14 best sulphate-free shampoos for a gentler clean, tested by 580 women

Score: 92/100

Heat styling, colouring and environmental aggressors can all have a negative impact on the molecular composition of hair, resulting in breakage, dullness and dryness. And once the damage is done, it can be hard to know how to nurse your locks back to life again.

Well, this reparative shampoo from L’Oréal is a great place to start, helping to replenish and strengthen strands. It proved very effective on test, with most panellists agreeing that their hair felt stronger and smoother after use.

The power lies in the peptides – these clever proteins get to work inside the hair fibres, helping to fuse broken bonds and preventing further fallout. They also help restore structure and movement to hair, for that all-important swish. Sure enough, panellists said it immediately left their hair feeling softer and said you only need to use a small amount to achieve smoother strands.

Score: 91/100

This shampoo claims to keep your colour around for longer, and many of our panel confirmed that it boosted vibrancy.

In fact, they raved about its “salon-quality lather” and almost everyone thought their hair felt more hydrated after use. Many said it helped reduce flyways and improve smoothness, too. One to keep on hand in between salon trips.

Score: 90/100

If your scalp is on the sensitive side, then this formulation is for you. It worked a dream for our testers who said they had dry scalps or even folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles, which can lead to soreness). “After the first application, my scalp felt less sore and itchy,” said one. It also works to deeply cleanse hair, without stripping it of natural oils.

It uses a blend of nourishing oils to help condition, soften and clean your strands. The ‘Featherlight 6-Oil' blend includes coconut, argan, grape, macadamia, sweet almond and safflower seed oils, all of which work harmoniously to leave your hair with reflective shine and a smooth, silky finish.

"My hair feels really clean, and looks smooth and shiny," said one tester, proving the inclusions of these nourishing ingredients pay off.

Score: 89/100

Redken’s frizz-fighting formula aims to improve smoothness and shine, and our lab tests proved it does just that. Impressively, almost all our testers found the shampoo helped control frizz, without leaving any unpleasant residue.

All were happy with its lather, saying a small amount foamed up well and distributed evenly through their hair.

Score: 87/100

You may already be familiar with Jonathan Van Ness from the show Queer Eye, where he makes hair dreams come true. Well, now you can transform your own ‘do from home, thanks to his glorious JVN hair range. From the hair gloss to this reviving shampoo, each product focuses on restoring hair health.

This shampoo contains ceramides that work to lock in moisture and leave hair looking shiny, plus jojoba oil, known for its ability to smooth and soften. With consistent use, testers agreed that it delivered on its claims, with many of them noting how soft and healthy their hair felt.

Score: 87/100

Enriched with omega fatty acids that not only work to resurrect damaged ends but also protect them from further damage, this left all testers with longer-lasting colour, and almost everyone saw an improvement in vibrancy.

Everyone appreciated the gentle formula too, which effectively cleansed and created the perfect lather. Plus, they liked the texture, and found it quick to rinse out. It kept frizz at bay for many and almost all reported softer, smoother and more moisturised hair.

Score: 86/100

Claiming to leave hair looking visibly healthier, this shampoo aims to deeply nourish damaged locks by reversing dryness. It scored top marks for how well it cleaned, and it left our panellists' scalps "soothed" with its light, non-drying lather.

It also made hair feel silkier, without any flattening, and its push-up dispenser made washing in the shower easier. It performed brilliantly in our lab tests, too.

Score: 85/100

Designed for treating extremely dry and brittle hair, this shampoo combines the smoothing effects of shea butter, Manuka honey and yoghurt to restore moisture and manageability.

Many testers commented on how luxurious this product felt to use and liked how soft, shiny and well-nourished it left their hair. Our lab tests backed up these results, finding it effective at smoothing and detangling.

Score: 84/100

Trying to keep your hair looking day-one fresh isn’t always easy, but this hydrating shampoo from Kérastase does its best at warding off hair wash days – it kept our testers’ hair looking fabulous for 24 hours and beyond.

“It looked polished with minimal effort, and the smoothness lasted for days,” said one panellist. Another said you only needed to apply a small amount (“less than a 10p piece” to be specific) to achieve a good lather and clean.

Inside the pretty pink bottle is a nourishing blend of glycerine, hyaluronic and amino acids that work thrice as hard to hydrate strands. The formula is designed especially for colour-treated hair, which can look dull and dry with regular treatments.

Score: 82/100

This shampoo aims to smooth hair and fight humidity, resulting in tresses looking glossy and frizz-free.

Our testers loved the formula’s luxe gold colour, while almost all said the shampoo made their hair shinier and most found it helped to smooth frizz. In our lab tests, it also scored well for detangling and smoothing hair.

Score: 79/100

Containing soothing oats, this pH-balanced, sulphate-free formula effectively removed residue and build-up from the scalp without causing irritation.

“I was surprised by how well the shampoo lathered for a sulphate-free product, and it left my hair feeling clean after one wash,” said one panel member. Take care when dispensing, though, as some testers found the product came out too easily, so they used more than needed.

We also tested the conditioner, which received plenty of praise – particularly when used alongside the shampoo. “Both were creamy; the shampoo layered very well and the conditioner was easy to rinse, which isn’t always a given,” said one tester.

Score: 78/100

Wake up and smell the roses, quite literally, with this beautifully scented shampoo, also from Aveeno's range. The scent was the key USP for our panellists with one saying it smelt expensive. There’s no luxury price tag attached here though, thankfully, as this one is less than a tenner.

It also leaves hair feeling as good as it smells, thanks to its smoothing properties. “My hair felt noticeably softer straight after using,” said one pleased panel member.

As with Aveeno’s entire skin and hair range, the colloidal oats are the star ingredient here – their protein-rich properties help reduce breakage and deeply hydrate dry strands. Note that it might not be one for those with thinner hair as some found it weighed their locks down a little.

Score: 75/100

Curly hair tends to be naturally drier as it’s harder for natural oils to make their way down the shaft through those beautiful twists and turns. And you don’t want sulphates drying it out any further, so we recommend this sulphate-free shampoo, which is specially formulated for those with curls.

Alongside a deep clean, the vitamin B5-infused formula adds a boost of moisture and softness to lengths. It helps refine coils too, with testers telling us it’s extremely light and didn’t weigh hair down. The only gripe from our panel members was the slightly clinical fragrance.