12 Organic and Natural Shampoos For Sustainable Healthy Haircare
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliated; we may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. This post is also sponsored in part by The Powder Shampoo. We only ever add brands & products we truly believe in. Thank you for supporting the brands who are making the world a better place!
The BesT SUSTAINABLE SHAMPOO brands in 2023
We’ve compiled a list of all the best organic, natural & vegan shampoos and conditioners from sustainable, eco-friendly haircare brands, and a few of them are zero-waste! Many of these have been tested by us, but we made sure to add a few more who have raving reviews and included some for all different hair types! And even though these are eco-friendly shampoos, they work just as well, if not better, than the leading salon formulas - without all the nasty stuff!
Looking for sustainable conditioners? Check out this post.
Why Choose a Sustainable Shampoo?
Unfortunately, there are not a lot of regulations when it comes to bath & beauty products. This means you could potentially be bringing home toxic chemicals and not know the impact they could have on your health. What you put on your body, is just as important as what you put in your body - and this includes your hair care routine!
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SHOPPING FOR sustainable shampoos
Always check the brand's website first! They should have transparent information on the materials and ingredients they use within their products. Another thing to look out for is sustainable packaging - is it refillable? is it plastic-free? Also, sustainable certifications are a good indicator (but, of course, just because a brand doesn't have one doesn't mean it isn't worth shopping). We try to make things easier for you by creating beauty listicles with all of our favorite brands. Finally, if you ever have a question about a product or brand, always feel free to reach out to them. Transparency is so crucial for sustainable brands!
Here is a list of what types of sustainable shampoos you can currently find. There are so many different terms used today, so we hope this breakdown helps!
Organic Shampoo
Organic means something was grown without toxic pesticides, chemicals, or artificial fertilizers. If a brand claims to be organic, look for organic certification or transparency on where and how its organic ingredients were sourced. Most sustainable shampoos aren’t labeled as a whole ‘organic’, but they do use organic and non-toxic ingredients.
Non-Toxic Shampoo
This essentially means none of the ingredients included have been proven to cause harmful responses in humans. To verify this, check the ingredients list and research anything you don’t recognize.
Vegan Shampoo
Vegan shampoo products should not contain any ingredients that are animal-derived or from animal by-products. Look for certified vegan products and always double-check the ingredient list.
Cruelty-Free Shampoo
This means a product was manufactured in a way that doesn’t involve harm to animals or animal testing. Look for third-party certifications such as Leaping Bunny Certified.
Eco-Friendly Shampoo
Eco-friendly beauty products are products that do as little harm as possible to the environment. This means using primarily eco-friendly ingredients and manufacturing in a way that conserves resources. Look for brands that are transparent about their manufacturing process and how they reduce waste.
Zero-Waste Shampoo
Zero-waste means a product was made in a way that generates as little waste as possible. Zero-waste products should use recyclable or recycled packaging or none at all. Their ingredients should also be biodegradable. Examples of zero-waste products are natural shampoo bars that use compostable packaging.
Biodegradable Shampoo
A biodegradable shampoo product contains ingredients that will quickly break down and not harm the natural environment. Look for the biodegradable label and research the ingredient list to ensure there are no hidden artificial ingredients.
Plant-based Shampoo
Plant-based beauty products are made from ingredients that are derived from plants, such as plant oils and extracts. Brands may also use the term botanical to describe this. These products tend to be vegan, without harmful chemicals, but remember to research the ingredient list to confirm. We also think of the term ‘natural’ when referencing ‘plant-based’.
p.s. we highlighted all the brand’s key sustainable features for easy shopping
Quick links:
our favorite sustainable shampoos:
1) THE POWDER SHAMPOO
Price | $11.90 - 29.90
Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Refillable Bottle, Non-Toxic, Plastic-Free, Plant-Based
Are you looking for a completely plastic-free shampoo brand? THE POWDER SHAMPOO offers something unique to the beauty industry with its vegan, cruelty-free, powder-to-foam formulas.
Since no water is added to their formula, you can get way more washes out of a single bottle - one of their bottles is equivalent to FIVE bottles of liquid shampoo. In one 100g bottle you have over 100x washes!
Their products are made with 28 botanical extracts and eight essential oils, all of which are free of harsh surfactants, sulfates, parabens, mineral oil, and silicones. Plus, with every bottle sold, a tree is planted, with a goal of 1 million trees by 2030!
code: sustainablychic20 for 20% off
2) Plaine Products
Price | $30
Zero-Waste, Vegan, Made in the USA, B-Corp, Biodegradable, Non-Toxic, Palm-Oil Free
For zero-waste shampoos & conditioners, this is one of my favorite brands. Their formula is amazing, & it was one of the first eco-friendly switches I made in the bathroom many years ago. I still have my bottles to refill once I use up my other products, & my grandparents have switched to this brand, so I get to use it when I visit them. I suggest this brand to everyone. Two sisters founded Plaine Products, & all of the products are vegan, cruelty-free, and toxin-free. They even have cute travel-size bottles!
3) Bars Over Bottles
Price | $10
Plastic-Free, Zero-Waste, Non-Toxic, Vegan, Cruelty-Free
Bars Over Bottles (aka B.O.B.) is on a mission to get rid of single-use plastic from our self-care routine with their hair, skin, and body care products. They have shampoo and conditioner for different hair types—oil control, moisturizing, curly, and rebuilding.
All of their products are vegan, made with clean and natural ingredients, plastic-free, cruelty-free, and waterless. They also have face cleansers, deodorants, and more!
4) Attitude
Price | $15
Refillable, Vegan, EWG-Verified, Natural Origin
An EWG-Verified brand, Attitude’s range of leaves bar™ shampoo bars merges zero-waste and quality.
Their gentle natural shampoos are made with naturally-sourced ingredients to keep your hair happy & healthy—there a four different shampoo bars to choose from - nourishing, volumizing, detox, and hydrating.
5) Superzero
Price | $20
Plastic-Free, Zero-Waste, Cruelty-Free, Vegan, Soap-Free, Non-Toxic, Color-Friendly
The natural step after soap bars are shampoo and conditioner bars, and we love superzero’s selection. Their products are natural and are free of sulfates, phthalates, or synthetic fragrances or colors. The brand is also totally plastic-free, and the packaging is either recycled or recyclable. Superzero recommends products based on your hair type, which is a big plus. Check out this shampoo bar ($18) with green tea leaf oil and juniper berry oil for normal/oily hair.
code: SUSTAINABLYCHIC10 for 10% off
6) Everist
Price | $24
Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Waterless, Plant-Based
Did you know most shampoos are more than 70% water, made from petrochemicals, and packed in single-use plastic? Everist saw a problem and has introduced the first waterless shampoo concentrate, a 100% plant-based paste-textured concentrate activated by the water in your shower. Not only is this a great way to reduce waste, but with 5 essential oils, your scalp will be left feeling refreshed. In addition, formulas are color-safe, vegan, and cruelty-free and are free from parabens, sulfates, silicones, dyes, synthetic fragrances, and added preservatives.
code: SUSTAINABLYCHIC10 for 10% off
7) Green Eco Dream
Price | $14 - 30
Multiple Sustainable Shampoo Brands
Green Eco Dream is a marketplace where you can find a full collection of non-toxic, eco-friendly, and low- or zero-waste hair care products (in addition to other beauty products and home goods, too!) They carry several amazing shampoo brands that I trust, including Plaine Products, Seed, and HiBar. This is a great option if you want to save on shipping and purchase several different types of products in one place!
They’re also a Green America Certified Business and a member of 1% For the Planet.
8) 100% Pure
Price | $24-38
Natural, Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Made in the USA, Gluten-Free, Organic Ingredients
As the name says, all 100% PURE™ formulations have strict purity standards and will never contain harsh or toxic ingredients.
If you are looking for hair-growth shampoo, their Glossy Locks Grow More Shampoo is award-winning and has raving reviews!
Try their Yuzu and Pomelo Glossing Shampoo for ultimate hydration, which won a Vegan Beauty Award from PETA.
9) CurlMix
Price | $18
Organic, Natural/Plant-Based, Black-Owned, Non-Toxic
A woman Black-owned brand, CurlMix has won praise from top industry publications such as Refinery29, Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Hype Hair Magazine, and Naturally Curly. All of their products are made with organic and natural materials.
“Our customers say our system leaves your hair soft, defined, feeling moisturized, elongating your curl, not crunchy, not flaky, and smelling like paradise.” - CurlMix
10) Innersense
Price | $9-80
Organic Ingredients, B-Corp Certified, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Alcohol Free
This brand creates for all hair types, and is offered on one of our favorite clean beauty sites Credo so we know it’s a good one!
Innersense products are crafted from certified organic plant ingredients your hair will love that deliver hydration, health, moisture, shine and protection only Mother Nature can provide.
11) Odacite
Price | $18-29
Zero-Waste, Plastic-Free, Non-Toxic, Soap-Free
A soap free shampoo bar!
With 552 million plastic shampoo bottles ending up in landfills each year, going plastic-free is more important than ever.
This bar has a coconut oil-based lather that doesn’t strip the scalp, and cupuaçu butter, argan oil, and castor oil to seal in moisture.
12) Nuori
Price | $35-42
All-Natural, Vegan, Cruelty-Free
Nuori makes a highly concentrated, sulfate-free shampoo that carefully cleanses hair and scalp while restoring resilience, moisture levels, and a healthy luster. They are committed to producing formulas that are 100% natural, which means they only use ingredients that fall into the three categories of ingredients that can be labeled natural: natural origin derived, natural origin modified, and nature-identical. It also protects hair from UV light, pollution, color fading, and daily physical handling.
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WANT MORE SUSTAINABLE BRANDS? VISIT OUR BRAND DIRECTORY!
Our Brand Directory is home to hundreds of sustainable brands, from makeup to cleaning supplies, from underwear to shoes. We have broken everything down by category for easy shopping, along with discount codes unique to Sustainably Chic viewers.
