I've tried a lot of expensive shampoos in my time, but this £5 one beats them all for dry and damaged hair (2025)

My hair requires a lot of maintenance. Not only is it long and frizzy, but it's extremely dry and brittle thanks to over a decade of bleaching. I have tried countless shampoos over the years to bring my hair back to life, and whilst some of the pricier options have worked well, Hask's absurdly affordable Argan Oil Repairing Shampoo is the one I return to again and again.

After a particularly unfortunate at-home bleaching session at university, I was convinced that I would be tethered to a life of pricey treatments if I wanted to avoid my hair totally snapping off. But after necessity made me opt for a cheap shampoo during my weekly shop, I discovered that one of the best drugstore shampoos is exactly what my hair type needs.

Now, don't get me wrong, completely fried hair will need more than a couple of bottles of the best shampoo and conditioner for dry hair to bring it back from the dead. But if you have hair that is on the dry side and needs some damage repair, frizz taming and a boost of hydration, you need to add this shampoo to your trolley.

Argan oil is known to work wonders for frizz, so it makes sense that it would help with hydration and shine. But what I didn't expect from this shampoo is how much healthier it makes my hair look and feel. It is designed to penetrate the hair shaft to repair damage and breakage, all whilst thoroughly cleansing, and it does exactly that.

In my bid to rehydrate my hair, I tried countless reviving shampoos that were *too* rich for my hair - that is, they left my roots feeling heavy and greasy, with too much shine for my liking. But Hask's Argan oil shampoo has mastered the art of hydration and repair without being too heavy for different hair types. My hair looks and feels softer after using, but it doesn't have that weighted feel or any excess shine that looks unnatural.

If you also regularly use a purple shampoo to tone down brassiness, you'll know that they can be slightly stripping on the hair, and I find Hask to be the perfect antidote on my regular wash days. I typically pair it with the conditioner from the same range, and then once a week I will use one of the best moisturising hair masks to really lock in the hydration.

After just one wash I noticed how much softer and tamer my hair looked, and making this shampoo a regular part of my haircare routine keeps my ends feeling fresh and brittleness at bay. For dry, damaged, or colour-treated hair that needs some TLC, this bargain product gets my vote every time.

Shop the full Argan oil range