It can be hard to find the right shampoo. Many factors affect the final result, and the selection is huge. In this guide, you’ll learn what kind of shampoo to look for and what to avoid. That makes buying shampoo much easier.
Scalp first
The biggest mistake you can make is buying a shampoo that doesn’t suit your scalp. If your scalp is too dry or oily, your shampoo should primarily be designed to balance your scalp. An unbalanced scalp will sooner or later negatively affect hair quality. Always prioritize the scalp first.
Feel free to read our blog post about scalp detox.
Both dry and oily scalps can itch. The itching usually disappears when the scalp is balanced. If your shampoo suits your hair but not your scalp, the tip is to use two different shampoos: one for the scalp and another for the lengths.
Dry scalp
When the scalp is dry, it can feel tight after washing. It may also flake and itch. A classic sign of dry scalp is small flakes falling onto your shoulders. It can feel like it’s “snowing” from your hair and never stops no matter how much you try to shake it off. Keep in mind: many confuse dryness with dandruff and aren’t helped by dandruff shampoos, which actually dry out the scalp more.
Tips to get rid of dry scalp
If you have a dry scalp
- Try scrubbing your scalp if it flakes a lot. Dead skin cells need to be scrubbed away from a dry scalp just as much as from dry skin. See our blog post scalp detox for how to scrub your scalp.
- If your scalp flakes a lot, it’s important to wash thoroughly so dead skin cells don’t build up and form a barrier on the scalp. Gently massage the scalp with your fingers while shampooing and rinse well. Wash more often if you usually wash infrequently (e.g., once a week).
- If you usually wash your hair every day, try washing it less often. Frequent hair washing can dry out both the scalp and hair. If you exercise often, it’s fine to wash sometimes and other times just rinse with water or use a dry shampoo.
- If you usually wash your hair with hot water, try lukewarm or cold water, which is less drying.
- If you feel your hair rarely gets dirty, try washing with a light conditioner instead and let your scalp rest from shampoo for a while.
Natural shampoos for dry scalp
- Try an organic, mild shampoo designed to provide moisture, nourishment, shine, and easy-to-comb hair. These nourish and hydrate without drying out the scalp.
- Look for gentle, moisturizing shampoos that contain plant oils.
- Avoid conventional strong sulfates (drying soap agents that create a lot of lather) in your shampoo. Also avoid volumizing shampoos or strengthening shampoos for damaged and fragile hair. These can either irritate or wash away too much oil from an already dry scalp.
Ingredients that are good for dry scalp
Plant oils such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, or avocado oil are good for nourishing and protecting the scalp from drying out. Plant extracts from eucalyptus, aloe vera, burdock root, nettles, green tea, and calendula are also beneficial, as they provide moisture and calm the scalp.
Products we recommend for dry scalp
- Odylique Gentle Herb Shampoo
- Bruns Shampoo no. 02
- Logona Nettle Shampoo
- Glossy Locks Moisture Drench Shampoo
- 100% Pure Honey & Virgin Coconut Shampoo
Oily scalp
Overproduction of sebum (natural skin oil) can be due to genetics or hormonal imbalance, but in most cases it actually stems from dry skin on the scalp. When you wash away too much of the skin’s natural sebum, an excess sebum production occurs to balance the disruption. Therefore, avoid strongly lathering and drying shampoos that only worsen the condition. If you need to wash often and with strong lathering shampoos to keep your hair clean, it’s time to break the vicious cycle.
Tips to get rid of oily scalp
- Do you feel your hair doesn’t get clean after shampooing? Be patient when massaging your scalp and hair with your new milder shampoo to dissolve oil. Shampoo at least twice and make sure to rinse the shampoo thoroughly from scalp and hair.
- When switching to a milder shampoo, you may initially need to wash your hair more often during the week to keep it clean. That’s okay as long as it’s a milder change. The goal, however, is to gradually wash less often.
- If it’s absolutely impossible to get your hair clean with a milder shampoo, alternate with your current (strongly lathering) shampoo to eventually phase it out completely.
- Never massage conditioner into your scalp, but apply from the ear down or only on the hair ends. Make sure to rinse the conditioner thoroughly.
Natural shampoos for oily scalp
- Try dry shampoo to extend the time between washes. Choose an organic dry shampoo to avoid irritating and strongly drying ingredients.
- Look for a sulfate-free volumizing or balancing shampoo. Watch out for cheap shampoos aimed at oily hair. They are often drying with strong drying sulfates, which dry out the scalp and cause it to produce even more oil.
- Avoid shampoos that are moisturizing, nourishing, shine-enhancing, meant to detangle tangled hair, or good for curly, frizzy, thick, or dry hair. These usually provide too much nourishment for an already oily scalp.
- Many natural and organic shampoos for oily hair also work against dandruff. The reason is that the ingredients both balance an oily scalp and are effective against dandruff formation. If you don’t have dandruff, an organic dandruff shampoo still works perfectly well.
Ingredients that are good for oily scalp
Examples of ingredients that either balance or reduce oil production are jojoba oil, peppermint, eucalyptus, aloe vera, rosemary, tea tree, kelp, calendula, lavender, burdock root, horsetail, nettles, baking soda, neem, and clays.
Products we recommend for oily scalp
- Logona Balance Shampoo
- Khadi Neem Shampoo
- Odylique Tea Tree & Herb Shampoo
- Grön Lycka Golden Rose Shampoo Bar
- Grön Lycka Exotic Flower Shampoo Bar
Shampoos that suit your hair type
When your scalp is balanced, you can choose a shampoo that can fulfill your hair dreams.
Hair type /Shampoo / Beneficial ingredients
Fine, thin hair: Volumizing shampoos that revive hair without weighing it down. Avoid shampoos with a lot of oils, like serums and hair oils.1
100% Pure Kelp & Mint Volumizing Shampoo, Sante Volume Goji & Henna Shampoo. Bamboo extract, kelp, clay, peppermint, horsetail.
Straight hair: Shine-enhancing shampoos that are often extra nourishing. 100% Pure Honey & Coconut Shampoo, Lavera Gloss & Shine Shampoo, 100% Pure Yuzu & Pomelo Shampoo.
Honey, nettles, rosemary, rose water, aloe vera.
Chemically, heat-damaged, bleached, colored, and fragile hair. Strengthening, protein-rich shampoos. 100% Pure Repair Shampoo, Eco Cosmetics Repair Shampoo. Bamboo extract, baking soda, vitamin E, green tea, honey, proteins, rosemary, horsetail.
Stiff, dull, and lifeless hair: Detox shampoo or one that lathers well without strong sulfates. Make sure to shampoo at least twice to get the hair really clean. Follow up with a nourishing, detangling conditioner. Bruns Shampoo no. 04. Baking soda, honey, nettles, rosemary, apple cider vinegar.
Thick, wavy: Moisturizing, nutrient-rich shampoos with plant oils that make hair supple, shiny, and smooth. Bruns Shampoo no. 02, 100% Pure Moisture Drench Shampoo. Aloe vera, argan oil, avocado oil, honey, jojoba oil, cinnamon, coconut oil, nettles, rosemary.
Curly hair: Nourishing shampoos that prevent frizz with mild foam. Avoid sulfates at all costs. Bruns Shampoo no. 02, Rahua Hydrating Shampoo. Aloe vera, avocado oil, bamboo extract, coconut oil, clays, shea butter.
Very dry and curly hair that rarely gets oily. Same as for Curly hair. Preferably skip shampoo and try washing your hair with clay or conditioner without silicones, mineral oils, and sulfates. Crearome Rhassoul Clay, Bruns Conditioner no. 01
All hair types with hair loss problems or that need to stimulate hair growth with sulfate-, silicone-, and mineral oil-free shampoos. 100% Pure Grow More Shampoo, Bruns VÄXA Shampoo no. 80 & 81. Biotin, vitamin E, ginseng, green tea, coffee, chamomile, burdock root, mint, nettles, rosemary, horsetail.
All hair types that need frequent washing. A mild foaming shampoo for daily use (usually suitable for the whole family) that cleans without drying out, like Logona Nettle Shampoo or Lavera Sensitive Moisture & Care Shampoo, Odylique Hydrating Lavender Shampoo.
Not sure about your hair type: A balancing shampoo. It’s a safe choice if you’re not quite sure what you need. It’s not too nourishing and doesn’t dry out the hair. Dr Sannas balancing shampoo, Sante Shampoo Shine Birch Leaf, Odylique Hydrating Lavender Shampoo. Jojoba oil, lemon balm, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, lavender.
Here you can read more about dry hair, here you can read more about curly hair, here you can read more about how to create volume in your hair or about the conditioner method.
