After testing a wide range of brands and products, from classic favorites to new arrivals, we are excited to present the winners that stood out for their quality and performance. Here are the 2024 ELITE Beauty Award winners in hair care.
Hair Care Essentials
Best Daily Shampoo: British M Kombucha Shampoo
Why we love it: This nourishing detox shampoo is fabulous for all hair types and daily use, thanks to its gentle yet effective formula. Infused with kombucha extract, it cleanses the scalp and hair of pollutants and buildup, while its mild pH of 4.6 supports hair health and helps reduce shedding. We also appreciate the 750ml size, which provides plenty of product for frequent use, and the practical pump that makes it easy to dispense.
($36, en.britishm.com)
Best Hair Butter: British M Hydrate Hair Butter
Why we love it: This hydrating hair butter blends shea butter, coconut oil, and argan oil to deeply nourish and moisturize hair while tackling frizz and dullness, leaving it silky-smooth, soft, and healthy. Plus, the pleasant, creamy texture is a bonus.
($34, britishm.com)
Best Lightweight Leave-In Conditioner: Color Wow Money Mist
Why we love it: This deep moisturizing leave-in conditioner boosts hair with a glossy shine while strengthening and reducing breakage. It also smooths and eliminates frizz, leaving hair beautifully silky. But what really sets it apart is its unique fine mist spray, which is incredibly lightweight and never weighs hair down. Plus, it offers heat and UV protection and is suitable for all hair types.
($29, colorwowhair.com)
Best Multi-Tasking Leave-In Conditioner: Redken One United
Why we love it: This leave-in conditioner offers 25 benefits in one, including lightweight nourishment, improved manageability, heat damage protection, detangling, frizz control, and a boost in shine, to name a few. It is also suitable for all hair types, including color-treated and damaged hair. Plus, it is a must-have for travel.
($14-44, redken.com)
Best Weekly Hair Repair Mask: Bondi Boost Miracle Hair Mask
Why we love it: This powerhouse weekly treatment mask is packed with nutritious oils—castor, argan, Abyssinian, macadamia, and jojoba. Clinically proven to reduce split ends by 84% in just four uses, it effectively seals cuticles without causing buildup or weighing hair down.
($28, bondiboost.com)
Bond Repair & Strengthening
Best Pre-Shampoo Strengthening Treatment: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer
Why we love it: This deep-conditioning pre-shampoo treatment strengthens and repairs hair while restoring elasticity and bounce, and has been clinically proven to reduce breakage by 46% after just one use. It also adds shine, tames frizz, and transforms hair texture, making it healthier, shinier, and smoother. It is also available in Elasticizer Extreme for an even more intense treatment.
($31 – $140, philipkingsley.com)
Best Bond Building Treatment Duo: Olaplex Nº.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment and Nº.3 Hair Perfector
Why we love them: This duo revitalizes damaged hair using Olaplex Bond Building Technology to repair and strengthen hair bonds, restoring integrity and resilience. The Nº.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment primes the hair for repair, while the pre-shampoo treatment Nº.3 Hair Perfector reinforces and protects it. Together, they help prevent breakage, split ends, and damage from heat and chemical treatments, leaving hair healthier and more resilient.
($30 each, olaplex.com)
Best Hair Bonding Oil: Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil
Why we love it: With nourishing oils of Sunflower, Moringa, Pomegranate, Green Tea, and Grape Seed, this super lightweight bonding oil defends against damage and frizz while delivering impressive results: 77% less breakage, up to 72 hours of frizz control, and a 125% increase in shine, with added heat protection.
($30 – $54, olaplex.com)
Best Shampoo & Conditioner for Very Damaged Hair: Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset Extreme Repair
Why we love it: Infused with Japanese rice extract, this duo is perfect for extremely damaged hair that has been through frequent coloring or chemical treatments. The Ultimate Reset Extreme Repair Shampoo ($22 – $55) gently cleanses while it helps repair and prevent breakage, while the Ultimate Reset Extreme Repair Conditioner ($19 – $63) effectively repairs and strengthens while adding softness and manageability, keeping hair vibrant and healthy.
Best Day Serum for Very Damaged Hair: Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset Extreme Repair Duo Hair Serum
Why we love it: This hair serum is great for very damaged hair, as it restores and strengthens hair that has been frequently colored or chemically treated. It blends two advanced hair oils with SRS technology to help prevent breakage and split ends while enhancing shine and softness. It is also color-safe, maintaining hair color while strengthening and restoring hair health.
($46, shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com)
Best Night Serum for Very Damaged Hair: Shu Uemura Ultimate Reset Extreme Repair Overnight Serum
Why We Love It: This multi-benefit night serum works while you sleep to repair and rejuvenate extremely damaged hair. Infused with a potent blend of Japanese rice extract and peptides, it reverses damage from color treatments, bleach, chemicals, and heat. By morning, your hair will be up to 3X smoother, 95% stronger, and significantly less prone to breakage—leaving it soft, healthy, and radiant!
($42 – $70, shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com)
Thickening & Volume
Best Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner: Bondi Boost Thickening Therapy Duo
Why we love it: This duo, enriched with hyaluronic acid, vegan collagen, ginseng, and sea kelp, enhances volume by lifting at the roots and expanding each hair for instant thickness. The formula strengthens and nourishes while boosting shine and vitality, leaving hair visibly fuller with an impressive volume increase of over 50%!
($54, bondiboost.com)
Best Volumizing Spray for Fine & Flat Hair: Fekkai Full Blown Volume Dry Texturizing Spray
Why we love it: This dry texturizing spray is amazing for flat, fine hair, giving it a fabulous volume boost that lasts up to 8 hours. It effortlessly revitalizes second and third-day hair while hydrating and balancing oil production without weighing hair down. Plus, it is free from sulfates, silicones, and parabens, and is ideal for all hair types, including keratin and color-treated hair.
($14 – $27, fekkai.com)
Color Care & Shine
Best Hair Care Trio for Color Treated Hair: Kérastase Chroma Absolu
Why we love it: This trio for color-treated or highlighted hair not only nourishes and intensely hydrates but also protects color and prevents fading, boosts shine, and keeps hair healthy, frizz-free, and vibrant.
Bain Chroma Respect Shampoo ($42): This lightweight, sulfate-free shampoo preserves color and enhances shine.
Fondant Cica Chroma Conditioner ($25 – $48): This lightweight, hydrating conditioner strengthens and prevents color fading.
Chroma Filler Hair Mask ($27 – $78): This deeply hydrating mask strengthens and prevents color fading.
Best Shampoo for Blonde Hair: Schwarzkopf BlondMe All Blondes Light Shampoo
Why we love it: This shampoo is a gem for fine to medium blonde hair, thanks to its sulfate-free formula that cleanses without weighing hair down. It also features 3D Bond Creation Technology that strengthens and restores hair, while Panthenol hydrates and Mulberry Silk Extract adds softness, making the hair look and feel amazing.
($23, amazon.com)
Best Leave-in Conditioner for Blonde Hair: Schwarzkopf BLONDME All Blondes Light Spray Conditioner
Why we love it: Made for fine to medium blonde and highlighted hair, this lightweight leave-in conditioner spray detangles and eases combing while nourishing and strengthening without weighing hair down. It also reduces static and gives hair a beautiful, healthy shine.
($24, amazon.com)
Best Golden Shine Mask: Schwarzkopf Professional BLONDME Blonde Wonders Golden Mask
Why we love it: This mask uses Integrated 3D Bond Creation Technology to strengthen hair bonds while delivering a fabulous shine and a golden glow to blond or highlighted hair.
($53, Amazon.com)
Best Gloss Treatment Rinse: Kérastase Soin Acide Chroma Gloss Hair Gloss
Why we love it: This gloss treatment strengthens and seals hair and preserves color vibrancy, adding a beautiful high-shine and glossy finish. We also love how the liquid formula turns into a creamy texture upon contact with water, making application and detangling effortless.
($58, kerastase-usa.com)
Best Shine Boost Spray: Redken Shine Flash
Why We Love It: The name says it all—Shine Flash! This lightweight spray delivers instant shine without leaving hair greasy. Enriched with Camelina Oil and Vitamin B5, it smooths flyaways and revitalizes hair and dry ends while providing a stunning, high-shine finish. Suitable for all hair types, it is a fabulous and practical solution for achieving shiny, healthy-looking hair instantly and on the go!
($24, redken.com)
Split End Care
Best Split End Repair Treatment: Philip Kingsley Bond Builder Split End Remedy
Why we love it: This split-end remedy is fantastic for any hair type. It seals, strengthens, and repairs, making hair healthier and more resilient. It also leaves hair smoother and shinier, with results lasting through up to three washes.
($42, philipkingsley.com)
Best Split End Serum: Kérastase Nutritive Nutri-Supplement Split Ends Serum
Why we love it: This intensely nourishing hair oil seals split ends, prevents future damage, and adds instant smoothness and shine. Suitable for all hair textures and types, it keeps hair healthy and vibrant with minimal fuss.
($46, kerastase-usa.com)
Dry Shampoo & Frizz Control
Best Dry Shampoo: Commence 2-in-1 Instant Dry Shampoo
Why we love it: This 2-in-1 Instant Dry Shampoo by Brooke Shields works wonders by absorbing excess oil and visibly lifting and refreshing hair and extending the time between washes. Its lightweight, non-aerosol formula volumizes from the roots, leaving hair looking clean and fresh. It is also a phenomenal travel must-have and pick-me-up for when you don’t have time to wash your hair but still want to walk out the door with clean, fresh-looking hair and added volume.
($21, shopcommence.com)
Best Lightweight Frizz-Control Spray: Redken Frizz Dismiss Smooth Force
Why we love it: This sulfate-free, lightweight, hydrating lotion spray is excellent for detangling and protecting hair from frizz while moisturizing and smoothing without weighing it down.
($30, redken.com)
Hair Oils
Best Hair Oil: Kérastase Elixir Ultime Original Hair Oil
Why we love it: This iconic hair oil leaves hair ten times stronger, ten times smoother, and with a fabulous, radiant shine. It also effectively controls frizz, provides heat protection, and features a super convenient refillable design.
($30 – $62, kerastase-usa.com)
Best Lightweight Hair Oil: Shu Uemura Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Hair Oil
Why we love it: This lightweight hair oil, infused with Japanese red camellia, delivers exceptional nourishment and shine. It deeply hydrates while tackling dryness and frizz, protects against UV damage and heat, and leaves hair with a radiant, silky finish. Plus, the delightful scent is a bonus!
($30 – $72, shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com)
Scalp Care & Hair Growth
Best Scalp Care Spray: Bondi Boost Intensive Spray
Why we love it: This concentrated leave-in spray combines Vitamin B5, Peppermint, Tea Tree Oil, and Nettle Extract to nurture the scalp and enhance hair thickness and fullness. Clinically proven, it achieves an impressive 86% reduction in hair fallout from breakage and boosts hair strength by 6.9 times in just one month of use.
($20, bondiboost.com)
Best Scalp Care Serums: Kilgour MD’s Prevention And Treatment Serums
Why we love them: The Prevention Serum stops hair thinning by nurturing hair follicles, blocking DHT, and shielding against stress and environmental damage, with users seeing up to a 30% reduction in hair fall within two months. The Treatment Serum focuses on combating aging, hormonal shifts, and environmental factors while boosting circulation to deliver essential nutrients for hair regrowth, with studies showing an impressive 200% increase in hair follicle growth and improved thickness and density. When used together, these serums outshine minoxidil in clinical trials, providing superior hair revitalization without side effects.
($89 each, kilgourmd.com)
Best Hair Growth System: HairSmart GrowthX: Advanced Clinically-Proven Hair Regrowth For Men & Women
Why we love it: This hair growth system blends modern Western technology with time-tested Ayurvedic wisdom for a comprehensive approach to achieving thicker, healthier hair. It is clinically proven to help regrow hair by up to 51% in 17 weeks, with only 7 minutes of daily use. Perfect for both men and women experiencing hair thinning, it addresses hair health through a combination of nutrition, topical treatments, and laser therapy. The system includes:
- Advanced LLLT (low-level light therapy) laser cap device for hair growth
- All-natural DHT Blocker for hair loss prevention
- Hair Growth Vitamin for providing nutrition
- Hair Serum for accelerating hair growth
- Ayurvedic Hair Therapy Oil for texture and damage repair.
($1,495, myhairsmart.com)
Collection Awards
Best Daily Bond-Building Set: Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Collection
Why We Love It: This collection strengthens and repairs damaged hair by reinforcing weakened bonds, while protecting against color fading and breakage, and restoring hair’s resilience and vibrancy. We also love the exquisite scent. Available for individual purchase or as a complete set for $170, which includes:
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment ($13 – $33): This pre-shampoo treatment strengthens and repairs.
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo ($13 – $64): Reduces breakage and makes hair twice as strong.
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Conditioner ($13 – $64): Repairs and conditions while reducing breakage by 56%.
Acidic Bonding Concentrate 5-Min Liquid Mask ($13 – $38): Provides 72-hour hydration, twice the shine, and three times stronger hair.
Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment ($13 – $33): Repairs, strengthens, adds shine, controls frizz, and protects.
Best Hair Collection for Dry Hair: Kérastase Nutritive
Why we love it: This collection for fine to medium dry hair is superbly hydrating and nourishing. Featuring skincare-inspired ingredients, it revitalizes hair, leaving it feeling hydrated, soft, and wonderfully fluffy, with a noticeable boost in shine. The collection includes:
Bain Satin Shampoo ($40): This hydrating shampoo boosts shine by over 90% with plant-based proteins and niacinamide.
Lait Vital Conditioner ($24 – $44): This lightweight conditioner hydrates, strengthens, and boosts shine by over 100%.
Masqueintense Hair Mask ($64): This intensely hydrating mask strengthens dry hair with plant proteins and niacinamide.
Nutri-Supplement Split Ends Hair Serum ($46): This serum targets split ends, reducing them by 2X while enhancing shine.
Nectar Thermique Heat Protecting Cream ($24 – $46): This leave-in cream protects from heat, reduces frizz, and adds shine.
Lotion Thermique Heat Protecting Spray ($46): This lightweight spray protects, reduces breakage, and enhances shine.
8H Magic Night Hair Serum ($60): This overnight leave-in serum nourishes, strengthens, reduces frizz, and adds shine.
Best Hair Care Collection for Brittle, Dry Hair: Schwarzkopf Fibre Clinix Hydrate
Why we love it: Featuring a Squalane Complex that balances moisture and enhances elasticity, this collection is perfect for brittle, dry hair. It incorporates Triple Bonding Technology to strengthen hair against damage and repair prior damage, while also sealing the cuticles, boosting shine, and providing protection. The collection includes:
Fibre Clinix Hydrate Shampoo ($23.86): This gentle shampoo cleanses and hydrates dry, brittle hair.
Fibre Clinix Hydrate Conditioner ($18.98): This lightweight conditioner hydrates, strengthens, and enhances elasticity.
Fibre Clinix Hydrate Spray Conditioner ($25): This hydrating leave-in treatment seals split ends and reduces breakage.
Fibre Clinix Hydrate Booster ($21.99): This booster hydrates dry, brittle hair while enhancing elasticity and shine.
Fibre Clinix Hydrate Treatment Mask ($17.99): This treatment mask deeply hydrates, repairs, and revitalizes damaged hair.
Best 3-Step Hair Detox System: Fekkai Apple Cider Detox Clean Trio
Why we love it: This 3-step detox system with apple cider vinegar detoxifies hair and delights the senses with its refreshing blend of green apple, citrus, and spearmint. Clinically proven to eliminate 95% of buildup and boost scalp nourishment by 78%, it deeply cleanses and removes buildup, leaving hair clean, soft, and shiny. The set includes:
Apple Cider Detox Scalp Scrub: This creamy exfoliating scalp scrub gently eliminates 95% of buildup after just one use.
Apple Cider Detox Shampoo: This sulfate-free detox shampoo with apple cider vinegar removes 95% of buildup in one use.
Apple Cider Detox Rinse: This purifying liquid rinse softens, detangles, seals the cuticle, and enhances shine.
($95, fekkai.com)
Best Tailored Haircare For Every Hair Type (Masstige): V&Co. Beauty
Why we love it: V&Co’s haircare collection harnesses the power of peptides, offering four duos specifically designed to meet the needs of different hair types. Each duo combines peptides, amino acids, proteins, and vitamins for targeted care and effective results. Additionally, all products are free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, gluten, and dyes.
Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner ($15.96): Enhances volume and thickness while adding bounce and fullness to hair.
Straight Hair Shampoo & Conditioner ($15.96): Smooths, adds shine, and tames frizz for sleek, manageable hair.
Wavy Hair Shampoo & Conditioner ($15.96): Reduces frizz, boosts hydration, and defines waves for improved manageability.
Curly Hair Shampoo & Conditioner ($15.96): Defines curls, fights frizz, and provides essential moisture for bounce and vitality.
Hair Tools
Best Filtered Showerhead for Healthy Hair: Jolie The Filtered Showerhead
Why we love it: This filtered showerhead is not just stylish; it is clinically proven to reduce hair shedding by 46% by removing chlorine and heavy metals from tap water, promoting healthier skin and hair. It is also available in various finishes and is very easy to install.
($165, jolieskinco.com)
Best Detangling Brush: Tangle Teezer Ultimate Detangler Fine & Fragile
Why we love it: Specifically designed for fine and fragile hair, this detangler works wonders on both wet and dry hair. Its precision bristles effortlessly untangle knots while minimizing breakage, gliding through without pulling or snagging. Here featured in Jade Lagoon.
($15.99, us.tangleteezer.com)
Best Hairbrush: British M Flex Gentle Brush
Why we love it: This hairbrush easily detangles wet or dry hair with its synthetic rubber bristles, which are easy on the scalp. What really sets it apart is its unique flexibility, which absorbs the impact of combing for a gentle brushing experience with reduced tension and less strain on the hair.
($21, en.britishm.com)
Best Hair Dryer: BioIonic SMART-X™ High Efficiency Dryer
Why we love it: This hair dryer is incredibly lightweight and sleek, drying hair 75% faster than most competitors by increasing air pressure and reducing heat. Its three speed settings, three heat settings, and cool shot function are easy to use, providing versatile and practical styling options.
($329, bioionic.com)
Best Large Barrel Curling Iron: T3 BodyWaver
Why we love it: Featuring a unique 1 3/4″ custom blend ceramic hollow barrel, the T3 BodyWaver delivers excellent performance and stunning results. With T3’s SinglePass Radial Technology, it ensures consistent heat distribution for quick, healthy styling and beautiful, voluminous waves.
($169.99, t3micro.com)
Best Flat Iron: T3 Smooth ID
Why we love it: In a sleek and beautiful design, this flat iron uses advanced heat personalization technology, featuring nine adjustable heat levels customized for different hair textures, lengths, and colors, effectively protecting hair from excessive heat and leaving it smooth, shiny, and frizz-free.
($249, t3micro.com)
Best Multi Barrel Curling Iron: Beachwaver Co Multi Barrel Beachwaver
Why we love it: This styling tool comes with three rotating attachments—the Curly Cone, Classic Barrel, and Mega Cone—allowing one to easily switch from tight curls to loose waves. With three heat settings, lightweight ceramic barrels, and easy-to-use arrow buttons for rotation control, it is simple to use and suitable for any hair type. Here featured in the Catwalk pattern.
($249, beachwaver.com)
