Spring has finally sprung – hurrah! But along with BBQs, beach trips and floaty dresses, the warmer weather also brings humidity and a host of other conditions that can really play havoc with your hair. Wavy hair can really come into its own during the spring and summer, but it can also be quite temperamental – I should know, as a wavy-haired girl myself – so investing in a great shampoo for wavy hair is crucial.
For me, the best shampoo for wavy hair has to be the perfect balance of hydrating and volumising. It can’t have a too-nourishing formula as this will weigh down my hair and prevent any natural waves from forming. Similarly, some shampoos which focus on volume alone can make my hair more flyaway-prone and easily tangled – definitely not what I’m going for here.
Team MC has already rounded up the best wavy hair products we love to use to enhance our natural waves, along with the best smoothing products to beat humidity, but when it comes to the best shampoo for wavy hair, these deserve their very own roundup.
Some of these wavy hair shampoos I’ve tried (and love, obviously) and others I have my eye on as they’re supposedly perfect for boosting volume, shine and hydration as well as enhancing waves and curls. Either way – if you’re in the market for the best shampoo for wavy hair, consider this list a pretty good place to start. Oh, and don’t forget to pick a great conditioner and treatment oil to compliment your shampoo, too.
What did I look for in the best shampoo for wavy hair?
- Curl-enhancing – a far cry from the best shampoos for curly hair (which aim to define and nourish curls that already exist without any encouragement), the best wavy hair shampoos must help to encourage a curl or wave to form in the first place.
- Volumising – a big part of enhancing curls is providing enough volume, lift and bounce, so these shampoos had to have a volumising effect.
- Hydrating – there’s no point in boosting your natural waves if the hair itself is lacklustre and dry, right? Saying that, the formula can’t be too hydrating or it will weigh down your waves. The perfect balance does exist, promise.
- Smoothening – same same, but different, the shampoo’s smoothening properties have the power to take your waves from dull and flyaway-prone to soft, shiny and bouncy – but again, it shouldn’t be too smoothening.
Shop the best shampoo for wavy hair
1. Function of Beauty Custom Wavy Hair Shampoo
(Image credit: Boots)
Of all the shampoos I’ve tried, this is probably the one I go back to the most. Function of Beauty’s haircare range is super tailored to your specific hair type and needs. The shampoos and conditioners come in four different categories – straight, wavy, curly and coily – and you can tailor them even further with the clever boosters. By adding the volume, strengthen and shine boosters to my shampoo, I ensure that all my hair’s needs are taken care of, and my often-fine, flyaway-prone hair is smoothened and volumised. Oh, and this shampoo smells utterly incredible.
(Image credit: Sephora)
Moroccanoil’s Extra Volume shampoo is the definition of perfectly balanced when it comes to volume and hydration. Like all Moroccanoil products, it’s infused with argan oil, which adds hydration and defines curls, but the formula still manages to boost volume at the roots and lengths. This might not be a shampoo which specifically targets wavy hair, but I find that the volumising formula really helps to create curls and bounce.
3. Beauty Pie Super Healthy Hair Strengthening shampoo
(Image credit: Beauty Pie)
This shampoo is perfect for fine, wavy hair as it hydrates and strengthens without weighing down your hair. Reviewers swear their hair felt thicker, stronger and all-round healthier with regular use – this is exactly the type of shampoo formula I look for to enhance my natural waves, so you can bet it’s next on my shopping list.
4. Hello Klean Hard Water shampoo
(Image credit: Cult Beauty)
This clever shampoo counteracts the effects of minerals and heavy metals in hard water, making your hair unbelievably soft and allowing natural waves to form much more easily as a result. I’m also a huge fan of the convenient pump packaging, the matte black finish of which looks super sleek in my bathroom.
5. Only Curls All Curl Cleanser
(Image credit: Only Curls)
This brand was literally created on the basis of encouraging people to embrace their natural waves and curls, so its products have been specially formulated to do just that. If you’re unsure as to whether you have wavy hair or not, I encourage you to try this shampoo (along with the rest of the brand’s starter bundle), and I’m sure you’ll soon see waves forming in a way they never have before. I’m currently in the process of trialling Only Curls’ products and have already been wowed by the short-term results.
6. Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumising Paste
(Image credit: Only Curls)
If you’re in the market for a shampoo that will really get into your roots, removing product buildup and leaving you with super clean, soft, and volumised hair (AKA the recipe for healthy-looking waves) look no further than this one by Christophe Robin. It’s a scrub formula, which transforms from a clay to a foam as you rub it into wet hair. Sounds like a nightmare for tangle-prone hair, but I promise you, it washes out super easily, leaving your hair with *just* enough grit to form beautiful waves. It also smells like fresh roses – the dreamiest scent for spring.
7. Hask Thickening shampoo
(Image credit: Amazon)
This is, hands down, my favourite affordable shampoo for wavy hair. Hask’s shampoos contain no sulphates, parabens, silicones or phthalates, making them perfect for sensitive scalps. Similar to my beloved Moroccanoil shampoo above, this formula is super volumising – helping to enhance and define waves – but still hydrates and strengthens the hair thanks to ingredients like biotin, collagen and coffee extract.
8. Bouclème Hydrating Hair Cleanser
(Image credit: Lookfantastic)
Bouclème’s Hydrating Hair Cleanser nourishes and strengthens the hair, so you can expect soft, shiny, flyaway-free waves that aren’t weighed down by heavy oils and butters. Bouclème’s Perfect Waves bundle deserves a special shout out here – I know this is meant to be a shampoo roundup, but paired with the Curl conditioner and Super Hold styler, this shampoo really comes into its own.
9. Shea Moisture Frizz Defense shampoo
(Image credit: Amazon)
If your hair is thick and wavy, this is the shampoo for you. The gel formula gently cleanses and hydrates, creating a barrier which shields the hair against humidity and other conditions that can lead to excessive flyaways and tangling.
10. Curlsmith Full Body Weightless Cleanser
(Image credit: Lookfantastic)
This shampoo gives life and vibrancy to dull curls and waves, offering lightweight volume and plenty of hydration thanks to nourishing ingredients like calendula flower and scots pine bud. Paired with the Effortless Waves styling spray, consider your waves well and truly enhanced.