8 award-winning at-home colour products, picked by our expert judges

RRP: £31.20

Using colour-protecting styling products will help prevent colour fade, meaning you can really scratch out those salon appointments or at-home dye jobs. Picking multitasking products also means you save money and time on your routine, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a harder worker than this buy, which boasts 21 benefits. One spritz will help lock in your colour, while also shielding it from heat damage, repairing damage, and giving hair a smoother finish while nourishing it root-to-tip. 

The lightweight mist gives a brilliant even coating which leaves hair feeling immediately softer. The ingredients list is packed with natural moisturisers, including olive and coconut oils as well as camelina oil, which is packed with omega-3. The judges also loved the scent - a blend of florals with ginger and cedarwood, for an expensive-smelling, luxe touch. if you're looking for a heat and protectant with a whole host of extra benefits, this is the one for you. Beauty writer Annie Milroy loved using this hardworking buy. "This is a really nice light spray that smelt lovely, " she says. "It left my hair glossy and frizz-free. I love how multipurpose this is and that it will also improve my hair health and appearance."

RRP: £15.75

Looking to experiment with a new shade? Wash-in hair colours are a non-scary way of doing exactly that. They’re so easy to use - as the name suggests, you simply wash it into your hair, as you would a shampoo or conditioner. This also means you don’t have to worry about being super precise, which is reassuring if you’re a bit of a DIY dye beginner. This buy, by Wella is one of the best we’ve tried. The judges loved that it felt quite foolproof - the formula is very forgiving and performs just as well haphazardly applied as it does precisely with a brush. The judges were also wowed by the wide range of shades, including 7 natural-looking shades as well as 4 more vibrant colours. This means you can freshen up your colour, tone it to a cooler or warmer shade, or try a totally different hue without any fear. 

Senior Beauty Editor Rhiannon Derbyshire swears by it. "This is a very easy-to-use wash-in colour treatment - I've used it successfully a handful of times over the years, " she says. "This time, I used this to fend off a root touch-up appointment and it did a great job. My hair looked totally fresh, with a glossy finish." 

RRP: £12

At-home hair dyes just keep getting better. The process is getting easier, the formulas are reaching salon-quality levels, which is a godsend for those on a tighter budget or who don’t have hours to spend in a salon. Garnier has long made some of the best-selling dyes on the market, but they’ve managed to up the ante again with the new GOOD colour range. It’s all about the ease of process and convenience - everything you need is included in the tub, which also doubles as the mixing bowl for a waste and mess-free process. They’re vegan and eco-friendly without compromising on colour payoff. They work just as well to conceal roots as they do for a whole colour change, with a long-lasting, permanent formula. In short, it’s a true hair hero that you can pick up with your weekly shop. 

"I am a huge fan of Garnier at-home colours and this one feels as close to a professional salon experience as you can get," says Beauty Editor Stephanie Maylor. "You mix it in the tub, and because it's so deliciously thick like a hair mask, you can slap it on with your fingers, or go in with a brush for precision. The colour is vibrant and glossy every time with brilliant grey coverage."

RRP: £15

If you’re blonde, you’ll know the importance of a good purple shampoo. They have the ability to transform brassy yellow tones, leaving the colour looking cooler, brighter and platinum blonde. Fudge’s Clean Blonde Damage Rewind Shampoo has won in this category for the second year in a row, and for good reason. 

This is a purple shampoo with a difference. Not only does it brighten up blondes impressively quickly (truly, in a matter of minutes), it also helps repair bleach-battered strands, leaving hair looking vibrant, soft and shiny. We all know that blondes have more fragile hair from the bleaching process, so we love that Fudge recognises that and has prioritised repair alongside its incredibly efficient colour technology. The judges loved how quickly the colour transformation happened, and the rich formula with a satisfying lather. In short, it’s absolutely brilliant - it’s the purple shampoo we always recommend. 

Hairdresser and salon creative director Christel Barron-Hughes saw a real difference from testing this shampoo. "This is a really lovely product to use with a nice consistency and a gorgeous smell," she says. "It's incredibly pigmented so you only need to leave it on for a minute or two."

RRP: £4.99

We love that embracing greys is now so commonplace, whatever your age. We always say that ageing is a privilege, and being proud of those grey strands can be a huge part of that mindset. More of us are opting for silver or charcoal grey tones, which feels liberating after years of weekly root touch-ups. Grey can look gorgeous, but you need to right products to keep the colour looking its best, and this is the perfect shampoo for the job.

Judges were so impressed by this bargain buy, which will have an immediately brightening effect on all hair types. The clever thing is that it uses a mix of purple and blue tones which will work specifically well on silver and grey hair. Another smart element is its use of repairing ingredients including vitamin B5, which will strengthen strands. This is especially important in a shampoo for grey hair, as it tends to be drier and more fragile. 

"My colour was left brighter, hair shiny after use, with the brassiness balanced," enthuses Digital Beauty Editor Aleesha Badkar. "I also liked that there wasn't any colour residue left on my hands after using it, which isn't the case with a lot of purple shampoos!"

RRP: £21.50

Picking the right shampoo for coloured hair is so important. It needs to really clean your hair while holding onto the dye pigments. After spending so much time and money perfecting your hair colour, the last thing you want is a product that speeds up the fading process. Color Wow's Color Security Shampoo was the hands-down winner and a real favourite of the beauty team. 

There are so many things to love about this shampoo, from the lightweight texture to the rich lather. It’s also incredibly gentle, using amino acids as one of their main cleansing ingredients. These help lock in moisture and prevent dye fade, designed to keep your colour lasting for up to 20 washes. The judges were also impressed by the fact that it’s free from silicones, sulfates and thickening agents, making it suitable for all hair types. 

"I really love this - it's my favourite shampoo of all time," gushes Beauty Editor Jess Beech. "Often sulphate-free shampoos are quite creamy and your hair never feels properly clean, this is clear and doesn't leave any residue at all. It always helps to keep my colour fresh too, doesn't amplify the speed at which my colour or toner washes out."

RRP: £25.50

Toners are the unsung heroes of the hair colour world. They have the power to totally transform dyed or natural hair tones while feeling quite foolproof to use. Toners can be used to add a cooler or warmer hue to hair shades or add a temporary tint of more vivid colours.

This is an especially brilliant toner, which also multitasks as a repairing hair treatment. It uses hair bonding technology to strengthen damaged strands and also protects hair from future damage caused by UV rays and heat styling. Hair was left looking super shiny, soft and strengthened, with the perfect colour balance. There are five shades available, so you can add a copper hue, keep brassiness at bay for blondes or add a richer tone to brown shades. 

Hairstylist and colour expert Katie Hale used a few different shades. "I absolutely would recommend this product," she says. "They're lightweight and effective - the hair didn't feel heavy or weighed down. I used the espresso which left my client's hair feeling super soft and shiny, and the colour was nicely refreshed. The copper shade gave a nice refresh too and left the hair feeling moisturised. The ice blonde conditioner alo made my client's hair feel so soft."

RRP: £7

You don't have to book into the salon at the first sight of roots. Tinted sprays will conceal grey or dark roots in seconds, helping your hair look freshly dyed for as long as you need. This spray, by the hair colour pros at Schwarzkopf, is a brilliant option. It’s quick and easy to use and dries instantly. It blends in seamlessly with the rest of your hair, and the judges particularly loved the precise spray applicator which lets you target smaller patches of hair. The formula uses mineral pigments which will cling to your hair to hide even prominent greys and dark roots. It’s also sweat and rain-resistant and impressively long-wearing. It’ll come to the rescue for all those hair emergencies and will provide up to 40 applications. 

"My hair grows pretty quickly, which can be a good thing, but it's also quite annoying," explains Rhiannon Derbyshire. "I'm going rapidly grey and don't always have time to dye my roots, so sprays like this buy me an extra few weeks in between appointments. This works so quickly, instantly covering any light or grey patches. The coverage is good, lasting until I wash it out."