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Lowest-Rated Shampoo | Reviews and Ingredients

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Worst Shampoo

You put a lot of stuff in your hair—shampoo, conditioner, gel, and maybe some added color. The good news is that hair care products are made mostly of water, about which we have nothing bad to say. The bad news is that the chemical ingredients that actually do the work—chemical detergents, dyes, fragrances, and conditioners—aren’t always safe for you or good for the environment. Dyes and colors often come with ingredient lists that are 60 or 70 chemicals long and can include toxics like P-Phenylenediamine, resorcinol, eugenol, and ethanolamine. (more)

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Worst Shampoo

Ecco Bella Vanilla Shampoo
Ecco Bella Vanilla Shampoo
  • $10.95
  • User Rating:
    Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_half_small Star_empty_small
3.9
Nature's Gate Awapuhi Volumizing Shampoo
Nature's Gate Awapuhi Volumizing Shampoo
  • $6.29
  • User Rating:
    Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small
4.1
Selsun Blue 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner In One
Selsun Blue 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner In One
4.4
Nexxus Botanoil Botanical Treatment Shampoo
Nexxus Botanoil Botanical Treatment Shampoo
  • $8.25
  • User Rating:
    Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small
4.5
Suave Naturals Shampoo, Passion Flower
Suave Naturals Shampoo, Passion Flower
  • $3.49
4.7
Osco Every Day Shampoo Plus Conditioner, Normal Hair
Osco Every Day Shampoo Plus Conditioner, Normal Hair
4.8
Motions After Shampoo Moisture Plus Conditioner
Motions After Shampoo Moisture Plus Conditioner
  • $5.67
4.8
Denorex Medicated Shampoo, Extra Strength
Denorex Medicated Shampoo, Extra Strength
5.0
VO5 Split Ends Treatment Shampoo
VO5 Split Ends Treatment Shampoo
  • $3.74
5.0
TRESemme Hydrology Gentle Moisture Shampoo For Colored Hair
TRESemme Hydrology Gentle Moisture Shampoo For Color...
5.0
St. Ives Swiss Formula Papaya Plus, Shampoo Plus Conditioner For Normal Hair
St. Ives Swiss Formula Papaya Plus, Shampoo Plus Con...
5.0
Alberto VO5 Smoothing Hair Shampoo For Silky Experiences, Lavender Luster
Alberto VO5 Smoothing Hair Shampoo For Silky Experie...
  • $3.74
  • User Rating:
    Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small Star_full_small
5.0
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You can also find DMDM hydantoin, a form of formaldehyde that's a potential skin irritant and immune system toxicant.

A few shampoos and some conditioners use cleaners such as sodium laureth sulfate or octoxynol-40 that, depending on the way they are made, can introduce contamination into the product, with the impurities taking the form of irritant, carcinogenic chemicals like ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. Sodium lauryl sulfate, a close relative of sodium laureth sulfate, is a strong skin irritant, and there is considerable controversy over its other potential health effects.

That’s not all: Most shampoos and conditioners incorporate a combination of chemicals labeled only as the ingredient “fragrance”. The exact mixture is considered a trade secret, so companies don’t have to say what’s in their fragrances. But, fragrances can often be allergy concerns or contain toxic chemicals like phthalates.

Common cleaning and foaming agents in shampoos are ammonium lauryl sulfate and ammonium laureth sulfate, which are eco-toxic ingredients. In shampoos, ammonium derivatives are the most energy-intensive ingredients to make, and since the manufacturing of ingredients has the greatest environmental impact (about 60 percent of the overall impact, compared to only about 15 percent in making the plastic bottle), it’s more environmentally friendly to look for shampoos without ammonium ingredients.

You can use GoodGuide hair care ratings to find safe, healthy products without toxic ingredients, or browse our reviews for products with high health and environment ratings. You can also look through our social data for no-animal-testing seals of approval from PETA and Leaping Bunny.