Reactive Hair Editorial Team
This post was most recently updated on June 19th, 2023
Looking for a shampoo to get rid of brassy tones or tame frizz? Matrix can be an excellent shampoo brand that is made of quality ingredients to help you achieve salon-grade shiny blonde hair at home. In this Matrix shampoo review, we will discuss their in-shower hair care products to help you determine which one is the best for your hair.
We cover all you need to know about Matrix shampoos to enhance your blonde look, repair damage, tame frizz, etc., backed up by real-life user reviews and science.
Brand Overview: A Professional Hair Care Brand Around Since 1980
The story of Matrix begins with Arnie Miller, a hairdresser and businessman who wanted to create a line of hair care products for salon professionals. Over the years, Matrix has become one of the most popular and respected beauty brands.
Backed by 43 years of credibility, Matrix continues to focus on innovation and inclusivity to deliver up-to-date products. The brand offers a variety of hair care, color, and styling products to meet your needs and help you achieve your desired look.
Whether you’re looking for salon-quality shampoos to cater to your dry or color-treated hair, Matrix can be the perfect choice for you.
Where to Buy Matrix Top Shampoo?
Besides delivering uncomplicated and easy-to-use hair solutions, Matrix is also accessible to both online and in-store retailers. You can find all Matrix shampoos on Amazon, Matrix’s website, and Ulta that are available in various sizes to suit different needs and budgets.
Amazon is the best online retailer to buy Matrix shampoo for its wide array of supply chains. Plus, they often offer promotions and discounts on Matrix hair products, making them even more affordable for you.
Matrix gives a good balance of affordability and quality in its products, making it easy for customers to indulge in their favorite hair products without spending a fortune. Matrix shampoos range from $17 to $80 and come in single products, duos, or complete sets.
Click here to see Matrix’s portfolio on Amazon. Check the next section to learn more about the shampoo you want to try.
Top Rated Matrix Shampoo Reviews
Since Matrix is a pro brand, stylists may also play a role in creating the products. All products are formulated higher percentage of active ingredients, plus each line comes in a different colored packaging which makes it easy to tell them apart.
Here we cover the top 8 Matrix shampoos for different hair needs:
- So Silver Purple Shampoo (for blonde and silver hair) | 41,628+ ratings | 4.5 stars
- Brass Off Shampoo (for brunettes) | 28,572+ ratings | 4.5 stars
- Mega Sleek Shampoo (for frizzy, flyaways, unruly hair) | 7,991+ ratings | 4.6 stars
- High Amplify Shampoo (for fine, flat, limp hair) | 4,473+ ratings | 4.6stars
- Keep Me Vivid Sulfate-Free Shampoo (for color-treated hair) | 3,677+ ratings | 4.6 stars
- Color Obsessed Shampoo (for color-treated hair) | 3,099+ ratings | 4.7 stars
- Dark Envy Green Toning Shampoo (for black and dark brown hair) | 2,529+ ratings | 4.2 stars
- Unbreak My Blonde Sulfate-Free Shampoo (for highlighted, damaged hair) | 1,288+ ratings | 4.4 stars
Keep scrolling to find out the benefits, ingredients, disadvantages, and alternatives to each shampoo.
For Blonde and Silver Hair
Matrix Total Results So Silver Purple Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Salicylic Acid and Neutralizing Pigments
How to Use: Put on a pair of disposable gloves, apply to wet hair, and leave the lather on for 3-5 minutes before rinsing. Follow with So Silver Conditioner for best results.
It is a clarifying shampoo for blondes that’s packed with neutralizing pigments to effectively neutralize undesirable warm tones or brassiness and eliminate dull or yellow tones. So Silver Shampoo also helps enhance and revitalize blonde, silver, and gray hair for long-lasting results.
However, this shampoo may leave your hair feeling dry so it is best to use it one time per week and finish with a conditioner to replenish your hair’s moisture level. You may also need regular use to maintain desired results. For alternatives, consider the Pravana Purple Shampoo or Biolage ColorLast Purple Shampoo.
Check out our full review on Total Results So Silver Shampoo here.
For Brunettes
Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Salicylic Acid, Tocopherol, and Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate.
How to Use: Wear a pair of gloves and work on wet hair to create a lather. Leave it on for 3-5 minutes before rinsing. Follow with Brass off Conditioner for best results.
Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo is best for brunettes who lighten their hair to tackle unwanted warm or brassy tones that often appear after bleaching. Additionally, this shampoo is also suitable for natural brunettes and can be used for added toning.
The pigments can be a little strong and can stain your bathroom tiles or clothing if you’re messy. It also may strip your natural moisture, so always use a hydrating conditioner afterward. Some reported that it is less effective for very stubborn brassy tones. It is recommended to use a hair toner (from Wella ColorCharm, Pravana ChromaSilk, or Ion Color Brilliance) to add cool tones to your hair.
For Frizzy Hair
Matrix Total Results Mega Sleek Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Shea Butter
How to Use: Apply to damp or wet hair, lather, and rinse. Follow with Mega Sleek Conditioner for best results.
Mega Sleek Shampoo comes with a hydrating formula to nourish your hair strands, making it smooth and shiny. If you live in or travel to a humid area, this shampoo helps provide long-lasting frizz control against humidity thanks to shea butter in the formulation.
Given that the shampoo is not ultra-heavy, it may be suitable for all hair types and textures. The exception would be super fine and oily hair, as it might be too rich and may weigh down the hair further. It also may make the hair overly dry if you have extremely dry hair since it contains sulfate. So always finish with a conditioner and follow with hydrating hair care.
For alternatives: Biolage SmoothProof Shampoo or Nexxus Ultralight Smooth Weightless Frizz Protection Shampoo.
For Fine, Limp Hair
Matrix Total Results High Amplify Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Full Boost Technology™/MC (Contains Protein and Panthenol)
How to Use: Apply to damp or wet hair, lather, and rinse thoroughly. Follow with High Amplify Conditioner and High Amplify Wonder Boost for totally full-bodied hair and long-lasting results.
It helps deliver fine hair a lightweight voluminous boost by removing dirt and impurities without stripping your hair’s natural oil. The protein complex in the formula helps to strengthen hair strands and prevent breakage to some extent.
However, while the scent is pleasant, it may not be to everyone’s liking. You may also need to use it in conjunction with other hair products in the line to achieve the best results for voluminous hair. Plus, it is not gluten-free as the product contains hydrolyzed wheat protein. For alternatives consider, Boldify Hair Thickening Shampoo or Biolage Volume Bloom Shampoo.
If you’re looking for a super clarifying shampoo formulated to remove build-ups and sebum, you should try High Amplify Root Up Wash Shampoo to get deep cleansing. It is also silicone-free.
For Color-Treated Hair
Whether you dyed your hair all-over magenta or blue balayage, you will need a color protection shampoo to help prolong the life of color vibrancy. Matrix offers two shampoos for colored hair: Keep Me Vivid Sulfate-free and Color Obsessed Shampoo.
Matrix Total Results Keep Me Vivid Sulfate-Free Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Glycerin and Pearl Infusion
How to Use: Apply to damp or wet hair, lather, and rinse. Follow with Keep Me Vivid Conditioner.
If sulfate is a big no-no in your book, this gentle color-protection shampoo can be the perfect choice to maintain color vibrancy and protect against fading. When used together with the conditioner, the Lamination Spray, and the Color Velvetizer Leave-in with UV, your hair color vibrancy and tones may last up to 21 washes and benefit from improved shine.
Some reported that it doesn’t lather quite well, possibly due to its sulfate-free formula. However, it doesn’t affect the performance of this shampoo. Make sure to not use it too frequently as it can cause build-up, leaving your hair heavy and limp. Thus, we suggest using a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month to remove build-up.
Matrix Total Results Color Obsessed Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Antioxidants (Tocopherol)
How to Use: Apply an adequate amount to damp or wet hair, lather, and rinse thoroughly. Follow with Color Obsessed Conditioner for best results.
Besides preserving hair color vibrant, this shampoo is also enriched with nourishing ingredients that help moisturize and improve the shine of your hair. Plus, it also helps strengthen porous, damaged hair to some extent thanks to sunflower seed oil.
However, this shampoo contains sulfate which may strip out your hair’s moisture. The fruity scent also may not be suitable for everyone as it is a bit overpowering. You might think sulfates might strip the color too, but it’s not entirely true. Check our article to find the truth behind sulfate for colored hair. For alternatives, consider Pravana Color Protect Shampoo or Biolage ColorLast Shampoo.
For All-Over Black
Matrix Total Results Dark Envy Green Toning Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Blue-yellow direct dyes
How to Use: Wear a pair of disposable gloves, apply to wet hair, and leave the lather on for 3-5 minutes before rinsing. Follow with Dark Envy Conditioner or Red Neutralization Hair Mask to achieve the best results.
If you’ve been out in the sun, especially during summer, you may see reddish undertones on your hair which make your hair looks brassy. You may want to try Total Results Dark Envy Shampoo to help combat red undertones in level 1-4 hair and enhance the radiance and smoothness of your hair.
It is recommended to not use it too often as it may cause hair dryness and always use a hydrating conditioner afterward. The pigment may also stain your hand and hairline if not washed thoroughly and immediately after use.
For Highlighted, Damaged Hair
Matrix Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Sulfate-Free Shampoo
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Key Ingredients: Glycerin and Panthenol
How to Use: Apply to damp or wet hair, lather, and rinse. Follow with Unbreak My Blonde Conditioner for best results.
This sulfate-free shampoo is specially formulated for blonde hair that has been damaged by bleaching. The Total Results Unbreak My Blonde Shampoo helps strengthen your hair from roots to ends, restoring healthier-looking hair. It also claims to be safe for sensitive skin.
Given the formula is very concentrated, it may weigh down ultra-fine or oily hair. You may have to use the complete system of Unbreak My Blonde, such as the conditioner and the reviving Leave-in Treatment to give you the best results.
Matrix Total Results Shampoos do a great job to help thousands of users at targeting their specific hair concerns. However, we also found that it may not be suitable for everyone and might require a trial-and-error approach to get the best results.
Now, let’s take a look at the ingredients of these top shampoos.
Key Ingredients in Matrix Shampoos
One thing’s for sure: Ingredients matter. As part of its principles, the brand is transparent about what they put in the formula of each product. Most importantly, All Matrix’s top shampoos are free of harsh ingredients that may cause detrimental issues to your health. These are ingredients that aren’t included in Matrix shampoos:
- DMDM Hydantoin: It is a common preservative that may release a tiny amount of formaldehyde, which is a reported carcinogenic. However, formaldehyde exposure from DMDM Hydantoin in cosmetics is minimal since the amount of formaldehyde is equivalent to the amount of formaldehyde naturally occurring in an apple or pear.
- Parabens: Similarly, it acts as a preservative to help prevent the growth of bacteria and mold. Paraben is believed to be endocrine disruptors, which may be harmful to reproductive activities, like pregnancy and menstruation.
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone: Usually used as a preservative, MCI and MI are associated with allergic reactions and dermatitis.
Besides being free of harmful chemicals, Matrix shampoos are also infused with nourishing ingredients to help increase overall hair health. Here we cover the benefits of their main ingredients:
- Salicylic Acid: It is a keratolytic (peeling) agent that can help eliminate dead skin cells, dandruff, and excessive oil while also improving your scalp’s moisture.
- Tocopherol: It is one of the forms of vitamin E that has natural antioxidant effects. Antioxidants are beneficial to protect your hair from free radicals that caused hair damage and color fading.
- Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate: Acts as a UV protection, Ethylhexyl helps protect your hair from UV rays and delivers protection from hot tools, preventing faded color and hair dryness.
- Shea Butter: Helps moisturize your hair by sealing in the cuticles to prevent water loss while also delivering soft and shiny hair.
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein: One of the plant-based proteins that can penetrate your cuticles, strengthening and moisturizing your strand from the inside out.
- Panthenol: Improves hair moisture, strength, and shine while also helping soothe scalp inflammation or redness.
- Glycerin: An powerful humectant that can attract moisture from the air’s humidity and trap them in your hair, making it well-hydrated and feeling smoother.
After taking a look at the ingredients, let’s check out the results after using Matrix shampoos on various real-life users with different hair types.
Matrix Shampoo Results with Pictures
We cover real-life user experiences after using the 8 best Matrix shampoos on different hair types, hair colors, hair concerns, hair textures, result times, etc.
Next, let’s find out the disadvantages of the products.
Possible Side Effects and Disadvantages
Even though the brand cuts down the harmful ingredients in the products, some ingredients may still cause unwanted effects. Check out below for the possible side effects:
- So Silver Purple, Brass Off, and Dark Envy Green Toning Shampoos contain some ingredients that may trigger allergic reactions, including synthetic dyes. The company itself encourages customers do to a patch test before using their products, especially those with sensitive skin.
- If you have sensitivity to gluten, you should avoid taking the High Amplify Shampoo as it contains hydrolyzed wheat protein.
- Most Matrix shampoos contain sulfates (except for Keep Me Vivid and Unbreak My Blonde) that can dry out your hair. Always follow with the conditioner and hydrating hair care to rebalance your hair’s moisture.
- You may need to use the shampoo together with its counterparts in the same line to see the best results. And it can be expensive especially when you can find other more affordable products.
Carefully check the full ingredients before buying the product to avoid any unnecessary effects. Next, let’s check out the alternatives.
Alternatives to Matrix Shampoos
Looking for a similar shampoo to Matrix to help improve your hair appearance? You may want to consider the shampoos offered by Bold Uniq, Fanola, and Redken.
Bold Uniq Purple Shampoo
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Made in the UK, Bold Uniq Purple Shampoo is designed for use on platinum, blonde and silver hair. This sulfate-free formula gently cleanses your hair while also helping neutralize yellow, brassy tones. It also helps enhance your color for ice-cool blonde or gray tones.
You can get this shampoo for around $22.66 (8 fl oz), which is slightly more expensive than Matrix. It sits at 4.3 / 5 stars from 51,014+ ratings on Amazon.
Fanola Orange Shampoo
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Thanks to the Extra Blue Pigments, Fanola No Orange Shampoo helps eliminate copper or orange tones, leaving your medium-dark hair shiny and glossy. It is ideal for those who have both natural or dyed dark hair.
At $13.99, you can get an 11.83-oz bottle of shampoo, which is a bit more affordable than Matrix Brass Off. It has a rating of 4.3 / 5 stars from 17,159+ reviews on Amazon.
Redken Frizz Dismiss Sulfate-Free Shampoo
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Formulated with sustainably sourced Babassu oil, Redken Frizz Dismiss Shampoo gently cleanses your hair with its sulfate-free formula. It also helps reduce frizz and flyaways, leaving your hair smoother and easy to manage.
A pack of Redken Frizz Dismiss Shampoo costs around $25 for 10.1 fl oz. It has a rating of 4.6 / 5 stars from 3,357+ reviews.
Our Verdict: Worth Every Penny
Matrix shampoo can be a great option to help you get salon-quality results at home without breaking the bank. Many real-life users are satisfied with its excellent performance at resolving their hair concerns.
But since it’s not sulfate-free, it is not recommended for daily use as it may dry out your hair. Always follow with a hydrating conditioner to rebalance your hair’s natural moisture.
Hope you find the best shampoo to cater to your specific hair needs. If you have any questions or thoughts, drop them in the comment section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Matrix shampoo is best for hair growth?
Unfortunately, Matrix doesn’t have hair growth shampoos. But if you’re looking for the best shampoo for hair growth, you may want to try Watermans Grow Me Biotin Shampoo or a caffeine-based shampoo like Ultrax Labs Hair Surge Shampoo.
Is Matrix shampoo bad for your hair?
No. Each shampoo is formulated without harsh chemicals, such as DMDM Hydantoin, parabens, and MCI/MI. Matrix shampoo is a good product if you pick the right one that matches your hair type or need.
Does Matrix shampoo cause hair loss?
Matrix shampoo contains silicones that might cause hair breakage over time, especially if you don’t properly maintain your hair health. Make sure to use a clarifying shampoo once a week to remove residues that can’t be washed out by water alone.
