I’ve rounded up the best non-toxic shampoo brands for different hair types and budgets, from liquid shampoo to the best shampoo bar, natural shampoo for kids and babies, and non-toxic dry shampoo.

Over the past 11 years, I’ve tried many natural shampoos and conditioners. Some (most) have been complete fails, but a few shining stars stand out as the best of the best. 

The best natural shampoos in a basket.

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In this post, I’ll share everything you need to find the best natural shampoo and conditioner.

Why Use Natural Shampoo and Conditioner? 

  • Most conventional shampoos contain harsh chemicals that can strip your hair of natural oils that keep your scalp, roots, and hair healthy, resulting in dry hair and even damaged hair.
  • Conventional products can also leave product buildup. 
  • Using safe, non-toxic products made with natural ingredients will allow your hair to stay clean without the harsh stripping of essential hair oils. The same goes for washing your face (the best natural face cleansers).

Ingredients to Avoid Shampoo & Conditioner 

Look at the ingredient labels to find the best non-toxic shampoo and conditioner without harmful chemicals. Watch for these ingredients. 

  • Surfactants – Like Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). These ingredients are what produce the lather in shampoo. These ingredients aren’t toxic to humans but can be irritating.
  • Synthetic Fragrances – This trade secret ingredient can contain up to 3,000 different chemicals, including possible carcinogens like phthalates (used to make the scent last longer), which companies are not required to disclose. Learn about the hidden secrets of fragrance here. You can still enjoy fragranced hair products. Look for companies that fully disclose their fragrance ingredients and use natural perfumes, like essential oils. Avoid hair products that list “fragrance” on the ingredient list and nothing more.
  • Preservatives – Ingredients like parabens, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bromopol), quaternium-15, etc. Preservatives extend the shelf life of a product and kill bacteria. Preservatives must be used in formulas that contain water (most hair products), so you can’t avoid preservatives. Still, you can avoid preservatives of concern like parabens, which have been linked to breast cancer.
  • Emulsifiers – Ethanolamines (DEA, TEA, and MEA) and ingredients ending in -siloxane.

What to Look For In Shampoo and Conditioner

Navigating an ingredient list can be tricky. Luckily, there are a couple of great resources that help you do this. And, of course, my guide will help you easily find the best hair products.

  • EWG – An excellent resource for looking up products and ingredients is the SkinDeep database from the Environmental Working Group. Use the search bar to look up your personal care products, like shampoo, and see how they rate on the toxicity scale. 
  • Made Safe Label – Another resource is to look for products with the “Made Safe” label from a third-party non-profit organization with strict standards.

Best Chemical-Free Shampoos & Conditioners

“Chemical-free shampoo” is a fallacy. Everything contains chemicals, even organic shampoo, coconut oil, and baking soda.

I use this term “chemical free” because when people say they’re looking for a shampoo without chemicals, I think they mean they want one that doesn’t contain toxic chemicals. And that’s what you’ll find on this list!

True botanicals shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom.

1. True Botanicals (My favorite shampoo for all hair types)

True Botanicals is known for making non-toxic products that work and rival conventional products. I use this on my color-treated hair without issue (because the formula doesn’t use harsh sulfates). The hypoallergenic formula is for “all hair types.” It is a heavier formula, so it can be too heavy for fine hair.

  • Best Hair Types: All hair types, even color-treated hair, due to the sulfate-free formula (Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner)
  • Price: $32 for 8 ounces
  • Where to Buy: Truebotanicals.com, Detox Market (online), Amazon

2. Innersense Beauty (Best brand for different hair types, including blonde colored hair)

Innersense is known for its professional hair care. This brand makes several formulations for different hair needs. The Pure Inspiration Daily Conditioner is made for all hair types, and the Color Radiance Daily Conditioner is formulated for color-treated hair. Innersense also makes natural hair care products for detangling and styling. The leave-in conditioner is a reader favorite.

3. Evolvh (Best Professional Salon Quality)

This brand has been making clean hair products since 2009 and was started by a hair stylist passionate about using high-performing products made with organic ingredients. This brand is particularly great if you’re used to high-quality salon shampoos and want to switch to an organic option. 

BeautyCounter shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom.

4. BeautyCounter 

BeautyCounter, a B Corporation, makes many beauty and skincare products. I’m not a fan of everything BeautyCounter makes, but I can vouch for their shampoo and conditioner. This brand makes one shampoo and conditioner formula, just like True Botanicals, which is for ALL hair types.

5. Derma E (Best for Thinning Hair)

This brand started as a small health food store and grew into a personal care brand. Today, you’ll find everything from shampoo and conditioner to skincare products. The products are budget-friendly and easy to find at Whole Foods and other health stores. The shampoos are specifically formulated to combat issues like thinning hair or an irritated scalp. 

6. John Masters Organics 

This brand makes organic shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling products. I like the daily shampoo for all hair types, but you’ll also find some specialty shampoos from this brand for volume (fine hair) and Intensive Repair Shampoo (for dry or color-treated hair). 

7. Acure Organics (Best Affordable Brand Under $10 including blonde colored hair)

I’ve used Acure on and off over the years with mixed results. The best thing is this brand is easy to find in most stores and budget-friendly! I can only use this brand briefly before my hair needs a break and has some buildup issues. This brand makes a variety of personal care products as well. 

Rahua shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom.

8. Rahua

Rahua is a fan-favorite and an original brand in clean beauty hair care. This brand also makes excellent styling products and dry shampoo. 

9. Native (Best Affordable Brand Under $10)

Native came on the clean beauty scene a few years ago with deodorant, then started making other personal care products like shampoo. This is the best natural shampoo that you’ll find at the store. I love how it cleans my hair, the scent, and how easy it is to find! Native is also great because they make scents for men, which can be hard to find in the clean beauty world. 

  • Best Hair Types: All Hair Types
  • Price: $10 for 16 ounces 
  • Where to Buy: Target, Native.com, Amazon

10. Briogeo (Best for Dandruff) 

This shampoo is specifically formulated for dandruff. It uses salicylic acid and lactic acids in its formula to soothe scalp irritation without stripping the hair of vital moisture. 

11. Honest Company (Best for the Whole Family) 

Honest makes shampoo + body wash in one bottle that’s great for the whole family as it cleans but is also tear-free and gentle enough for babies. I love that you can buy a large refill bag, too! So you can use your bottles if desired and refill them. Honest also makes excellent makeup products! 

12. Avalon Organics (Best Affordable Brand) 

Avalon Organics is another easy-to-find, affordable brand. The brand uses certified organic and plant-based formulas with botanicals and essential oils. 

13. Desert Essence (Best Affordable Brand for Different Hair Types) 

I was introduced to this brand when I had Lisa from The Knew New on the podcast to talk about natural haircare. I love that this brand makes a fragrance-free shampoo, which is excellent for anyone with sensitivities. 

Best Shampoo & Conditioner Bars

Shampoo bars provide a package-free, low-waste option for shampooing. You’ll get about 50-60 washes per bar. 

  1. Viori Shampoo Bar – Made with longsheng rice water, this bar shampoos and conditions hair. Price: $39 per bar
  2. Super Zero – A shampoo bar that moisturizes and cleans hair with a variety of different options for different hair, including a purple bar for color-treated blonde hair. Price: $28 per bar
Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in refillable amber bottles in the shower.

Best Non-toxic Shampoos For Kids & Babies 

  1. Alaffia Everyday – A company that makes soap with shea butter from Africa. This company makes various scents and even kid-friendly shampoo and body wash combos. Price: $15 for 32 ounces
  2. Earth Mama – This brand specifically makes natural baby products. The baby wash is made from a castile soap base. Price: $16 for 5 ounces
  3. Babo Botanicals – Made with 23 plant-based ingredients, including our certified organic Nutri-Soothe™ Herbal Blend. This brand also makes a fragrance-free option and money-saving refill bags. Price: $17 for 16 ounces
  4. Everyone – This brand makes various scents for kids in their 3-in-1 formula: body wash, bubble bath, and shampoo. And the bottles are very affordable at just $13 for 32 ounces. Price: $13 for 32 ounces

Best Non-Toxic Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is a woman’s best friend on no-wash days. Sprinkle in some dry shampoo, massage your scalp with the oil-absorbing formula, and away you go! Good as new.

Holding a bottle of homemade dry shampoo.
  1. Homemade Dry Shampoo – Make your own formula with simple ingredients. Works for all hair color. Price: $2 per bottle
  2. Hair Dance – This is my favorite store-bought option. It has a lovely scent, absorbs oils perfectly, and it’s affordable. I can go 3+ days between washes with this product. This option works best for blonde and light-colored hair. Price: $10 for 1 ounce
  3. Innersense Refresh – A foam dry shampoo that works to absorb oils and leave your hair feeling voluminous and clean. Works for all hair color. Price: $24 for 2.4 ounces
  4. Acure – An affordable option that works for all hair color, as there is one formula made with cocoa powder and one without. Price: $12 for 3.4 ounces

See my list: the top 7 best natural organic dry shampoos.

How to Get the Best Results When Using Natural Hair Care Products

Drying wet hair with a towel.
Styling dry hair after washing.
  • Double Wash – Start with a small amount of shampoo and work it through your hair, roots, and scalp. Wash, then repeat. This method will help remove any buildup from products and let you go longer between washes.
  • Section Your Hair – Shampoo in sections if you have long, thick hair. Shampooing this way will help you clean every section, which can be hard to do with long, thick hair.
  • Don’t Wash Your Hair Everyday – Washing your hair daily encourages an overproduction of oil, so skip a day or two if you can. If you need to, use a dry shampoo in between wash days.
  • Install a Shower Filter – Chlorine in treated water can dull hair color, irritate the scalp, and strip hair of natural oils. Installing a shower filter may help improve how your hair feels and how your shampoo performs. 

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Kristin is the creator and editor-in-chief of Live Simply. Kristin is married to her high school sweetheart, Dustin, and is the mom to two kids and two free-roam (litterbox-trained) bunnies, Leo and Estela. Kristin started Live Simply in 2013 to share her passion for real food and natural living.

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64 Comments

  1. You should specify that “Artificial” Surfactants are bad and Natural Surfactants are good and beneficial in cleaning products – either for body or home.

    Natural Surfactants: These are derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, or microbes. Common examples include saponins from plants, phospholipids like lecithin from egg yolk or soybeans, and bile acids from animals. Natural surfactants are often more complex in structure and can be composed of a variety of natural fatty acids and other bio-based hydrophilic components.

    Artificial (Synthetic) Surfactants: These are chemically synthesized from petroleum-derived products or other chemical raw materials. They can be designed and tailored to have specific molecular structures, sizes, and properties. Examples include sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), nonionic surfactants like alkyl polyglucosides, and many others used in industrial and household products.

    Reply

  2. Thank you for compiling this great list. I think I’m going to try Native for my teens because Evolv seems to be causing an allergic reaction. Just wondering, what scent of theirs is it that you like?

    Reply

    1. Hey Stacey, I love the cucumber mint scent from Native. It’s not too strong, but just enough to be enjoyable. I’d love to hear how they do with Native. It’s definitely been my favorite lately.

      Reply

  3. Thank you for doing all the research and providing excellent options for any checkbook. Have you ever used Blue Beautifly?

    Reply

  6. Hey Kristin! I’m sure you receive comments basically saying this same thing all the time, but I just wanted to thank you for all the wonderful content you provide. I am working on switching over to clean, non-toxic products that will be the best for my hair and skin, and got so overwhelmed with everything out there and trying to decipher which products are actually good. These posts have literally brought so much peace and insight to me!
    I also have a question, what do you think about Native products (especially their face wash, shampoo, and conditioner)?
    Also, what about Function of Beauty?
    Sorry, I’m sure you’ve been asked about these brands numerous times already.

    Reply

    1. Hey Cora, I’m so happy to hear that! So glad the blog has been helpful for you! I haven’t heard of Function of Beauty before, so just did a quick search to learn about them. One thing I noticed is that they love to share what isn’t in their formulas, but it’s hard to find the ingredient list on their site for each product. This is always a big red flag for me. After researching more, I found a couple of other sites with their ingredient list disclosed. It doesn’t look too concerning overall, but definitely something I’d want to research more (specifically their fragrance formulas). I’ve tried the Native deodorant before and don’t love it (but many people do). It just didn’t work for me. I haven’t tried their other products since they branched out to products other than deodorant. Usually their formulas are very clean. I would plug the products into the Think Dirty App. Or, Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep site. Both sites will give you a grade for the products you’re interested in and tell you any concerns about specific ingredients.

      Reply

      1. Oh my goodness, thank you so much for the response! I didn’t see this until I came back to this post to finally get some good shampoo and conditioner 🙂
        I really appreciate your insight! Thank you again. So helpful!

      3. I am truly sorry to keep bugging you, and I hope I am not being too annoying, but I just had one more question 🙂
        What are your thoughts on
        moisturizing my hair (probably mostly just my ends/tips) and body (not face though) with coconut oil? I have heard both sides…that’s it’s a wonderful natural and simple moisturizer, and also that it’s not such a good idea. Was just wondering your thoughts on it. ♥️
        Thank you SO much again!

      4. Hey Cora, I really like the hair oil from Weleda. It’s awesome for the hair and I’ve been using it for many years on my ends and little fly aways up top. I’ve heard the same about coconut oil–some people love, many hair professionals don’t. I think a good conditioner should do the job and then maybe a hair oil, or use a body oil (like argan oil) just on the tips.

  8. Do you have any recommendations for a clean product that protects when heat styling? I’m having such a hard time finding one.

    Reply