Best natural shampoos
If you've decided not to shower yourself (and the environment) with chemicals every time you wash your hair, you won't have trouble finding a natural shampoo nowadays. The question is: Which one of them should you pick? We've trialled four different shampoos from four pioneering natural body care companies and they all did pretty well in our tests.
While we've rated these shampoos according to our usual four criteria (green, ethics, value and quality), these four have different strengths, so one of them is bound to tick your boxes.
Although they are all natural shampoos, Essential Care's Gentle Herb Shampoo is by far the purest, most natural and the only Soil Association-certified organic shampoo among the lot. Normally, when on the lookout for a natural shampoo, look at the ingredients listing and make sure it doesn't contain parabens and sodium laureth/lauryl sulfates. Don't get scared if you see a few strange-sounding names on the list though -- many natural ingredients' Latin names can sound weird, but look on a cosmetics database site like Skin Deep and you'll be able to see what the ingredient in question is.
None of the companies has tested its products on animals, but Lush is at the forefront by also actively campaigning against animal testing. In terms of affordability both Jason and Lush do pretty well, while Weleda and Essential Care are rather dear.
Ethics and greenery aside, we prefer the Weleda shampoo for its great quality and the Lush bar for being unusual. But our green heart really beats for the phenomenal effort Essential Care has put into making a truly sustainable shampoo.
Essential Care Gentle Herb Shampoo
Jason Aloe Vera 84% Shampoo
Lush Seanik Shampoo Bar
Weleda Rosemary and Ginger Shampoo
