Best Brands of Zero Waste Shampoos & Conditioners
Miniml Shampoos & Conditioners are made with Yorkshire water, and naturally fragranced. Once empty, you can find local stores for refills, or send them back using QR codes, and the bottles are washed, emptied and refilled to send back to you.
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing (avoid shea butter for latex allergies). Don’t use human shampoos/soaps on pets (the PH is different and some contain toxic macadamia oil) – read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
Choose from:
- Nourishing Coconut
- English Lavender
- Pink Grapefruit
- Tea Tree & Mint
Friendly Soap Shampoo Bars (from Northumberland)
Friendly Soap Shampoo Bars (made in Northumberland) are all vegan and free from palm oil, sold in paper packaging. You can find them in many health shops and farm shops, or buy in bulk online. There are fragrance-free options available too.
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing (avoid shea butter for latex allergies). Don’t use human shampoos/soaps on pets (the PH is different and some contain toxic macadamia oil) – read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
To avoid shampoo bars going mushy, store in a cool dry place and ideally on a slatted soap dish. Most are made with a blend of castor, coconut and rapeseed oils, to leave hair naturally moisturised, and scented with real aromatherapy oils.
These shampoo bars are best used in soft-water areas:
The range includes:
- Fragrance-Free
- Lavender and Geranium
- Lavender and Tea Tree
- Lavender Geranium Hair & Body Bars
- Naked Bars (no packaging)
The Powder Shampoo (water-activated in metal tins)
The Powder Shampoo is a great brand of shampoo, created by a woman with years of experience in the hair-care industry. Not only are these shampoos made with natural ingredients, but they are sold as a water-activated powder, which saves on selling you water!
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing (avoid shea butter for latex allergies). Don’t use human shampoos/soaps on pets (the PH is different and some contain toxic macadamia oil) – read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
Just activate powder with water, to turn into shampoo. One 100g bottle saves around 10 litres of clean water. One aluminium bottle saves around 10 plastic bottles from landfill. And the company plants a tree for each bottle sold (ambition is 1 million by 2030).
Choose from:
- Strengthening & Soothing (normal or sensitive scalps) contains thyme to promote hair growth, and grapefruit oil to remove impurities.
- Invigorating and Fortifying (strengthens hair roots) contains invigorating thyme and bergamot, with ginseng and ginger.
- Purifying and Regulating (oily hair) contains thyme and peppermint, with papaya enzyme to stop sebum build-up.
- Hydrating and Replenishing (prevent hair damage) contains geranium oil and replenishing camellia and geranium (for essential fatty acids).
- Exfoliating and Balancing (prevent dandruff) contains thyme and tea tree powder, plus white willow tree to eliminate impurities). Avoid xylitol near pets.
The Powder Shampoo is certified with Leaping Bunny, the trustworthy mark to ensure no animal testing of either the finished product or ingredients.
Although animal testing for cosmetics is now banned for sale of products in the UK, some companies still sell in other countries where animal testing is used). If you see this label, you good to go!
tle Green’s Solid Shampoos & Conditioners
This mint shampoo bar is scented with essential oils of mint and rosemary (good for hair growth), it contains coconut oil, vitamin E and oils of olive and grapeseed.
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing (avoid shea butter for latex allergies). Don’t use human shampoos/soaps on pets (the PH is different and some contain toxic macadamia oil) – read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
The chamomile conditioner bar is made with nourishing oils of jojoba, grapeseed, rapeseed & coconut, with rhassoul clay to aid detangling. Just rub between wet hands and run through hair, leave for 2 minutes then rinse well with warm water. Also in mint & lavender.
Green People’s Organic Shampoo Bars
Green People’s shampoo bars are made with organic ingredients, and due to no soap, you’re not left with sticky residue (no ‘transition period’ needed). Containing shine-boosting oils of argan and macadamia alongside frizz-fighting ingredients, one bar lasts 60 washes and most people won’t need conditioner. Also in ginger.
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing (avoid shea butter for latex allergies). Don’t use human shampoos/soaps on pets (the PH is different and some contain toxic macadamia oil) – read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
Most shampoos contain sodium lauryl sulphate (used to degrease engines). So imagine what it does to your scalp (some believe long-term use can prevent hair growth).
If you’ve ever used a shampoo and ended up with ‘welts on your head’, try switching to a natural shampoo for a few weeks, and you should notice a positive difference.
Green People’s Liquid Shampoos
If you prefer liquid shampoos, Green People offers nice organic vegan ones, sold in easy-to-recycle sugar-cane packaging. Everything from scent-free to repair shampoos, to combined shampoos/shower washes.
UpCircle Natural Shampoo Creme (in glass jars)
Upcircle Shampoo Creme is vegan and free from palm oil, sold in a glass jar. It’s made with upcycled pink berries from the fragrance industry, with coconut and rosemary oils to soothe the scalp and strengthen hair.
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing (avoid shea butter for latex allergies). Don’t use human shampoos/soaps on pets (the PH is different and some contain toxic macadamia oil) – read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
Highly concentrated, this shampoo uses 50% less water and lasts three times longer than most liquid shampoos. Designed to reduce scalp irritation, the shampoo has a ‘mousse’ consistency and lathers evenly, to leave a fresh herbal scent.
Soak hair thoroughly then scoop a blueberry-sized amount out with a spatula, taking care not to let water enter the jar (be careful when handling glass jar with wet hands). Handmade in the UK, it’s sold in a cardboard box.
Upcircle Conditioner Creme is made with orange peel wax, upcycled from the orange juice industry which helps to improve hair strength and reduce split ends.
It also contains rosemary oil, bamboo extract, vitamin E, corn wheat and soy proteins. Apply to the ends of shampooed hair, and leave for a few minutes, before rinsing off with warm water.
Battle Green’s Dry Shampoos (in paper packs)
Battle Green’s organic dry shampoos are made with cornstarch, arrowroot powder and kaolin clay, with aloe vera and almla fruit powder to soothe the scalp. Scented with mint & tea tree oil or orange & neroli, they are sold in a cardboard shaker pot, with refill sachets (store in a dry cool place).
Dry Shampoo Safety Tips
Avoid shampoos with essential oils for pregnancy/nursing. Don’t use human shampoos on pets (the PH is different). Read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
Why Choose Dry Shampoo?
As well as avoiding paying for water to be shipped to your door (the ingredient in most liquid shampoos), dry shampoos are convenient if you have no regular access to a shower, and are also good for disabled people (and their carers who find it difficult to use a shower or lean over a sink).
They are also good for people with fine hair who find they need to ‘wash hair daily’, but prefer not to actually wet and shampoo their hair each day.
How to Use Dry Shampoos
Sprinkle a little dry shampoo powder directly onto the roots of your hair (or into your palm) and apply with your fingers. Work into the roots, let it sit for 30 seconds to absorb oil, then brush through to remove excess powder.
Why Is This Better than Most Dry Shampoo?
Most dry shampoos are made with volatile organic compounds, which irritate the scalp and are made with talc (a mined substance with concerns over ovarian cancer). Some even contain flammable butane flammable gas (bin empty cans or take half-full ones to toxic waste).
Poo-Poo to No-Poo!
The ‘no-poo method’ (not washing hair) is not advised by trichologists who say that ‘hair doesn’t clean itself’. You could end up with scalp infections. They say ‘pooh-pooh’ to ‘no-poo!’
Green People’s Organic Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
Green People Organic Men’s Shampoo contains pineapple enzymes and aloe vera to calm irritation. Sold in easy-to-recycle sugar-cane packaging, it creates natural foam (coconut and yucca), anti-inflammatory oils of rosemary and tea tree (and quinoa protein to thicken hair).
Avoid essential oils for pregnancy/nursing (avoid shea butter for latex allergies). Don’t use human shampoos/soaps on pets (the PH is different and some contain toxic macadamia oil) – read more on giving dogs baths with lukewarm water).
While everyone sheds dead skin cells on the scalp, people with dandruff experience it more frequently. Common in cold months due to indoor heating, oily dandruff however may be caused by overproduction of sebum, and makes flakes sticky and yellow.
Dandruff is more common in people with eczema or psoriasis, excessive hair styling, and lack of zinc or B vitamins in the diet.
Most anti-dandruff shampoos are made with dodgy ingredients, that are too harsh for your scalp. Most contain salicylic acid, coal tar and other ingredients that can dry your scalp (and dandruff is actually caused by dry scalps, so it makes the issue worse).
Stop watching the TV ads (presenters are being paid lots of money!) and instead switch to a good organic shampoo.
