Too many men think the secret to terrific hair can be found at the bottom of a tin of pomade or a pot of gel. While these products can help you shape some suave styles, you won’t get very far without a solid foundation, and that comes from using the right shampoo.

For this list, we’ve sorted the stellar suds from the lackluster lathers, narrowing an immense range down to just 16 picks. These are the best shampoos for men we’ve had the pleasure of using, broken down in terms of their strengths and specializations so that you know exactly what you’re getting. Let’s dive in…

Staying true to their refreshingly stripped down aesthetic, Blu Atlas’ Shampoo doesn’t have a flashy name or an ostentatious bottle, yet it doesn’t need any of that to sell a product this exceptional. Here, all-natural ingredients and ingenious science come together to create a foaming lather that leaves your hair strong enough for Tarzan to swing off and lustrous enough that it could get its own record contract without even providing demos.

Silly comparisons aside, this humble bottle contains a combination of antioxidants, vitamins and fatty acids that virtually banish the most common hair and shampoo problems. It’s particularly effective for oily hair types, preventing further build, washing out harmful oils and keeping the scalp healthy. At the same time, those with hair on the frizzier side will find it smoothed and repaired, both in the short term and more extensively over time. 

Along with soothing aloe vera, jojoba oil is a key ingredient here, as it has similar constituents to the beneficial sebum produced by the scalp, nourishing the hair follicles and stimulating hearty new growth.

We know, we know, the most crucial things a shampoo does are clean, nourish the hair and make it look fantastic…But, up top we’re compelled to mention how phenomenal this product feels when lathered into the hair and scalp. With its tea tree oil and deep minty streak, the tingly and refreshing sensation makes for such an energizing start to the day and a downright delightful kick.

In terms of what the product can do for you in a more traditional sense, it effortlessly washes way any grime from the nine-to-five, showers your scalp in vitamins and minerals to boost hair health, and takes care of dandruff, dryness and irritation, all while being sulfate and paraffin free.

Billy Jealousy is a company which can prompt some hesitation on the part of customers. Our advice? Drop the hesitation and pick up these products as soon as you can, it’s earned its high placement on our list of the 16 best shampoos for men.

Byrd Purifying Shampoo is made in the ‘Golden State’ (California) and shrewdly takes inspiration from the beach culture that has thrived in this corner of America. Have you ever noticed how 30 minutes after an ocean swim your hair will be at peak sexiness? Volume, texture, definition, it’s as if the sea has gifted you a fresh new look. Well, stylists know that this is largely due to sea salt that’s left in the hair, giving it an iota more substance to hold form and even a slight sparkle when the sun hits it at the right angle.

With their Purifying Shampoo, Byrd have captured this alluring look in a bottle. Sea salt is of course a vital ingredient, but Byrd has several more tricks up their sleeve to help pull this off. Sea kelp, green tea extract and aloe vera all provide nutrients essential for hair health while also regulating the moisture of this delicate balance. If the post-swim style floats your boat (or surfboard) don’t overlook this underappreciated product.

Considering that this is a list of the 16 best shampoos for men, it might be surprising to find a product marketed as an alternative to shampoo at number 4. Look, as far as we’re concerned, Hairstory’s New Wash is used in the same way as a shampoo and for the same purpose, so it’s well worth your consideration.

New Wash was created in response to the growing evidence that reliance on traditional shampoos may inadvertently damage our hair due to their use of detergents and sulphites. This creamy hair product takes these harmful ingredients out of the equation with a formula that cleans, conditions and restores the scalp’s natural balance of healthy oils, making for a nourished and lustrous head of hair. Plus, if your hair is particularly dry or oily, New Wash has you covered with options that put a twist on their formula, allowing it to cater to the specific needs of different hair types.

Since New Wash acts as a conditioner as well, if this product works for you (as it has for so many) then you can kill two birds with one stone and free up some shelf space in your shower.

The swanky black bottle of Oribe’s Signature Shampoo says “a daily indulgence” and, there’s no need to beat around the bush, that’s exactly what you’re getting here; a double dose of self-pampering in your hair care routine. With hints of bergamot, lemon and cedarwood, the fragrance is as finely tuned as a decent cologne. It feels deeply refreshing to massage the lather through your scalp, making the daily wash more of a satisfaction than a chore.

But, you may ask, is it a good shampoo? Definitely! The biggest strength of Oribe’s formulation is the palpable shine and silkiness it will bring to your locks after just a few days of use. It’s especially adept at dealing with frizz, if that happens to be an issue for you. 

Could you find a shampoo as effective at a lower price point? Probably, but you’d have to put in some serious research to meet these standards. And, again, the fact that this product can make washing your hair something to look forward to each day should not be overlooked when considering whether to drop an extra few pennies on this quality shampoo.

Ishga’s Seaweed Shampoo strikes an appealing balance between luxury and affordability. Of course, it wouldn’t be included on this list if high quality weren’t a part of that balance too. As the name indicates, seaweed is a central component of this organic shampoo, but don’t fret, you won’t come out of the shower smelling like a piece of ocean driftwood, essential oils of lavender and bergamot make for a fresh and crisp, yet subtle fragrance. A dash of salt adds a masculine, beachy edge while providing nourishing minerals 

Seaweed extracts are undeniably fantastic for hair. Being a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, they stimulate blood circulation in the scalp, which in turn promotes the growth of healthy and resilient hair. This is supplemented with a handful of other active ingredients, including aloe vera which should deal with any flaking and lend your hair a supple flexibility and bounce. As you might expect from Ishga’s organic approach, this is a vegan shampoo with ethically sourced ingredients. In no way does this detract from the excellence and efficacy of the product.

Alright Hemmingway, so you want something that screams ‘manly’ so loudly that it almost crosses over into parody? Let us present to you 18.21’s Man Made Wash. What does it look like? A bottle of whisky! What does it smell like? Tobacco (though 18.21 have balanced this fragrance nicely with touches of honey and vanilla). Is it just a shampoo? Nope! This amber ointment serves as a solid conditioner and body wash as well.

Considering how much this product has dedicated itself to playing into a theme, it’s actually a shockingly competent shampoo. Though the stylized bottle has an age-worn edge, your hair will feel thoroughly clean and fresh when you come out of the shower. Also surprising is how quickly it resolves issues of dryness and flakiness. 

Sure, many will buy this product for the show it puts on, but a good number of those will be won over as long-term customers for its sheer capability as a shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Maybe you don’t want your hair to smell like a basket of fresh fruit, or overwhelming lavender, or artificial mint after every wash. Maybe you’ve got a cologne to provide that spritz of fragrance that’s just right for you. SEEN’s fragrance free shampoo is the bottle you should be reaching for, simply the best in the market of scentless hair products.

Designed by a Harvard educated dermatologist, this sulfate and silicone free formula won’t irritate even the most sensitive of scalps and will genuinely promote the health of your hair and skin. We often forget that shampoos impact more just than the tops of our heads, and numerous reviews of this product celebrate the curtailing of acne breakouts since swapping to SEEN, particularly around the ears and forehead. Health aside, it has the cosmetic angle nailed down too. This product will soften and smooth the hair, restoring life in the limp and fight down any frizz.

Too few men have tried using a shampoo bar; in general, women have been much quicker to recognise the benefits of this novel approach to hair care. One shampoo bar tends to go about three times further than a bottle of shampoo because the potent ingredients are condensed down into a solid block rather than being watered down into a liquid. You add the water yourself as you lather up in the shower. What’s more, since no plastic bottle is necessary, shampoo bars are much more eco friendly, if that’s something that matters to you.

Among shampoo bars, Object makes some of the best, particularly within their more reasonable price range. Formulated with patchouli leaf oil, simmondsia chinensis seed oil, shea tree butter and chlorophyllin-copper complex, hair follicles and cells are strengthened and the scalp is both stimulated and protected from damage. 

Users have found that this product is particularly effective for balancing hair that is too oily and slowing the progression of hair loss thanks to a formula that encourages robust hair growth. As for ease of use, you can lather this just as you would a bar of soap, then massage the suds through your hair and scalp.

Layrite creates grooming products specifically for men. What this comes down to practically is that their shampoo is particularly good at attracting, dissolving and eliminating dirt. There’s a wobbly assumption here that not many women are spending their days doing manual work which might leave them a bit grimy, but there’s no doubt that the product excels at managing muck. 

It’s also an all-round quality shampoo that leaves the hair looking healthy, voluminous and well moisturized.  Eucalyptus and hemp oils soothe the scalp and provide a pleasing and subtle scent which pushes, above all, a sense of cleanliness.

Since it’s not making much of an effort to market itself as snazzy, cool, or ‘must have’, you won’t find Layrite’s Daily Shampoo on many lists like this one. However, it’s the user reviews that really speak to the quality of this product. Rarely have we seen such a unanimously positive response, not from bloggers and grooming publications, but from the masses of men (and some women) who have used this shampoo for themselves and never looked back. 

When it comes to the formal side of product review, this shampoo is tragically under-rated and overlooked. We hope to contribute to changing this by including Layrite’s killer formulation on our list of best shampoos for men.

So, you want to give your hair top notch treatment but you’re not making the big bucks yet. Oar + Alps Hydrating Shampoo fits the bill with a formula that produces stunning results for all hair types at a low price point. 

While the shampoo itself feels quite lightweight on the scalp, not focusing on the thick lather pampering angle that some products take, the hardcore hydration effects will give an immediate sense of freshness and cleanliness while promoting strong healthy hair follicles in the long-term. Dryness, frizz and static stand no chance. 

While many products that specialize in hydration can bog down oilier hair, making matters worse, Oar + Alps Hydrating Shampoo actually helps improve hair that’s on the slick and greasier side. Go figure! Extracts of kelp and algae bring plenty of nutrients to the table and alpine caribou moss works to protect from pollutants that might damage the skin.

Patricks’ SH2 Deep Clean Shampoo isn’t messing around when it says deep clean. Specifically designed to wash out water resistant, petroleum based hair products, any man who has committed to styling their hair with heavy products will understand the pesky issue they’re addressing. It shouldn’t take three washes to elimite that greasy residue, right? Right?! Well, with SH2, one wash is all it takes, guaranteed.

According to our research, it took several years and a fair few scientific boffins for Patricks to crack the cure to this common frustration, which might explain the relatively higher price tag. Yet, with no other product on the market capable of putting this problem thoroughly in the past, it’s absolutely worth it. 

Of course, SH2 doesn’t just remove things, it also adds powerful antioxidant agents to protect and strengthen hair, which will be particularly important if you’re slathering your locks in product every day of the week. Finally, the fragrance of this shampoo is directly inspired by colognes, utilizing violet and tobacco leaf in its signature masculine scent.

Since most people use shampoo at least twice per week, balance is absolutely crucial. If the shampoo is too oily, over time you’ll look like an unwashed grunge rocker, too drying and you’ll become an experiment in static electricity. Badly harmonized chemicals might not make a difference over a couple of washes, but give it time and you soon say goodbye to scalp health and hello to dandruff.

Kevin Murphy have wisely placed the importance of balance at the front and center with their Balancing Wash Shampoo and have created a product that just gets hair care right by having a light but firm touch. If using the wrong shampoo has left your locks in a state of ruin, then this Balancing Wash is an excellent way to restore it back to a stable level of health and attractiveness. 

From there, perhaps you can choose a more specific shampoo if you’d like to experiment with taking your hair in a certain aesthetic direction. Regardless, this is a smart shampoo to keep on the shower shelf and ideal for regular use.

If your hair is particularly fine, flat or thinning, it can be frustrating to try to bring a sense of volume when you simply have less to work with than some other men. Now, breathe a sigh of relief because Living Proof has the solution you’ve been hoping for.

While doing the cleaning, oil balancing and luster lending of a regular shampoo, this product is virtually unmatched when it comes to making hair appear thicker and fuller. It’s a real transformation that garners results which look totally natural, so much so that you might even forget you had problems with fine/flat/thin hair in the first place. Meanwhile, its formulation is also designed to repair damaged hair follicles and see to sickly scalps, so the issues you may be having will be actively slowed and minimized.

The Bamford Grooming Department label was created by a mother and son team who thought men deserved a little more out of their self care products. Their Edition 1 Shampoo pulls through on this aspiration beautifully. The shampoo itself froths into a thick and creamy lather which prompts you to begin the day with a sense of comfort and self-respect. Keratin and barley protein strengthen the hair and strip out any impurities. When you’ve properly dried off, you’ll notice just how pleasant the texture of your hair has become – smooth, soft, and fresh.

The cherry on top is the fragrance which has obviously been devised with genuine care. If you’ve got a nose for these things, you should notice argarwood, leather, dark amber, and vetiver. Even if your olfactory palate is not so refined, you’ll surely agree that this shampoo leaves you smelling great! The Bamford Grooming Department’s Edition 1 Shampoo is a truly knock-out product. We look forward to seeing what this mother and son team has in store for us with edition 2.

Argan oil products can be a bit on the heavy side, especially when used for hair care, but here Artnaturals have done a wonderful job of balancing it out with aloe vera to create a shampoo with all of the strengths of argan oil and none of the drawbacks. Argan oil acts as a potent moisturizer for dry hair and scalps, creating a natural layer that protects the hair from damage and prevents it drying out and becoming brittle. There’s also some evidence that it prevents hair loss, particularly for those with thicker hairs.

Artnaturals’ Argan Oil & Aloe Shampoo has received marked acclaim from those with wavy or curly hair, which tends to be more prone to breakage and split ends. If you fall into this camp, be sure to give this product a try. With or without this specificity, Artnaturals’ product has thoroughly earned its place on our list of the 16 best shampoos for men.