What are the best biodegradable shampoos? (5 options)

This article will explore some of the best biodegradable shampoos. Other covered topics would include:

What are some of the best biodegradable shampoos?
What is meant by the biodegradability of shampoos?
What ingredients should never be used in a shampoo?
How should the packaging of the best shampoos be?
What should be the qualities of the best biodegradable shampoos?
What are some examples?
FAQs

What are the best biodegradable shampoos?

The best biodegradable shampoos should be made from natural and biodegradable materials and should avoid chemicals such as sulphates, parabens et cetera. Here is a list of some of the best shampoos available:

Sea to Summit shampoo
Dr Bronner’s Pure Castile shampoo
Campsuds shampoo
Not your mother’s clean freak shampoo
The honest company shampoo

The best biodegradable shampoos should also come in biodegradable and compostable packaging and plastic packaging should be avoided. However, if it is not possible, then the packaging should at least be recyclable so that the degradative effects of plastics could be delayed.

Other than that, the best biodegradable shampoos should also not compromise on quality in any way. They should offer utilitarian benefits such as scalp and hair cleaning, moisturisation, effective against dandruff, and removal of the greasy oil from the scalp.

What are some brands of the best biodegradable shampoos?

After covering the qualities and ingredients of the best biodegradable shampoos, let us also consider some of the options available in the marketplace. Here is a list of some of the best shampoos available:

Sea to Summit shampoo
Dr Bronner’s Pure Castile shampoo
Campsuds
Not your mother’s clean freak
The honest company shampoo

All these options tend to adhere to the majority of the traits discussed that could be for good shampoos. As regards the downside, there could be one. And that is the price.

It is generally seen that biodegradable and eco-friendly shampoos are more expensive than their chemical counterparts. However, it is expected that this downside will also be addressed in the years to come.

However, all of these avoid the use of harmful chemicals and come in recyclable packaging mostly. The production processes of many of these are also tried to be made clean and green by the use of green energy and a greener mindset. Let us get into the details of the options available.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile shampoo

This option is claimed to be eco-friendly and probably one of the best options available. It is claimed to be completely biodegradable as it is made from natural ingredients.

Furthermore, the bottles of Dr. Bronner’s pure Castile shampoo is made from recycled plastics which also adds into another eco-friendly opinion. Some of the key features that make this candidate eco-friendly are:

Made from PCR materials
Vegetable-based
Biodegradable
Chemical-free
Vegan
Multipurpose (can be used for 18 different purposes)

If you were to choose one from the list, then it would be Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile shampoo since not only is it biodegradable, it also is multi-purpose and requires less use of water. Thus, it also plays its part in water conservation.

Sea to Summit shampoo

The first in the line is the Sea to Summit shampoo. This shampoo is primarily made from natural ingredients and avoids the use of harmful materials such as phosphates. It is also claimed to be paraben-free.

Sea to Summit shampoo is suitable for travelling as it complies with airlines’ travel related regulations. In short, some of the key features that make Sea to Summit a good option include:

Biodegradable
Paraben-free
Phosphate-free
Made from natural ingredients

If travelling is your thing, then your preference needs to be inclined towards Sea to Summit shampoo.

Campsuds shampoo

This option is also similar to the candidates explained above. Campsuds is made from natural materials such as:

Vegetable-based ingredients
Water
Natural fragrance oils

There is no use of harmful chemicals such as parabens or phosphates. The packaging of campsuds is also tried to be made analogous to being eco-friendly. However, it was claimed that the cleaning efficiency of campsuds was not that significant as compared to Dr. Bronner’s shampoo.

Not your mother’s clean freak

Not your mother’s clean freak is yet another potential candidate among the list of the best biodegradable shampoo. One contemporary advantage that it offers is that it is wash-free. This means that by using this one, there will be a guaranteed conservation of water.

Other key advantages of using the above mentioned shampoo include:

Cruelty-free
gluten-free
Vegan
Chemical-free (silicone, paraben, and phthalate)
Biodegradable
Waterless wash

The honest company shampoo

The key ingredients used in the Honest company shampoo include:

Nourishing oils
Orange peel extract
Jojoba proteins

The selection of these natural materials make the product biodegradable and eco-friendly as well. Needless to say, there is no use of chemicals such as phthalates or parabens.

However, the bottle of the Honest company shampoo is made from HDPE and PET plastic, which however, is Post Consumer Recycled. This adds into another advantage given off by the Honest Company Shampoo.

Another advantage that is offered by this shampoo is that it doubles as a body wash. This reduces the amount of plastic bottles to deal with.

What should be the qualities of the best biodegradable shampoos?

It is an established fact that the concern should not be only about the environment but also about the utility. After all, if the product is not impressive enough in terms of utility, people will not buy it regardless of how eco-friendly or sustainable it is.

Therefore, although we have built a stance on the environmental qualities that should be present in a good shampoo. Let us also talk and discuss what utilitarian features should be offered by good shampoos.

The benefits of shampoo should include:

Maintenance of pH of hair
Improvement of condition
Stimulation of growth
Colour protection
Moisturising the scalp

These are some of the benefits that the best biodegradable shampoo should ensure other than being eco-friendly or sustainable.

It is commonly wondered if is it possible to safeguard all these benefits by only using natural ingredients. The fact of the matter is that it definitely is. There are countless studies that have proven that the natural or herbal alternative of any product is much better than its chemical counterpart in terms of both the environment and utility.

What are the qualities of a good shampoo? (5 qualities)

If we look at the environmental impact of different chemicals discussed earlier, we can be sure that these are not to be included in a shampoo but here are some qualities of a good shampoo.

It is made using natural substances such as honey, olive oil etc.
All of its ingredients are biodegradable
Its packaging is biodegradable or at least recyclable.
It should not contain parabens, sulphates, silicones etc.
It should be reef-safe and eco-friendly.

Therefore, the next time you plan on buying your next shampoo, be sure to factor in these points so that you may benefit not only your hair and scalp but also your environment.

What ingredients should never be used in a shampoo?

If you are stuck with difficult ingredients on the label and can’t spend the time understanding all the ingredients and their environmental impact then the following list will make your day easier. This is the list of ingredients that should definitely not be in a shampoo:

Parabens. Can be easily identified as ending with -paraben e.g. methylparaben. Known to be harmful to corals
Phthalates. Ending with -phthalates e.g. diethyl phthalates. Known to be toxic to humans and animals
Sulphates. Ending with sulphate e.g. sodium laureth sulphate. Known to be contributors to acid rain.
“Artificial fragrances” are often listed on the ingredients which are normally made of 10-20 different chemicals and have a high environmental impact and should be avoided at all costs.

How should the packaging of the best shampoos be?

Packaging is yet another very important factor that needs to be addressed and given due assertion. This is mainly because every consumer product needs to be packed so that its inner contents may be saved from external damage.

However, the problem is that many producers and manufacturers rely on plastic packaging. It is good from the aspects of utility, but from the aspects of the environment.

It already has been asserted that plastic packaging is made from synthetic polymers. These polymers are made and derived from the derivatives of fossil fuels. Therefore, there are a number of degradative effects on the people and the planet. These effects include:

Global warming
Greenhouse effect
Weather changes
Melting of glaciers
Rising sea levels
Deforestation
Acid rain
Ozone depletion
Pollution

Therefore, it is recommended that the packaging of the best shampoos should not be made from plastics. It is bad for the people and bad for the planet. The first preference is biodegradable packaging made from natural materials such as cardboard, bioplastics et cetera.

If the packaging can not be biodegradable, it should at least be recyclable so that the degradative effects of plastic packaging could be avoided.

Another associated concept is the innovation of reusable bottles. Biodegradable shampoos should also offer the option of refillable bottles where the consumers may have the access to have their bottles refilled with provided incentives.

This would encourage decreased production of bottles, decreased use of non-renewable resources, better LCA of the overall product, and decreased carbon footprint.

Conclusion

It is concluded that the best biodegradable shampoos should be made from natural and biodegradable materials and should avoid chemicals such as sulphates, parabens et cetera.

Frequently Asked Questions: What are the best biodegradable shampoos?

How often should one shampoo his hair?

It depends on the type of hair and how oily a person’s hair is. If a person has oily skin, he should use shampoo after every two days. Otherwise, one might use shampoo after 3-4 days.

What are some ingredients used in natural shampoos?

Natural and biodegradable shampoos are made from ingredients such as shea butter, cocoa butter, honey, beeswax, royal jelly et cetera.

Should biodegradable shampoos be paraben-free?

Yes, biodegradable shampoos should be paraben and sulphate free.

References

What ingredients to avoid in a shampoo? Retrieved from https://theearthlingco.com/blogs/news/what-ingredients-to-avoid-in-shampoo

Sustainable production and packaging. Retrieved from https://aussiehair.com/our-story/aussie-reef/sustainable-production-and-packaging/

Beale, Alex. (October 17, 2021). 5 best biodegradable shampoos. Retrieved from: https://www.99boulders.com/best-biodegradable-shampoos

Tokiwa, Y., Calabia, B. P., Ugwu, C. U., & Aiba, S. (2009). Biodegradability of plastics. International journal of molecular sciences, 10(9), 3722-3742.

de Bertoldi, M. D., Vallini, G. E., & Pera, A. (1983). The biology of composting: a review. Waste Management & Research, 1(2), 157-176.