Like your gut, your scalp has a delicate microbiome that can easily tip out of balance, resulting in dryness, oiliness, and everything in-between. The best natural shampoos and conditioners eschew artificial ingredients for naturally derived alternatives that are generally less harsh and, in some cases, even work to actively restore balance and optimize scalp health and healthy hair growth.
While there was a time when good natural hair care products were hard to find (and even more difficult to wholeheartedly believe in), the category has come a long way, and you no longer need to look very far to find efficacious options for your specific hair type or situation. In fact, you can just scroll down: Here, we’ve rounded up the best, most dependable natural shampoos and conditioners that you can confidently count on to effectively cleanse, clarify, nourish, and strengthen your hair.
The Best Natural Shampoos and Conditioners, at a Glance:
- The Best Natural Shampoo Overall: Flamingo Estate Rosemary and Ionian Bergamot Shampoo, $48
- The Best Natural Shampoo for Daily Use: Ursa Major Go Easy Shampoo, $26
- The Best Natural Shampoo for The Environment: Ingreendients Daily Shampoo, $22
- The Best Natural Shampoo for Scalp Health: Act+Acre Cold Processed Balancing Shampoo, $32
- The Best Natural Shampoo for Damaged Hair: John Masters Organics Intensive Repair Shampoo with Honey and Hibiscus, $29
- The Best Natural Conditioner Overall: Blu Atlas Conditioner, $25
- The Best Natural Conditioner for Unruly Hair: Reverie Nourishing Conditioner, $40
- The Best Natural Conditioner for Promoting Growth: Evolvh Better Roots Growth Support Conditioner, $28
- The Best Natural Conditioner for Self-Care Days: Costa Brazil Jungle Complex Conditioner, $50
- The Best Natural Conditioner for Any Budget: Native Daily Clean Conditioner, $10
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The Best Natural Shampoo Overall: Flamingo Estate Rosemary and Ionian Bergamot Shampoo
Running Flamingo Estate’s Rosemary and Ionian Bergamot Shampoo through your hair is like sending your scalp to the spa. Like, one of those really exclusive spas, nestled amongst lush gardens of sage, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lavender. Formulated to help get your follicles back on their feet and turn over a new leaf, this plant-based shampoo combines barley seed and olive-derived oleic acid and squalene to lock in moisture, while babassu and pracaxi oils work to strengthen your hair and safeguard against environmental factors.
The Best Natural Shampoo for Daily Use: Ursa Major Go Easy Shampoo
Shampooing every day isn’t necessary for everybody. That said, depending on factors like how oily your hair is, if you exercise a lot, or if you use thicker styling products, it might make sense for you. Ursa Major’s Go Easy Shampoo is equal parts light and luxurious—perfect for cleansing and restoring your strands at the end of the day. The forest-scented lather is richer than a sulfate-free formula has any right to be (it uses coconut-derived surfactants instead) and relies on macadamia to moisturize your hair without weighing it down.
The Best Natural Shampoo for The Environment: Ingreendients Daily Shampoo
The cleanest and greenest pick on this list, Ingreendients Daily Shampoo gives new meaning to the phrase “leave no trace,” proving that 100% plant-based, environmentally friendly cleansers can be just as effective as their synthetic counterparts. Using a wholesome combination of gentle yet functional ingredients—like apple cider vinegar to balance pH levels and tea tree oil for its natural healing properties and effectiveness against dryness and flakiness—this eco-conscious shampoo (packaged in 100% recycled plastic bottles) is uniquely formulated to benefit all hair types.
The Best Natural Shampoo for Scalp Health: Act+Acre Cold Processed Balancing Shampoo
Act+Acre Cold Processed Balancing Shampoo approaches hair health from the ground up, which is to say healthy hair starts with a well-nourished scalp. The star ingredient is an amino acid derived from apples, which gently removes build-up and cleanses the scalp without disrupting its sensitive microbiome and moisture barrier. In addition, the shampoo is formulated with lavender to help soothe any irritation, as well as nutrient-rich moringa oil, which has been shown to visibly increase hair’s health, elasticity, and shine—all processed using a cold-pressing technique to maximize the potency and efficacy of the ingredients.
The Best Natural Shampoo for Damaged Hair: John Masters Organics Intensive Repair Shampoo with Honey and Hibiscus
Ideal for damaged, dry, or color-treated hair, this strengthening shampoo foams into a thick, nutrient-rich lather to repair and fortify your distressed locks. Powered by honey and hibiscus, it provides deep hydration and locks in moisture (honey is a natural humectant) while also delivering key nutrients to promote the hair’s natural resilience. The addition of mango seed butter means your hair will also be benefiting from the protective and growth-stimulating effects of oleic acid.
The Best Natural Conditioner Overall: Blu Atlas Conditioner
Intelligent ingredient selection makes Blu Atlas’ sole conditioner offering a genuine go-to product for pretty much all hair types, especially for those experiencing dryness or excess oil. Starting with the rich and energizing scent of bergamot, clary sage, and patchouli, this gentle, lightweight formula gets to work on several fronts. A clever combo of avocado oil and white tea extract delivers moisture and locks it in, while saw palmetto, argan oil, and barley protein create the ideal environment for your hair to grow, repair, and generally thrive. Finally, jojoba oil helps regulate natural oil production.
The Best Natural Conditioner for Unruly Hair: Reverie Nourishing Conditioner
Made in California with organic ingredients, Reverie’s vegan formula is the ultimate pick for anyone with tangly or otherwise uncooperative strands. In addition to promoting restoration of both the hair and scalp, this lightweight cream rinse is great for detangling, thanks to the inclusion of babassu oil, while murumuru butter and pracaxi oil instantly get to work improving softness and shine and generally leaving your hair in a more manageable state. If you’re looking for an instant boost to your hair’s elasticity and bounce, this one’s for you.
The Best Natural Conditioner for Promoting Growth: Evolvh Better Roots Growth Support Conditioner
There are more effective ways to tackle hair loss than a shampoo or conditioner, however these products can support your efforts by ensuring your hair is consistently exposed to ingredients that have been shown to create the ideal environment for new and existing follicles to thrive. This lightweight, fragrance-free conditioner from Evolvh uses clinically validated active ingredients like ceramide NG, citropol, creatine, and castor oil esters to strengthen and protect your hair while priming your scalp for healthy new growth.
The Best Natural Conditioner for Self-Care Days: Costa Brazil Jungle Complex Conditioner
This luxurious conditioner’s opulent scent would be reason enough to justify its cult following, but we’re guessing the hard-working active ingredients also have something to do with it. Brazilian cacay oil is effectively a superfood for your hair, packed with vitamins A and E, omega 3, 6, and 9, and even naturally occurring retinol. The other standout ingredient, breu branco, is a powerful antioxidant with the potential to soothe more than just your hair and scalp; the aromatic resin is frequently processed into an essential oil to help manage anxiety and create a sense of calm.
The Best Natural Conditioner for Any Budget: Native Daily Clean Conditioner
We have to respect Native’s commitment to offering a full-body spectrum of natural grooming products, ranging from aluminum-free deodorant to vegan sunscreen. While we wish there was a bit more nuance to the Daily Clean Conditioner’s citrus and herbal musk scent, you can’t turn your nose up at that $10 price tag. Also, considering the refreshingly short list of ingredients, this conditioner is surprisingly effective for removing product build-up and leaving your hair feeling soft, moisturized, and lively, all while being gentle enough for daily use.
What to Look for in Natural Shampoo and Conditioner
If you’re in the market for a natural shampoo or conditioner, you’re probably already aware of what you don’t want—synthetic ingredients like parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and artificial fragrances, to name a few. Equally important, however, is to make sure that the natural products you end up with contain functionally equivalent ingredients that actually work. Naturally derived active ingredients like argan oil, shea butter, calendula, and tea tree oil are clinically proven to hold benefits for your hair and scalp and should be on your radar when browsing through options. Of course, the full list of powerful plant-based active ingredients is much longer, so do some of your own research, especially if you have unique needs.
While natural products are a great way to sidestep unwanted artificial additives, some do contain small amounts of synthetic elements. These are typically benign, non-consequential ingredients, but it’s worth noting. (You can identify these products by marketing phrasing such as “96% natural.”) Also worth mentioning is that natural products are not necessarily 100% plant-based or vegan. If you’re specifically looking for a product that’s made entirely from plant-derived ingredients, vegan, or another subset of the natural category, be sure to look for the appropriate callout on the product’s packaging or website.
Nature offers a wide array of effective ingredients to formulate amazing shampoos and conditioners that can hold their own against anything conceived in a lab. That said, makers of natural products generally have fewer tools at their disposal when it comes to things like color and scent. Of course, we’re not saying there aren’t beautifully scented natural shampoos and conditioners out there, as evidenced by this list, but every brand has different priorities, and fragrance may not always be at the top of the list. So if the scent of your shampoo or conditioner is important to you (like it is to us), it’s something to look out for in reviews if not in person.
Natural products aren’t just better for you; they also tend to be better for the environment. We may not understand the full impact of synthetic chemical production on the environment, but we can guess it’s not great. To take this a step further, many natural brands prioritize sustainable practices, from carbon-neutral manufacturing and supply chain logistics to using exclusively recycled and recyclable packaging materials.
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