Your hair can really make or break a look. If it’s too oily or if you have dandruff, it can not only spoil your look but your mood too. A great shampoo will really treat your hair the way it needs to be treated.
Korean brands are more common in our skincare and beauty routines, but why limit it to just that? Many popular K-beauty brands have branched out into hair care, so we’ve compiled a list of the best Korean shampoos.
Regardless of whether your greasy hair is in dire need of oil control or a little extra TLC for your bleached blond locks, there is a Korean shampoo for you. Take a look as we break down and help you find exactly what you need for your hair!
Best Korean Shampoos Reviewed
1. Daeng GI Meo Ri Ki Gold Premium Shampoo
This unassuming herbal shampoo is an elevated shampoo. Although it’s not specified for any particular type of hair, there’s nothing ordinary about this product.
It has ingredients like green tea and changpo which provide both detoxifying and skin-protecting benefits to your scalp. Changpo, or sweet flag, is a flowering plant used by Korean women for centuries for shiny hair.
The benefits of herbal shampoo? The added herbs not only provide a gorgeous smell, but the ingredients actually help increase your hair and scalp’s natural moisture retention!
Basically, your hair will smell great and have some protection against damage without any extra products required. It’s quite a concentrated product, so only a little bit is required. Lather into your scalp and let it drip down your strands as you rinse it out. Your hair will thank you for it!
2. Kerasys Elegance and Sensual Perfumed Shampoo
Who doesn’t love it when their hair smells amazing? We absolutely love it, which is why we also love this floral-scented Korean shampoo. Notes of apple blossom, violet, and sandalwood really bring a soft scent to your hair after each wash.
While it brings amazing cleanse and smell, your hair will immensely benefit from the added olive extract and shea butter. These two ingredients nourish and hydrate your locks.
Your strands will be all the better for it! Treat your senses and your scalp with a relaxing shower, simply lather a little bit into your hands and gently massage your scalp before rinsing off.
3. El Kiyaku Shampoo
Formulated for all types of hair, this ginseng infused shampoo is hypoallergenic, providing a real treat for your scalp. The ingredients work together to do a multitude of things: protecting, nourishing, and eliminating excess sebum.
Sweat? Not on your scalp! With three different varieties, ginseng is the star of this shampoo, but added pine foliage extract and honey also make an appearance.
Free of silicones, your hair and scalp’s pH level will be optimal to remain healthy. Protection against irritation, hair loss prevention, and deep hydration are just a couple of other ways your hair and scalp will benefit from frequent use of this Korean shampoo. Want thicker, stronger, nourished hair without any excess sebum, sweat, or product residue? Look no further than this subtly honey-ginseng scented shampoo.
4. Amorepacific Ryo Hair Strengthener Shampoo
Have years of dying and curling left your hair weak, brittle, and shedding a little too much with each brush? Seems like you’re probably in dire need of a shampoo that will strengthen your weakened strands.
Fermented pickled soybean is the magical ingredient that really helps to strengthen your hair from the root. Another great benefit of this plant? Volume. Your hair will grow back not only stronger, but you’ll have volume for days!
Other benefits of this shampoo come from the ingredients like ginseng, pine leaf, and camellia oil. These three natural ingredients aid in the strengthening of the hair root, purification of your scalp, and improve your scalp’s overall health.
If your thin, brittle hair is crying for help then don’t skip out on this great Korean shampoo.
5. Kundal Honey and Macadamia Pure Natural Balancing Refreshing Shampoo
Kundal is touted as a natural personal care brand, really infusing their products with natural ingredients and extracts. This shampoo has 46 natural ingredients (87% derived!) and comes in a variety of scents from baby powder to English rose to amber vanilla.
The titular ingredients are honey and macadamia, and they’re hard at work hydrating and sealing each hair cuticle with moisture. Formulated for damaged hair and sensitive skin, your scalp will be in great shape after each wash.
Argan oil is a bit of a hidden gem in this shampoo. It also packs vitamin E and antioxidants to provide deep, intense hydration to your hair and scalp.
With a vegan and cruelty-, sulfate-, paraben-, silicone- and phthalate-free formula, there’s nothing bad or damaging about this shampoo. You really cannot go wrong, and your hair will only benefit from frequent use of this gentle, yet effective, shampoo.
6. Ryoe Jayang Yoon Mo Anti Hair Loss Shampoo
Have you recently noticed that more and more strands of your luscious locks are coming out each time you brush or wash your hair? Sounds like you might be in need of a new shampoo that can help with this.
This Korean shampoo does just that, doubly so if you also have oily hair. It’s targeted to those with oily hair and suffering from hair loss, but some customers even found this shampoo has helped with dandruff!
What makes this shampoo so great for hair loss? Ryoe has formulated it with their trademarked RX GinsenEX technology, which extracts from every part of the ginseng plant.
The leaf and stem of this ingredient are immensely potent and excellent scalp and hair nourishers. The Pine Needle extract helps deal with the excess sebum (dead skin), thus adding an extra exfoliating-type treatment with each wash!
7. LG Reen Yungo Cleansing Treatment Shampoo
This Korean hair cleanser is a 2-in-1 shampoo and hair treatment. Your hair is left squeaky clean, clear of excess oil, grease, and dandruff thanks to the red ginseng, while the traditional Korean herbs seep deep into the hair follicle and root to strengthen and deeply hydrate your hair.
The result is smooth, strong yet soft hair.
Many of the ingredients are natural derivatives, and it has a gorgeous scent to match. This is quite the beloved shampoo, many reviewers even mention that it really brings back volume and bounce to their hair, quite the rejuvenation!
Give your hair the TLC it deserves with this double-duty Korean shampoo.
8. Amipure Like a Nopoo Shampoo
Okay, so this shampoo is out there for anybody who has a sensitive scalp. Terms like scent-free, hypoallergenic, and sulfate-free are music to our ears when looking for a mild but effective shampoo.
If you’re wondering how this shampoo manages to be so effective, it’s because of the amino-acids combined with polysaccharides to provide the perfect balance between nutrition and cleaning power for your scalp – with no chemical preservatives!
Did we mention it’s also pH balanced? Clearly, balance is key.
The polysaccharides are a chain of sugars that protect your skin while you wash your hair, thus preventing your scalp’s natural moisture from evaporating. Dirt, excess sebum, and excess oil do lift away though; they really don’t stand a chance.
This mild shampoo puts up a tough fight for anybody with a sensitive scalp.
9. Aromatica Quinoa Protein Shampoo
Weak, frizzy, brittle hair a daily experience for you? Your hair is in major need of hydration and care. Aromatica has created a shampoo that will penetrate deep into your hair’s follicle to strengthen from within.
For extremely damaged hair, this shampoo contains superfood quinoa and oils that are heat-resistant. It can be a bit freaky to clean your hair when it’s so damaged, but the protein in the quinoa penetrates deep to strengthen your hair, while the oils prevent future damage from both styling and the sun!
It contains over 96% naturally-derived ingredients, so you can rest easy that your locks are loved.
Split ends and frizzy do’s are a thing of the past. Resilient, strong, and healthy hair is in your future. For best use, pump a little bit of the protein-packed product into your hand and massage it into your scalp. Just feel the damage rinsing away!
10. Whamisa Organic Seeds Shampoo Dry Scalp
If you’re plagued with a dry, itchy scalp in desperate need of hydration and care, you’re gonna love this luxurious-looking shampoo.
Scalp care is the number one concern for this shampoo, so that means no sulfates, vegan friendly, and a high percentage of natural and organic ingredients. Some of these ingredients are fermented; this process enhances the potency and efficacy of the ingredients.
A combination of barley seed, aloe vera leaf extract, lavender, and bergamot oils really seep into your scalp for that intense hydration it craves. The subtle scent doesn’t hurt, either!
Soothing your scalp while providing hydration and moisturization are what really help this shampoo stand out from the rest. Lavender has long been known for its soothing and calming properties for your skin, and your scalp is no different – especially if you’ve got a ton of itchiness and dryness.
This Clean Beauty-focused brand is great for people who are conscious of what goes into their hair and skin, so you don’t want to miss out on this if you want to stop scratching your itchy scalp!
Selecting a Korean Shampoo
There’s a ton of options, but you may be wondering – where to start? First thing’s first: figuring out your hair type.
Normal Hair – consider yourself lucky! You generally won’t experience frizziness or breakage, and your hair likely has a natural shine to it without looking greasy.
Dry Hair occurs when your hair doesn’t get enough moisture or hydration. It’s less shiny, dull-looking, and likely frizzes up at any moment. This can be caused by a multitude of things, including nutritional deficiencies, heat damage, and sun damage.
Oily Hair is caused by excess sebum, making hair appear greasy, wet, or stringy. Your hair may feel heavy, and leave a residue on your fingers and hairbrush. Hormones are a huge factor in this, but you may also just have a naturally oily scalp.
Damaged Hair is an exaggerated form of dry hair. You have split ends, lots of breakages, and possible hair loss when washed or brushed. Your follicles have been weakened for a multitude of reasons and your hair is in desperate need of some TLC.
Dandruff appears as white flakes that fall off when you brush your hair or run your fingers through. Product sensitivity, dry skin, or irritation can cause dandruff.
Colored Hair can also be any other type of hair, but has been altered with semi-permanent or permanent hair color. If bleaching is involved then you may have additional damage. Your main concern is probably to maintain the vibrancy of your ‘do.
This list isn’t exhaustive, but figuring out which type(s) of hair you have is key to finding the right hair product for you. Not each shampoo is good for each hair type. For example, the medicinal ingredient in dandruff-ridding shampoos tends to strip the hair follicle of color, making it a hair-dyed mane’s worst enemy.
Once you’ve figured out your hair type, then look to other aspects of a shampoo. Scent, texture, added ingredients, and composition (ie is it vegan, cruelty-free?) are all personal preferences that have to be considered. We’ve got the best Korean shampoos on this list, so you’ll find something that fits your needs.
You’ve got your shampoo, now what? Make sure you’re using the shampoo exactly as directed. Many shampoos only require a small amount massaged into your scalp for best use; you likely don’t need to shampoo each strand of hair. This is an issue and can cause stripping of your hair’s natural oils, and may even be the cause of some hair issues you experience! Use your shampoo properly!
Conclusion
In the USA, we often look to the East, Korea specifically, for a lot of new beauty and skincare trends. There is a lot of care and thought put into their products, and it’s not limited to just beauty and skincare. Some of the best, effective hair products are making their way West, and we can’t ignore them.
Whether you want to get rid of limp, lifeless, and damaged tresses from all that styling or you want to try something new, you don’t need to look any further. Figure out your hair type, main concerns, and voila!
There absolutely is a Korean shampoo for you, and minimal work is involved in discovering it. Give yourself a new and improved ‘do – live life with your best hair forward!
Also:
- These Are The Best Shampoos To Help Straighten Your Tresses
- Best Organic Shampoos To Use If You’re Pregnant
Sheryll is a lifestyle editor with over 7 years of experience in beauty. She is obsessed with Korean skincare, and she mostly covers the Beauty and Skincare space at Skin Seas.