I've used Monday Haircare’s shampoo and conditioner for years – and they're some of the best (Monday/iStock/The Independent)
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If you don’t know Monday Haircare then get to know, because this aesthetically-packaged brand has become the key to a budget blow-dry in my house.
I first stumbled across Monday back in 2021, around one year after the brand’s market launch. Indeed, with its founder – Jaimee Lupton – being New Zealand-based, our lucky Kiwi friends got their hands on the haircare range 18 months before the products finally landed UK-side. Since then, the brand has expanded to over 40 countries – something which comes as no surprise given that the moment the baby pink bottles graced my shower stand, I was obsessed.
Four years since my first test, Monday now boasts seven different shampoo and conditioner ranges, each targeted toward a different haircare need. Namely, they are moisture, clarify, smooth, volume, repair, colour protect and gentle.
While I’ve tested over half the collection, including moisture, smooth, gentle and repair, the moisture range (shampoo: £5, Boots.com; conditioner: £5, Boots.com) is a personal favourite. If you struggle with knots and tangles, these formulas will be a surefire way to get through those tugs and they smell wonderful, too. Interested? Keep reading for my in-depth review.
The shampoo is more gel-like while the conditioner is a thicker cream (Lucy Smith)
As well as using the Monday haircare shampoo and conditioner back in 2021 (and several times since), I’ve been testing the moisture range from the brand more closely of late. I rinse and repeat with the shampoo before brushing the conditioner through my hair while in the shower. For context, I also brush my hair pre-shower but whether my hair brush glides through my wet hair is a completely different matter, so I’ve certainly been taking note of how detangling the moisture conditioner is. Plus, I have hair that grows halfway down my back so it most definitely gets tangled. Other things to note? I paid attention to the scent and the feel of my hair post-drying, as well as how long the wash lasted before I needed another.
Why you can trust us
As someone with more than five year’s of experience writing about beauty products, plus four years using Monday Haircare, Lucy is confident in her knowledge of which ingredients are good (and bad) for your hair. As for her wider expertise in the haircare field, she recently tested 14 out of the 35 products reviewed in our IndyBest shampoo and conditioner round-up. Within that edit, she crowned Monday Haircare the overall best buy, describing it as “a wonder for damaged hair.” In addition to real-world testing and experience, Lucy has accrued knowledge from various haircare experts, like Michael Douglas and Samantha Cusick (to name a few) – all of which have informed her writing and reviews.
Monday Haircare moisture shampoo
Size: 350ml
Key ingredients: Shea butter, coconut oil, antioxidant vitamin E and shine-boosting rice protein
Fragranced: Yes
Cruelty-free: Yes
Suitable for: Normal to thick/dry
Why we love it
A little goes a long way
Sulphate-free
Smells great
Affordable
With a gel-like consistency, the Monday moisture shampoo lathers easily and smells clean. You don’t need too much product to clean from the roots to the ends, and it leaves the hair feeling squeaky clean yet soothed and moisturised.
Often with affordable shampoos you’ll benefit from shiny, healthy-looking hair after one-two washes but, after several, you then experience a mass of build-up or even dry scalp issues. This wasn’t the case with Monday’s moisture shampoo however. Instead, I found it left my roots light and fluffy while my scalp remained hydrated and comfortable.
As for the finish, it’s hard to distinguish what’s the result of the shampoo versus the conditioner, but my hair – which at the time of testing was very overgrown and damaged – felt soft and less frazzled and brittle.
The fact that the entire bottle – even the pump – is recyclable is also impressive and the design is particularly aesthetic, given its price.
Key ingredients: Coconut oil, glycerin, rice protein, vitamin E, shea butter and split end-minimising panthenol
Fragranced: Yes
Cruelty-free: Yes
Suitable for: Normal to thick/dry
Why we love it
Detangles effortlessly and prevents tearing hair shafts
Hydrating
Doesn't need to sit long to have a positive effect
Take note
Takes a minute to rinse through
In my opinion, the conditioner is the hero product in this duo. It’s so detangling that I can run it through my hair using just my fingers, and it smooths down flyaways like nothing else. Plus, the scent is stronger compared to the shampoo – I’d describe it as floral-like, with a talcum powder-esque undertone.
You don’t need to leave it in situe for minutes on end before you can get down to knot-busting business. Rather, the product makes quick work of mats and you can almost instantly feel their smoothed softness, even after rinsing.
It does require a little bit of patience washing it out so you don’t end up with any build-up, but once thoroughly rinsed I find my mid-lengths and ends to be hydrated, and my blow-dry glossier than ever. It ensures that all my strands are laying flat, managing to tame that pesky external layer of broken, 1cm hair shafts that usually out.
The verdict: Monday Haircare moisture shampoo and conditioner
My hair looked and felt glossy post blow-dry (Lucy Smith) (Theindependent)
Monday’s moisture duo, as well as the smoothing formulas, are my go-to supermarket hair buys. I think for £5 per bottle, you’d struggle to get many other shampoos and conditioners, let alone ones that are sulphate-free and effectively hydrating. There’s so much to like about them as, not only do they actually do good for my hair (so much so that I’ve repurchased them several times) but they also look good in your bathroom, the brand uses recyclable packaging and they leave your hair feeling so very soft after each use.
