Kristin Ess spent about twenty years behind the chair as a hairstylist and colorist before her name went on a bottle. Business Insider lists Lauren Conrad and Lucy Hale among her clients. But the reason so many people know her name now is a shelf, not a salon. In 2017 she launched Kristin Ess Hair, developed with the beauty company Maesa and sold exclusively at Target. The brand's own About page says the idea was luxury-feeling hair care and styling that anyone could pick up on a normal errand run.

That is still the pitch, and it shows in the bottles. They come in soft matte colors with a small label, and they look nicer on a shower shelf than they have any right to.

What makes Kristin Ess shampoo interesting to me is that it thinks like a colorist. Almost every formula is built around shine, tone or buildup, the three things a colorist notices the second you sit down. Her signature line is called The One, and around it sit a purple shampoo for brass and a clarifying one for the film that makes color look flat.

The first grid is eight of her shampoos, from the everyday One to a peptide bond repair formula. The second is the conditioners, gloss and treatments that pair with them.

My test for any new shampoo: wash twice in a row the first time. The first wash lifts oil, and the second tells you how the formula actually feels.

Most of this grid does one of three things: cleans gently, fixes tone, or clears buildup.

The One Signature Shampoo is the everyday bottle. It is sulfate free, with avocado and castor oil, and the brand says it cleans well while leaving hair moisturized and shiny. If your scalp is touchy, the Extra Gentle Shampoo is made for sensitive skin and scalp, with a more subtle fragrance. I like that the brand bothered to make that distinction, because a lot of scalp itch is just fragrance.

For tone, The One Purple Shampoo uses violet pigments to cool down brass in blondes and lightened brunettes. Use it once or twice a week. For buildup there are two. The Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo removes mineral deposits, oil and even silicones, according to the brand, and the Mineral Detox Shampoo goes after hard water metals. If your shower leaves spots on the glass, that second one is for you.

The Ultra Rich Softening Shampoo is gently clarifying but made for hair that feels heavy, and the Moisture Rich Curl Shampoo is for waves and curls, with a rich lather and lots of slip. The newest bottle is the Kristin Ess+ Peptide Bond Repair Shampoo, which pairs bond building with peptides for hair that has been bleached or heat styled a lot.

What I would skip: using the clarifying and the detox shampoo in the same week. Pick the one that matches your problem, and give your ends a break.

Conditioner is where this line gets more personal, because it is where you fix what the shampoo cannot.

The One Signature Conditioner is the daily partner to the shampoo, made to smooth and soften the parts of your hair your natural oils never reach. The Extra Gentle Conditioner does the same for sensitive scalps. For blondes, The One Purple Conditioner keeps the toning going while adding moisture, and the Mineral Detox Conditioner detangles after a hard water wash.

The Signature Hair Gloss is the most colorist thing here. It is an in-shower treatment that boosts shine and vibrancy, and this one is the Bittersweet shade, a rich brown. Glosses are what colorists reach for between appointments to make color look new again, so it makes sense that this became one of her best known products.

The Strand Strengthening Reconstructive Moisture Mask is for dry, damaged ends, and the Weightless Shine Leave-In Conditioner Spray detangles and preps hair before you style it. The Instant Exfoliating Scalp Scrub handles flakes, product buildup and hard water deposits on the scalp itself.

A pairing tip: if you use the gloss, skip the clarifying shampoo for a few washes afterward. Clarifiers are designed to strip things off, and the gloss is something you want to keep.

What I would skip: the mask every wash if your hair is fine. Once a week is enough.

I think the smartest way into Kristin Ess shampoo is to start with your water and your color, not the scent. Hard water and brass are two things this line handles especially well, and they are also what makes most hair look dull. Pick The One for every day, add the purple or the detox if you need it, and keep the gloss for the week before something important. It is a colorist's routine, sized for a normal bathroom.