by Lisa Mazurek

Created on: March 04, 2007   Last Updated: April 23, 2009

The best way to choose a shampoo for your hair is to start with the basics. 1. What type of hair do you have? Texture? Condition? Chemically treated? Style? When speaking about texture, I mean fine, medium and coarse. Condition of hair, is it dry or oily, is your hair damaged?

If your hair is chemically treated for example, a permanent wave, permanent hair coloring, bleach or relaxer you need to use a shampoo for chemically treated hair. Now is your hair curly, wavy, straight or kinky? Does it need volume or body? If so, you can purchase a shampoo for this type of hair too. If you have a problem with dandruff, I suggest a dandruff shampoo like Head and Shoulders or you can ask a pharmacist which one is better. Some dandruff shampoos have different ingredients so if your not sure, ask the experts.

Shampoos can range in price from one dollar to thirty dollars a bottle and the lines of products like Nexus, Red-kin and Paul Mitchell products are just a few lines. These products are expensive but they offer a shampoo for just about everything and you will use less of the product and get better results. If you can't afford these types of products, don't worry because they have products for any budget. You don't need to spend a fortune on products to make your hair look and feel great. A good shampoo should only cost three or four dollars depending on where you live.

When choosing a shampoo, look for shampoos with low alkaline. Many of the very strong scented shampoos contain high alkaline which can dry out the hair. One mistake people make when choosing a shampoo is getting one with a conditioner. It is still a shampoo and if your hair is dry or damaged it will not help. You still need to use a separate conditioner especially if your hair is chemically treated.

They do have some shampoos now that will add some color or highlight to your hair. Shampoo for blonds, brunettes and reds are available. They even have a shampoo that will keep your color true. If you want more body or curl you can get a shampoo for that too. There is a shampoo for fly away hair, frizzy hair and a shampoo for getting the yellow out of gray hair.

If you color your hair or highlight it, you need to use a shampoo that won't strip the color. Look for products that say "for color treated hair" Otherwise, your color will fade and get lighter. Always look on the back of the label, it should say it won't strip your color.

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