Best sulfate and silicone free shampoo and conditioner

The words 'sulphate free' can be found across so many shampoo bottles these days – but should you really be switching to a sulphate-free shampoo, or is this a case of beauty scaremongering?

What are sulphates?

Sulphates are common cleansing agents, or surfactants, used widely in personal care products. In shampoo, sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate are the ones you'll see on the back of the bottle most often. They work well to sweep away grime, oil and product build-up from the hair, and are also responsible for creating that luxurious lather.

These surfactants have been used widely for years, but recently we've seen a growing number of 'natural' alternatives hitting the shelves, and plenty of experts advising us to skip the sulphates in order to achieve healthier, stronger, shinier hair.

So, should we be making the switch to a sulphate-free shampoo? Actually, the answer depends largely on your hair type. It is indeed true that these chemicals can be bad news for some of us, due to their potential to irritate the scalp and strip our strands.

Will Fleeson, director of Trichology Scotland, suggests that anyone with a sensitive scalp or chemically treated hair should opt for sulphate-free products. "While sulphates remove our natural oils, they also remove our die pigment and keratin treatments, so for longer lasting results, sulphate-free shampoos are a great way to go."

People who wash their hair very frequently should also make the switch, he adds, as well as those who have very dry hair.

Even children should be using sulphate-free shampoo, he suggests. "With our children having more sensitive skin than ours, they can be more sensitised to these chemicals."

However, there is of course another side to the sulphate-free story. The main downside of using a sulphate-free shampoo is the lack of that satisfying lather – although today's best new launches do foam up a little, you won't get that television-advert style satisfaction. It's also true that a shampoo without sulphates may not cut it for those of us with especially thick or oily hair, as you'll miss their deep-cleansing powers.

Prima approved

Sulphate-free shampoos stamped with this logo have been tested by our panel of 510 beauty testers.

They trialled 39 different shampoos – and their matching conditioners – for a month, before judging each on how readily it lathered and how it affected their hair’s colour, look and feel.

In the lab, our experts applied artificial sebum to hair switches, before using a Sebumeter to measure how much oil each shampoo removed during cleaning.

Feel like giving one a go? See below for our pick of the best sulphate-free shampoos to suit every price point and hair type, as approved by our Prima lab and editors.

1

Best sulphate-free shampoo

Kerastase

Discipline Bain Fluidealiste

2

Best for a delicious scent

OGX boots.com

Coconut Milk Shampoo

3

Best for smoothing

Moroccanoil

Smoothing Shampoo

4

Best for thick, dry hair

Fable & Mane boots.com

HoliRoots Shampoo

5

Best for breakages

Noughty

Colour Bomb Colour Protecting Shampoo

6

Best for curls and coils

Shea Moisture

100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Shampoo

7

Best for bleached hair

Pureology

Hydrate Shampoo

8

Best for sensitive scalps

Malin + Goetz spacenk.com.uk

Gentle Hydrating Shampoo

9

Best for adding bounce

Bumble and Bumble

Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo

10

Best for fine, flat hair

OUAI lookfantastic.com

Fine Hair Shampoo

11

Best budget buy

L'Oréal Paris

Hair Expertise Pure Colour Enhancing Dazzling Coloured Hair & Volume Shampoo

12

Best for dry, frizzy hair

Herbal Essences Superdrug

Bio Renew Sulphate Free Shampoo

13

Best for thinning hair

Color WOW

Color Security Shampoo

14

Best for colour-treated hair

Aveda lookfantastic.com

Colour Conserve Shampoo

15

Best for dehydrated scalps

Percy & Reed

Time To Shine Colour Protect Shampoo

16

Best for softer hair

Matrix

Keep Me Vivid Colour Enhancing Shampoo for Coloured Hair

17

Best for oily scalps

Sukin

Natural Balance Shampoo

18

Best for soft, shiny hair

Shu Uemura Art of Hair lookfantastic.com

Art of Hair Colour Lustre Sulphate Free Shampoo

19

Best for those with dull hair

Liz Earle boots.com

Botanical Shine™ Shampoo

20

Best for irritated scalps

Briogeo cultbeauty.co.uk

Be Gentle, Be Kind Aloe + Oat Milk Shampoo

21

Best for fine, fragile or broken hair

KEVIN MURPHY

Angel Wash

Roberta Schroeder is Senior Beauty Ecommerce Editor at Hearst, overseeing shopping strategy and content for Bazaar, ELLE and Esquire.Prior to joining Hearst, Roberta consulted on a freelance basis for brands including Farfetch, Chanel and Vogue Global Network.

Is silicone free the same as sulfate

Silicone-free shampoos and sulfate-free shampoos serve two different purposes. Silicone-free shampoos, as described above, are less taxing on the environment and prevent silicone buildup in your hair. Sulfate-free shampoos are, simply put, shampoos formulated without sulfates.

What is the healthiest shampoo and conditioner brand?

List of Safe Shampoo and Conditioner Brands.
100% Pure..
SheaMoisture..
Hello Bello..
Clean Clean..
Kelsen..
Rahua..
Annmarie Skin Care..

Is sulfate and silicone the same thing?

Sulphates strip moisture from your hair and silicones don't allow moisture into the hair instead they cause product build up. Both aren't great for your hair and when it comes to That Good Hair Custom Hair Products we make sure that all of our hair products are Sulphate, Silicone, Fragrance, Paraben Free and More.

What is the least damaging shampoo?

Bonus: This sulfate-free shampoo is safe for color-treated and processed hair, so bleach blondes and permed curls alike can enjoy this pick..
Mielle Organics Babassu Conditioning Shampoo. ... .
Aveeno Oat Milk Blend Shampoo. ... .
Dove Hair Therapy Rescue & Protect Shampoo. ... .
Headquarters Cleansing Shampoo. ... .
Raincry Smoothing Shampoo..