The best non-toxic, truly clean haircare brands and my favorite products.
Hair Care
Hard water (water that is high in minerals) and disinfectants found in tap water (like chlorine and chloramine) will destroy your hair over time. Chlorine will strip the moisture from your hair, the hard water minerals will build up on your hair and your scalp over time and if you aren't using a shampoo that has mineral fighting ingredients, you will be left with hair that feels weighed down, greasy and dirty.
Know your water and choose your haircare accordingly. If you can, invest in whole house water filtration or a shower head filter. If your water is high in minerals, consider a water softener. Your hair will thank you.
Clean haircare not working? Its your water.
After using and loving Rahua for 2 years (I have soft water, so it worked great for me) and then switching to JSHealth (the best hard water option), I have officially found my HOLY GRAIL brand. It will work in hard water, but works best if you have a shower filter Filterbaby. Bur Bur has burdock root, broccoli seed oil, and rice protein, which is great for a healthy scalp, promotes hair growth, and helps repair damage from styling. They have a mask that has become a favorite of mine as well. My hair looks amazing!
bur bur
hard water warriors:
SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER
Works better in hard water than any other brand I have tried. If nothing has worked for you, try this.
These shampoos are designed to remove buildup and minerals, making them ideal for hard water and hair that feels greasy, heavy, or never fully clean. Best for normal to oily hair and product users. May feel too stripping for very dry, curly, or coily hair for regular use. If you have hard water and no shower filter, these honestly will be the only ones worth trying.
Runner up. JVN is scented w/ fully disclosed nature identical synthetics, which meets my standards & smells good, but is too strong for me.
A budget friendly, in store find.
Formulated for build up removal.
ultra clariyfing:
A budget friendly, in store find.
Formulated for build up removal.
These are not intended for daily use, but for clarifying purposes.
This brand is everything that I could want in haircare. My all around top pick & my hair is softer and shinier than it has been my whole life!
balanced formulas that work best with a filter
Balanced formulas that feel amazing and have strong cleansing systems, but don't remove hard water minerals. These are great for normal to slightly dry, wavy, or frizz-prone hair that wants softness and manageability without harsh cleansing. If you have super fine, oily hair or heavy buildup, these shine when paired with a shower filter or added clariyfing routine.
soap based - SOFT WATER ONLY OPTIONS:
This category is made up of shampoos that use soap / saponin ingredients for cleansing. These formulas can leave hair feeling super clean, light, and voluminous in soft water, but often cause buildup, tangling, or dullness in hard water. Best for soft water and those with thicker, less oily hair. Not great fard water and fine, oily, or easily tangled hair.
Hydrating Hairbath
Color Awakening Hairbath
Bright Balance (Purple Shampoo)
Clarity Hairbath
Voluminous Shampoo → strongest cleanse
Aloe Vera → clean + lightweight
Classic → balanced
Hydration → most moisture
Enchanted → most conditioning
ColorFull → moderate cleanse + color pigment
Hydrating
Repair (more conditioning added)
Volume
Daily Workout
budget options / USES coco-sulfates:
These formulas use sodium coco-sulfate, which gives them stronger cleansing power and better performance than many ultra-gentle “clean” shampoos, especially in hard water. Best for normal to oily hair and families on a budget, but may feel too drying for very dry, curly, or sensitive scalps.
Super clean and has an insane following of people who love this line.
Super clean and has an insane following of people who love this line.
These formulas are either ultra-gentle or low-cleansing, which can work BEAUTIFULLY in soft water. But in hard water they often leave hair feeling coated, heavy, or not fully clean. This category is typically where curly girls that have super dry or frizzy hair go for soft, bouncy curls.
gentle cleansing: best in soft water:
All of their new formulas fall in to this category.
This is the most organic, botanical formula in this category.
This shampoo has a curly girl cult like following! Super organic & clean.
Another curly girl haircare line that people really just love to nourish their curls.
Plastic free and refillable
A budget option sold at Whole Foods and on Amazon.
Curly haired girls are in love with yarok and this organic formula is as clean and luxurious as it gets. Their Feed Your Moisture and Feed Your Curls lines have everything you need for boucing, nourished curls. detoxifying and restorative oils.
yarok Organic Haircare
ALL THINGS FOR CURLY GIRLS
other clean options:
save 10% w/ code wendykathryn10
Ridiculously clean. This line has everything a curly girl could need, with a raving following to back it up.
Rahua has a tried and true Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner, hair masks, curl control ceam and nourishing oils.
If Bouceleme or Rahua leave your hair feeling weighed down or have hard water, Innersense might be a better fit. They have all the curly hair goodness, but have more cleansing power.
Clean, luxury haircare that will leave your curls shiny and bouncy, without the toxins.
Notice a theme yet? I LOVE this line. This hair spray uses sugarcane extracts and offers definition and a firm, yet malleable, long-lasting hold without stickiness. It leaves hair nourished, brushable, and frizz free with a great hold.
Rahua Defining Spray
HAIR STYLING PRODUCTS
other clean options:
SHOP ALL RAHUA STYLING PRODUCTS
What sets this apart is that the organic rosemary and horsetail is regeneratively grown and spends 6+ weeks in an organic argan oil infusion. No other product on the market has that level of purity and quality. It’s the perfect hair growth serum for my hair oiling nights and also great on fly aways.
Willow Moon Rosemary Hair Growth Serum
SCALP & HAIR GROWTH OILS
other clean options:
Act + Acre Scalp Detox & Stem Cell Peptide Treatment
Yarok Feed Your Youth Hair Serum & Feed Your Sunshine Hair Repair Serum
note: only the Vegamour, Kitch & Act + Acre serums are clean, there other hair products are not clean.
The first time I used this hair mask and washed my hair, I was SHOOK. It is hands down the best mask I've ever used for my super fine, but have a ton of it, on the dryer side, straight hair. Every strand was so soft and moisturized. It's made with grass fed tallow, shea butter, castor oil, olive oil and hair loving essential oils (regeneratively and organically grown) Lavender, Frankincense, Ylang-Ylang & Rosemary. Peppermint
Desert Tallow Co. Hair Mask
HAIR MASKS & TREATMENTS
other clean options:
This 3-in-1 Hair Repair is full of aloe leaf juice to condition hair and shea oil for it’s fatty acids and vitamins that help hydrate and lock in moisture in the hair. For heat protection, it has grapeseed oil for it’s high smoke point (420 degrees), mango seed butter to seal in moisture, reduce breakage, and strengthen hair follicles and argan kernal oil for the fatty acids that nourish and protect hair follicles.
Plaine Products Hair Repair
DETANGLERS, LEAVE INS & HEAT PROTECTANTS
other clean options:
Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner & Heat Prep
Simple ingredients that work in a convenient non aerosol pump. Made with Bentonite Clay, Organic Arrowroot, Baking Soda, Organic Cacao, Organic Essential Oil Blend
Just Ingredients Organic Dry Shampoo
Dry Shampoo
other clean options:
Filterbaby released it's Titanium version and it's everything I have ever wanted in a shower filter. While many shower filters lose significant effectiveness within a month, the Filterbaby Titanium Pro is lab-certified to maintain up to 95% optimal filtration for a full 3 months. It removes up to 99.9% of chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals like lead and mercury AND specifically targets hard water minerals.
Filterbaby Titanium ($112)
Shower filters
Other chlorine removal options:
canopy shower filter or hand held ($150)
best for softening
best chlorine / heavy metal removal
get FILTERBABY on amazon
BEST FOR BATH TUBS
Eskiin ($149) gives you the best water pressure
