It’s been a few years since I’ve reviewed my favorite “natural” shampoos because my hair has changed a lot. Since having our child my hair is now oilier, my hair is wavy and my scalp is, well, hard to predict. Some days it is very dry and flaky. Maybe its dandruff? But sometimes its definitely not.
I’ve finally found some formulas that do help my erratic and dry scalp and my postpartum hair journey as I pursue formulas with the most nourishing ingredients. I also now color my hair so sulfate-free options are even more important to me than ever.
Keep in mind I don’t have my conditioner reviews because in my hair’s oilier state post baby, I find my hair doesn’t really need it.
Dry-Scalp and Oily Hair Shampoos from Whole Foods or Grocery Stores
- Giovanni Eco Chic Shampoo – I’ve tried almost all of there shampoos in their eco chic line (not including the newer Giovanni Hemp shampoo and conditioners). Tea Tree wasn’t impressive; Root 66 was unmemorable. And the Smooth as Silk worsened by oily scenario, and yet the deep cleanse left my hair and scalp feeling too dry. The goldi-locks winner in this natural-ish haircare line is the 50:50 Balanced Hydrating – Clarifying shampoo. This creates the best balance of volume, softness and that freshly clean feeling. This hydrating, ph-balancing shampoo is free of laurl and laureth sulfates, is mostly vegan and doesn’t interfere with my coloring. Several of the ingredients are organic. It is a blend of both natural and chemical ingredients – which I’ve found is the best combination for shampoos. Trust me I’ve tried plenty of shampoos in the past that have made my hair worse.
- There are several good options from John Masters Organics previously recapped here.
- Dessert Essence Sulfate-Free Shampoos – *update for at least part of may they are running 40% off sitewide! Similar to Giovanni, I’ve tried most of the shampoos and conditioners actually in this line. They are not as scented as I would have guessed! I had high hopes for the Italian Lemon but those were very disappointing. The best from the bunch in my opinion is the Lemon Tea Tree Clarifying shampoo. I use this when I need a deeper cleanser and clarification than the Giovanni 50:50. These are color-safe shampoos but because the Lemon Tea Tree shampoo provides a pretty intense cleaning, I try not to use this shampoo too frequently each week. Depending on your hair health, you may want to use a line conditioner after using this shampoo too.
More info on these easy to buy shampoos in my IGTV on inexpensive sulfate-free shampoos
EvolveH Shampoo Reviews
If you have more of a budget and can wait for shipping, I have been impressed with EvolvH shampoo. This was always recommended to me at Credo Beauty but it took me a while to try it. They have several different options and I chose the most color-safe sulfate-free EvolvH color-protecting shampoo first. All EvolvH products are made here in the US, are silicone-free, paraben and phthalate-free, vegan, cruelty-free and gluten-free. They are marketed as synthetic fragrance-free – which I’m going to assume is technically correct – however, these products smell more scenty than I expected. Scent is a sticking point for me . But in my experience, this is the closest you can get your hair to feel luxurious like regular salon-quality shampoo with sulfates and all the foamy stuff ๐
If you are highly scentivie to scents – regardless of origin – I highly recommend sampling the products first. On their site they offer deluxe mini samples! I also suggest buying their products in a set like I did. I bought the Protect Your Color Discovery Kit during cyber week – including the color-protecting shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner and UltraRepair reconstructing Masque. I’ve liked the other products but I don’t use them as regularly as the shampoo.
Another great bonus of EvolvH? On their site you can pay via AfterPay if you need to space our your payments in installments if you fall in love with this shampoo ๐
Under Luna Shampoo Review
By far, however, my favorite clean and natural sulfate-free shampoo for scalp issues is Under Luna Warrior Shampoo. And all of the products are safe for color-treated hair! This brand now has a new design and packaging, but you can still get individual sample bottles or this set to try the whole Under Luna collection. And good news: this brand is also on AfterPay! I love that this brand is also a local San Diego county brand. I love shopping small when I can.
- Sweet Baby Orange Shampoo – this is a great gentle shampoo. I’d say this is great for kids and easy cleansing needs, but this wasn’t powerful enough for my hair ๐
- Lullaby Conditioner – this is actually my go-to conditioner right now when I use it :). It is light, gentle, and effective. And I actually adore the soothing scent profile of lavender, marjoram, and chamomile. I need to remember to use it on my son’s hair, but normally we are just trying to bathe him as fast as we can.
- Luna Love Conditioner – the formula was lovely and I love that it is reiki infused. But ultimately the patchouli scent profile was too overpowering for me.
- Warrior Shampoo Scalp Restore and hair revitalizing shampoo is a wonderfully powerful and nourishing shampoo. It works so well, but it’s surprising it’s so powerful and soothing on the scalp without much foam action. My hair is so soft and manageable after using this and my scalp is much calmer and balanced. I love that it also has white willow bark extract – just like some of my favorite skincare products. If you are looking to finally get balance back to your hair and scalp, I highly recommend this shampoo!
My hair does seem to like it if I change up my routine every few days so I tend to rotate shampoos. There have been times in a moment of weakness where I’ve even tried Head and Shoulders again if my scalp gets too flaky (a few times a year) but that doesn’t even help at all. To alternate with my Warrior shampoo, sometimes I will use Alfaparf Milano Calming Micellar Low Shampoo as recommended by my hairstylist. This is a sensitive scalp shampoo that I’m supposed to leave sitting on my scalp for a few minutes. Between this and the Warrior shampoo from Under Luna, I’m able to keep my scalp under control most of the time ๐
Also, don’t forget to check out my favorite hair dryer!
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