The amount of plastic-free waste shampoo and conditioner has exploded over the last few years—kind of like those little plastic shampoo bottles in your suitcase when you travel…
Which is great because many of us are so conditioned (pun fully intended) to see hair care as liquid in a plastic bottle that inevitably…ends up in a landfill.
Switching to sustainable hair products is fantastic from an ethical perspective, but is it enough from an environmental one?
It’s time to embrace zero waste shampoo, because when it comes to shampoo, plastic bottles are so last decade.
Thanks to our new Brand Rating System, we’ll be refreshing these articles in the coming months by working up a low-impact lather to clear the grime and figure out which brands are best for our scalp and the planet. To learn more about this new system, take a look at our explainer here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
The Best Zero Waste Shampoos & Conditioner For Responsibly Clean Roots
Ethique’s shampoo and conditioner bars don’t just keep plastic out of your shower, but other petrochemicals, too, like sulfates, parabens, and phthalates.
For those who love liquids, Plaine Products is just the plaine superior among refillable shampoo companies thanks to an innovative shampoo and conditioner refill service.
Everist puts a new take on sustainable aluminum shampoo bottles with their concentrated metal tubes of zero waste conditioner and shampoo.
Index: Zero Waste Shampoo & Conditioner Brands
- Ethique Jump to brand
- Everist Jump to brand
- etee Jump to brand
- EcoRoots Jump to brand
- Suds & Eco Jump to brand
- Byhumankind Jump to brand
- Plaine Products Jump to brand
- Butter Me Up Organics Jump to brand
- Battle Green Jump to brand
- Katie Mae Naturals Jump to brand
- NaturisticBath Jump to brand
Ethique
Ethique’s Shampoo Bars and Conditioners
(Shampoo) bar none, Ethique makes some of the best zero waste shampoo and conditioner bars around, being palm oil-free, vegan, natural, and cruelty-free.
We LOVE bars because they can be securely wrapped in recyclable paper or not wrapped at all. If you travel a lot, say goodbye to TSA liquid restrictions, because bars are a breeze at the airport.
You can also get specific dandruff shampoo or those for curly hair, oily hair, dry hair, and frizzy hair—in the case of the delectably coconut scented Frizz Wrangler™. They’re also more concentrated than regular products. Their conditioning Wonderbar, for instance, is the equivalent of five bottles of conditioner.
About Ethique
Ethique originates from New Zealand, but thankfully, their products are available to you wherever you are in the world. As is the rest of their plastic-free range, from skin care to cruelty free deodorants.
They’re not only certified cruelty-free and vegan, but also palm oil-free and packaged in biodegradable wraps or tubes. Ethique is a Certified B Corp, certified climate-neutral, and donates the higher amount of 2% of revenue or 20% of profit to charity.
Everist
Everist’s Liquid Shampoo
Did you know most shampoos are over 70% water?
There’s enough of that in the shower, so Everist decided to say heck no to H2O with their waterless formulas. Being 3x concentrated equates to a whole bottle of sustainable conditioner or shampoo that can fit in a small, recyclable aluminum tube, soon to be made from 100% recycled aluminum, too.
Only the caps are plastic, which can be returned to the brand for recycling via their CapBack program. Once you collect 10, email them for a free shipping label, and mail it off.
The plant-based ingredients—like aloe vera, alma extract, and essential oils—won’t strip your scalp’s natural oils and will stimulate hair with phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals. They’re color-safe, cruelty-free, and palm oil free.
About Everist
Female-founded Everist is here for the “eco-optimists and the blue sky thinkers”. Nothing in their award-winning range contains parabens, sulfates, silicone, dyes, or synthetic fragrances and preservatives. If you have questions about any ingredients and what they’re used for, check out their transparent ingredient glossary.
Shipping materials include 100% recyclable and recyclable or compostable boxes with paper tape—all products in North America.
A member of 1% for the Planet and Climate Neutral certified (through which they support biodiversity projects), they prioritize a localized supply chain, most of which is within a 70-mile radius. They’re also active supporters of Plastic Bank.
etee
etee’s Shampoo Bars
You can keep it simple with etee’s plant-based, color-safe, and zero waste shampoo and conditioner bars.
Scented with a variety of essential oils coupled with foamy properties through non-SLS-means, these long-lasting bars provide a clean, moisturized scalp with no animal testing or byproducts.
While all products are free of SLS, the conditioner bars contain other sulfates, except their Nudiepants Bar which is free of everything, including fragrance and parabens. None are palm oil free as they contain several palm-derived ingredients depending on suppliers. They’re also not mineral-free, containing mica, iron oxide, and titanium dioxide.
About etee
Just like their zero waste dish soap, etee brings safe-tee to the world of home and personal care products. Starting with original beeswax wraps and extending through their now wildly varied line of natural products, they’re committed to being 100% plastic-free and helping you do the same.
Products are made using renewable energy in Toronto, and etee donates profits from certain items to charities such as Hue Man Race.
EcoRoots
EcoRoots’ Shampoo Bars
Compact in size, EcoRoots‘ bars promise to clean and soften your hair without stripping away its natural oils. Handmade of mostly coconut oil and cocoa butter, these bars also contain a variety of other nourishing plant oils (sans palm oil) and Pro-Vitamin Complex for shine and strength.
They’re vegan, cruelty-free, sulfate-free, silicone-free, and paraben-free.
And you’ll get a good ~50 washes out of them. If you wash your hair every few days (as recommended), two bars will last you almost a year.
About EcoRoots
Colorado-based EcoRoots offers sorts of ethically sourced products for the home, kitchen, and bathroom. All the beauty and personal care products are packaged responsibly, mostly palm oil-free, SLS-free, and vegan.
If you’re just starting your low-waste journey, build your zero waste kit with them to ensure you get it in recycled and biodegradable materials like compostable cornstarch packing peanuts.
Suds & Eco
Suds & Eco’s Shampoo & Conditioner Bars
Suds & Eco brings us waste-free shampoo bars and conditioner bars around in scents sure to bring some extra joy to your soothing shower.
We love the Driftwood scent for something soft and earthy, while the Maui Melon brings some invigorating, tropical aromatherapy to shower time, If you’re sensitive to smells, their Simply Unscented option is just for you.
No matter which you choose, you’re getting a bar that’s absent animal testing, silicone, parabens, fillers, preservatives, and palm oil. Each palm-sized bar replaces 2–3 bottles of liquid shampoo and is handmade in the USA.
While the bars themselves are not a product of their in-house ZWS Essentials, you can bundle them with other ZWS made products in the Zero Waste Hair Care Mini Kit. It includes a soap saver lather bag and soap dish with bamboo drainage slats to keep your conditioner in tip-top condition.
About Suds & Ec0
Suds & Co offers totally non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free, and palm oil free products.
A partner of ZeroWasteStore.com, you’re also shopping Climate Neutral and help support the environment, not just through waste-free packaging, but through ZWS’s donations via 1% for the Planet.
Byhumankind
by Humankind’s Shampoo Bottles & Bars
by Humankind‘s recycled paper-wrapped solid shampoo bars are designed to preserve your hair’s natural oils and cold-processed manufacturing helps them retain glycerin to moderate skin pH.
Enriched with vitamins and natural amino acids, each by Humankind shampoo bar is suitable for all hair types, but they recommend those with colored hair to check with your stylist before using.
They also offer a plastic-free liquid shampoo and conditioner that’s palm oil-free, sulfate-free, silicone-free, and vegan ingredients to hydrate and reduce breakage. These come in a recyclable aluminum bottle. Just don’t forget to transfer the plastic pump to your next one!
Regardless of your choice, the essential oils will leave your hair smelling like grapefruit, eucalyptus, citrus lavender, lemongrass, or peppermint—which is excellent for curls, by the way.
About by Humankind
Combining mostly plant-based, scientifically-proven ingredients with compostable, refillable, or recyclable packaging, by Humankind aim to keep their impact small. That’s made smaller still by offsetting 100% of their carbon footprint through reforestation projects and allowing customers to offset their plastic consumption through Plastic Bank.
Products are ethically made in the US, UK, or China.
Plaine Products
Plaine Products’ Refillable Shampoo & Conditioner Bottles
If you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to traditional liquid shampoo and conditioner, Plaine Products offers refillable shampoos and conditioners in 100% recyclable and aluminum bottles (travel sizes included).
Here’s how it works: For your first order, you’ll receive liquid shampoo in an aluminum bottle with a pump in a custom-fit 100% recycled box (no packing peanuts, Styrofoam, or airbags). Once empty, order a refill and be sure to select “no pump”. When your refill arrives, switch over the pump, and send the empty bottles back in the same box to be scrubbed, sanitized, and sent to someone else.
If you choose not to refill your shampoo bottles, recycling the aluminum bottles requires less energy than the original production.
About Plaine Products
Plaine Products is a sister-owned company, founded by Lindsey and Alison Delaplaine. They specialize in made-in-the-USA, vegan, cruelty-free, palm oil free, chemical-free, biodegradable, and all-around eco-friendly bathroom products.
Not only do the sisters personally test all products on themselves and their families, but they also run every ingredient through the Environmental Working Group database to ensure they’re non-toxic.
They’re also a Certified B Corp, carbon-neutral, and members of the Plastic Pollution Coalition and 1% For the Planet.
Butter Me Up Organics
Butter Me Up Organics’ Shampoo Alternatives
If hair care is a journey, Butter Me Up Organics can help you reach your destination.
If you’re going the no ‘poo route, their Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioning Rinse is a minimalist, zero waste deep conditioner that can help remove mineral buildup on hair (ideal for hard water).
For the conventional, they offer a daily shampoo, plastic-free dry shampoo, and a shampoo bar. It looks like a chocolate bar, smells like a chocolate bar, and given it’s made with food-grade ingredients, you could actually eat it like a chocolate bar (although we wouldn’t recommend it).
About Butter Me Up Organics
Butter Me Up Organics makes body, hair, and home care products so good they can be eaten. They even have organic baby products including zero waste baby shampoo.
The California-based company chooses non-GMO, organic, fair trade, locally-sourced (when possible), and cruelty-free ingredients and never uses synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, sulfates, phthalates, palm oil, or parabens. You’ll find many vegan products (no waste shampoo and conditioner included), but some products contain organic beeswax or milk.
This company buys in bulk and ships the tin or glass containers in recycled/recyclable packaging, though the caps are sometimes still plastic.
Battle Green
Battle Green’s Shampoo Bars
Battle Green offers zero waste shampoo for the discerning UK shopper. Small but mighty, these bars are designed to last for about 80 washes (replacing 2-3 shampoo bottles!).
They come in three available scents, including citrus, mint, and lavender tea tree. With coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and olive oil as the principal base for each, these shampoos use oil-based cleansing properties to ensure your scalp maintains its own natural oils.
Each is PETA-certified vegan, cruelty-free, SLS/SLES-free, palm oil-free, and paraben-free. Plus, on each product page, they list every ingredient and the ‘sub-ingredients’ in each essential oil. Puts a new spin on “clarifying shampoo”.
About Battle Green
From the snowy mountains of Wale, Battle Green has been slowly expanding its line of personal care products. In addition to zero waste deodorant, they also make bamboo cotton ear swabs, reusable menstrual pads, and more.
Every product is handmade in small batches and mailed using biodegradable, plastic-free packing materials.
Battle Green gives back by being active members of the Surfers Against Sewage 250 club, through which they volunteer and fund local beach clean-ups.
Katie Mae Naturals
Katie Mae Naturals’ Shampoo Bars
For those who prefer to wash hair on a less regular basis, (to preserve natural oils, save water or just live more sustainably), try Katie Mae Naturals‘ dry shampoo. It’s packaged in a reusable/recyclable glass container and is made using arrowroot powder, kaolin clay, organic cocoa powder, non-GMO corn starch, and essential oils.
When you do need a full scalp scrub, check out their shampoo bars in either rosemary mint or citrus sage.
Neither contain animal byproducts, parabens, phthalates, chemical preservatives, synthetic dyes, or fragrances.
About Katie Mae Naturals
Katie Mae Naturals wants to give women an alternative to exposing their bodies to over 160 chemicals per day. That’s why their zero waste sunscreen and more are cruelty-free, palm oil-free, and contains no pre-made bases, fillers, preservatives, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, dyes, or synthetic fragrances. Some products contain beeswax and are thus not vegan-friendly.
Katie Mae and her husband Johnny handcraft every product on their 100-acre family farm, using herbs from their own garden. Suffice it to say that local sourcing is a priority, using Fair Trade suppliers when it’s not possible.
Katie Mae isn’t 100% zero waste; they reuse plastic materials to ship if they or their friends received it in the mail. Drop a note and they’ll intentionally omit any plastic.
NaturisticBath
NaturisticBath’s Shampoo
NaturisticBath’s concentrated shampoo and conditioner bars last as long as 2-3 bottles of traditional liquid. Instead of sulfates, phthalates, and parabens, you get plant oils, pro-vitamin B5, quinoa protein, and herbal extracts.
With pH 5-6, they’re balanced for most skin and hair types and come with delectable and fun names like Fresh Pear & Cashmere and Mermaid Vibes.
Or, for something a little more musty and understated to use as sustainable men’s shampoo, the Australian Sandalwood & Rose scent is on-point. They’re packaged in paper bags, but you can also add an aluminum travel tin and organza bag to properly hang-store the bars in between uses.
About NaturisticBath
NaturisticBath started the way many natural brands tend to: with harsh, chemical-laden traditional products causing problems. Creator Sandra couldn’t use most items found in stores, so she started creating her own soaps, moisturizers, deodorants, and other skincare products.
All are vegan and cruelty-free, and palm oil free, though other soaps contain RSPO-certified palm oil. No sulfates, silicones, parabens, and phthalates mean all her products are clean for the skin and no plastic packaging (outside reusable spray tops) means they’re clean for both your hair and the planet.
Zero Waste Conditioner
Many people find that by switching to organic shampoo bars, their hair receives enough moisture and nutrients it needs, eliminating the need for conditioner.
However, if you have extra long, fine hair, you may want to supplement with some zero waste conditioner bars or a conditioning rinse. Here’s a simple household one we really like:
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) cleanses your hair, removing any build-up or greasy residue left behind by your shampoo, while not completely stripping its own natural oils. This leaves your hair silky, smooth, and tangle-free.
ACV also improves overall follicle health, as it balances the pH of the hair and scalp, acts as an antibacterial agent, and balances scalp moisture. Say goodbye to greasy looking roots or dandruff!
Because ACV does not strip natural oils, your scalp will no longer need to overproduce oils to compensate, which is what usually occurs with commercial shampoos and conditioners. This means you can start going longer between washes, creating less waste, using less water, and spending less on shampoo bars.
Best of all, it’s SO EASY to make and use. Just dilute one tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar with one cup of water and pour over your hair or spray from a repurposed spray jar, then rinse out.
Some people like combining it with a few drops of tea tree oil or other herbs, which can depend on your hair type. For instance, if you have naturally oily hair, try adding sage. To steep dried herbs in AVC, add about two tablespoons of herbs to one quart of vinegar in a covered jar and set steep for two weeks. At the end of the steeping period, just strain out the herbs and dilute with the same ratio of ACV to water as above.
Apple cider vinegar’s smell doesn’t necessarily have the shower-clean scent, but once your hair dries, you won’t smell the vinegar at all.
If you’re lucky enough to have a bulk store near you, you might be able to find it sans plastic by refilling your containers. Otherwise, take a look at the many online bulk stores.
Otherwise, make it yourself by fermenting your own apple cores and scraps.
Jenny is a UK-based sustainability writer and tea-drinker extraordinaire who has a Masters in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Her travels have taken her to organic permaculture farms in the UK and Nepal but you’ll mostly find her working on the veg patch with a garden fork in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Jenny writes for ethical brands and purpose-powered publications on a broad range of sustainable living and conscious consumerism topics. She is passionate about organic and regenerative farming, nature reconnection, and the small things we can do each day to better care for our planet.
The list missed out powder-to-foam shampoo options too which in my opinion is easier to use and travel with. And 1 bottle last SO MUCH longer than soap bars.
I use *THE POWDER SHAMPOO* from the http://www.thepowdershampoo.com
there are others out there which are great eco options.
Hi,
I just looked into Ecoroots shampoo and conditioner bars. All of the colorful bars (with the exception of mint and unscented which are white) use dyes to create those colors, not flowers
Hi Carmen, really appreciate you calling that out. I have updated the article and linked to their unscented bar instead. Much appreciated!
Which of these are also biodegradable? TIA
Hi Mardi, these should all be biodegradeable as they don’t contain any toxic ingredients but if you’re concerned please do check with the brand directly.
I love this! My favorites are Poofy Organics and Earthley. If you haven’t looked into them you I would love to hear your thoughts once you do!
Hi! Have you looked into Prose custom shampoos and conditioners? Any thoughts/ideas about them. I have frizzy dry hair and need a good shampoo and conditioner to maintain the mane. So far Briogeo was working wonders but they don’t have sustainable options.
Hi Nikki, afraid not, haven’t come across Prose yet!
A lot of the products you mentioned include coconut products – do you know which of those are harvested sustainably? Coconut plantations are …. Not great.
Also, I feel the need to point out that the Dead Sea is in serious trouble right now – it’s shrunk by a large magnitude over the past decade – and that part of the problem is cosmetics/cleansing products made with Dead Sea components. There IS an ecosystem around it, despite its name, and that ecosystem is suffering as water sources deplete.
Being ecofriendly is even harder when you’re trying to be moral and truly sustainable, too!
Hi Puck, thanks for raising this. At this stage we haven’t looked into the ethics of either coconut plantations or dead sea. Agree it’s very hard to fully vet all ingredients to meet our moral and sustainable standards but we will keep trying to raise the bar on what we include, thanks for challenging us to do better!
This is such a great post! I fell in love with Beba Botanica! They have such great sustainable products that give back to the community! I will be adding a few of these companies to my shopping list!
I am using Hibar moisturizing shampoo and conditioner bars, but didn’t see them on your list. I am wondering if you’ve looked into them yet.
Also, any recommendations for a plastic free frizz/curl treatment? I have naturally wavy/curly hair and conditioner isn’t enough to control the frizz, but I don’t want a heavy product that will weigh it down. Thanks!
Thanks Nicole! Haven’t looked into Hibar yet, thanks for the tip – what do you think of them? On the Frizz point, no I haven’t really found a solution to this yet – I have the same problem. I’ve been experimenting with different oils without success yet! Will be looking to try some different options and we’ll try do a post on the topic when I figure it out! Let me know if you find any great solutions!
Hi Nicole and Joy,
For my curly hair, I mix oil w/ food grade aloe vera gel that I keep in the refrigerator. You can find aloe vera gel in glass containers and larger volumes than typical hair gels but it’s not a zero waste solution.
Oh interesting thanks for the tip Jen! Is your hair left feeling a little oily or does the aloe somehow help with that? What oil do you use?
I just learned about EC30, which does totally plastic free and water free hair and home care products. I’m hoping someone wi test it before I buy in
Sounds very interesting, we’ll add it to our list to look into, thanks!
Hi
Do you know of any good courses where you can learn to make your own solid shampoo and conditioner.
Many thanks
Hi Louise, thanks for the comment, afraid I don’t off the top of my head but I’m sure they must exist!