With growing pollution in the environment, shampooing is no more a luxury but a necessity for maintaining healthy hair and preventing hair fall. Air pollutants dry and roughen our hair, weakening them from the roots.

There are hundreds of shampoos and conditioners in the market, making the selection process slightly overwhelming. Here are some tips that will help you to find a shampoo that best suits your hair.

Check the label
There are various types of shampoo that are sold under different names based on different ingredients used, including moisturizing, dry-hair and anti-dandruff shampoos.

You need to pick the best one out of the lot. Pay as much attention on the ingredients as you do while reading the labels. This is some ingredients such as sodium sulfate and ammonium sulfate might be harsh for your hair type.

Are sulfates really harmful?
Ingredients such as sulfates are added in a shampoo to give leathering effect. More sulfate means more leather. This ingredient could be harmful as it might cause dryness by stripping it off the natural oils and tend to weaken the roots. How to know if your shampoo is sulfate free? A shampoo brand will label itself “sulfate-free”. Read the label and ingredients to make sure if your shampoo has sulfate.

Picking a shampoo based on your hair type
Shampoos are meant to remove dirt and build up your hair. There are dozens of brands, choose the right shampoos for your hair type. Creamy shampoos should be avoided if you have oily hair. If you have frizzy hair, use dry hair shampoo and apply conditioner later. Do hot oil treatments weekly. Dry hair need more conditioning to get the required moisturizer.

Picking the best Anti-dandruff shampoo
The remedy for picking the best anti-dandruff shampoo is to rotate over-the-counter dandruff shampoos. Look for the ones that have salicylic acid, selenium sulfide, and the third one contains pyrithione zinc.

Shampoo for colored hair
Look for a shampoo that is gentle and has ingredients that help to deposit and preserve your hair color. Coloring your hair makes them dry. Hair tend to get weakened because of coloring, straightening, or perming. Look for a dry hair shampoo that reinforces the weak areas in your hair and have ingredients such as wheat and soy extracts or silk amino acids. Overly processed hair tend to make roots oily and shafts and ends rough and dry causing them to fall increasingly.

Price
Shampoos that you find in salon and the ones you find in your local stores are all priced between $10 to $50. The price bar depends on the ingredients used. You need to keep in mind that some chemical agents and ingredients such as sulfate can harm your hair. It is usually found that shampoos with ingredients are economically priced are also good for your hair.

Less is good
at least when it comes to shampoos. If you have a very thick, curly or coarse set, you may want to use very little shampoo for your hair. It is advisable in such case to apply only conditioner and retain natural oil in your hair.

Here are some popular dry hair shampoo and moisturizing shampoo for dry hair:

MATRIX BIOLAGE R.A.W nourishing shampoo
It is one of the best moisturizing shampoo for dry hair. It does not contain sulfates, parabens and artificial colorants. The shampoo is environment friendly as it is 99 percent biodegradable.

DAVINES MOMO SHAMPOO
This dry hair shampoo comes with a crisp citrus scent and has a vitamin and mineral-rich formula, which softens and smoothens dry and brittle hair.

KLORANE ULTRA NOURISHING SHAMPOO With ABYSSINIA OIL
This moisturizing shampoo for dry hair is formulated with Abyssinia oil that restores damaged, brittle and dry strands.

Dove Oxygen Moisture Shampoo
This dry hair shampoo is packed-with oxygen-fused ingredients that helps in cleansing and hydrating dry hair.

Beecology Honey and Botanical Sulfate-free Shampoo
As the name suggests, it’s a sulfate-free shampoo which leave your hair soft clean and hydrated. It works on all hair-types but is popular among the ones that have dry hair and have a sensitive scalp

AG Hair Cosmetics COLOUR SAVOUR sulfate-free shampoo
This is one of the best suited shampoos for people who color their hair generally. It provides protection to the hair and keep its color intact, making them silky and shining at the same time. It is also good for hydrating and keeping the scalp healthy.

All of the above mentioned shampoos are priced anywhere between $5 to $25.

Consider these key points next time you head out to buy a shampoo. Your best bet is to go for all-natural organic shampoo as they are made with enriching ingredients such as tea tree oil, Argan and coconut oil. All of these ingredients will offer a healthy growth to your hair and protect them from getting damaged due to harsh pollution.

References: https://www.liveabout.com/shampoo-and-conditioners-10-things-to-consider-before-you-buy-346273 , https://keevaorganics.com/blogs/the-keeva-buzz/things-consider-buying-shampoo-conditioner , http://www.instyle.com/hair/best-hydrating-shampoos#2918265 , http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/p_best_shampoos/p145532/page20