Made for medium to thick hair that needs nourishment, the hair type amika names for the whole Normcore line. It is a good everyday shampoo for colour-treated, keratin-treated or otherwise chemically treated hair, since amika lists it as colour safe, keratin safe and suitable for chemically treated hair.

It is a retail shampoo for home use; no professional application is needed. Very fine hair that goes flat easily may do better with a volume-focused shampoo such as amika Big Hit.

Normcore is amika's signature wash: a nourishing, sulfate-free shampoo that still lathers generously. Sea buckthorn, amika's hero ingredient, brings omega-7 fatty acid, vitamins C and A and antioxidants, while coconut acid helps the formula foam and condition. The result is hair that feels clean without being stripped, which is why it pairs so well with colour and smoothing services. Used with Normcore Signature Conditioner, amika's clinical testing found hair 7x more conditioned.

1. Massage a quarter-sized amount through wet hair, focusing on the roots.
2. Rinse.
3. amika suggests a double cleanse: the first wash to cleanse, the second to get the full conditioning benefit. Rinse out fully.
4. Follow with Normcore Signature Conditioner or Soulfood Nourishing Mask.

1 L pump: the pump ships locked. Hold the dip tube just below the cap with one hand and twist the top of the pump to unlock it before threading it into the bottle.

Pros

• Sulfate-free isethionate cleansers still give a full lather, so it doesn't feel like a low-foam shampoo.
• Colour safe and keratin safe, so it suits hair with colour or smoothing services.
• Silicone-free, so it won't coat hair between washes.
• The 1 L size with a lockable pump suits frequent use.

Cons

• Aimed at medium to thick hair; fine hair wanting lift may find it too softening.
• Contains added fragrance, including listed allergens such as limonene and hydroxycitronellal.
• The 7x-more-conditioned result was measured with the matching conditioner, not the shampoo alone.