• e-mail

When it comes to shampoo, we're spoilt - we can select from restructuring to volumising, from nurturing to clarifying, from purifying to balancing. Marvellous!

But the wealth of choice can make your head spin so much that it's tempting to pick 'for all hair types'.

Thankfully, there's a new option: customised shampoo.

A number of beauty brands are offering shampoo and conditioner that's either formulated or chosen from their range especially for you, or created from scratch as a bespoke product.

A number of beauty brands are offering shampoo and conditioner that's either formulated or chosen from their range especially for you (stock image)

Information you provide, via a website quiz, is used to determine exactly what will work best for you.

So I made it personal to find out which of these customised products would give me a good hair day.

PICK YOUR ELIXIRS

Rituals The Hair Temple, £17.50 per 230ml bottle, rituals.com

The Hair Temple on the Rituals website, promises to 'help you choose two elixirs [from ten], suited to your hair type and needs, to add to your favourite Rituals shampoo and conditioner'.

Rituals The Hair Temple, £17.50 per 230ml bottle, rituals.com

I answer five questions on my hair and then choose Rituals Indian Rose & Almond Oil Shampoo as a base. It contains no silicone or parabens.

As I'm after 'scalp therapy' and 'gloss', Argan oil (rich in vitamin E) and Shikakai (a shrub native to India and China, and apparently used in haircare since around 4,500 years ago) are added as my elixirs.

A 230ml bottle is £17.50 — less expensive than my normal shampoo. It's more a nod to my preferences than luxuriously bespoke, but I'm impressed. My hair feels conditioned and looks a little thicker. 3/5

BEST FOR BESPOKE

Function of Beauty Custom Shampoo & Conditioner, £39 per 473ml duo, functionofbeauty.com

The blurb says: 'Sometimes you need a team of eco-conscious MIT-trained scientists and engineers to help you with your care regimen.' 

Who could resist the idea of such an erudite, ethical posse beavering away on their behalf?

Function of Beauty Custom Shampoo & Conditioner, £39 per 473ml duo, functionofbeauty.com

I take a quiz to build my 'hair profile', selecting five goals (replenish hair, anti-frizz, soothe scalp, strengthen, rejuvenate) and choose a silicone-free formula plus a natural fragrance — eucalyptus, mint, lavender, rosemary (though fragrance-free is an option). I set its strength at 'light'.

The 473ml bottles of shampoo, and conditioner total £39 — no more than an off-the-shelf upmarket brand. It's luscious to use and contains no sulphates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oils or gluten. 

(Phthalates can interfere with hormone function and some people find mineral oils irritate their scalp.) My hair feels soft, and there's a little less frizz than normal. 5/5

STRESS-BUSTER

Aura Shampoo and Conditioner, £54 for 295ml duo, aurahaircare.uk

Aura's goal is to transform our 'mirror moments'. I'm impressed by questions such as 'When your hair is parted in the middle, how much of your scalp can you see?' to determine how dense or fine my hair is. 

As well as haircare questions, there are also ones on stress, diet and exercise to identify the 'why' behind your current hair profile.

Aura Shampoo and Conditioner, £54 for 295ml duo, aurahaircare.uk

I can choose my shampoo to be aroma-free. The brand boasts 'unlimited formula combinations' — and my bespoke ingredients include tea tree leaf oil, sunflower seed oil glycerides and caffeine.

The shampoo is £30, as is the conditioner — the discounted total is £54. It's still quite pricey and I doubt any shampoo can be an antidote to stress, but after one wash, my hair is definitely sleeker than normal. 4/5

SUITS YOU

Ouai Fine Shampoo and Conditioner, £22 per 300ml bottle, theouai.co.uk

This is haircare with humour. To its website quiz question 'Which best describes your hair?' I choose 'Volume is just a button on your phone'.

I select as 'concerns' dry flaky scalp, slow hair growth and frizz; and my 'dream' for my hair is frizz-free, thickening and 'undone bed head look' (as if, but one can dream).

Ouai Fine Shampoo and Conditioner, £22 per 300ml bottle, theouai.co.uk

The website suggests its Fine Shampoo and Fine Conditioner with Biotin to nourish and strengthen, and Chia Seed Oil for a fuller look (each 300ml bottle, £22). 

As it has four shampoos (detox, thick, fine, medium), I could have arrived at this conclusion myself. 

Not as exclusive as I am now accustomed to, but it actually suits my hair well, imparting body if not silkiness. 3/5

GOOD HAIR WAVES

That Good Hair shampoo, £60 per 250ml bottle, thatgoodhair.co.uk

Paris Reveira, 23, who has Jamaican and Indian heritage, always struggled to find products that suited her hair. 

That Good Hair shampoo, £60 per 250ml bottle, thatgoodhair.co.uk

After qualifying as a practitioner specialising in hair loss with the International Association of Trichologists, she founded That Good Hair, with a focus on 'custom-made curly hair products' (plus allergies, sensitive scalps, and conditions such as alopecia and dandruff).

The formulas are hand-mixed in a lab, and Paris uses only natural ingredients. You can buy 100ml customised shampoo and conditioner for £25 before committing to the full sizes.

As a scalp-conditioning base, I go for hair-strengthening green tea. I also select two active ingredients: caffeine, good for promoting hair growth, fighting hair loss and adding shine; and hibiscus powder, which stimulates thicker hair and helps prevent premature greying. 

I choose tea tree and lemon oil as a base scent and set it at 'mild'.

My hair is wavy and tends to frizz, but this shampoo gives it surprising definition and texture, and feels soothing on my scalp. A real treat. 5/5