2023 Winners

A little of this colour-safe shampoo goes a long way, with a luxe formulation that feels lovely and moisturising on any type of hair. The shampoo adds body and shine, strengthening strands, has balancing oils and conditions both hair and scalp with babassu seed oil and juniper berry extract.

It may be on the more expensive side, but this volume-boosting shampoo is simply luxurious. From its beautiful lather to its delicate scent and powerhouse of ingredients that leave hair feeling fuller, softer and deeply nourished, this shampoo is an exceptional product that provides body while also moisturising.  

Curly hair is more prone to dryness due to the structure of the strands, but this incredibly rich shampoo hydrates to perfection, thanks to the deep-cleansing kaolin clay and quinoa for body. “This would be perfect for naturally frizzy and curly hair as it’s very moisturising,” says Sue. “If you have a very fine curl, it may be a little heavy. But, it works beautifully with its matching conditioner, which feels more like a mask, enriched with avocado oil and Kakadu plum, to leave curls looking glossy.”   

Free of fragrance, soap and colour, and suitable for dry and sensitive scalps, this dermatologist-recommended shampoo gently cleanses your hair, leaving it feeling soft and fresh. We love the delicate scent.

This is a terrific, affordable cleanser, typical of The Ordinary, known for its low price points and excellent formulations. It contains a milder sulphate, which means it doesn’t foam into a very thick lather. Rather, it cleans the hair simply and effectively, leaving it feeling soft, fresh and without colour fade. It’s good for body cleansing, too!

This fragrant, luxe shampoo combats brassy tones with its purple formula that restores health and moisture to the hair. It smells good enough to eat, too, thanks to an impressive list of organic and natural ingredients, including pomegranate, blueberry, fruit extracts and an array of botanical oils.

The intensive pigment in this conditioner makes it an excellent choice for all shades of blonde, silver, highlighted hair and everything in between, says Sue. Enriched with argan oil and amino acids to soften, as well as enhance colour and shine, it neutralises yellow and brassy tones with ease. Simply leave it in for up to five minutes to work its magic, for perfectly treated hair in between colour appointments.

This luxurious dry shampoo absorbs product build-up, oils and impurities while delivering strength and softness to your strands. It features Oribe’s signature scent, ensuring your hair looks and smells fresh. “It’s a really lovely fragrance and very conditioning,” says Sue. “Your hair feels refreshed without being weighed down and it can be used on any hair type.”

This lightweight detangling treatment smooths frizz and conditions, allowing your brush to glide through knots and hydrate dry hair. Its nourishing blend of coconut extract, avocado oil and essential fatty acids, including vitamins A and C, leaves hair smoother, shinier and more manageable. “I like that this leave-in conditioner protects hair from UV damage and makes hair feel extremely soft,” says Sue.

Night treatments for hair are somewhat underrated – after all, what’s not to love about applying a product and waking up to healthy, hydrated hair by morning? This velvety cream envelops the hair in a nourishing blend of argan and flax oils without weighing it down. The result? Smoother, softer, more manageable hair that brings out the beauty of your natural texture. 

Anyone who uses hot tools, from a blow-dryer to curling iron to straightener, needs a heat- protecting spray in their life, and this offering from Evo is brilliant. Protecting from UV rays and offering heat resistance up to 220°C, it also boosts volume, provides medium hold and adds softness and shine. “This heat protector is a classic and a favourite of mine,” says Sue. “It does exactly what it promises: it protects hair from heat damage, it smells beautiful and there’s no build-up.”

Short on time? Then this ultra-fast hair-drying spray is something you need in your life. It provides heat protection in a top formula packed with keratin, panthenol and amino acids to strengthen and moisturise your strands, while also causing moisture to evaporate more quickly. If you’re a regular blow-dryer user, this product is a game-changer.

Give your hair instant body with this lightweight foam that creates buildable volume. It reduces frizz, combats humidity and delivers texture without even a hint of a crunch. “This is an amazing product full of good ingredients,” says Carolyn. “The extra volume and feel of hair is like nothing I’ve ever used before. It’s also a heat protector.”

The first of its kind, a powder in a pump bottle for easy application, this watermelon-scented, translucent powder gives instant volume from the roots. It’s long lasting, transparent once styled and is housed in recyclable packaging. “This works very well, it has strong hold and is easy to wash out,” says Sue.

We love this hardworking hairspray that’s not only been formulated to provide UV and heat protection, but also provides medium hold for flexible styles, doesn’t build up on the hair and smells good, too, with a subtle floral scent.

Containing apple and millet to imbue hair with a glossy lustre, this lightweight shine serum also boosts volume and leaves hair looking healthy and silky. Simply spritz, style and go!

It’s long-lasting, smells amazing (hello, coconut, passionfruit and white musk) and delivers effortless salt-free beachy waves and volume without drying your hair. Containing glycerin for hydration and hydrolysed wheat protein for volume, it’s effortless, casual, cool hair in a can.

It’s nice knowing you can protect your strands from the ravages of summer, sea water and chlorine, thanks to this excellent mask that hydrates the hair while preventing damage. Apply to damp hair before going to the beach or hopping in the pool. It also has UV protection to reduce the risk of fading colour-treated hair.

We love instant results and, if your hair’s playing up, looking fluffy, frizzy or just a little blah, this cream really does transform it immediately. It contains avocado oil and nourishing omega-3s to hydrate your hair, smooth frizz and refresh next-day styles with ease.

“As a curly girl myself, I was very impressed with this lightweight spray that not only delivers excellent heat protection, but also leaves hair looking smooth with curls that stay put and don’t drop out for ages,” says Cecily. “It works really well with hot tools to deliver superior curl definition.”

Sue calls this oil a cult classic that never fails and, once you apply this nourishing oil through your strands, you’ll see why. It smooths texture, tames flyaways and adds gorgeous gloss while strengthening the hair, boosting shine, eliminating frizz and enhancing colour protection.

Apply this protective blow-dry cream to your lengths and ends before blow-drying, for hair that feels stronger, softer and more manageable. “Especially if your hair is dryer and on the frizzy side, this priming cream will leave your hair feeling soft and bouncy and easy to style,” says Cecily.

Tame flyaways and smooth down your hair with this compact little pomade stick, containing castor seed oil and jojoba esters to keep hair moisturised, soft and shiny. Candelilla wax forms a protective barrier on the hair to seal out moisture, so you can say goodbye to humidity frizz. “I love this product – it’s easy to apply, doesn’t build up and is great for travelling,” says Sue.

Thicker, fuller, stronger hair? Yes, please! This ultra-nourishing mask, packed with coconut and castor oils, can replace your regular conditioner for deep hydration every time. It restores dry, dull hair to its glossy, lustrous best. After two to three weeks of use, hair feels fuller, more robust and beautifully shiny.

This incredibly luxe blend of natural plant and essential oils can be used in a variety of ways, as a hydrating pre-shampoo treatment, as a mask (apply to hair and scalp for up to 30 minutes, wrapped in a moist, warm towel), or as a frizz fighter and gloss-giver on dry hair. “This is a beautiful lightweight oil, which moisturises the hair and scalp and doesn’t weigh the hair down,” says Sue.

“This is a winning product for blonde hair that neutralises brassiness, maintains the appearance of coloured hair and delivers a super-nourishing conditioning treatment,” says Sue. Three minutes is all it takes to bring blonde hair back to life, remove yellow tones and leave hair looking soft and shiny.

Containing essential hair nutrients, including a vitamin B blend, and ingredients that stimulate growth at a cellular level, this non-greasy serum can be easily applied every day to strengthen strands and decrease hair fall. “Hair feels really good after using this product and, with prolonged use, you’ll see even more results,” says Sue.  

Approximately 49 per cent of women will be affected by hair loss in their life. This shampoo helps to slow down hair loss with a formula that includes ingredients to stimulate blood supply to the scalp, boost nutrient delivery and revitalise the hair follicles, leaving hair feeling softer and stronger.

If you find your hair thinning, this trio of products from Nioxin contains everything you need. The three-step system is formulated as a hair-thickening solution, including a shampoo, conditioner and hair and scalp treatment, boosting the density and diameter of your strands, refreshing your scalp and increasing volume.

These two products work great individually, but together, they’re a dream team of scalp- supporting magic. The shampoo maintains a healthy moisture balance of the hair and scalp, with the added piroctone olamine and climbazole to reduce irritation and flakiness. “The addition of the conditioner to this range leaves the hair feeling very, very soft and shiny,” says Sue. It contains a range of natural ingredients, including menthol, rosemary oil, salicylic acid and ginger extract, which soothe, calm and protect the scalp.

This scalp-soothing dandruff shampoo banishes flakes with effective ingredients, including climbazole, an anti-fungal agent used in the treatment of skin infections and dandruff, to reduce the growth rate of bacteria. It’s an effective cleanser, removing excess oil and flakes for hair that feels fresh and clean.

Packed with a powerhouse of ingredients, including peptides to help boost hair colour, caffeine to counteract the damage of hair exposed to oxidative stress, a B vitamin blend to help reduce the appearance of greys and glycoproteins to enhance shine, this serum is exceptional. “It helps to slow the process of greying hair, gives amazing shine and it’s light enough for everyday use,” says Sue.

While this treatment has been formulated to reinforce the beauty and health of blonde, sun-exposed, damaged hair, it can be used on all hair types to imbue glass-like shine, protection and nourishment. It strengthens the hair fibre and helps prevent breakage for hair that looks and feels healthy and glossy.

This deeply nourishing mask is packed with natural ingredients, including Rooibos extract and Murumuru butter, to infuse your hair with hydration. It reduces frizz, maintains colour and leaves hair feeling silky soft.

With its ultra-thin 14mm ceramic barrel, this curling wand creates tight defined curls for all hair types and textures. It’s ideal for enhancing the texture of naturally curly hair, bringing curls to straight hair or brushing out for a beautiful, wavy finish. The slim barrel makes it an excellent tool for shorter hair, while the generous barrel length is perfect for longer hair types.

For less than $150, this innovative styler delivers glamorous curls and glossy waves, minimising the risk of heat damage. With an innovative outer barrel cooling system, the split-barrel design heats, curls and cools in a single glide, thanks to air that blows up the barrel, setting the curls and helping styles stay in place for longer.

Within this incredibly sleek-looking straightener is a whole lot of technology that styles your hair to salon-worthy levels, without heat damage. Floating plates adjust the heat as you style, recognising the thickness of your hair and speed of styling for optimal results. “The curved barrel of this styler makes it just as effective for creating glossy waves as for sleek, straight styles,” says Cecily.

This effective device dries your hair quickly, using both a wide and slim brush barrel, providing a variety of styles. “I love the interchangeable brush heads that effortlessly achieve everything from a salon-style blow-out to loose waves,” says Cecily. “It’s nice and light, simple to use and very pretty in pink.”

It’s hard to go past Dyson for its sleek design and superior technology and the Multi-Styler really delivers, on all counts. The interchangeable styling heads allow you to curl, wave, smooth and dry your hair all without extreme heat, and the Coanda airflow, which wraps the hair around the tool, provides a serious wow factor in terms of ease of use and results. It’s pricey, but the fast-drying, sleek, glossy hair it serves makes it worth every cent. “This is a fantastic tool that, if you follow directions, really does achieve a salon finish,” says Sue.

“I love the freedom of a cordless styler, as well as the portability factor, if you’re styling on the go, and this one is affordable and compact – perfect for travel,” says Cecily. “It charges in three hours and lasts for 30 minutes at a time. The ceramic, ionic floating plates glide through your hair for easy styling, with three temperature settings for fine, medium or thick hair.”

The soft vegan bristles of this hand-held scalp massager instantly elevate your hair wash to spa-like levels of relaxation, while stimulating your scalp. Regular scalp massages help boost hair thickness by stretching the cells of the follicles, as well as dilating the blood vessels to encourage hair growth, making it a winner for hair and scalp health, generally. “I love that this can be used both wet or dry on any type of hair,” says Cecily. “If you use hair or scalp serums, it’s also an effective tool for working them in.”

“This really is a pain-free brush, perfect for detangling, and it can be used on both wet or dry hair,” says Sue. The combination of boar bristles and nylon pins helps it glide through hair with ease whether you’re a curly, fine or thick hair type. It’s soft on sensitive scalps and leaves hair looking smooth and shiny.

The 100 per cent silk lining of this comfy hair wrap keeps your hair shiny, smooth and frizz free. The outer soft, organic cotton is light on the head and the drawstring makes it easy to keep it in place all night long. “A hair wrap is perfect for bedtime to preserve blow-dries and fantastic for the health of your hair,” says Sue.

This soft, silk jersey towel is light as a feather and wicks away excess water like a dream, without stripping the hair of its natural oils. Simply twist up your hair, button it and go. Silk contains a natural bioactive protein called sericin, which also helps moisture retention, leaving hair feeling smooth and nourished. “Hair towels are convenient and absorb excess water without the need to rub the hair, which can break strands or damage the cuticle,” says Cecily. “I love this towel for how light it feels on the head and how effectively it works.”

Sleeping on a silk pillowcase means never having to wake up with hair that looks like a bird’s nest and this absolute winner is made from soft, strong, high-density 25 momme 100 per cent mulberry silk for strength and durability. A dream to snooze on, its silky-smooth surface reduces static, ensuring you get up with healthy, happy hair that retains its style for longer. “Everyone should invest in a silk pillowcase,” says Sue. “It’s fantastic not only for hair, but skin, too.”

Ideal for all hair and skin types, this delicate cleanser leaves your skin feeling soft and your hair silky and hydrated. “Davines is a professional range that gives beautiful results and is easy to use,” says Sue. “And, since it washes both hair and body, it’s also the perfect double duo for lazy people.”

Like skincare but for your hair, this ultra-hydrating shampoo contains a concoction of goodness, including alpha hydroxy acids, antioxidants, probiotics and a blend of oils, to deeply hydrate hair and scalp, leaving it smooth and glossy. “This shampoo is full of nourishing ingredients and works really well,” adds Carolyn.

If you’re sensitive to scents, you’ll love this natural, nourishing shampoo (and its matching conditioner) that beautifully cleanses the hair without smelling like anything at all. It imbues the hair with shine, hydration and strength, thanks to ingredients including native Australian Waratah and amino acids. It’s made from 98.5 per cent natural ingredients and is housed in a recyclable aluminium pump pack.

One of the pioneers of solid shampoo bars, Ethique is good for all hair types, including colour-treated hair, and is especially effective for itchy scalps. It’s full of soothing, hydrating ingredients, such as coconut and cocoa seed oils, to gently cleanse, leaving your hair soft and fresh.

It may be on the pricier side, but this luxury conditioner is completely lush. It transforms coarse and damaged hair with intense hydration and shine while also sealing split ends. Fortified with cuticle-sealing tananu and maracuja oils, blood orange to soften and argan oil to hydrate, it conditions like a dream. “This conditioner pairs exceptionally well with its matching shampoo, but, even on its own, it’s amazing; moisturising and rebuilding but without weighing the hair down,” says Carolyn.

With coconut oil to nourish hair and scalp, manuka honey to add moisture and the warming scent of vanilla, this conditioner leaves your hair feeling beautiful. Even better, one bar will give you about 80 washes, and save you from using three plastic conditioner bottles, which is better for the environment.

“I like the innovation of this waterless cleanser, which uses a fine mist of ingredients, including oil-absorbing bentonite clay, hydrating antioxidant moringa seed oil and scalp-soothing oat oil, to refresh your hair and neutralise odours in between washing,” says Cecily. “It’s like the wet version of dry shampoo.”

We love this plant-powered dry shampoo made from 100 per cent natural extracts and housed in a recyclable can. “This is a great dry shampoo formulated for fine hair to give it extra volume, while refreshing before your next wash,” says Sue. “It’s really affordable, too. Just make sure you work it into the hair properly to avoid a chalky scalp. Or, even better, apply at night, let it absorb your oils while you sleep and wake up with fresh hair by morning!”

It smells good and it contains deeply nourishing ingredients that read like a skincare product, including hyaluronic acid, ceramides and vegan keratin. “This mask will leave your hair feeling deeply hydrated and incredibly soft,” says Sue.

“I always appreciate the affordability of Hask products, and the formulations are good, too,” says Cecily. “This rich crème hydrates damaged strands and helps to seal split ends. It’s a clean formula without any sulphates or parabens and, as a sustainable bonus, the bottle is made from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled plastics.”

This delicately scented, rich serum cream absorbs beautifully into damp hair to deliver moisture and nourishment. Formulated with hydrating hemisqualane and keratin-repairing niacinamide, it also protects the hair while heat styling, leaving your strands feeling incredibly silky smooth and manageable.

Perfect for flaky, itchy scalps, this spray serum is enriched with niacinamide and botanical extracts to balance the scalp’s oil and moisture levels, while gently removing dandruff, for healthy hair and a soft, soothed and flake-free scalp. “This serum does exactly what it promises,” says Carolyn. “It provides instant and long-lasting relief, leaves no visible residue in the hair and is extremely easy to apply.”

“Although I’m a long-time devotee of in-salon colour, I do like this permanent box dye –which is the number one DIY dye brand in France,” says Cecily. “Enriched with plant-based oils and proteins to hydrate your hair and scalp, it’s deeply pigmented, available in a range of classic colours, covers greys, is free of ammonia and silicones and you get all of that for less than $20!”

This multitasking oil has the benefit of both leaving your hair with a silky soft sheen and absorbing into your skin for a natural, lasting glow. It smells divine, looks like liquid gold and adds gloss and condition to hair. “This gorgeous oil really does make you feel like a queen – it’s beautiful to apply,” says Sue.

We love a multitasking product, so we couldn’t go past this smart leave-in conditioner and detangler, which also delivers heat protection up to 230°C. Simply spritz, detangle, blow-dry and style. It’s that simple.

This effective scrub, enriched with jojoba and avocado oils, aloe vera and geranium, cleanses, removes build-up and leaves your scalp feeling refreshed. It’s an ideal pre-shampoo ritual, used once or twice a week. The addition of orange and mandarin oils means it smells good, too. Citrusy fresh!

This nourishing treatment protects your hair from the elements, defending against colour fade and UV damage. It’s completely vegan, silicone free, contains a whole host of nourishing plant extracts and oils and won’t leave your hair feeling greasy or weighed down.

This rich, hydrating mask made with organic Cupuacu butter, which is naturally full of deeply nourishing omega-3 fatty acids, makes light work of dry and damaged hair, and is especially good for wavy and curly types, which are naturally dryer. “You can use this in place of your conditioner, leave on for 10 minutes like a traditional hair mask or apply overnight for a deeper treatment,” says Cecily. “Either way, your hair will feel incredibly soft and hydrated.”