Our Top Picks of 2024
- Best Overall: Avalon Organics Medicated Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
- Best on a Budget: The Organic Forest Onion, Neem, & Black Seed Oil Shampoo
- Best Splurge: OM Botanical Sulfate Free Organic Shampoo
- Best Shampoo Bar: SoapFactory Dandruff Shampoo Bar
- Best Men’s Dandruff Shampoo: Brickell Men’s Products Relieving Dandruff Shampoo
- Best Unscented Shampoo: Carina Organics Unscented Dandruff Flake Removal Shampoo
- Best for Sensitive Skin: Era Organics Hair + Scalp Therapy
Best Overall: Avalon Organics Medicated Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
Key Specs
- NSF-certified
- Medicated
- Organic ingredients
- Cruelty-free
- Vegan
- GMO-free
What We Love About It
Avalon Organics Medicated Anti-Dandruff Shampoo wins the award for the best overall organic dandruff shampoo because it delivers everything you need to fight flakes and scalp dryness at an affordable price point. This medicated shampoo is also free from GMOs and is vegan and cruelty-free, making it a great choice for those who are extra-particular about their personal care products.
We love that this shampoo is NSF-certified. The NSF verifies good manufacturing practices for various cosmetic companies and also certifies organic personal care products. Avalon Organics has gone the extra mile to ensure their product is safe and effective, and we applaud them for that! That’s why they won the top spot on our list.
Best on a Budget: The Organic Forest Onion, Neem, & Black Seed Oil Shampoo
Key Specs
- Vegan
- No chemicals
- Dermatologist tested
What We Love About It
The idea of onion being used in your shampoo might seem strange at first. Did you know, though, that onions have long been used as a remedy for dandruff and scalp itchiness? If you’re not interested in making your own onion treatment at home, no worries. The Organic Forest has done the heavy lifting for you and created a high-quality shampoo featuring onion, neem, and black seed oil.
This shampoo is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to fight their dandruff naturally. It is designed to balance the pH of your scalp and prevent dryness, itchiness, and flakes. It’s also 100% plant-based and made without any harmful ingredients, such as synthetic fragrances, phthalates, triclosan, formaldehyde, polyethylene glycol, and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).
Best Splurge: OM Botanical Sulfate Free Organic Shampoo
Key Specs
- Low-foam
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Color safe
What We Love About It
Did you know that foaming shampoos sometimes contain ingredients that make scalp dryness and dandruff worse? That’s why OM Botanicals offers a low-foaming option that is free from sulfates and silicones and is safe for color-treated hair. Instead of harmful ingredients, it uses a combination of ayurvedic herbs, including soapnut, shikakai, and fenugreek, to strengthen the hair follicle, nourish your scalp, and combat dryness and flakiness.
We love the clean ingredient list on this shampoo bottle, as well as the fact that it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. It may be a bit of a splurge for some, but with this guarantee, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll get your money back if it doesn’t work for you!
Best Shampoo Bar: SoapFactory Detox Shampoo Bar
Key Specs
- 100% natural
- Ecocert-certified
- Creamy texture
- Vegan
What We Love About It
Who says great shampoo has to come in a bottle? If you prefer a more eco-friendly shampoo, we recommend checking out SoapFactory’s Detox Shampoo Bar. This shampoo bar is designed for those with dandruff as well as those with oily hair who are prone to scalp buildup. It contains activated charcoal to regulate oil production, soothe itchiness, and gently cleanse your scalp.
We love the creamy texture of this shampoo and its incredible scent, but that’s not all it has to offer. We also appreciate that it is organic-certified by Ecocert Greenlife, giving users peace of mind that they’re using a high-quality, good-for-them product. It’s an eco-friendly option, too, because it doesn’t come in a plastic bottle that will eventually end up in a landfill.
Best Men’s Dandruff Shampoo: Brickell Men’s Products Relieving Dandruff Shampoo
Key Specs
- All-natural
- Certified organic
- Gentle formula
What We Love About It
Brickell Men’s Products has got the market covered when it comes to organic, all-natural men’s personal care products. They even offer a dandruff-fighting shampoo that calms a dry, irritated scalp and reduces flakes. It also gently cleanses the hair and scalp without stripping away natural moisture.
This shampoo features a blend of powerful, natural ingredients, including jojoba oil, aloe vera, and zizyphus joazeiro extract (Zizyphus joazeiro is a Brazilian plant that also has antibacterial properties). This combination does an excellent job of hydrating and nourishing the scalp to combat existing dryness and prevent dandruff from developing in the future.
Best Unscented Shampoo: Carina Organics Unscented Dandruff Flake Removal Shampoo
Key Specs
- Certified organic
- Hypoallergenic
- Cruelty-free
- 100% biodegradable
- Paraben-free
What We Love About It
Carina Organics Unscented Dandruff Flake Removal Shampoo is an excellent choice for men and women who want to say goodbye to dandruff and don’t want to be weighed down by overpowering scents. We love that it features a blend of certified organic ingredients, including plant, flower, and tree extracts.
One of our favorite features of this shampoo, besides its efficacy at fighting dandruff, is that it’s 100% biodegradable. Many shampoos, when they’re washed down the drain, end up polluting our waterways and harming plant and animal life. Carina Organics’ shampoo is different, though, and is safe for lakes and oceans.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Era Organics Shampoo for Dry Scalp
Key Specs
- Deeply moisturizing
- Hypoallergenic
- Cruelty-free
- Sulfate-free
- Paraben-free
What We Love About It
Many people with dandruff and dry scalps also struggle with sensitive skin. If you fall into that category, we recommend Era Organics Shampoo for Dry Scalp. This shampoo is made with manuka honey, as well as argan oil and aloe vera, and is meant to soothe the scalp while also cleansing it.
This shampoo is gentle enough for daily use and safe for the whole family, including children. It is also free from SLS, silicones, and parabens and is fragrance- and cruelty-free as well. We love that it works well for all hair types and is even safe for chemically and color-treated hair.
What We Are Looking For
How did we decide which non-toxic dandruff shampoo products made the list? We checked out a wide range of products and focused on the following factors to ensure we were picking the best ones and making the shopping process easier for our readers:
- Organic ingredients: We only wanted to share products made with all-natural, organic ingredients. We carefully reviewed each product label to ensure we were highlighting brands that care about what you put on your scalp.
- Exclusions: During our review, we also looked carefully to rule out any products that contain harsh or potentially irritating ingredients, such as parabens and sulfates.
- Efficacy: We know how frustrating dandruff and an itchy scalp can be. That’s why we paid special attention to reviews and ratings of each product and only chose those that have been well-received by users like you (and us).
- Price: Finally, we had to pay attention to price. We know that everyone is working with a different budget — so we picked products at various price points to find a good natural shampoo for dandruff that is accessible to everyone.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Phthalates Fact Sheet. https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html#:~:text=Phthalates%20are%20a%20group%20of,%2C%20shampoos%2C%20hair%20sprays).
- US Food and Drug Administration. 5 Things to Know About Triclosan. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/5-things-know-about-triclosan
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Formaldehyde. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/formaldehyde/default.html#:~:text=50%2D00%2D0,antiseptics%2C%20medicines%2C%20and%20cosmetics.
- Dabaja A, Dabaja A, Abbas M. Polyethylene Glycol. [Updated 2023 May 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557652/
- The University of Queensland. What Is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Is It Safe to Use? https://medicine.uq.edu.au/article/2019/12/what-sodium-lauryl-sulfate-and-it-safe-use
- Schühly, W., Heilmann, J., Calis, I., & Sticher, O. (1999). New triterpenoids with antibacterial activity from Zizyphus joazeiro. Planta medica, 65(8), 740–743. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-1999-14054
- American Chemical Society. (2010, April 8). Household detergents, shampoos may form harmful substance in waste water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 30, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100407110819.htm
