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Best Non-Toxic Shampoo & Conditioners of 2023: What Brands to Avoid and Our Must Use List

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Dangerous Shampoo & Conditioner Chemicals: What Brands to Avoid and Our Must Use List

Finding a shampoo free of chemicals can be difficult, but it is possible. Everything we use on our bodies has a potential impact on our health, including our shampoo and conditioner. Have you ever considered that there may be dangerous shampoo chemicals inside your hair care products in the shower? You’ve trusted Mamavation to look into topics like best & worst cookware, best & worst collagen, & best & worst air purifiers,  join us as we explore shampoos and conditioners and the ingredients they contain.

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Content contains affiliate links. 

photo of beautiful woman showering washing hair with splashing water

Best Shampoo Brands — The 411 About This Line of Products

We’re here to bring you the facts about your favorite shampoos and conditioners. Though they’re made out of really common ingredients, commonly doesn’t always mean safe (neither does “natural” products for that matter).

  • Most are made with strong chemical formulas that can be harsh to your skin and to the environment.
  • Haircare products like shampoo and conditioner are highly engineered.
  • They’ve been designed to lather up and leave your hair “squeaky clean”, but that’s not even that good for you!
  • Dangerous shampoo chemicals will leave your hair stripped of natural oils causing dry hair, which is why we need conditioner to re-moisturize it without leaving it oily. 
  • Build up of these chemicals can also clog and reduce the size of hair follicles, leading to hair loss and damage, especially to sensitive skin. 
  • Achieving the desired cleaning effects, being shelf-stable, and not using any harmful ingredients is a big ask for brands looking to make safer options, but it is possible. Even many “natural shampoos” and organic shampoos are not 100% pure.

In this post, we’ll review harmful chemicals to avoid in your beauty products and the worst and best shampoo and conditioner brands for healthy, natural hair.

photo of generic looking bottles with dangerous shampoo chemicals

Dangerous Chemicals in Shampoo

Look out for these ingredients in your shampoo.

Fragrance: This is definitely something to look out for. The term “fragrance” can act as a backdoor for all kinds of chemicals to sneak into your products. It’s often applied as an over-arching term for up to 100 ingredients, many of which are toxic to human health. To name a couple of these toxic offenders, phthalates are linked to reproductive and developmental damage, and synthetic fragrances are known to build up in our bodies and linked to hormone disruption.

Surfactants: This is what makes your shampoo lather up with suds. We usually associate soap suds with cleaner hair, but that’s not necessarily the case. Sudsing doesn’t really occur much in nature, so it’s often the result of a chemical reaction or agent. While these chemicals aren’t toxic to humans, they can cause serious irritation and can be really harmful to aquatic life. Given the quantity of shampoo going down the drain every time we wash our hair, we’d prefer to avoid irritation and create a safer environment by choosing better products.

Preservatives: Ever noticed the expiration date on your shampoo? Nope, neither have we. That’s because shampoos are full of preservatives to keep them shelf-stable. They’ll last for a really long time without separating out or going “off”. These preservatives prevent the growth of yeast, mold, bacteria, etc., but because they’re literally designed to kill things, preservatives are tricky and can have a range of toxicity problems for both humans and the environment.

photo of woman sitting in a white bubbly bathtub

Dangerous Chemicals in Conditioners

Like shampoo, conditioner suffers from many of the same problems when it comes to surfactants, preservatives, and fragrance, but it has one more problematic ingredient category, emulsifiers.

EmulsifiersEmulsifiers combine oil and water to stop them from separating in your conditioner. They also soften your hair giving you that soft, flowy feeling. But though these emulsifiers, such as siloxanes, are effective, they don’t break down in the environment. This is definitely bad news for aquatic life!

Ingredients to Avoid:

Made Safe diagram of toxic shampoo chemicals including fragrance, sodium laureth sulfate, DMDM Hydantoin, and Parabens

Mamavation’s Investigation of Shampoo & Conditioner Brands

Mamavation evaluated and ranked the most popular shampoo and conditioner brands. We looked at all sorts of different categories of shampoo and conditioners like those for dry scalp, clarifying shampoo, shampoo for fine hair, shampoo for frizzy hair, thickening shampoo, salon shampoo, conditioner for hair damage, shampoo for color-treated hair, & shampoo to control frizz.

We plan on updating this investigation annually now so if we have missed a brand, please let us know in the comment section. This year we evaluated over 200+ brands, adding over 100 new brands to the list.

Here are some additional investigations you may find yourself looking for soon:

African American woman using a laptop in her living room

Not Our Favorite Shampoo & Conditioner Brands

These are all products that contain dangerous shampoo chemicals and ingredients that are to be avoided as far as possible, like carcinogens and endocrine disrupters in “fragrance” and at least two other ingredients hazardous to your health. Things you may find in this list include PEGs, parabens, undisclosed fragrances, nitrosamines, surfactants, harsh preservatives, cancer-causing ingredients, & ingredients that may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, etc.

Not Our Favorite Shampoo

  • American Crew Daily Cleansing Shampoo
  • Amika Shampoo
  • Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo
  • Aveeno Shampoo
  • Axe 2 in 1 for Men
  • Bed Head Shampoo
  • Better Natured Moisturizing Shampoo
  • Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Shampoo
  • Cetaphil – Baby Shampoo
  • Clairol Shampoo Shimmer Lights
  • Clean Freak Dry Shampoo
  • Clear Anti Dandruff Shampoo
  • Creme of Nature Moisturizing Dry Defense Shampoo
  • Curly Qs Kids Curlie Cutie Cleansing Cream
  • Davines OI Shampoo
  • Design Essentials Honey Creme Moisture Retention Super Detangling Conditioner
  • Dove men+care
  • EDEN BodyWorks Peppermint Tea Tree Shampoo
  • Equate (head & shoulders copycat) Everyday Clean Gentle Dandruff Shampoo
  • Equate Beauty Soothing Keratin Shampoo
  • Essence Ultime – now Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Omega Repair & Moisture Shampoo
  • Eucerin – DermoCapillaire Re-Vitalizing Shampoo
  • Euphoria Shampoo
  • Fekkai Full Blown Volume Shampoo
  • Galvin & Galvin London Everyday Shampoo
  • Garnier Fructis Hydrating Shampoo
  • Garnier Whole Blends Honey Treasures
  • Giovanni Shampoo
  • Girl+Hair Clarifying Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
  • Hair Food Shampoo
  • Head & Shoulders Aloe Vera Shampoo
  • Herbal Essences Argan Oil Shampoo
  • Herbal Essences Bio Renew Shampoo
  • Honeydew Biotin Shampoo
  • Infusium 23 Renew + Repair Shampoo
  • It’s A 10 Miracle Daily Shampoo
  • Jane Carter Solution Moisture Nourishing Shampoo
  • Jhirmack Ageless Shampoo
  • John Frieda Shampoo
  • Johnson’s Original Baby Shampoo
  • Johnson’s Sensitive Care Baby Shampoo
  • Keratin Care Smoothing Shampoo
  • Kérastase Shampoo
  • Kevin Murphy Shampoo
  • L’Oréal Elvive Original
  • L’Oréal Everpure
  • L’Oréal Professional Shampoo
  • Love Hair Vegan Shampoo
  • Lulu Organics Unscented Hair Powder /Dry Shampoo
  • Keratin Protein – Hask
  • Mane ‘N Tail Shampoo
  • Matrix Biolage Shampoo
  • Mixed Chicks Shampoo
  • Modesa Shampoo 2 in 1 Dandruff Shampoo
  • Monat Shampoo
  • Moroccan Oil Shampoo
  • Mustela Bebe Shampoo
  • Nexus Shampoo
  • Nuema Shampoo
  • No Nothing Very Sensitive Moisture Shampoo
  • No Nothing Very Sensitive Dry Shampoo
  • Nonscents Shampoo
  • Not Your Mother’s: Clean Freak Dry Shampoo
  • OGX Ever + Straight Brazilian Keratin Shampoo
  • OKAY | Black Jamaican Castor Oil Shampoo**
  • Olaplex Shampoo
  • Old Spice 2 in 1
  • Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Coconut Oil Shampoo
  • Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Hair Mayonnaise
  • Oribe Hair Alchemy Resilience Shampoo
  • Oway Hair Bath Shampoo
  • Pantene Pro-V Shampoo
  • Paul Mitchell Shampoo
  • Pert 2 in 1 Shampoo
  • Prell Shampoo
  • Prose Shampoo
  • PSSSST Dry Shampoo
  • Pure Brazilian Anti Frizz Daily Shampoo
  • Pureology Hydrate Shampoo
  • R+Co Shampoo
  • Rausch Chamoille Amaranth Shampoo
  • Redken Shampoo
  • Ricitos de Oro Baby Shampoo
  • Rizos Curls Hydrating Shampoo
  • Rusk Shampoo
  • Sarah Jane Shampoo
  • Seaweed Unscented Hydrating Moisturizing Shampoo*
  • Selsun Blue Shampoo
  • Shea Moisture RAW SHEA BUTTER MOISTURE RETENTION SHAMPOO
  • Shea Moisture MANUKA HONEY & YOGURT HYDRATE & REPAIR SHAMPOO
  • Shu Uemura – Oil Shampoo
  • So Cozy 3 in 1 Kids Shampoo/Conditioner & Body Wash
  • Soapbox Shampoo
  • Suave Essentials Shampoo
  • Suave Professionals Shampoo
  • Suave Professionals for Natural Hair Moisturizing Curl Shampoo**
  • Surface Curls Shampoo
  • Tresemme Strengthening Shampoo
  • Up & Up (Copycat of Johnson’s & Johnson’s) Baby Wash
  • VO5 Shampoo
  • Wella Shampoo
  • Wen Shampoo
  • White Rain Kids 3 in 1 Shampoo
  • WOW Skin Science – Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo

Not Our Favorite Conditioner Products

  • Alikay Naturals Caribbean Coconut Milk Shampoo**
  • American Crew Daily Moisturizer Conditioner (Men)
  • Amika Intense Moisturizing Conditioner
  • Arbonne True Daily Conditioner
  • Aussie Miracle Moisturizing Conditioner
  • Aveeno Conditioner
  • Axe 2-1 Shampoo + Conditioner
  • Bed Head Moisture Maniac Conditioner
  • Better Natured Moisturizing Conditioner
  • Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Hydrating Conditioner
  • Clairol Shampoo Shimmer Lights Conditioner
  • Creme of Nature Moisturizing Dry Defense Conditioner
  • Davines OI Conditioner
  • Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Moisturizing & Detangling Conditioner
  • Earth Science Conditioner
  • EDEN BodyWorks Peppermint Tea Tree Detangling Conditioner
  • Equate (head & shoulders copycat) 2+1 Shampoo + Conditioner
  • Equate Beauty Soothing Keratin Conditioner
  • Euforia Conditioner
  • Essence Ultime – Schwarzkopf essence ULTIME Omega Repair & Moisture Supreme Repair Treatment
  • Fekkai Full Blown Volume Conditioner
  • Galvin & Galvin London Everyday Conditioner
  • Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Hair Reset
  • Garnier Whole Blends Honey Treasures Conditioner
  • Girl+Hair Clarifying Apple Cider Vinegar + Charcoal Conditioner
  • Hairfood Conditioner
  • Head & Shoulders White Charcoal Anti-Dandruff Conditioner
  • Herbal Essences Repair Oil of Morocco Conditioner
  • Infusium 23 Renew + Repair Conditioner
  • It’s A 10 Miracle Daily Conditioner
  • Jhirmack Ageless Conditioner
  • John Frieda Replenish and Repair
  • Kérastase Fondant Densité Conditioner
  • Keratin Care Smoothing Conditioner
  • Kevin Murphy Conditioner
  • L’Oréal Elvive Original Conditioner
  • L’Oréal Everpure Conditioner
  • L’Oréal Professional Conditioner
  • Love Hair Vegan Conditioner
  • Hask – Keratin Protein Conditioner
  • Mane ‘N Tail Conditioner
  • Matrix Biolage Conditioner
  • Melaleuca Sei Bella Rice Conditioner
  • Meille Organics Soothing Conditioner
  • Mielle Organics Moisture and Detangling Conditioner
  • Mixed Chicks Detangling Deep Conditioner**
  • Modesa Moisture Conditioner
  • Moroccan Oil Conditioner
  • Nexxus Conditioner
  • Neuma Conditioner
  • No Nothing Very Sensitive Moisture Conditioner
  • No Nothing Very Sensitive Hair Moisture Mist
  • Nonscents Conditioner
  • Not Your Mother’s: Leave In Conditioner
  • Olaplex No 5 Conditioner
  • OGX Ever + Straight Brazilian Keratin Conditioner
  • OKAY | Black Jamaican Castor Oil Leave-In Conditioner
  • Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Coconut Oil Conditioner
  • Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Hair Mayonaise**
  • Oribe Hair Alchemy Resilience Conditioner
  • Pantene Pro-V Conditioner
  • Paul Mitchel Moisturizing Conditioner
  • Prell Conditioner
  • Psssst Psssst Dry Hair Conditioner Spray
  • Pure Brazillian Conditioner
  • Pureology Conditioner
  • R+Co Conditioner
  • Rausch Chamoille Amaranth Conditioner
  • Redken Conditioner
  • Rizos Curls Deep Conditioner
  • Rusk Conditioner
  • Sarah Jade Conditioner
  • Selsun Blue 2 in 1 Conditioner
  • Soapbox Conditioner
  • Suave Essentials Conditioner
  • Suave Professionals Conditioner
  • Suave Professionals for Natural Hair Moisturizing Curl
  • Surface Curls Conditioner
  • Tresemme Conditioner
  • VO5 Conditioner
  • Wella Conditioner
  • Wen Cleansing Conditioner
  • WOW Skin Science – Coconut Milk Conditioner

photo of woman with a bath towel wrapped around her hair

Better Shampoo & Conditioner Brands

These products contain some dangerous shampoo chemicals, but they are light years better than the bad category. Here you may find polysorbates, propylene glycol, undisclosed fragrance,  and/or plant-based surfactants.

Better Shampoo Products

Better Conditioner Products

photo of woman reading ingredient label on shampoo bottle

Best Shampoo & Conditioner Brands

These sulfate-free paraben-free shampoo brands also do not contain added phthalates or parabens. They may contain preservatives, but not ones I’m concerned about. If you are looking for shampoo free of chemicals, you should feel comfortable using just about any of the products on this list. Most rely on natural ingredients like essential oils, coconut oil, argan oil, avocado oil, tea tree oil, shea butter, and aloe vera, to provide cleansing and moisture to various hair types. In addition to being free of harsh chemicals, most of these brands are also cruelty-free and/or eco-friendly and most are made from organic ingredients.

Best Shampoo Products

Best Conditioner Products

We hope this list will help you make informed decisions about chemical-free shampoos you can feel safe switching to. For more information on how to avoid hormone-disrupting chemicals in your personal care products, pick up a copy of Green Enough: Eat Better, Live Cleaner, Be Happier (All Without Driving Your Family Crazy!).

 

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The post Best Non-Toxic Shampoo & Conditioners of 2023: What Brands to Avoid and Our Must Use List appeared first on MAMAVATION.


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