I first knew I had to review Monday Haircare in 2021, when it popped up on my TikTok For You page not once, not twice, but three times within an hour. For those of you who aren’t addicted to TikTok (congratulations on that, by the way), that’s a lot, considering the amount of content you scroll through and the sheer number of products being touted as the next big thing.
Since then, the brand has gone from strength to strength. They apparently sell an average of seven bottles each minute and are now estimated to reach $200M in global retail sales in 2023. They also currently have a staggering 18m likes on TikTok and 867.2m views on the #mondayhaircare tag (so I can only imagine it’s even more likely to be dominating the FYP today).
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As ever though, with great success comes great scrutiny. Is all the hype around Monday Haircare warranted? Spoiler alert: I think so. Monday still has pride of place in my bathroom and, having revisited the brand as it introduced new formulas this year, I’ve found a new fave shampoo and conditioner duo for 2023 (and even better, they still come at the sweet, sweet price of £5 each).
Read on as I break down the entire range (including which Monday formula is best for your hair type), my initial reactions from two years ago and my most recent reviews.
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What is in the Monday Haircare range & which products should I use?
Currently, Monday’s range includes seven shampoo and conditioner duos, each dedicated to a specific hair concern: Gentle (formulated for delicate hair and scalps), Moisture (for dry hair), Smooth (curly, coily or frizzy hair), Volume (fine and flat hair), Clarify (oily hair), Repair (damaged hair) and Colour Protect (coloured hair). At only £5 for each 354ml bottle (£10 for the duo), it’s no wonder they’re so popular; as a brand that’s all about making haircare more inclusive, its products promise to offer salon-worthy results at a fraction of the cost. The Instagram-friendly, baby pink packaging sweetens the appeal, too.
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Monday’s shampoos and conditioners can be easily mixed and matched. This is great, as hair types often don’t fit neatly into one box. For example, my hair is on the finer side but always benefits from a dose of moisture, so in 2021 I first tried out the Gentle and Volume duos, alternating the shampoos and conditioners depending on what my hair needed that day. Each duo contains the same key ingredients: nourishing shea butter, coconut oil to soften and add shine, vitamin E to support hair and scalp health and, in the conditioner, panthenol for hair elasticity and split ends.
Now in 2023, I’ve dyed my naturally dark brown a deep cherry red, which means I’m now reaching for and interchanging two of Monday’s newest additions — the Repair and Colour Protect duos — as they work harder to support my colour damaged hair (namely with cell-smoothing keratin from Repair and amino acids from Colour Protect, which helps hair hold on to moisture better).
Which Monday Haircare Shampoo & Conditioner is right for me?
For normal to delicate hair, try… Monday Haircare Gentle Shampoo, £5 & Gentle Conditioner, £5
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Monday’s Gentle duo is designed for hair and scalps which need some TLC. It contains a lower percentage of fragrance than the brand’s other lines, which is perfect for irritated scalps that act up when overloaded with chemicals.
For frizzy, curly, coily or coarse hair, try… Monday Haircare Smooth Shampoo, £5 & Smooth Conditioner, £5
The range’s core combination of shea butter, coconut oil and vitamin E is a dream for frizzy hair that needs a little more coaxing and curls that need nourishing.
For fine & lifeless hair, try… Monday Haircare Volume Shampoo, £5 & Volume Conditioner, £5
Monday’s Volume duo lightly cleanses and hydrates hair so as not to weigh it down. Ginger root extract invigorates your hair and scalp for more volume.
For dry & coarse hair, try… Monday Haircare Moisture Shampoo, £5 and Moisture Conditioner, £5
On top of the punch of moisture from the coconut oil, shea butter and vitamin E, these are formulated with hydrolysed rice protein for strengthening stressed-out hair.
For oily hair, try... Monday Haircare Clarify Shampoo, £5 & Clarify Conditioner, £5
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This formula is made for those with oily hair. It uses grapefruit extract, which has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties, to cleanse the hair and scalp, getting rid of buildup that can mess up the hair’s protein levels. Vitamin E and coconut oil then boost softness and shine.
For coloured hair, try... Monday Haircare Colour Protect Shampoo, £5 & Colour Protect Conditioner, £5
Along with the range’s signature coconut oil and shea butter to condition and nourish the hair (which, of course, helps maintain your colour), this formula also has amino acids to help support your hair’s natural proteins (which are weakened by bleaching and dying hair) and antioxidant vitamin E to help boost elasticity and shine. Additionally, this duo is pH balanced. When we bleach, colour or style with chemicals, our hair and scalp can lose its natural pH balance — a balanced pH helps the scalp’s natural, healthy microbiome and helps keep cuticles closed, locking in moisture.
For damaged hair, try... Monday Haircare Repair Shampoo, £5 & Repair Conditioner, £5
For extra dry and damaged hair, this formula is a dream. It has keratin, which is a naturally found structural and protective protein in our hair, helping to prevent breakage and frizz and boost smoothness. Also, again, antioxidant vitamin E to support hair and scalp health, coconut oil for hydration and shea butter to soften hair and seal the cuticle.
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What is in Monday Haircare’s formulas?
I was really happy to find out that Monday’s entire range is PETA-certified cruelty free and vegan friendly. I’ll note, the brand is not “clean”, nor does it claim to be, but says it’s dedicated to focusing on natural ingredients and is 100% free from sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), which is found in many haircare products, but can irritate some sensitive or reactive skin types. Monday’s pink packaging isn’t just aesthetically pleasing, either. It’s made with 20% recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable (including the pump!) so it won’t end up in landfill. The brand has promised to make its products refillable soon, too.
Where can I buy Monday Haircare in the UK?
Monday Haircare is available at a host of retailers in the UK including Look Fantastic, Boots, ASOS, Debenhams and Beauty Bay. You can check the full list here.
My first impressions on trying Monday Haircare in 2021.
I don’t want to be that person who is swayed by the packaging alone, but Monday does look great in my bathroom — a definite upgrade on the usual squeezed-out-of-shape bottles, labels peeling off with all the moisture. Not only do they look great, these bottles are also brilliant to use. I’m a big fan of the pump feature; you don’t want to be fussing with a screw top when you’re wet, soapy and not quite awake yet.
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I started out with the Gentle duo. I was expecting the strong, tropical smell you tend to get with shampoos containing coconut oil but this lighter, more floral fragrance is a lot more subtle — ideal if, like me, you’re not a fan of overpowering scents. The light gel formula lathered up quickly and satisfyingly on my hair. Length aside (mine hits my chest), my hair is on the thinner side so I only needed three pumps for my whole head. The conditioner is a thicker, creamier consistency which absorbed quickly into my hair. Again, I didn’t need much to feel like my hair was well coated: two pumps was enough.
Afterwards my hair felt thoroughly cleansed but not stripped of its natural moisture. It dried soft and glossy and my natural waves weren’t weighed down. All in all, this is a great shampoo and conditioner duo that’s simple, affordable and performs well. After two weeks of using the Gentle duo, I’ve received plenty of compliments from friends. I have virgin hair so it’s hard for me to say what effect Monday might have on bleached or treated hair but as with any new product, if you are concerned about any potential damage, I would recommend patch testing a small lock of hair first.
I was also keen to try out the Volume duo, hoping it would boost my fine hair. Although it made my hair soft and glossy, I didn’t see any difference in my hair’s volume and body. For fine hair, my all time favourites are Ouai’s Fine Hair Shampoo, £28, and Conditioner, £28. They’re a little pricier, but totally worth it in my opinion.
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My thoughts on Monday Haircare two years later in 2023.
Oh, how things change. After never daring to colour my hair, I finally decided to take the plunge and dye it the cherry coke trend this year — and so I needed to completely overhaul my usually pretty low-maintenance haircare routine, saying goodbye for Monday for a while. Now coloured, my hair is a lot drier and if not regularly treated to an intense colour treated- or heat damage-designed conditioner every day and hair masks every week, can end up looking and feeling pretty straw-like.
At first, I was pretty lost as to how to care for my new hair the best and so I was swayed by my hairdresser’s expensive recommendations: Redken Colour Extend Magnetic Duo, £39.51 or Kérastase Chroma Absolu Duo, £56.39. Understandably, this made a pretty big dent in my finances every month, so I was overjoyed when Monday introduced their Colour Protect and Repair formulas which I now use interchangeably, depending on when I feel like my hair needs more moisture (which is when I reach for Repair). Together, these have saved my hair and my bank account. Just like my OG faves, both smell amazing (with the same light, fruity, coconut scent) and leave my hair feeling thoroughly cleansed, smooth and glossy. I’ve learnt to turn off the shower and leave the conditioner on for 10 or 15 minutes so it can really soak in.
Two years later I still love Monday's packaging and that, for about the same price as Herbal Essences in Boots, I don't feel embarrassed about having these out on display. I don't know if this is new on Monday's part, but this time around I also love that the bottles have a 'S' or 'C' embossed on the top of the pumps so you can quickly and easily tell which bottle is the shampoo or conditioner in the shower.