Finding the Best Shampoo & Conditioner Set For Your Hair: Tips & Advice

One of the biggest challenges to finding the right shampoo and conditioner is determining your hair type. And while some hair types are obvious (curly after is, well, curly), other hair types take a bit of detective work.

There are three main factors that determine hair type: texture, density and porosity. 

Here is the 411 on hair types, based on our interview with salon veterans:

1. Texture. While texture and density sound like the same thing, texture is actually the size of a follicle of your hair—larger diameter hair is more coarse, small diameter is considered fine. So how do you determine the texture of your hair?

Take a strand of hair from your comb or hairbrush and feel it—if it is barely there, you most likely have fine hair. Coarse hair is like holding a strand of thread. (Of course, your hair could be somewhat in between—that is medium texture).

2. Density.  This is the amount of hair you have—the less you have, the thinner your hair’s density. So how do you tell this in real life? Look at your scalp with a mirror. If you can’t see your scalp, you have thicker hair. The scalp is more visible with thinner hair, especially if your hair is parted.

3. Porosity. Have you ever noticed your hair changes when it is more humid outside? Some hair changes more with more humidity (porosity)—basically, the absorption and retention of moisture.

Some folk’s hair is simply more porous than other folks—and color-treatments can make someone’s hair more porous than it was before.

A good way to test for your hair’s porosity is to float a hair in a glass of water (try hair from different parts of your scalp, as your hair’s porosity can be different from place to place). If your hair sinks in the water, it has high porosity. If it floats, it is low.

So what is the best salon-style shampoo and conditioner set for different hair types? Here are the top favorites from our readers and our own testing:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

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