extracts and aloe juice. The spray leaves hair feeling soft and keeps it from looking dry, yet doesn't weigh it down, 90% of testers in a study reported. “It was feather-light, and I could comb damp hair with almost no effort," a tester said.

A sulfate-free 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner with a higher ratio of conditioning ingredients, Joico's cleansing conditioner was a winner of the GH Beauty Lab's cleansing conditioners and co-washes test for giving parched, damaged hair a nourishing cleanse. “My hair is noticeably softer and healthier-looking than with my regular formulas," a tester said. In Lab testing, it rated highest for making hair feel stronger and look smoother and less frizzy.

It may be “blended” with olive oil and argan oil, but Garnier’s Legendary Olive shampoo — along with its conditioner — was a GH Beauty Lab test winner for its nourishing cleansing with no heaviness. The pair tied for second in the combing test for conditioning, yet more than 90% of users said it didn’t weigh hair down. The pair made hair “manageable,” “supersoft” and “bouncy,” testers said. Almost all gave the “fresh” scent a perfect score.

Perfect for the conditioner-averse, Pantene’s first-ever foam version feels as airy as a cloud, making strands supple and bouncy. The formula conditioned well in GH Beauty Lab testing and 95% of users reported that the formula didn’t weigh hair down. "It worked wonders for my fine, limp hair — it had more body,” a tester said.

The Tresemmé duo tops the Beauty Lab’s test of hair color-preserving shampoos and conditioners. Post-use, hair sample color faded least after 20 washes and 10 hours of UV exposure in Lab testing. One tester marveled that they were "like expensive salon products.”

Great for anyone averse to heavier styling products, Kérastase, a winner of the GH Beauty Lab’s anti-frizz styling products test, provides potent frizz-fighting power in a lightweight liquid spray. The mist stopped frizz on testers for a full day and on hair swatches in the Lab humidity chamber, and it didn’t feel tacky on hair. “This single bottle worked better than the three-product combination I was using,” a tester said. “It smoothed out my frizz and broken ends without leaving any film or crunch behind.” More than half of users raved about its “pretty” floral scent.

The BaBylissPro tool dried hair fastest of all the hair dryers in the GH Beauty Lab’s test. In calculations of drying time of standardized prewashed hair samples, it earned a perfect score, outperforming every other hair dryer tested. It also got high marks for strong airflow and easy-to-use buttons and attachments. “It is elegant-looking, not too loud yet powerful, and it works wonderfully!” an evaluator marveled.

This inventive hair tool, a GH Beauty Breakthrough Award winner, has a bendy head that hugs head contours for less tugging. It earned rare near-perfect score in Beauty Lab testing for gently detangling wet or dry hair of all textures. “By far the best brush I’ve ever used on myself or my clients,” a pro stylist tester raved.

Double up on hydration by applying this GH Beauty Lab test-winning Biolage protein-infused spray moisturizer on damp hair. In Lab testing, it came out on top for its conditioning ability and for making damaged hair samples feel smooth.