Best Straightening Shampoo | 11 Picks & Buying Guide

Last Updated on December 7, 2023 by Gaga

Straightening shampoo is excellent to help you prep your hair for flat ironing, and there are many options. What are the best straightening shampoos?

What is Straightening Shampoo?

Straightening shampoo is a name for shampoo products that help to smooth, shine, and get rid of frizz before you straighten your hair. It works with your straightener to make your hair as straight as possible.

If a straightener only semi-works on your hair, you can find a shampoo and conditioner that works for your hair type, then get serums, moose, heat protectant, and other styling products to help make your hair straighter.

1. Living Proof

Starting off the list in no particular order is this excellent brand that has a lot of shampoo options for you to choose from depending on your hair’s wants and needs. They sell Living Proof No Frizz Shampoo, which is great for giving you smoother results, especially if you are going to shower, blow dry your hair, and then straighten your hair. The 24 oz bottle is $65, so it’s expensive, but you can determine for yourself if the cost is worth it or not.

This shampoo also protects from any environmental damage and humidity with its mix of jojoba oil, Phytantriol, and amino cleansing complex. This shampoo is going to be great for those of any hair type, so I recommend you give it a try!

2. Briogeo

This brand helps give your hair a healthy look through their Briogeo Farewell Frizz Smoothing Shampoo. It will give your hair shine, as well as prevent frizz, smooth your hair out, and prepare it for straightening. The 33.8 oz bottle costs $69, which means that this shampoo is very expensive. However, this size bottle will last you a while, and it may work really great for your hair type.

This is another shampoo that works great with all hair types, so anyone can try this one out! This shampoo also uses a mix of rosehip, argan, and coconut oil to protect your hair and keep it safe and healthy.

3. Kerastase

This brand has a Kerastase Discipline Sulfate-Free Smoothing Shampoo for Frizzy Hair, and it claims to be great for any hair type, any hair texture, and any curl pattern. They sell 8.5 oz bottles for $38, which is a lot to pay for a small amount.

It has no sulfates, which is great, and it will prevent build-up and keep your hair healthy and moisturized instead of dry and breaking. Unfortunately, this shampoo isn’t for everyone, as it works best for those who have wavy hair or curly hair. You can use it if your hair isn’t one of these styles, but it won’t be as effective.

4. Function of Beauty

Function of Beauty is a great site to go to for making your own shampoo based on your hair type and texture. You can take a quiz about your hair, and it will customize a shampoo (and conditioner) for you. Knowing your hair type is necessary before taking the quiz. It will also ask you about your hair goals, what your hair looks and feels like, and what colors or scents, if any, you want in the bottle.

They mail you your customized shampoo, and you can try it out. If you like it, stick with it! A 16 oz bottle costs $25, but if you subscribe to them, you can get it for $20.

5. Pureology

This brand has many great options for you. They have a great shampoo and conditioner duo called Pureology Smooth Perfection Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner Duo, and it works great. The duo costs $63 for both bottles holding 9 oz of product, but you can also buy them separately. Which is great if you only want the shampoo and not the conditioner.

Pureology also has a great product for after the shower. They created the Pureology Smooth Perfection Smoothing Serum, which you can put in your hair before and/or after you have brushed, blow-dried, straightened, and styled your hair. It adds shine, protects against heat, and works on colored hair as well.

Between the shea butter and camellia seed oil, this is a great shampoo that will moisturize, detangle, and reduce frizz in both straight and textured hair. This is a great shampoo for anyone who has super frizzy hair!

6. Moroccanoil

This company is great and has more products than just shampoo for you to use. They make the Moroccanoil Smoothing Shampoo and the Moroccanoil Smoothing Mask. The shampoo is just as you want; it gives you healthy, smooth hair.

The smoothing mask is a deep-condition hair mask. You will use it once or twice a week and leave it in your hair for 10 minutes or more, then rinse it out. It is meant to give your hair extra moisture when it needs it, and you can see how it affects your hair for days.

This is a great shampoo for those of any hair type, and with its great mix of amino acids, argan oil, and argan butter, it is going to help make your hair healthier, stronger, and less likely to frizz, and the effects of the shampoo can last for up to 72 hours!

7. Alterna Caviar

This company has a lot of products that are good for your goal. There are many in-shower and after-shower products you can use to achieve smooth, shiny, anti-frizz, and straight hair. One product is the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Smoothing Anti-Frizz Shampoo.

The shampoo works for most hair types, curly and straight, so it is worth testing out if you are in the market for a new straightening shampoo.

After using this shampoo, you should then use the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Smoothing Anti-Frizz Multi-Styling Air Dry Balm in your hair to help your hair stay smooth while blow drying. Also, before adding heat to your hair, you should use the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Perfect Iron Spray, which is a heat protectant. Then, go ahead and blow dry, straighten, style your hair, and finish it off with the Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Anti-Friz Nourishing Oil.

The oil can be used on damp hair, but you can also use it after straightening your hair to add some shine and nutrients to your hair. All of these products are made with a variety of oils ranging from camellia oleifera seed oil to sunflower oil in order to strengthen and protect your hair.

8. Amika

This brand has a lot of different products to help you get smooth, straight hair. In order of use, they have the Amika Velveteen Dream Smoothing Shampoo and Amika Velveteen Dream Smoothing Conditioner to help prep your hair in the shower for a great style day. Your hair will love this stuff, and it is $26 for a 9.2 oz bottle.

Next, you will use the Amika Supernova Moisture and Shine Cream on your damp hair and brush. The cream will add some more moisture and help your hair stay together and shine, which will prevent frizz. Then, you will use the Amika Blockade Heat Defense Serum, which is a heat protectant that will help keep your hair strands healthy and prevent the heat from hair tools from damaging your hair.

After your hair is prepped, you can use their Amika Double Agent 2-in-1 Blow Dryer + Straightening Brush to blow dry and straighten your hair.

Lastly, you can top off your hair with the Amika Top Gloss Shine Spray, which will hold your hair together and allow your hair to shine and look smooth. There are so many products to try, so definitely give this company a look!

Also, when a brand has many products like this for you to use, it makes it easy to try out one product at a time. With its mix of aloe barbadensis leaf juice and provitamin B5, these products are going to have a lot of benefits, specifically for those who have a lot of problems with frizzy hair!

9. Paul Mitchell

Paul Mitchell is a very well-known brand that has great products. They have products for different hair types that suit many different budgets. So, you may be interested to try their Paul Mitchell Clean Beauty Anti-Frizz Shampoo, which is a vegan, sulfate-free, paraben-free, and gluten-free shampoo. They have a line of products that work with this shampoo, so if you need something that is paraben-free, you should definitely try this.

A popular line they sell is the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Shampoo, which is an anti-frizz shampoo. They even say it is great in prep for a blowout. While your hair is damp, you can put a couple of pumps of their Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum in it, which is one of their top products. This can be added to any routine. So, if you like your shampoo and conditioner, try using this product and see if your hair is smoother and shiner after blow drying and straightening it.

10. Olaplex

This brand is loved by many, but there are some people who would rather purchase other products. Overall, it is worth a try, and they have great formulas. One product you can try is their Olaplex N°.6 Bond Smoother. It is said to smooth, condition, and strengthen your hair. They say you can use it with any of their shampoos, and it will help you achieve your smooth hair goals. You can use it with their N°.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo for great results.

Another great shampoo for those of all hair types and textures, this shampoo comes with a lot of great ingredients while still remaining vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, cruelty-free, phosphate and sulfate-free, and paraben-free! It costs $30 for the 3.3 fluid-ounce bottles for a single-time purchase, though you can always subscribe to get it cheaper.

11. Hairitage by Mindy McKnight

The last brand is Hairitage. It is going to be the least expensive on the list, and you can find it at any Walmart store. Mindy is a mom of 6, so she set out to create an affordable hair care and accessory line that has shampoos, conditioners, heat tools, accessories, and other hair products.

You are meant to pick out your perfect shampoo and conditioner by choosing which one is best for your hair type, and one great option is the Hairitage Outta My Hair Gentle Daily Moisturizing Shampoo with Jojoba Oil & Aloe Vera. It is more of a general shampoo that can be used by people with any hair type.

After shampooing and conditioning, you can use her Hairitage Take Your Vitamins Argan Oil & Avocado Hair Oil and/or the Hairitage Mask-Querade Moisturizing Argan Oil Hair Mask with Shea Butter, Aloe & Soy Protein for Damaged Hair. Both products are great for adding shine, smoothing your hair, and adding a little extra moisture before using heat on your hair. Following that, you can use the Hairitage Play It Cool Argan Oil Heat Protectant Spray to protect your hair before using a blow dryer or flat iron. These products are all about $8, and so are the shampoos and conditioners.

Then, you can even look at the various hot tools she sells, such as the Smooth Sailing Heated Ceramic Hair Brush for Straightening, Detangling & Salon Blowout Styling, the Go With The Flow 2-in-1 Titanium Flat Iron Straightener & Curling Iron Styling Tool, or the Hairitage Straight To It Flat Iron for Hair Straightening & Frizz Control. The heat styling products are about $35-$55, which is not too expensive for great hair tools.

You can also get the Hairitage Day Two Hair Refresher Hair Spray with Coconut Oil to help freshen your hair up or add some smoothing and shine to your hair after sleeping on it. There are products for many different purposes that can help you create a sleek, shiny, straight hair-do.

This brand is cheap and easy to try, and it is made for every person with every type of hair need, so definitely check them out before trying the more expensive brands, as it could save you money!