8 Shampoo Formulas That Keep Natural Hair Healthy and Hydrated

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By Cortney Clift
Published on October 20, 2020
Image of a young, Black American woman with curly hair and big hoop earrings against busy street background
Image of a young, Black American woman with curly hair and big hoop earrings against busy street background

When it comes to choosing the right shampoo for your natural hair care routine, any ordinary formula just won't cut it. In order to properly cleanse and hydrate this hair type without disrupting the curl pattern, you'll need to look for shampoos with (and without) certain ingredients.

"The number one hair concern for those with natural hair is almost always dryness," says NYC-based hairstylist Sasha Bee Thomas. "The curlier the hair strand, the harder it will be for your scalp’s natural oils to make its way down the hair shaft; so choosing a shampoo that is both cleansing and hydrating is essential for healthy hair." Be sure to look for formulas that prioritize ultra-hydrating ingredients like argan oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and glycerin.

"Sulfate-free shampoos infused with biotin and keratin should be a part of your hair care regime if you are looking to strengthen and fortify your tresses," adds Thomas. "Biotin-formulated shampoos encourage and promote hair growth. The protein keratin adds shine and improves hair elasticity preventing breakage. Incorporating these two ingredients into your hair care routine will help you achieve thicker, fuller, and healthier hair." 

While a hydrating, sulfate-free ingredient list is a great place to start your search for the perfect shampoo, you should also look for a formula that's designed to work with your specific hair type or hair concern. With this in mind, we've highlighted eight of the best shampoos for natural hair below. Whether you have super dry hair, fine hair, or color-treated hair, you're bound to find a formula that will work just right for you.

Meet the Expert

Sasha Bee Thomas is a licensed master hairstylist in NYC who specializes in extension installation, haircutting, and blowouts.

1. BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Scalp Revival™ Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo

BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo
BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo

Best Scalp Treatment:

Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. Keeping your scalp healthy will ensure that all your hair follicles are strong and thriving. Unfortunately, hair products can often cause build-up around the scalp, causing irritation and potentially even blocking hair follicles. The solution: an exfoliating scalp scrub. This option from BRIOGEO HAIR CARE is made with Binchotan charcoal, which effectively clears blockage from the scalp and hair follicles. It also features a cooling blend of peppermint, spearmint, and tea tree oils to soothe any irritation. Finally, panthenol strengthens each and every strand. Use this exfoliating shampoo two to three times a week for the best results.

2. TWISTED SISTA Luxurious Clarifying Shampoo

TWISTED SISTA Luxurious Clarifying Shampoo
TWISTED SISTA Luxurious Clarifying Shampoo

Best Clarifying Shampoo:

Clarifying shampoos contain purifying ingredients that cleanse your hair more thoroughly than standard shampoos. They're excellent at breaking down product build-up, minerals, and other impurities. If you frequently use hair products like hair oils or leave-in conditioners, you may eventually start to feel like your hair is dry, brittle, or limp. Clarifying shampoos work like a hard reset, getting rid of all the junk and allowing conditioners to penetrate the hair properly.

This sulfate-free shampoo provides a nice, deep clean while also moisturizing the hair with coconut oil, avocado oil, and almond oil. Use this about once a month (depending on how often you use hair products), and watch your curly hair instantly bounce back to life.

3. THEORIE Theorie Sage: Purple Sage - Brightening Conditioner

THEORIE Theorie Sage: Purple Sage - Brightening Conditioner
THEORIE Theorie Sage: Purple Sage - Brightening Conditioner

Best for Color-Treated Hair:

This conditioner's unique ability to both provide deep, restorative moisture and correct brassy tones makes it an ideal choice for natural and curly hair types with color-treated hair. Nourishing ingredients like grapeseed oil, hyaluronic acid, keratin, and THEORIE's amino complex intensely hydrate and restore damaged strands while the conditioner's purple hue curbs brassiness.

4. PRIVAI Balancing Shampoo

PRIVAI Balancing Shampoo
PRIVAI Balancing Shampoo

Best Shampoo for Thin or Fine Hair:

If you have fine or thin natural hair, a gentle shampoo is key to keeping it healthy and thriving. This formula is designed specifically with this hair type in mind. With a lightweight gel texture, this shampoo promotes hair growth and restores moisture while also clarifying and gently removing excess oil, product residue, and environmental irritants that can weigh curls down. The nourishing formula includes clarifying sage extract, soothing ingredients like calendula, chamomile, and aloe, growth-promoting ginseng, and panthenol to strengthen those fine strands.

5. NELSON J BEVERLY HILLS Non Foaming Shampoo (Argan Oil 7 Formula) - Scent: Natural Citrus Mint

NELSON J BEVERLY HILLS Non Foaming Shampoo (Argan Oil 7 Formula) - Scent: Natural Citrus Mint
NELSON J BEVERLY HILLS Non Foaming Shampoo (Argan Oil 7 Formula) - Scent: Natural Citrus Mint

Best Multitasking Shampoo:

While this shampoo works great on all hair types, it's impressive multitasking feature makes it a great choice for those with curly and natural hair. The seven-in-one formula acts as a shampoo, conditioner, detangler, shine spray, smoothing serum, color protector, pre-styling lotion. With all these products wrapped up into one, you'll be able to dramatically minimize product buildup.

The non-foaming formula skips out on sulfates and parabens to gently cleanse while keeping the natural oils in the hair and scalp intact. You'll find nourishing ingredients like argan oil, vegan glycerin, rapeseed oil, and vitamin B5, all of which work together to hydrate dry hair, detangle curls, and make it more manageable overall. It can even help with color retention for those with color-treated curls.

6. AVEDA Nutriplenish™ Shampoo Deep Moisture

AVEDA Nutriplenish™ Shampoo Deep Moisture
AVEDA Nutriplenish™ Shampoo Deep Moisture

Best Moisturizing Shampoo for Dry Hair:

If your curls are feeling particularly parched, lather on this deeply hydrating shampoo to revive dehydrated strands. This omega-rich AVEDA formula uses a vegan superfood blend of potent plant butter and oils to provide deep moisture and immediate results. The two primary ingredients here are organic coconut oil and mango butter. The former penetrates deeply into the hair to moisturize while the latter expertly softens and smooths.

7. CONTEXT Keratin Shampoo

CONTEXT Keratin Shampoo
CONTEXT Keratin Shampoo

Best Strengthening Shampoo:

After using this shampoo on the regular, expect your natural hair to feel smooth, soft, and strong. The sulfate-free, paraben-free formula uses two primary ingredients to keep your curls hydrated and healthy: keratin and panthenol. The keratin in this shampoo is derived from New Zealand wool to protect and repair dry hair. Meanwhile, panthenol, a type of vitamin B5, penetrates deeply, all the way down to the hair cuticle, to pull in moisture, making hair feel softer, shinier, and stronger.

As an added bonus, this shampoo also comes with plant extracts that target and tame frizz and flyaways. All in all, it's a great choice for anyone with wavy, curly, or frizz-prone hair. It can also be used on colored, straightened, and chemically-treated hair.

8. BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Be Gentle, Be Kind Aloe + Oat Milk Ultra Soothing Shampoo

BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Be Gentle, Be Kind Aloe + Oat Milk Ultra Soothing Shampoo
BRIOGEO HAIR CARE Be Gentle, Be Kind Aloe + Oat Milk Ultra Soothing Shampoo

Best for Sensitive Skin:

As much as we love a great shampoo scent, we know that sometimes essential oils and other types of fragrances can irritate those with sensitive scalps. If this is the case for you, turn to this hypoallergenic, dermatologist-approved shampoo that steers clear of common irritants and is instead packed with soothing ingredients designed to nourish, hydrate, and support a healthy scalp.

This formula uses natural ingredients like aloe vera, oat extract, green tea extract, and natural oils to cleanse hair gently and naturally, without the use of silicones, sulfates, phthalates, or parabens. It's also safe to use on color-treated, keratin-treated, chemically-treated, and relaxed hair.

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