Odele launched in January 2020, and the name is a phonetic riff on the Norwegian phrase å dele, which means "to share." According to the company's own press release, it was created by Lindsay Holden, Britta Chatterjee and Shannon Kearney. Their mission was to make clean prestige hair care accessible and approachable, or in the brand's words, maximum results with minimum effort.

The founders came from the business side of beauty. Glossy reports that Holden was a retail buyer, Chatterjee worked in retail and at General Mills, and Kearney was a project manager at the clean hair care brand Renpure. Holden and Chatterjee met in graduate school in Minneapolis in 2008. The Star Tribune says they started the company in 2019, leaning on those retail and product development skills.

That background shows. Odele is not a brand of one hero product. It is a full wash-day lineup with a shampoo for each job, plus a conditioner, a mask, a leave-in and a styler, all in matching bottles. If you want one brand for the whole routine, odele makes that easy.

The first grid is eight Odele products, from shampoos to a styler. The second grid is eight shampoos and conditioners from other brands to compare. My tip: pick the shampoo for your scalp first, then the conditioner for your lengths, because they are rarely the same problem. An oily scalp with dry ends needs two different answers.

Start with the shampoos, because that is where Odele is most useful. Moisture Repair Shampoo is the everyday option for dry, damaged hair, and it has a matching Moisture Repair Conditioner. If your hair is dry from color or heat, buy those two together.

The other three shampoos are for specific jobs. Clarifying Shampoo removes buildup and is for all hair types, so I would use it once in a while, not every wash. Smoothing Shampoo is for frizz and shine, and Volumizing Shampoo is for lift and fullness, which is the one to try if your roots go flat by afternoon.

The leave-in and mask are for the lengths. Odele Leave-in Conditioner for Deep Moisture + Frizz Control is a leave-in conditioner that goes on after the shower, and it carries a 4.5 star rating from more than 1,900 reviews. The Moisturizing Hair Mask is for dry, damaged hair, and it is the one to use weekly rather than daily.

Air Dry Styler is the lightest product in the group. It gives light moisture, definition and shine, so it is for people who skip heat and let their hair dry on its own.

What I would skip: Smoothing and Volumizing shampoos in the same week. One adds slip and the other adds lift, so choose the one that matches your main goal.

These are four well-known brands, each with a shampoo and conditioner you can use as a pair. OUAI Medium Hair Shampoo and Conditioner are made for medium-density hair, are color-safe and hydrating, and have a gender-neutral scent. If your hair is neither fine nor very thick, this is the pair I would try first.

Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and No.5 Conditioner are for medium to coarse hair with everyday damage. Both are described as highly concentrated, and the No.5 helps with detangling and smoothing. They are the bond-building pair in this grid, and the one I would give to anyone whose hair has had a rough year of color or heat.

Pureology Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner are for medium to thick, dry hair and color-treated hair. Both were 2024 Allure Best of Beauty winners according to their descriptions, and both are sulfate-free. Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner are for damaged hair, and they protect color. They are the ones I would reach for if your ends are dry and split.

What I would skip: Pureology Hydrate if your hair is fine. It is made for medium to thick hair and can feel heavy, so try the OUAI pair instead, which is built for medium hair.

I think Odele is best when you treat it as a system. Choose the shampoo for what your scalp needs, add the conditioner or mask for your ends, and finish with the leave-in or styler. The comparison pairs in the second grid are good if you want a brand with a smaller range or a bond-repair angle. Either way, give a new routine a couple of weeks before you judge it, and finish each wash with a cool rinse. Hair settles into a new shampoo slowly, and the first wash rarely tells you much. If it still feels coated or dull after that, bring in the clarifying shampoo once and start over. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together TULA Skincare, the Gastroenterologist's Brand Named for Balance and Better Not Younger, Hair Care Built for Thinning Hair.