Dr Dray has reviewed 35 haircare products, approving 23, giving 6 a mixed take, and skipping 6 outright. That puts her Guru Score at 66% for haircare. She digs into ingredients and is quick to call out when a formula is riding hype instead of evidence. One product earned her full category winner stamp: Kirkland Minoxidil.
What does Dr Dray recommend in haircare?
A few things keep coming up in Dr Dray's haircare takes. She likes anti-dandruff actives with a real track record, and she named Neutrogena T/Sal Shampoo as her top salicylic acid pick, praising it for being fragrance-free. She also rates tools that cut down on mechanical damage. She was enthusiastic about the Aquis Hair Turban for reducing dry time and frizz. The Tangle Teezer Hair Brush got some of her warmest words: she said once she found it, she had no reason to go back, and noted it works especially well for fine hair. She also found real value in bond-repair formulas for colour-treated or heat-damaged hair, calling out the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask by name as something she had personally had good results with. Price is no barrier to a good take from her: she called the Dove Intensive Repair Hair Mask a discovery, saying it was quite good for smoothing and adding shine.
In her words
"The salicylic acid shampoo I always recommend is the Neutrogena T/Sal Shampoo. It's a great option, free of fragrance."
"Once I discovered this tool, I was like, I'm not going back. [...] I have very fine hair and many hairbrush types just don't work for me, but with this one, once I started using it, I never had a reason to go back. [...] It's easy to clean, the hair comes out very easily and it doesn't get full of lint. It doesn't put down a bunch of staticky charge on the hair. It's suited as far as bristle width for fine hair. The handle is really lightweight and comfortable to use, and you can throw it in your bag. [...] They also have a smaller travel size. [...] For those with curly, textured hair who like a more gentle brush, they have an extra gentle detangler with fewer bristles."
"You could also try using a bond repair product. I have personally had good success with that popular K18 hair mask. These just help to re-approximate temporarily the bonds in the hair, especially if you have color treated hair with a lot of damage that ends up getting frizzy in humidity, [...] or excessive heat damage on the hair. [...] The K18 hair mask is not heat activated, unlike the other options."
"Vichy has a selenium sulfide shampoo here good for dandruff similar to selenium sulfide and salson blue down there, I really like it."
"The Aquis ones are really good, I have like four or five of them I have on rotation. They help remove the water from the hair, cutting down on dry time, and it's really helped cut down on frizz for me for sure."
"This Dove Intensive Repair Hair Mask is really good though. Highly recommend this. It was like a discovery for me last year. [...] It's quite good just for really helping to smooth and impart shine."
How many haircare products has Dr Dray reviewed?
Dr Dray has reviewed 35 haircare products, for a Guru Score of 66%. 23 approved, 6 mixed, and 6 skipped.
What has Dr Dray skipped in haircare?
Dr Dray is direct about ingredients that lean more on marketing than evidence. She called rosemary for hair growth not well established, saying the one study behind it, in her words, sucks. The Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo and Conditioner was a straightforward skip: too heavily scented and not manageable on her fine hair, though she noted it might suit colour-treated hair better. The Trader Joe's Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Hair Serum also left her cold. She said she could not tell it did anything on her hair type, and that on dry hair it just looked greasy.
"I've tried their Gold Lust Shampoo and Conditioner and I did not like either of those. For me personally they turned out to be a Pantene level experience, overly scented, and they really did not leave my hair very manageable at all. I don't have color treated hair, so maybe they're great for that, which is what I hear them hyped up for, but for me personally they were a major letdown."
"I decided to buy the Trader Joe's Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Hair Serum and give it a go. This is not as good as the Function of Beauty one. I can't tell that it does anything. I think it's more helpful if you've got frizzy hair, maybe it helps with that, maybe if you have curly hair it might help tame the curl pattern, but for me it just doesn't do anything. If I put it on wet hair it makes my hair smell like coconut, which I like, but the following morning when my hair is completely dry it's like I don't even have anything on there. As a matter of fact I almost kind of think it made my hair ever so slightly a bit more static prone. I've tried it on dry hair too, and it doesn't really, at least for my hair type it kind of just looks greasy."
"I was pointing out this L'Oreal EverPure shampoo and conditioner because one of you guys told me they discontinued the elastic fiber mask which really makes me sad."
"Dr. Groot utilizes rosemary, which is marketing. Rosemary for hair is not well established. There is a study and the study sucks to say to put it lightly. [...] This also has caffeine in it, which can get into the hair follicle, localize there, stay there, and help to energize hair follicle cells and reduce oxidative stress and has been shown to be helpful for hair loss. [...] It has also bifida ferment lysate, which is very hydrating. You get two bottles for $46.99."
What should you take from Dr Dray's picks?
Dr Dray's haircare record shows a dermatologist who trusts proven actives and smart tools over premium prices or trendy botanicals. What she actually reaches for: fragrance-free anti-dandruff shampoos, bond-repair treatments for damaged hair, and low-friction drying tools. And if hair loss is the concern, Kirkland Minoxidil is the one product she called a category winner outright.
Watch Dr Dray say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Kirkland MinoxidilNamed a winnerWatch at 18:30
- Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo and ConditionerSkipped itWatch at 5:28
- Trader Joe's Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Hair SerumSkipped itWatch at 18:25
- L'Oreal EverPure Bond Repair+ Shampoo & ConditionerSkipped itWatch at 1:53
- Dr. Groot ShampooSkipped itWatch at 7:55
- Necessaire ShampooSkipped itWatch at 0:35
- Nutrafol Hair Growth SupplementSkipped itWatch at 13:35
- Neutrogena T/Sal ShampooRated itWatch at 7:40
- Tangle Teezer Hair BrushRated itWatch at 6:14
- K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair MaskRated itWatch at 9:18
- Vichy Dercos Anti Dandruff ShampooRated itWatch at 2:10
- Aquis Hair TurbanRated itWatch at 9:41
- Dove Intensive Repair Hair MaskRated itWatch at 14:35
- Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo and ConditionerRated itWatch at 4:38
- Moroccanoil Heat Protectant SprayRated itWatch at 11:35
- Neutrogena T/Gel Coal Tar ShampooRated itWatch at 11:46
- Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair OilRated itWatch at 12:58
- Hada Labo Skin ConditionerRated itWatch at 10:02
- Maelove Full Follicle ShampooRated itWatch at 7:50
- Dove DermaCare Anti-Dandruff ShampooRated itWatch at 16:54
- Head & Shoulders Bare ShampooRated itWatch at 13:55
- CeraVe Anti-Dandruff Shampoo with Zinc PyrithioneRated itWatch at 11:55
- Nizoral Ketoconazole 1% Anti-Dandruff ShampooRated itWatch at 12:49
- L'Oreal EverPure Sulfate-Free Clarifying ShampooRated itWatch at 14:46
About this expert
See everything Dr Dray has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Dr Dray said across their videos about 35 products in haircare, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.