A new wave of the best natural shampoos is here, offering an organic (and often vegan and vegetarian-friendly) alternative to your typical hair products. And just like with regular shampoos, there’s a flurry of options out there to suit every hair need, type and length, whether you’re looking for something that’s volume-boosting, moisturising or clarifying.
While there’s no clear and settled definition as to what makes a shampoo ‘natural’, the difference often lies with their formula.
As you may have already guessed, natural shampoos tend to use… well, natural ingredients and often make a very conscious effort to avoid man-made ingredients things like parabens (a synthetic preservative), silicones (a synthetic smoothing ingredient) and sulphates (which are synthetic cleaning ingredients).
For example, you might find that many plant-based natural shampoo formulas contain ingredients such as coconut oil, tea tree oil and aloe vera, which offer a perfectly viable way for cleansing hair without irritating sensitive skin or even harming the environment once the product gets washed down the drain.
Best natural shampoos at a glance – our top picks:
Best revitalising natural shampoo: Revitalising Orange Flower Shampoo, £7.95, Neal’s Yard Remedies
Best natural hydrating shampoo: Dr. Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo, £6.99, Holland & Barrett
Best clarifying natural shampoo: Avalon Organics Clarifying Lemon Shampoo, £7, Waitrose
Best natural shampoo for fine hair: We Are Paradoxx Volume Shampoo, £18, Amazon
One of the biggest culprits that natural shampoos almost always avoid is sodium lauryl sulphate, more commonly known as SLS. It’s an ingredient that’s commonly found in shampoos, conditioners and soaps, as well as some other hygienic products, because it makes it easier for the product to lather up into suds to wash away grease and build-up.
However, some say that this is not always a good thing, considering it can often rid your hair and skin of their natural oils. Plus, it’s been known to irritate sensitive skin and cause itchy scalps too.