11 totally rad shampoos from the 1980s you definitely forgot about

Our hair reached new heights in the '80s thanks to these products.

For all the damage we did to our hair in the 1980s, we needed some really good hair products to repair. From perms and crimping to jheri curls and teasing, it's a miracle our hair made it out of that decade intact.

These 11 shampoos put in work to clean our hair and give it volume, and we're forever grateful. Do you remember some of these totally '80s products?

1. Finesse

Sometimes you needed a little, sometimes you needed a lot. Whatever the case, we couldn't get enough of then-aspiring actress Sharon Stone starring in Finesse's commercials in the early '80s. 


Image: ebay

2. Salon Selectives

It doesn't get more '80s than Salon Selectives, which brought the salon experience into your own home. The shampoo brand was famous for offering different levels of shampoos and conditioners for different types of hair. 

Image: The Box Mom

3. Perma Soft

If you needed to keep your perm in check in the 1980s, you looked no further than Perma Soft. After all, perms were supposed to look natural, right?

Image: Pinterest

4. Prell

Supermodel Christie Brinkley famously put the "oooo" in shampoo with her golden locks and irresistable smile. Prell must have worked magic, because she looks exactly the same today!


Image: Sports Illustrated

5. Jhirmack

Did you buy Jhirmack shampoo just because Victoria Principal told you to do so? We wouldn't blame you if you did!

Image: Vintage Ad Browser

6. Faberge Organics

It's almost like female celebrities had to star in a shampoo commercial to get their start. The 1980s kicked off with a trippy ad featuring Heather Locklear, promoting the decade's most natural shampoo choice. 


Image: Pinterest

7. Dimension

Dimension shampoo didn't want you to focus on just one "dimension" of your hair! It wanted you to have it all — the silk, the shine and the bounce. 

Image: Pinterest

8. Wella Balsam

Priscilla Presley started off promoting Wella Balsam (try saying that three times in a row), but by the end of the decade teen sensation Brooke Shields took over. 

Image: Pinterest

9. Pert

If you needed that extra bounce in your hair, you were probably a loyal consumer of Pert.


Image: Pinterest

10. TCB

Let's not forget about the guys here. Billy D. Williams believed so much in TCB, he apperead in numerous ads promoting it. Did Williams make you a believer too?

Image: Found in Mom's Basement

11. Sun-In

Bonus: So this wasn't a shampoo, per se. But everyone in the '80s used this to make their hair a few shades lighter. All you need was a sunny day, and you would be blonde in no time. 

Image: Go Retro

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

73 Comments

IraqiwifeSwedishlife 11 months ago
What I remember about the Faberge Organics shampoo...is that it had this tear drop shaped bubble inside the shampoo...that slowly went up...and down...as you turned the bottle round and round....
Nala92129 22 months ago
Prell made our hair smell SO GOOD! Does anyone remember Drene Shampoo?
Dave62 23 months ago
I remember gee your hair smells terrific
daisy1347 23 months ago
Remember Lemon Up? The cap was a plastic lemon. Might have been during the 70s.
Rob daisy1347 23 months ago
I do remember seeing it as a kid. I think that it was during the 70’s.
Rob 23 months ago
Wow, that Perma Soft ad is so 80’s! I love it!
SheriffNibblersMa 23 months ago
Most of these products are available at the Vermont Country Store.
SheriffNibblersMa 23 months ago
Where is Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific?
timothys71 23 months ago
I still remember my family using Earth Born shampoo when I was a kid, although I think that was actually a 1970's brand that had pretty much died out by the 1980's.
Patsy 23 months ago
I didn't forget them. Furthermore, half of them are still available.
AgingDisgracefully 23 months ago
Perhaps more a late '70s product, Agree Shampoo decided NOT to use ad copy that claimed, "Agree Attracts Bugs!"
Apparently, it didn't test well.
Nala92129 23 months ago
No shampoo left my hair smelling as great as the original Prell.
Mimi1130 23 months ago
What about Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo? That smelled great and the label on the bottle was so pretty!
Michael Mimi1130 23 months ago
You can still get it, though I have no idea if it's the same as when it came out. I'm not sure it gets advertised these days.
KJExpress Mimi1130 23 months ago
I remember using it a lot as a kid.
MaryWilsonAdams 23 months ago
What's missing is On Tap. Worked great for my hair.
TheDavBow3 23 months ago
I remember all those shampoos. Some are still around. I believe Prell was the first shampoo that came in a plastic bottle. Remember "Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific"? It did smell good! 😉
KJExpress 23 months ago
I used a few of these. And it's hard to "definitely forget" some of these products that are still being sold today.

I remember a shampoo called Short and Sassy. I think Dorothy Hamill did ads for it.
Auntiekk 23 months ago
I used to buy Sun In to lighten or streak my hair !
It worked really well but my hair felt like dry barbed wire by the end of Summer.
teire 23 months ago
I remember them all and used several. My husband still uses Prell (it’s hard to find, but out there). I had a high school friend with dark brown hair who went blonde every summer courtesy of Sun-In.
Henderson 23 months ago
I was a Breck girl for a long time. Salon Selectives left my hair oily-yuck!
teire Henderson 23 months ago
Loved the smell of Breck, it was very gentle on your hair as I remember it.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?