Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo and Conditioner Review: Is the Price Tag Actually Worth It?

My old hairdresser put me onto Pureology Strength Cure.

This was back when I still had enough of my own hair to sit in a salon chair and have someone actually work with it. Before the thinning got bad enough that I made the switch to wigs and toppers. She recommended it specifically because it’s sulfate-free and designed for colour-treated hair, and at the time that’s exactly what I needed.

Here’s the thing though. I never stopped using it. Because as it turns out, Pureology Strength Cure is also really good for washing human hair wigs and toppers. Like, genuinely good. I’ve been using Pureology Strength Cure on my human hair wigs and toppers for years now and I have zero complaints. The sulfate-free formula, the protein ingredients, the gentle cleansers – all of it translates brilliantly to alternative hair care. So I figured it was time to actually write about it properly.

With my own money, just to be transparent – this post has affiliate links but the product I’ve been buying for years with my own cash.

---

First, the smell

Because honestly it hits you before anything else. Raspberry, peach, water flower. It smells like the kind of bathroom that has candles and a little tray with rolled-up towels and a diffuser. It smells like someone who has their life together. It is genuinely lovely and I’ve been standing in my shower slightly too long just because of it.

This is not a scientific data point. I’m just telling you.

---

Ingredients worth knowing about

Pureology makes a big deal about a few key ingredients, and for once I think the marketing actually tracks with what’s on the label. Here’s a quick overview before I go into the detail:

Keravis (Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol)

This is the star of the show and it’s in both the shampoo and conditioner. Keravis is a hydrolyzed vegetable protein that works in two ways simultaneously, which is why it gets talked about so much. The protein molecules are small enough to actually penetrate the hair shaft (not just sit on top of it), where they help fill in the damaged, micro-scarred areas of the hair cortex and restore some of the internal structure that chemical processing strips away. At the same time, it forms a cross-linking film on the outside of the hair that coats and reinforces the cuticle, giving you the smoothness and reduced breakage you can actually feel. It’s not just a coating ingredient. It’s doing work from the inside out, which is not something you can say about most protein ingredients in drugstore shampoos.

Astaxanthin (Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract)

I genuinely didn’t know this ingredient existed before I started researching this post. Astaxanthin is a naturally derived antioxidant – a carotenoid pigment that comes from a microalgae called Haematococcus pluvialis, which is also what gives salmon and flamingos their pink colour. (I am always delighted when beauty ingredients turn out to have a weird fun fact attached to them.) It’s considered a particularly potent antioxidant and is often cited as being more powerful than vitamin E in certain laboratory tests. In hair care it helps protect the hair fiber and scalp from oxidative stress, which is one of the things that degrades colour vibrancy and weakens the hair shaft over time. Think of it as protection from the damage that’s always silently happening in the background – UV exposure, pollution, heat tools, just existing in the world. Pureology calls their system “Asta-Repair” which is a very marketing way of saying “we’ve put astaxanthin in it.”

Arginine

An amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and since your hair is made of keratin (a protein), putting amino acids back into chemically processed hair genuinely makes sense. Arginine specifically helps with the hair’s internal moisture regulation – it helps the hair retain the right amount of water to stay flexible rather than brittle. It’s in both the shampoo and conditioner.

2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol (Ceramide)

Don’t let the name scare you, this is essentially a ceramide-like ingredient, and ceramides are something your hair actually has naturally. The lipid layer that holds the cuticle together and keeps moisture locked inside the hair shaft is partly made up of ceramides, and colouring, bleaching and heat processing depletes them. Putting them back in helps with cuticle integrity, which means less frizz, less breakage, and better colour retention because the cuticle can actually lie flat and hold the pigment in. It shows up in both products, which I appreciate.

Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Antioxidant support. Works alongside the astaxanthin to help protect against oxidative damage. Also an emollient, so it contributes to that soft, conditioned feel.

Camelina Sativa Seed Oil and Olive Fruit Oil

Both are in the shampoo and conditioner. Camelina oil is high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which help with moisture retention and shine. Olive oil is an emollient that softens and conditions the hair without being too heavy (it’s actually relatively light for an oil). These aren’t the headline ingredients but they’re doing a quiet, useful job of keeping the hair feeling nourished rather than stripped after washing.

Sulfate-free cleansers

The shampoo uses Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, and Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate as its cleansing base. No traditional sulfates (no SLS, no SLES). For colour-treated hair this matters because sulfates are surfactants that can lift colour from the hair shaft. For human hair wigs and toppers it matters even more – sulfates are harsh on the hair cuticle and will shorten the lifespan of a piece you’ve spent real money on. If you’re searching for the best shampoo for human hair wigs, sulfate-free options like this are genuinely worth considering. The lather here is surprisingly good for a sulfate-free formula – not that sad foam that makes you feel like you’ve rubbed a bar of soap on your head and called it a wash.

Amodimethicone

A silicone, but a smarter one. Regular dimethicone just coats the hair; amodimethicone has amino groups in its structure which means it’s positively charged and gets attracted specifically to the most damaged, negatively charged parts of the hair fiber. It deposits where it’s most needed, rather than building up uniformly across the whole strand. For conditioned, slip-y, frizz-free results without the heavy buildup you can get from older silicone formulas, this is the one you want to see.

---

Full ingredient lists (for your INCIDecoder deep dives)

Shampoo

Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Coco-Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Glycereth-26, Decyl Glucoside, Coconut Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum/Fragrance, Sodium Isethionate, Citric Acid, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Sodium Chloride, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Polyquaternium-7, Amodimethicone, Polyquaternium-10, Carbomer, Acrylates Copolymer, PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate, Propylene Glycol, C11-15 Pareth-7, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzoic Acid, Laureth-9, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Linalool, Tocopherol, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil/Olive Fruit Oil, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Trideceth-12, Salicylic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract/Sunflower Seed Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Magnesium Nitrate, Benzyl Alcohol, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol (Keravis), Limonene, Arginine, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol (Ceramide), Poly(Linseed Oil), Benzophenone-4, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract (Astaxanthin), Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Geraniol, Coumarin.

Conditioner

Aqua/Water/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Amodimethicone, Parfum/Fragrance, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Trideceth-6, Hexyl Cinnamal, Tocopherol, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil/Olive Fruit Oil, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Poly(Linseed Oil), Butylene Glycol, Linalool, Potassium Hydroxide, Dilauryl Thiodipropionate, Arginine, Cetrimonium Chloride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract/Sunflower Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol (Keravis), Limonene, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol (Ceramide), Citric Acid, Benzophenone-4, Citronellol, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract (Astaxanthin), CI 14700/Red 4, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Potassium Sorbate, CI 15510/Orange 4.

---

How it actually performs

Fine, here’s the bit you actually came for.

The shampoo lathers beautifully. Like, properly. Rich and creamy, not that sad sulfate-free foam that makes you feel like you’ve rubbed a bar of soap on your head and called it a wash. I use a small amount – it’s concentrated, so you really don’t need much – and it rinses out cleanly without leaving any heaviness. On my human hair pieces specifically, it cleans thoroughly without leaving them feeling dry or crunchy after. The conditioner follows it up really well. Rich but not heavy, my pieces detangle easily, and after drying they feel soft and look shiny rather than dull and sad.

On my bio hair (what’s left of it), same story. My scalp doesn’t hate it, which matters because I have seborrhoeic dermatitis and some shampoos leave me a rashy, flaky mess. Not this one, thankfully – though if you have very reactive seb derm I’d still patch test or tread carefully.

I genuinely cannot tell you whether the results come from the Keravis, the ceramide, the astaxanthin, or the combination of all three doing their thing. Honestly? Probably all three. I’m not a cosmetic chemist. I’m just someone who’s been washing her human hair wigs and toppers with this stuff for years now and keeps going back to buy more.

---

Who I think this is for

Buy it if:

• You wear human hair wigs or toppers and want a shampoo that actually looks after them
• Your bio hair is colour-treated or chemically processed
• You want sulfate-free cleansing that actually lathers properly
• You don’t mind paying salon prices for something that earns its keep

Skip it if:

• You have healthy, virgin, undamaged hair and just need something to get it clean
• You’re looking for a budget option
• You’re sensitive to fragrance – this does have a noticeable scent

---

Is it worth the price?

The price is real. I’m not going to pretend it isn’t. This is salon-brand money.

But here’s the thing about Pureology – it’s concentrated. The bottles last significantly longer than a regular drugstore shampoo because you genuinely only need a small amount each wash. Which means the per-wash cost is less alarming than the upfront price suggests. And when you’re using it on human hair wigs and toppers that cost hundreds of pounds, spending a bit more on something that actually treats them well is just logical. You’re protecting an investment.

---

Where to buy it

You can find Pureology Strength Cure at Lookfantastic – use my code LFTFNEVEEN for 20% off. That makes the price considerably less scary.

Full list of my discount codes is at neveenwood.com/discount-codes.

---

If you’re here because of the alternative hair angle

These posts go alongside this one:

• What I Wear Under My Wig – the full under-wig setup
• Hair Topper vs Wig: Which One Is Right For You? – if you’re still figuring out which direction to go
• What I’d Google If I Was Newly Diagnosed With Androgenic Alopecia – if you’re at the beginning of this whole thing

---

I bought this product myself. Some links in this post are affiliate links – I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.