With a movement toward living a more natural life, more people are looking for ways to practice sustainable living and incorporating such practices into their everyday lives. One of the growing trends is the transition from using conventional hair care products to natural hair care.
A cosmetic product continuously growing in popularity is natural shampoo. Unlike conventional shampoo which contains harsh chemicals and strips the hair of its natural oils, natural shampoo is made from all-natural ingredients which help to nourish and maintain the health of your hair.
With such a focus on natural shampoo, there are more products available than ever before. Whilst this offers a wealth of variety for all hair types, it also introduces the problem of some brands claiming to be natural yet continue to use a chemical based formula that may contain harsh chemicals.
To help you transition to using natural shampoo safely, this post will give you a full guide on the top natural shampoo products and their benefits as well as helpful tips on what to look out for when shopping for natural shampoo products.
OUR TOP PICK
Green People Organic offers a daily shampoo containing aloe vera and lavender. Both of which are known for their soothing properties. This is a great shampoo for anyone who suffers from a dry scalp or is prone to eczema and psoriasis.
Scented with a natural fragrance, this shampoo is made from a gentle and non-irritating formula making it ideal for all hair types.
This shampoo helps to leave your hair feeling clean, soft, and refreshed, and your scalp feeling balanced. Unlike conventional shampoo, this shampoo is free of SLS and offers natural foaming properties to nourish your hair.
A little of this product goes a long way ensuring long-lasting use lasting almost three times longer than conventional brands.
Pros
- Soothing properties are ideal for sensitive skin or skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis
- Free from SLS, parabens, phthalates, and artificial fragrances
- Made from fair trade ingredients making it suitable for vegans and vegetarians
EDITORS CHOICE
Aveda offers rosemary and mint shampoo with purifying properties. This shampoo contains white vinegar which is used to help gently clarify the hair without stripping it of its natural and healthy oils.
It also contains peppermint and spearmint which are both properties that energize and cleanse the scalp. This combination of ingredients will leave your hair and scalp feeling clean, shiny, and refreshed.
This product also contains micelles which help to gently remove impurities and product build-up whilst maintaining the natural balance of your scalp. This is a great shampoo for purifying and cleansing the scalp if you are in need of a detox.
With a thick consistency, a little goes a long way with this shampoo ensuring long-lasting use.
Pros
- 97% of the formula is natural
- Contains natural ingredients that provide purifying and cleansing properties
- Formulated with micelles and white vinegar to naturally cleanse of impurities rather than using SLS
- 1L for long lasting use
Cons
- Expensive
BEST VALUE
Dr. Organic offers an aloe vera shampoo that soothes, restores, and nourishes the hair. Containing aloe vera leaf juice, this product is rich in polysaccharides which help to provide a nourishing, soothing, and moisturizing treatment.
The product uses bioactive aloe vera in combination with other bioactive naturally inspired extracts to get the most out of the plant's polysaccharides. This combination of ingredients helps to penetrate the fibers of the hair, the roots, and the scalp.
This is a great product for anyone in need of a hair detox.
Pros
- Contains natural ingredients
- Rich in polysaccharides which provide restorative properties
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Klorane offers a detox shampoo that helps to restore dull and pollution exposed hair. This product contains aquatic mint which helps to protect, purify, and detoxify the hair and scalp from pollution. This is a great product for anyone who lives in a city or a high pollution area.
This plant based shampoo is rich in antioxidants. This product provides anti-inflammatory properties which help to soothe the scalp as well as gently removing the build-up of impurities without stripping the hair of its natural oils.
This product penetrates deeply and its cleansing properties help to remove 97% of polluting particles from the hair leaving your hair feeling flight, radiant, and refreshed.
Pros
- Cleansing properties help to remove 97% of polluting particles
- Natural plant based formula
- Ingredients provide purifying and detoxifying properties
- Biodegradable and vegan
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Shea Moisture offers a Jamaican black castor oil shampoo that helps to strengthen and restore damaged or chemically treated hair. This product contains black castor oil which contains properties that promote hair growth.
This product also contains rice proteins and organic raw shea butter. Rice proteins provide cleansing properties and help to seal open hair cuticles. In doing so, hair is left silky, thick, and smooth. The shea butter provides nourishing properties that help to hydrate the hair.
The natural ingredients contained in this product help to cleanse the hair of impurities without stripping the hair of its natural and healthy oils. Ingredients of coconut oil and peppermint provide rejuvenating properties that help to protect the hair from damage done by breakage and pollutants.
This is a great product for anyone with damaged, weak, or brittle hair in need of restoration.
Pros
- Natural, organic, raw ingredients that are sustainably produced
- Contains apple cider vinegar to balance PH levels
- Sulfate free
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We Are Paradox offers a volumizing shampoo that helps to add volume and bounce to thin or fine hair. This product is 91% natural and contains ingredients that provide cleansing and conditioning properties.
This product contains Irish hops, carrageen moss, peppermint, and ginseng. Hops extract helps to improve hair texture to create texture, definition, and bounce, and ginseng is used to strengthen the hair to prevent frizz.
Carrageen moss helps to provide a silky finish, whilst peppermint is used to help stimulate the root for deep cleansing. This is a great shampoo for anyone looking for added lift and volume.
Pros
- Made from natural ingredients - suitable for vegans
- Sulfate free and cruelty free
- 91% natural formula
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Green People offer a scent free shampoo ideal for anyone with a sensitive scalp or who is sensitive to fragrance. This product looks relatively simple, but it does the job. This shampoo is 82.4% organic and contains natural ingredients that provide cleansing and soothing properties.
Coconut extract is used to nourish the hair creating a smooth texture. Aloe vera leaf juice provides soothing and healing properties to help to ease an irritated scalp. Camellia Sinensis, also known as green tea, is used to stimulate the scalp promoting blood flow and new growth.
This combination of ingredients makes this product a great shampoo for all hair types and for general use as it provides a host of benefits.
Pros
- 82.4% organic
- Ingredients provide cleansing and soothing properties
- Scent free for sensitive skin
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Avalon Organics offers a clarifying shampoo to help restore dry and dull hair. This product is made from plant-sourced botanical ingredients and essential oils. Its formula is designed to cleanse and revitalize dull hair by removing impurities and excess oils.
This product contains a mix of essential oils, quinoa protein, aloe vera, and vitamin E, all of which work to cleanse and condition hair cuticles for a healthier and brighter finish.
This product is certified organic and doesn’t contain any parabens, preservatives, harsh chemicals, color, fragrances, or phthalates. Avalon Organics are Climate Pledge Friendly which ensures that they are sustainable and committed to preserving the environment.
Pros
- Organic formula
- Cruelty free and suitable for vegans
- Free from harsh chemicals
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John Masters Organics offers a shampoo that helps to maintain healthy hair. This product is Climate Pledge Friendly which ensures that the product and the ingredients contained are organic and sustainable. This product contains lavender and rosemary to help maintain balanced hair, moisturize the hair and cleanse the scalp.
The product offers a rich consistency with a thick lather for an enjoyable washing experience. A little goes a long way with this product which ensures long-lasting use. The infusion of French lavender aims to soothe and hydrate the hair for a thick and shiny finish.
In committing to the climate pledge, John Masters Organics ensures that their products are more efficiently designed to reduce carbon emissions. This is a great product to try if your hair is relatively healthy, and you're thinking of transitioning to natural shampoo from conventional shampoo.
Pros
- Organic and natural formula
- Cruelty free and clean - suitable for vegans
- Free from parabens, silicone, sulfate, and phthalates
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The Body Shop offers a shampoo that helps to promote scalp health to improve hair growth. This product contains ginger, birch bark, white willow extracts, and honey.
This superior blend of natural ingredients provides soothing and restorative properties. The use of ginger provides scalp stimulation which helps to promote hair growth and remove dandruff.
Rich in antioxidants, this product provides anti-inflammatory properties that help to soothe the scalp. All of the ingredients contained are sustainably sourced from Sri Lanka and Ethiopia.
The Body Shops is committed to community trade and helps to protect the environments from which their ingredients are sourced.
This product is also naturally fragranced offering a delicious ginger and honey scent. This is a great product for anyone looking for a natural scalp treatment.
Pros
- Organic ingredients that are sustainably sourced
- Committed to community trade
- Ingredients offering soothing properties suitable for all hair types
Best Natural Shampoo Buying Guide
With so many different natural shampoo products out there, it can be hard to know which offers the right benefits for you.
When it comes to finding the right shampoo for you there are a couple of factors to consider. The following will go through everything you need to know and look out for.
Precaution
It’s always important to remember that just because a product appears to contain holistic ingredients, it doesn’t necessarily mean that its formula is natural or good for you.
So many brands recognize the move towards natural shampoo and try to find loopholes to pass as natural but the reality is that the product may be made from a chemically based formula or may contain harsh compounds that may affect your hair or scalp.
To avoid this, it’s important to exercise caution and make sure to look at the ingredients. Also, make sure that whatever shampoo you get is suitable for your hair type.
Beneficial ingredients to look out for
Natural substances provide a host of properties that help to promote the health of your hair and scalp.
From healing and soothing properties to rejuvenating and cleansing properties. The following will show you all the beneficial substances to look out for.
Keep your eyes peeled for:
Soothing ingredients
- Aloe vera
- Chamomile
- Honey
Stimulating ingredients
- Peppermint
- Tea tea
- Green tea
Moisturising and hydrating ingredients
- Coconut oil
- Shea butter
- Jojoba oil
- Argan oil
Cleansing ingredients
- Ginger
- Seaweed
- Apple cider vinegar
- Rosemary
- Citrus - lemon, and orange
Ingredients that promote growth and strengthen hair
- Castor oil
- Ginseng
- Coffee
- Lavender
Shampoo ingredients for specific hair care needs
Thinning hair/ hair loss
If you suffer from thinning hair or hair loss you’ll want to look for a natural shampoo that contains stimulating ingredients that promote hair growth and hair thickening ingredients. These include coffee, castor oil, peppermint, and lavender.
Coffee contains caffeine which is known to help reduce hair thinning. Other ingredients such as peppermint and lavender help to stimulate blood flow by improving the circulation in your scalp.
This helps to promote new growth. Castor oil is a great ingredient for hair thickening as it helps to strengthen the hair shaft.
Curly hair
If you have curly hair and are experiencing frizz or dryness, you will need to look for ingredients that provide moisturizing and hydrating properties.
Ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, and argan oil are great for this. Natural oils and butter are great for helping hair retain moisture to reduce frizz.
Dry or brittle hair
If you suffer from dry or brittle hair, you’ll need to look for ingredients that promote deep conditioning.
These include ingredients that are naturally high in protein such as avocado oil, macadamia oil, and olive oil. These ingredients help to cleanse and deeply condition your hair to retain moisture.
Dandruff
If you suffer from dandruff you’ll need to look for a natural fungicide that kills the fungi that cause dandruff. This can be found in ingredients like tea tree oil.
Oily Scalp
If you have an oily scalp your scalp is producing an excessive amount of sebum. You will need to look for ingredients that provide cleansing properties that rid your scalp of impurities.
These properties can be found in ingredients such as seaweed, aquatic mint, and ginger. These ingredients help to stimulate the scalp to cleanse it whilst removing impurities without stripping your hair of its healthy oil.
Why transition to natural shampoo
Using natural shampoo offers a wealth of benefits, both for you and the environment. Natural shampoo products are made from plant based formulas with ingredients that are organic and sustainably sourced.
This ensures that the ingredients sourced have as little impact on the environment as possible. It also ensures that the ingredients are of the best quality to provide the properties needed to promote healthy hair.
Natural shampoos are made without all the harsh chemicals contained in conventional shampoo. Chemicals such as SLS (a chemical that strips hair of its natural moisture) are removed along with other harsh chemicals. Being free from chemicals and toxins makes natural shampoo much gentler on your hair.
Natural shampoos are also great for anyone who suffers from sensitive skin or has damaged or dry hair. These products don’t contain artificial fragrances or color making them safer for people to use as there is less risk of reaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are natural shampoos safe to use?
Like any cosmetic product, no natural shampoo is the same. Therefore, it’s important to check the formula to double-check that you’re happy with the ingredients contained in the product. Check for any ingredients that you could find irritating.
Takeaway
The movement of using natural shampoo is a step in the right direction. With more awareness of how products impact our health and wellbeing, it's more important than ever before to practice living sustainably.
Transitioning to natural shampoo is a great way to maintain the health of your hair and scalp. All the products shown offer a range of benefits that are suitable for so many different hair types. Each contains ingredients that offer properties from soothing to restoring and cleansing.
If you’re looking for more ways you can start living a more natural lifestyle, why not give natural shampoo a go.
