If you don’t know Monday Haircare, then get to know. This beautifully packaged brand is my secret for a budget blow-dry.

I first stumbled across Monday 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 in the UK. Since then, the brand has expanded to over 40 countries. It came as no surprise - 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 - 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: £3.33, Boots.com; conditioner: £3.33, 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.

How I tested

The shampoo is more gel-like while the conditioner is a thicker cream (Lucy Smith)

As well as testing the Monday haircare shampoo and conditioner 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 whether the moisture conditioner can detangle. 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 years 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 learned from haircare experts like Michael Douglas and Samantha Cusick.

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Monday Haircare moisture shampoo

monday haircare moisture shampoo indybest

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 hair feeling squeaky clean yet soothed and moisturised.

Affordable shampoos often cause long-term problems. You’ll have shiny, healthy-looking hair after one or two washes, but a few days later, you might 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 even the bottle looks surprisingly good for the price.

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2
Monday Haircare moisture conditioner

monday haircare moisture conditioner indybest

Size: 350ml

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, with a talcum powder-esque undertone.

You don’t need to leave it in situ for minutes on end before you can get down to knot-busting business. 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 are 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.

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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. You’d struggle to get many other shampoos and conditioners for £3.33 per bottle, let alone ones that are sulphate-free and effectively hydrating. There’s so much to like about them - not only do they do good for my hair (so much so that I’ve repurchased them several times), but they also look good in your bathroom. Best of all, they leave your hair feeling so very soft after each use.

Looking for more recommendations? Read our guide to the best hair bonding treatments

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This shampoo and conditioner start at £3.33 a bottle - here’s why they’re my favourite

My hair detangles super easily thanks to this budget-friendly brand