24-02-2025
This £8 supermarket shampoo works as well as the luxury versions
There is little more satisfying than taking a trip to the supermarket and leaving with your weekly groceries and a decent haircare routine. But are affordable supermarket formulas actually any good, or is that just wishful thinking? While our local Sainsbury's is hardly a prime beauty destination, the excellent innovation in the affordable hair category in the past few years means that, actually, a £5 shampoo and its styling counterparts are not to be sniffed at. In fact, it would be rude not to try them out.
As a beauty editor with long, thick hair, I've tried all sorts of shampoos, conditioners, hair masks and styling products in my time. The rise of luxury haircare – a booming market that is predicted to rise in value to $32 billion by 2032 – has meant that I've become a devotee to expensive formulas. Favourites include Virtue (the Recovery shampoo and conditioner are brilliant), Kérastase (you can't go wrong with any one of its hair masks) and Oribe, a luxe, excellently packaged brand that has seen a 28 per cent rise in sales at Cult Beauty in the past year. From its Mirror Rinse Glass Hair Treatment to the Gold Lust Repair and Restore collection, the average price for a shampoo may be £48, but I'm still a member of the fan club.
So how would I fare when I swapped them for formulas that cost less than £10? I approached my quest with some trepidation, but I was interested to see what results I could achieve, not least because my skincare routine mainly consists of high street favourites which really work. After just one wash and rough dry, I was pleasantly surprised – so much so that some of the product I tried will remain in my daily routine from here on.
What I have learnt – perhaps to my shame, after so many years enjoying the luxe stuff – is that a low price doesn't mean you have to scrimp on efficacy. Far from it. So, here are some of the formulas I tried, tested and really rate. They all deliver on smell, feel and ease of use; the only difference is that the packaging isn't quite as fancy.
The six best supermarket hair products
Best for colour-treated hair
When it comes to using affordable shampoo, my big concern is always whether it will strip my (professional) hair colour, leaving it brassy and dull. I needn't have worried with L'Oréal Paris's new Elvive shampoo, which promises first-day colour for up to 40 washes. I haven't yet been able to test it for that time period, but what I can say is my colour looks rich and my hair feels soft and silky. With a derivative of vitamin C and UV filters, it's also great for protecting hair from pollution, sunlight and other external aggressors that can have an impact on hair. The conditioner is great too.
