5 Natural Shampoo And Conditioners Without Toxic Chemicals
The Good Trade editors endorse products we’ve personally researched, tested, and genuinely love. Learn more about our methodology and business model here.
Squeaky clean hair is one of my favorite feelings, right up there with clean sheets day and that first breath of fresh mountain air. And when it comes to personal care products, I feel even cleaner when we avoid shampoos and conditioners with sulfates or other harsh chemicals, instead opting for more natural, organic products.
We love choosing sulfate-free shampoos, since sulfates can be overly drying and can disrupt our hormones. We also like to avoid parabens, endocrine-disrupting phthalates, and in general look for formulations with simple, natural ingredients and no synthetic fragrances.
To that end, here are a few of our favorite natural shampoos without toxic chemicals on the market right now, each of which has been editor-tested and approved. Read on for more details about these natural shampoos and their conditioner counterparts, and find out which one might be right for you.
A little background: I have thin, fine, shoulder-length straight hair that gets super greasy. I have a lot of hair, but I also have a ton of breakage from years of bleaching that I’m currently reversing—I’m growing out my natural color so my hair is dyed brown. Note that every product was tested with a double shampoo, because that first shampoo gets rid of my excess oil and product without lathering!
To learn more about natural, clean beauty, check out our lists of natural skincare, aluminum-free natural deodorants, and plastic-free shampoo bars.
Best Overall | Most Affordable | Best Scent | Best Lather | Most Natural Ingredients
1. Sienna Naturals
Best For | Textured hair
Natural & Organic | Vegan, no sulfates, silicone, parabens, fillers, or synthetic fragrance
Price Range | $24 (discounted subscriptions available); $2.40/ounce
Vegan hair care line Sienna Naturals made waves when it relaunched in 2020 with a new co-owner, Issa Rae. The brand creates products for textured and curly hair that focus on hair and scalp health and that don’t include harsh chemicals. Their H.A.P.I. Shampoo is a foaming cleanser that deeply cleans while delivering moisture that helps detangle and restore natural curl patterns. The product wins award after award, including a Byrdie 2022 Eco Award and a Cosmopolitan 2023 Holy Grail Beauty Award. The brand’s matching Untangled Conditioner helps with hydration and easy detangling.
Editor’s Review | “They weren’t lying when they called this a ‘moisture-rich foaming cleanser.’ It produces a beautiful thick, rich, silky lather that feels cleansing but not at all stripping. While my hair is pretty much the opposite of this product’s target hair type, it still worked beautifully on my thin, straight locks—but its rich, velvety lather would be especially great for someone with thick, curly, or coily hair. Its spa-like lavender and geranium scent was subtle and calming.”
2. 100% PURE
Best For | Plant-forward formulations
Natural & Organic | Certified organic ingredients, no chemical preservatives, artificial colors, or fragrances
Price Range | $24 – $38; starting at $2.37/ounce
California-based 100% Pure is cruelty-free and uses all-natural ingredients in their hair care formulations. They offer a range of different shampoos, conditioners, and hair treatments targeting different hair types and concerns, all with botanical-forward ingredients like a “restorative” system with honey and a “healthy scalp” set with neem. The company is Green Business Certified and offers skincare, body care, and makeup products, too.
Editor’s Review | “I tested the Kelp & Mint Volumizing Shampoo, a hydrating, gently purifying formula. I loved its fresh, minty scent, and its ingredient list is super clean—it’s made almost exclusively of plant extracts and oils. It didn’t foam up as much as most cleansers, so while that made it super gentle on my hair and dye job, it might not be the best option when your hair has a ton of product in it. But I loved how invigorating its scent was in the morning, and it comes in huge, cost-effective sizes.”
3. Ceremonia
Best For | Plant-based ingredients sourced from Latin America
Natural & Organic | Natural ingredients, no parabens, sulfates, or silicones
Price Range | $20; $2.35/ounce
“Growing up as a Latin American immigrant in a homogenous country like Sweden, I never found myself represented in mainstream media and the products I consumed,” says Ceremonia founder Babba Riviera on their website, so she set out to make a hair care brand that focuses on Latinx heritage. They source ingredients from Central and South America, and the brand offers three different shampoo/conditioner sets for different hair types—one for thick and dry hair, one for fine and thin hair, and one for damage repair and color protection. All products come in beautifully chic packaging with pumps.
Editor’s Review | “I opted for the Champú de Yucca for Fine/Thin Hair. The formula was surprisingly runny compared to other shampoos I’ve used, but it lathered up well. And despite not having the most intense lather ever, it made my hair squeaky clean, literally — as I washed out my second shampoo, my fingers satisfyingly squeaked against my clean strands, leaving my hair feeling super lightweight. I especially loved the scent on this one: citrusy, musky, floral, and expensive-smelling, with a touch of eucalyptus.”
4. Prose
Best For | Personalized formulations
Natural & Organic | Natural ingredients, no parabens, sulfates, or GMOs
Price Range | $34 (discounted subscriptions available); $4/ounce
Since everyone’s hair is different, Prose believes everyone’s shampoo should be, too. The hair care brand crafts custom formulations depending on your hair type, hair concerns, and even the environmental factors where you live, like UV exposure and humidity. The result is a formula that’s 100% yours, with your name on the label. You can opt for individual shampoos or conditioners, or invest in the complete systems, which also come with a treatment mask and oral supplements. Prose is a certified B Corp and Climate Neutral, they formulate with no harsh chemicals, and they bottle everything in their Brooklyn factory.
Editor’s Review | “After I took Prose’s test, my hair care system came beautifully packaged, with literature that told me about my customized products. Based on my test results, the shampoo they sent me focuses on volumizing, fiber repair, and color protection. I chose the scent Aura, a limited edition summer 2023 fragrance that I’ve unfortunately fallen in love with for its breezy, gender-neutral scent with notes of musk and florals. The shampoo lathered well and left my hair with a squeak just like Ceremonia, but its formulation was a bit thicker. And in the days after, I definitely noticed my hair looking more voluminous than usual! The brand isn’t cheap by any means, but it’s so worth it — I love how elevated it feels while still staying moderately priced.”
5. Innersense
Best For | Organic ingredients, refill pouches
Natural & Organic | No parabens, silicones, sulfates, or synthetic fragrances
Price Range | $9 – $64; starting at $2/ounce
Innersense is based around one simple principle: to formulate organic products that put your health first. The family-run brand was started by a husband and wife team—Joanne is a former salon stylist, and Greg is a clean formula expert who’s worked for some of hair care’s top brands. Now, they make a huge lineup of clean, affordable shampoos, conditioners, treatments, and styling products. They make a purple shampoo, a hydrating cream shampoo, and a hypoallergenic clarifying shampoo, among others, and they always formulate without synthetic fragrances or “questionable ingredients.”
Editor’s Review | “I opted for Innersense’s Color Awakening Hairbath, designed for medium texture and/or colored and damaged hair to help protect my hair’s color. It lathered up well and left my hair feeling healthy and hydrated. It’s formulated with raw coconut, shea butter, and avocado and pumpkin seed oils, making a rich shampoo that’s a touch too much for my thin hair. But it would’ve been the ticket back when my hair was super damaged from regular double processing. And the scent was delicious—it smelled exactly like those orange lollipops you’d get from the doctor as a kid!”
