Best Sulfate Free Shampoos and Conditioners
I’ve been an aficionado of sulfate free shampoo and conditioners for at least 10 years at this point. I wanted to share my picks for the best sulfate free shampoo and conditioners that are also cruelty free.
Best Sulfate Free Shampoos and Conditioners
Cocoa Pink Argan Therapy Creme – $8.50 for 6 oz, $15 for 10 oz.
Made with Argan oil and coconut oil, this leaves my hair feeling so soft! It also smells delicious. I bought the scent Naughty Pumpkin to try out and loved it so much I had to pick up Black Chocolate Raspberries. It also adds gorgeous shine. You can get this product in just about any scent you desire. Check out the scent list here! I’m a sucker for customized scents. (I think this may be vegan too.)
Cocoa Pink Princess Poo Shampoo – $7.50 for 6 oz, $14 for 10 oz.
This shampoo spoils you, seriously! It’s SLS and paraben free. It’s a gentle but effective cleanser and it smells divine. I’ve purchased it in both Naughty Pumpkin and Black Chocolate Raspberries. It works wonderfully with my semi-permanent hair colors. Like the Argan Therapy Creme you can get this in any scent you want. . (I think this may be vegan too.)
DermOrganic Daily Conditioning Shampoo – $25 for 33.8 oz.
Made with argan oil and it’s sulfate free, it’s one of the most gentle shampoos I’ve ever tried. It works well with my semi-permanent hair colors. In addition to argan oil, it’s got Sunflower seed extract, Grape seed extract and rice amino acids. (vegan)
DermOrganic Daily Moisturizing Conditioner – $22 for 33.8 oz.
With argan oil, sunflower seed extract, grape seed extract, vitamin E, panthenol B5 and rice amino acids this is a great way to moisturize your hair without silicones. While I don’t avoid ‘cones the way I do sulfate, I know many of you do. This really helps my hair to be soft. (vegan)
Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Shampoo – $12.99 for 8.4 oz
Yes, I’m an argan oil lover. This one has argan, grape seed oil and keratin.
Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Conditioner – $7.99 for 8.4 oz.
Just like its shampoo counterpart, it has argan oil, grape seed oil, and keratin. It leaves your hair feeling soft.
Jessicurl Gentle Lather Shampoo – $14.95 for 8 oz.
It’s been a few years since I used Jessicurl, but it’s gentle and effective, with mild lather. (vegan)
Jessicurl Too Shea Conditioner – $14.95 for 8 oz.
This is a really luxurious conditoiner with shea butter, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, and aloe vera. (vegan)
Living Proof. No Frizz Shampoo – $24 for 8 oz.
I just learned about the Living proof. line this year so I haven’t yet tried their shampoos or conditioners, but they’ve been very highly acclaimed by Allure. They won the Best of Beauty Award for Shampoo & Conditioner in 2011 and 2013. In addition to being sulfate free, it’s sodium chloride free. I will hopefully try it soon! I can tell you that I love their Hold Firm Hairspray.
Living Proof. Full Conditioner – $24 for 8 oz.
Oil free and silicone free, this is specifically created for fine or thin hair. It’s supposed to offer lightweight conditioning without weighing the hair down. It won New Beauty 2011 Best Hair Volumizer.
Living Proof. No Frizz Conditioner – $24 for 8 oz.
This contains the OFPMA anti-frizz technology to eliminate frizzy hair by blocking humidity without weighing down your hair. It’s supposed to be great for colored hair. Of course, it’s an award winner too, just like the shampoo.
Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Moisturizing Shampoo – $18 for 8 oz.
Carol’s Daughter is another brand that people have raved about to me. This shampoo is sulfate free, paraben free, petroleum free, no mineral oil and no artificial colors. It has Aloe Leaf Juice and rose extract. The best part? It smells like warm vanilla and fresh coconut.
Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla Moisturizing Conditioner – $16 for 8 oz.
This conditioner is formulated without silicones, parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, or phthalates. It has wheat protein and pro-vitamin B5 too.
What are the best sulfate free shampoos and conditioners to you? Are there any you think I should check out?
My Favorite is Pro Naturals!!
You listed items that are “sulfate free” but they contain far worse ingredients like formaldehyde and PEG. I would assume those seeking out sulfate free shampoos/conditioners wouldn’t want these proven toxins in their products.
There are a few reasons i use sulfate free – primarily because if I use shampoo with sulfate in it, my scalp itches and flakes. Secondly, I use sulfate free because it helps color to last longer. I don’t buy into a lot of the fear mongering over ingredients that I see happening from time to time.
I’ve been using Wen for the last few months and am quite liking it. I think it’s been around for quite a while?
I can’t say enough good things about Toadstool Soaps shampoo (on Etsy). My hair is super processed, I’ve been dyeing it with box dye for a decade, straightening it 2-4 times a week for longer than that even, and it’s long, mid-back length, so it’s got a lot of years of abuse in that much length. Toadstool’s shampoo is the only shampoo where I don’t even need a conditioner. It’s nothing but saponified olive oil, coconut oil, honey, and lemon juice – doesn’t lighten my hair, though, I was worried about that at first with the lemon juice but have never had an issue – and I can comb through my hair with almost no tangling after I get out of the shower having used only that shampoo and no conditioner. My hair comes out soft and silky-feeling and stays that way even after I’ve had at it with the blow dryer and straightener. Plus, the shampoo comes in dozens of scents, and the owner is an absolute sweetheart.
Sorry if I sound like a commercial for it, I’m just pretty much a customer for life. I will, every four months or so, have my attention caught by some recommendation on a beauty blog somewhere, buy something new, try it, and eventually get irritable and give up and go back to my Toadstool shampoo. You’d think I’d learn eventually – don’t mess with an HG product when you find it!
thanks for letting me know!!
Totally agree with the DermOrganic and Marc Anthony, love them both!
i use Broo shampoo and conditioner. it’s sulfate free, cruelty free, and made with beer!