16 Must-Try Hair Formulas If You're Converting to a Natural Beauty Routine
These days, bad hair days are practically obsolete. Thanks to an extremely saturated product market, there are sprays, oils, serums, and everything in between to protect you from whatever your personal hair kryptonite may be. That said, trying to choose said product while sifting through the fab, the bad, or the average is an overwhelming sport in and of itself. Then, if you decide to go the natural or organic route, things get even more complicated. We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but so many natural hair products fall flat (literally) as compared to their non-natural counterparts.
That's not to say that all natural and/or nontoxic hair products are a waste of your hard-earned cash—just like skincare and makeup, there are some really luxurious and really effective formulas out there. You just have to know what to look for! For the most part, beauty retailers that carry natural and clean product ranges like Goop, Credo, The Detox Market, and even Sephora bring forth best-of-the-best formulas that are generally safe bets for ultimate hair satisfaction.
Because we believe in nitpicky standards, we combed all the above retailers and then some for the best natural and organic hair products we've personally vetted and love or are consistently top sellers that sweep the competition with unflagging four- to five-star ratings. Ahead, 16 of the best natural hair products your strands will want to lap up ASAP. Keep scrolling!
Best Shampoo & Conditioner
For Curly Hair
Specifically formulated for wavy, curly, coiled, and ultra-coiled hair types, Briogeo's formula utilizes hydrating, strengthening, and curl-enhancing ingredients like shea butter, amino acids, tomato fruit ferment, and mollis leaf extract to ensure upmost strand integrity.
For Dry & Damaged Hair
Across the retailer board (think Detox Market, Credo Beauty, and Goop), this hydrating shampoo and conditioner from Innersense was a standout as far as popularity and doting reviews go. Creamy and restorative, it's lightweight enough to never weigh hair down with excess moisture or grease, but hydrating enough to boost gloss, shine, and overall hair happiness.
For Colored Hair
Finding a natural shampoo and conditioner that actually keeps our strands clean while preserving our fresh color is an almost impossible task, but according to reviews, these formulas from EVOLVh, manage to do both.
"I have naturally dark hair with extensive highlights and a very sensitive scalp," explains one satisfied reviewer. "I am always fighting to keep the tone after I get it colored, and this shampoo is both gentle on my hair but also an effective cleanser. You actually get a decent lather and it washes away clean. I definitely recommend it."
For Blond, White, or Silver Hair
If you have blonde, silver, gray, or white hair, you already know that an A+ purple shampoo and conditioner are absolute musts within your regular hair regimen. As someone with blonde hair who has tried almost every formula out there, I'm currently obsessed with the new lavender-hued pick from the cult-loved French brand Leonor Greyl. (Although they also have iterations for Icy Brown, Dark Brown, and Natural Copper hair!) I pair it with the brand's Shampooing Crème Moelle de Bambou Nourishing Shampoo ($51).
For Thin Hair
Whereas most volumizing shampoo and conditioners primarily target only those with thin or fine hair types, this best-selling shampoo and conditioner from Rahua caters to any hair texture—straight, curly, coiled, or wavy. Uniquely multitasking, it not only clarifies strands to remove body-busting buildup but also helps strengthen and nourish the hair and scalp with omega-9–rich ingredients and other soothing botanicals like lavender and eucalyptus. It's basically a spa in a bottle.
For All Hair
Regardless of your texture or biggest hair concerns, Gloss Moderne's formulas have your back. This natural hair duo is a best seller at Dermstore thanks to sweeping five-star reviews and all-star ingredients like amino acids, keratin, coconut oil, and exotic fruit extracts from mango, papaya, and guava extracts. Hair is left full, glossy, and hydrated, and will smell heavenly to boot.
Best Co-Wash
Unfortunately, so many co-wash formulas out there are drying and stripping to the hair, but this high-rated pick from Briogeo is one of the few exceptions. Fortified with luxe moisturizers like avocado, rosehip oil, argan oil, vitamin E, and coconut oil, textured hair is left hydrated, soft, and 100% free of tangles.
Here's what one happy reviewer from Sephora had to say: "I don't know what I did before I found this stuff. I stopped washing my hair often because shampoo tends to dry out your hair, but at the same time you don't want to go too long without some type of cleanser to remove any buildup on your scalp. This stuff is the PERFECT combination of conditioning and cleansing. It makes it beyond easy to stretch out shampoo cycles, and you don't have to choose between dry hair and scalp build-up. Anyone who cares anything about healthy hair needs to have this in their shower rotation."
Best Hair Mask
A new kid on the clean haircare block, this overnight elixir from Together Beauty is already racking in the loving reviews on Sephora's website. It boasts well-known hair-boosting and plant-based ingredients like castor seed oil, baobab, and lavender, and when applied and left on overnight, it leaves strands silky smooth and quenched. Plus, it's great for all hair types.
Best Dry Shampoo
La Tierra Sagrada is one of those amazing clean beauty brands that flies under the radar but is consistently highly rated and well-loved in the world of natural, nontoxic haircare. Its dry shampoo (which comes in both blonde and brunette iterations) is a standout. Not only does it feature unique ingredients like adaptogenic He Shou Wu and Mucuna Pruriens, we also love the beautiful packaging and easy-to-control brush applicator.
Best Hair Oil
There are lots of hair oils out there—even within the natural and clean haircare realm. However, this mermaid-approved formula from Captain Blankenship is a well-known favorite. Apply a little here and there on dry or damp hair for quick relief, or for an extra surge of TLC, rake the argan-, kukui-, and jojoba-infused oil through strands pre-bedtime to work some magic overnight.
Best Leave-In
Filled with delicious luxe ingredients parched strands will love this milky smoothing treatment from Reverie is a top seller across multiple natural, nontoxic retailers.
"I LOVE using this product," says Credo Beauty customer Cindy S. "I don't ever use products in my hair, [having] given up years ago not liking the 'feel' of having stuff in there. However, humidity just ruins me. So, for the first time in years, I decided to try it. I just use a small amount, but it coats my hair comfortably, keeps it shiny and smooth, but the best part… it feels just like clean hair with nothing in it."
Best Scalp Treatment
Trust us when we say not all scalp scrubs and treatments are created equally, and more often than not, we're left with the same amount of buildup plus a sandy or grainy finish. (Ugh.) However, Goop's top-selling natural scalp scrub gets the job done effortlessly and is definitely one of the best formulas we've personally vetted. You'll use it as a shampoo—apply it directly to the scalp and gently massage, lather, and rinse as the pink Himalayan sea salt dissolves. (Just make sure your hair is fully wet before you apply!)
Best Volumizer
Customers at both Credo Beauty and The Detox Market agree—this is one of the best organic hair products you can buy. Not only is it specifically formulated to encourage expedited hair growth and a healthy, balanced scalp, it's also chock-full of texture and volume-enhancing benefactors like yucca plant, horsetail, sage, rosemary, and peppermint.
"I cannot imagine blow-drying without this product. It is true to its name, and it lifts even my heavy hair," says Dora L. on Credo's website.
Best Styling Formula for Curly Hair
Easy as pie to apply, this certified organic curl elixir is brimming with nourishing additions like jojoba, grapeseed, and meadowfoam oils, plus vitamin- and mineral-rich adds like aloe vera and argan, not to mention heavenly botanical essential oils from sweet and bitter orange plus soothing ylang-ylang. Just work it through damp curls and spit ends, dehydration, and curl definition will all be improved.
"I've been using this product for the last two years and I honestly can't live without it," says Olivia J. on The Detox Market's website. "My curls are more defined, soft, and just plain beautiful. I constantly get compliments. I put it in my hair when it's soaking wet, get out excess moisture with a T-shirt and 'squish' in an upwards motion to create my soft waves. It's so easy and it's great for your hair. Love love love!!!"
Best Texture Enhancer
Not only does this surfy spray from natural haircare brand Playa boost your natural texture with superstar ingredients like beta-carotene, sea salt, and chia seed oil, it also lacks harsh ingredients like alcohol, which is found in many texturizing formula and instantly strips and dehydrates strands. This one, however, plays nice!
Best Hairspray
When we think hairspray, we can't help but experience phantom whiffs of chemicals and aerosol—eek. That said, you're hairspray doesn't have to be laden with all the toxic stuff in order to be effective. We love this one from Innersense that boasts the organic and natural ingredient profile we want (think honey, rooibos tea, aloe vera, and rice proteins) and none of the icky things we don't.
Up next: Amal Clooney's Hairstylist Told Us All of His Favorite Trends for Summer
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.
Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.
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