What MONDAY is
MONDAY Haircare is a low-priced haircare brand sold widely in supermarkets and on Amazon, built around recyclable bottles, a simple range structure and a strong fragrance identity. The brand states its products are approved as cruelty-free under the Leaping Bunny program.
It is a mass-market range competing on price, presentation and pleasantness rather than on a technical claim. That is a legitimate position, and being clear about it is more useful than pretending otherwise.
The ranges, and what each is aimed at
The line is organized by broad hair need rather than by specific problem. The Smooth range is positioned by the manufacturer for frizzy, coarse and curly hair, built on coconut oil, shea butter and vitamin E. The Moisture range targets dry, coarse, stressed and coily hair, with rice protein alongside the same emollients. There is also a dry shampoo in the line, with keratin, positioned for all hair types.
Two things follow. First, this is a moisture-and-smoothing brand at heart — almost everything in it is doing the same job with different emphasis. Second, none of the standard ranges is sulfate-free, which matters if you color your hair.
Who it suits
- Coarse, frizzy or curly hair on a budget. The Smooth range is genuinely a reasonable fit, and it costs a fraction of a salon smoothing shampoo.
- Anyone who wants a nice shower. The fragrance and packaging are a real part of the value here, and there is nothing wrong with buying for that.
- People with no specific problem. If your hair is broadly fine and you just want a decent wash, a general range is the right kind of product.
- Anyone replacing a much harsher supermarket shampoo. That is a real upgrade for very little money.
Who should buy something else
- Color-treated hair. The main ranges are not sulfate-free, and the cleanser is where color is lost. A sulfate-free drugstore alternative costs about the same — shortlist here.
- Bleached or bond-damaged hair. Nothing in this range addresses structural damage. See bond repair treatments.
- A flaking or irritated scalp. There is no named active here. You want salicylic acid or selenium sulfide — dry scalp shortlist.
- Fine, limp hair. A moisture-first range is the wrong direction. See shampoos for fine hair.
- Brassy blonde or gray. No toning product in the line — purple shampoos here.
- Anyone sensitive to fragrance. The scent is a defining feature of the brand, and it is strong.
Verdict
A good general-purpose range at a low price, best suited to coarse or frizzy hair with no specific problem to solve. If you can name your hair problem — color fade, bleach damage, flaking, brass, limpness — a targeted product will outperform it, usually for similar money.
We have not used this range ourselves. This assessment is based on the manufacturer's own stated formulation and positioning, and on what those ingredients are documented to do. It is worth reading alongside the AAD's general guidance on matching products and washing frequency to hair type (AAD, everyday hair care), which does more for most people than any brand choice.
We have not used these products ourselves. They are chosen from what is in the formula, what those ingredients are documented to do, and whether that matches the problem this page is about — and every product below links to the manufacturer's own page so you can check the formulation claims yourself. The full method is here.
How we picked
Products we have personally tested: none
Most hair care roundups are written in a "we tested these" voice. We have not, and saying so is the point. These picks are chosen the way an informed shopper would choose them: read what is actually in the formula, check what those ingredients are documented to do, match that against the specific problem the page is about, and confirm the product is still being sold.
Each pick gets a role — the drugstore option, the one for high porosity, the gentlest of the set — rather than a score out of ten, because a score would imply a measurement nobody took. Nobody pays for inclusion or placement, and when the cheap product is the right answer we say that too. The full method is on one page.