The Best Organic Shampoos To Give Your Hair A Gentle Cleanse

• Also available at Walmart, $11

If you hate products with added fragrance — whether natural or artificial — you'll love this shampoo from Desert Essence. The formula contains organic jojoba oil to soften and moisturize hair; organic green tea, which helps enhance shine; and other vitamin- and mineral-rich botanicals that work to keep hair healthy and strong. Accredited by the NSF for meeting its organic standards, it's free of parabens, SLS, silicones, glycols, and phthalates. Because it's so gentle and nourishing, this basic-in-a-good-way shampoo is a great choice for everyday hair-washers.

User review: “Because I don't like perfumes in shampoos, this really filled the bill. I feel I've found the organic fragrance-free shampoo I'd been looking for. It lathers very well and clears out leftover hair gel residues. Does a great job of cleaning. If you're looking for a shampoo (and conditioner) that has no scent, this can be what you're looking for. Recommended.”

• Also available at Walmart, $9

Clarifying shampoos deeply cleanse the scalp of product buildup and anything else that might be contributing to greasiness or itching. Because of this, they don't need to be used everyday, so limit the use of Avalon Organics' Clarifying Lemon Shampoo to a once a week, or a couple of times a month. Enriched with chamomile, aloe, and lemon essential oil to cleanse and clarify hair without stripping it of color or its natural oils, this formula boasts an NSF/ANSI 305 certification, which ensures it's made of at least 70% certified-organic ingredients. It's also EWG-verified, vegan, and biodegradable, in addition to being free of sulfates, GMOs, parabens, and synthetic dyes and fragrance.

User review: “I bought this because I have really hard water and have been struggling to find a shampoo that will remove the buildup without making my hair dry as straw, so far this is doing the job! Scent is light and pleasant, not overpowering and does not linger. Lathers well and rinses clean.”

Organic beauty enthusiasts who enjoy no-fuss, multi-use products will love Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 soap. Certified-organic by the USDA, this peppermint-scented castile soap can be used as body wash, shampoo, hand soap, or all-purpose cleanser. Because most customers wind up using it for everything, this order comes with two giant 32-ounce bottles, so you'll be stocked for ages. To leave hair and skin moisturized and soft, the formula uses a blend of organic hemp, olive, jojoba, and coconut oils. Free of pretty much any potential irritant you can think of (unless you have a sensitivity to peppermint), this soap is also bottled in 100% post-consumer plastic.

Note that Dr. Bronner’s castile soap also comes in other scents, like lavender, almond, rose, eucalyptus, and citrus, as well as an unscented version.

User review: “I have severe allergies to chemicals and scents and this is one of the only products I can use! I use this as a body wash, shampoo, dog shampoo, surface cleaner (diluted), you name it! I do have to use a good conditioner as it does make my hair feel a little dry but I have to say the Peppermint is great for the scalp and my hair has been growing so much since I started using this!”

Certified organic by European organizations COSMOS and ECOCERT, Natura Siberica’s Hydrolate shampoo is ideal for use on dry, damaged hair. Like all of the brand’s products, it harnesses the powers of rare Siberian botanicals — in this case, cedar, crepis sibirica, and rhodiola rosea, among others — to work its hair-transforming magic. The unique blend of ingredients in the formula aims to repair and prevent damage, balance excess oil production, and leave hair feeling silky and smooth, while also offering up a gentle, but effective cleanse.

User review: “This and the conditioner does wonders for my hair. It has gone from being like straw to nice and smooth but not weighed down. It’s brilliant and you don’t need to use a lot.”

• Also available at Walmart, $10

If your hair is fine, limp, thinning, or generally lacking oomph, try this thickening shampoo, also from Avalon Organics. The NSF-certified formula is rich in hair-boosting ingredients that help restore and volumize hair — including biotin, quinoa protein, and vitamin E — while providing overall nourishment, thanks to hydrators like aloe and botanical oils. It smells amazing in a refreshing, herbal way, too, since it contains a number of citrus oils.

User review: “I am very pleased with this shampoo. My hair is extremely fine and straight, I also have very sensitive skin, and I have had difficulty finding a shampoo that did not irritate my scalp or make my hair oily or flat. I bought this shampoo because it was recommended for restoring hair loss and adding thickness/ volume. After washing my hair I use an apple cider vinegar rinse rather than a conditioner. So far my hair looks better and my scalp feels wonderful. Now when I put my hair up in a bun it is much fuller and holds better with fewer bobby pins.”

• Also available at Ulta, $10

If you’re after an organic dry shampoo, you can’t do much better than this one from ACURE — it’s USDA certified-organic, housed in a non-aerosol bottle, and costs less than $10 on Amazon. Made with just a handful of ingredients to give your hair a refresh — like kaolin clay, corn starch, rosemary, and peppermint — this can be applied onto either your scalp or a brush, and then combed through your hair. It comes in a version for dark hair, too!

User review: “I don’t usually write reviews but this one is warranted! I have EXTREMELY OILY hair, nothing worked, I have tried hundreds of dry shampoos in the past and this was the ONLY one that saved my hair from having to wash it daily. I put some on yesterday and a day later no oil or grease and lots of volume, Im in love.”

Since baby products tend to be a lot gentler than products made for adults, it’s usually easier to find baby shampoos that are organic. Obviously, you don’t have to be (or have) a baby to use baby shampoo — in fact, if you have very sensitive or allergy-prone skin, you may want to consider making the switch to baby products entirely. This COSMOS-certified shampoo is made with all sorts of soothing and moisturizing ingredients to help you (or your little one) maintain healthy hair and skin. It’s a tear-free formula, so you don’t have to worry if it gets in your eyes, and it boasts a delicate, floral-sweet scent that’s derived from 100% natural sources of fragrance. You won’t find any sulfates, fragrance, silicones, alcohol, or soap in here, and it’s free of propylene glycol as well (a common allergen among people with sensitive skin).

User review: “I was gifted this product when my son was about 8 months old and absolutely LOVE it!!! The packaging is beautiful; enough for me to appreciate, as well as eye-catching for my son to grab and keep busy during his bath time. I also don't have to worry about the product giving him rashes, in fact it helps alleviate minor diaper rashes that he gets here and there. In addition, it is absolutely tear-free and the scent is so subtle, it is just PERFECT!!!”

• Also available at Walmart, $11

Another great (and even cheaper) two-in-one formula is this gentle, NATRUE-certified shampoo and body wash from Weleda, the natural German brand best known for making the cult-classic Skin Food moisturizer. The hero ingredient in here is soothing calendula, which — combined with glycerin, sweet almond oil, and sesame seed oil — works to leave your hair (and skin) feeling super soft. This is fragrance-free, sulfate-free, and safe for use on the most delicate skin, including that of newborn babies.

User review: “I LOVE this shampoo. I’m a natural momma and I’ve tried bronners, babo, Shea moisture, California baby, some indie brands and this is THE best. I even found it’s the best shampoo that I’ve found for my thin, easily greasy hair! It smells great, is a lovely cream that suds up nicely but it doesn’t strip hair at ALL. It makes it shiny, full, and clean. My thin hair, and my toddlers, look so great my husband even mentioned it after the first use. We also love the cream bath! Great for my reactive son and his rosacea, dermatitis, eczema, and cradle cap.”

Eco by Naty's Baby Shampoo is a pick from Sweden that's certified-organic by ECOCERT, a French organization that regulates natural and organic personal care products. Featuring ingredients like aloe leaf juice and vegetable-based moisturizers, this, too, can be used as both shampoo and body wash for babies, children, and adults with sensitive skin. The formula is free of parabens, fragrance, and gluten, and is ethically sourced, cruelty-free, and vegan. It all comes in a generously sized bottle that gives your bathroom a Scandinavian-chic touch.

This shampoo from Nature’s Brands isn’t certified organic, but it’s about as “natural” as you can get. In fact, it’s so unlike other shampoos that the brand warns users not to expect the sensation of washing your hair with a traditional shampoo when using their herbal blend. That’s because it contains absolutely no detergents or surfactants to produce a lather — the formula is just water, a few plant-based oils and extracts, xanthan gum, and castile soap. That’s it. Choose from eight scents, or an unscented version: Eucalyptus & Fennel, Green Tea & Peppermint, Lavender & Calendula, Lemongrass & Ginger, Rosemary & Chamomile, Sweet Orange & Cranberry, Sage & Thyme, or Tea Tree.