I Tried The Internet’s Most Hyped Hair Brand & Here Are My Honest Thoughts

I knew I had to review MONDAY Haircare 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 touted as the next big thing.

Currently MONDAY’s range includes six shampoo and conditioner duos, each dedicated to a specific hair concern: Gentle (for delicate hair and scalps), Moisture (for dry hair), Smooth (for frizzy hair) Repair (for dry, damaged hair), Color Protect (for color-treated hair), Clarify (for oily hair), and Volume (for fine and flat hair). The brand’s original four product lines — Smooth, Moisture, Volume, and Gentle — first launched in early 2021 in the US and in February 2023, the brand expanded the range with the addition of three new lines — Repair, Color Correct, and Clarify.,

At only $8 for each bottle ($16 for the duo), it’s no wonder they’re so popular; all about making haircare more inclusive, products promise to offer salon-worthy results at a fraction of the cost. The Instagram-friendly, baby pink packaging and roster of celebrity fans (including Khloe Kardashian and Addison Rae) sweeten the appeal, too.

MONDAY says it's shifted over 15 million bottles since its launch in 2021 and is now available in over sixty retailers over twenty-three countries, averaging around 12k sales per day — that's 8 per minute. As ever though, with great hype comes great scrutiny: MONDAY Haircare has 13.9 million likes on TikTok and 500 million views of #MondayHaircare, and over 50k hours of MONDAY content watched on TikTok – but is it worth the hype and a spot in your shower caddy? To find out, I spent a few weeks trialing the brand. Here’s how I got on...

MONDAY’s range is divided up into four targeted lines which are easily mixed and matched. This is great, as hair types often don't fit neatly into one box. My hair is on the finer side but always benefits from a dose of moisture, so I tried 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.

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.

MONDAY’s Volume duo, lightly cleanses and hydrates hair without weighing it down. Ginger root extract invigorates your hair and scalp for more volume.

On top of the punch of moisture from the coconut oil, shea butter and vitamin E, MONDAY’s Moisture duo is formulated with hydrolyzed rice protein to strengthen and add shine to brittle hair.

MONDAY'S Color Protect duo refreshes your color and helps to prevent fading. Plus, you won't have to worry about damage because it's full of strengthening amino acids as well as moisturizing shea butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E.

MONDAY's Clarify Duo is great if you need a really deep clean. Grapefruit extract helps to breakdown excess buildup and oil, leaving you with hair that's both refreshed and feels brand new.

MONDAY's Repair Duo, uses keratin to help bring the hair back from any damage, while shea butter and coconut oil help to keep it healthy, happy, and most importantly, hydrated.

I was really happy to find out that MONDAY’s entire range is PETA certified cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. The brand is 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.

Right now, MONDAY Haircare is available at Target and Ulta.

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.

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 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, and 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 favorites are OUAI’s Fine Hair Shampoo, $32, and Conditioner, $32. They're a little pricier, but totally worth it in my opinion.