These 15 Clarifying Shampoos Provide a Deep Clean and Healthier Head of Hair

Best Overall

Olaplex No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

$30 at Amazon $15 at Sephora $30 at Ulta

Size: 8.5 fl oz︱Scent: Unscented︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

The Olaplex Bond Maintenance System is a fan favorite for a reason, and this shampoo is one of its stars. It outperformed other options we tested in how well it cleansed the hair and scalp. And, when paired with a quality conditioner, this clarifying shampoo leaves hair feeling light and soft. Additionally, after each use, our scalp felt cleansed without any itchiness or tingling effects.

The consistency of the clarifying shampoo stood out to us—it lathers really well and is easy to scrub into the hair and scalp. It also doesn’t take much product to get the job done (we used about a quarter size). And despite the intense cleansing action, it doesn’t strip color-treated hair. The only thing we’d change is that it lacks hydration (but, as we note above adding a good conditioner to your routine easily solves that issue).

Read Full Review: Olaplex’s Bond Maintenance Shampoo Is Like a Reset Button for Your Hair

Best for Curly Hair

Act + Acre Curl Cleanse Shampoo

View on Actandacre.com

Size: 10 fl oz︱Scent: Essential oils scent︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

Act+Acre’s Curl Cleanse Shampoo is perfect for curly hair because it’s super gentle (intense cleansing can result in curls falling flat). It does a great job of maintaining natural oils in the hair while still being effective. We found that it kept our hair clean for a day or two longer than standard shampooing (who doesn’t love pushing off wash day?).

The formula is also noteworthy because it doesn’t weigh down curls—in fact, it leaves them feeling lighter and bouncier. It also doesn’t cause any irritation on the scalp and, thanks to glycerin in the formula, hair feels more hydrated after use. Our only complaint is that the shampoo is on the thinner side and requires a bit of effort to start to lather.

Best for Fine Hair

Biolage Professional Clean Reset Normalizing Shampoo for All Hair Types

View on Biolage.com

Size: 13.5 fl oz︱Scent: Lemongrass︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

Made with lemongrass, this shampoo is gentle and effective for all hair types, but we especially love it for fine hair. After we washed our hair, it felt not just cleaner but also softer and lighter and looked shinier than before. It also worked to reduce frizz (a win-win-win in our book).

This clarifying shampoo has a thicker consistency, so a little goes a long way, and it lathers well without extra effort. Also, it extends the time between shampoos by a day, which we always appreciate. We did find that the lemongrass gives this shampoo a strong scent that lingers longer than we’d like though.

Best for Shine

Bounce Curl Gentle Clarifying Shampoo

View on Bouncecurl.com

Size: 8 fl oz︱Scent: Citrus︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

Shiny hair doesn’t have to feel weighed down. Case in point: the results we saw from Bounce Curls Gentle Clarifying Shampoo. The formula contains pumpkin enzymes which help exfoliate the scalp, which we found very effective. Additionally, the shampoo does an excellent job of removing build-up without stripping the hair of natural oils or leaving it feeling dry and brittle.

What makes this shampoo stand out, though, is that it leaves hair looking better than ever. After using the shampoo, we noticed more shine and a softer, lighter feel. We also really like the pointed dispenser because it allows you to get the product as close to the scalp as possible. However, we wish the bottle was larger so we could get more product for the price.

Best Gentle

Davines SOLU Shampoo

$33 at Amazon View on Davines.com

Size: 2.5 fl oz, 8.45 fl oz︱Scent: Unscented︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

We love how gentle Davines SOLU Shampoo’s formula is while still leaving the hair and scalp feeling deeply cleansed after each use. It contains buckwheat extract which helps keep hair strong and healthy after use, rather than dry or stripped of its natural oils. We like the gel-like consistency of this shampoo because it’s easy to distribute evenly through the hair without having to use too much product at once.

Throughout six weeks of testing, we noticed how clean the scalp and hair felt. Also, we love how much lighter and healthier it makes hair look and feel (and it only feels healthier with every additional wash). Overall, we were really happy with the results, but we were a bit disappointed that it doesn’t seem to help with dry scalp.

Best for Oily Hair

K18 Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo

$38 at Amazon $38 at Sephora View on K18hair.com

Size: 1.8 fl oz, 8.5 fl oz︱Scent: Unscented︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

For an oily scalp, we like K18’s Peptide Prep Detox Shampoo. It’s made with activated charcoal, salicylic acid, and K18Peptide (the brand’s unique peptide complex) that work together to absorb toxins and excess oils, clear buildup without stripping, and keep hair feeling healthy. We love the shampoo’s gentle formula and how it leaves hair and scalp feeling clean without causing any irritation.

The formula has a typical shampoo consistency and is easy to lather and rinse. What makes it stand out: it effectively cleanses oily hair but doesn’t leave it feeling dry or brittle. After use, hair feels lighter and softer and looks healthier. There really isn’t anything we don’t like about this product.

Best Lathering

Kristin Ess Clarifying Shampoo

$12 at Amazon $12 at Ulta $12 at Target

Size: 10 fl oz︱Scent: Kristin Ess’ Translucence Two scent (notes of pink pepper, apple, blonde tobacco, gardenia, white cedar wood, and palo santo)︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you’re like us and love shampoo with a good lather, we recommend Kristin Ess’ Clarifying Shampoo. When we tested it, we just loved the consistency (not too gel-like, not too thin) and it was so easy to scrub into the scalp, suds up, and rinse. It’s also gentle and doesn’t irritate the scalp. This shampoo leaves hair feeling clean and lighter. It doesn’t strip the hair of any natural oils and has a nice scent that isn’t overwhelming and doesn’t linger. We do wish it helped reduce frizziness as some of the other clarifying shampoos we tried did.

Best Softening

Monday Haircare Clarify Shampoo

View on Mondayhaircare.com

Size: 12 fl oz︱Scent: Grapefruit︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

When we tested Monday Haircare’s Clarify Shampoo, we discovered that it not only cleans effectively but also leaves hair feeling softer than before. Its gentle formula is made with grapefruit extract, coconut oil, and vitamin E, so it cleanses nourishes, and hydrates (and it’s even better if you pair it with the conditioner).

We love how the hair looks and feels after using this shampoo (softer, shiner, smoother, you name it). It doesn’t strip hair and has a pleasant, crisp, citrusy scent that doesn’t linger. We did need to use more product than expected, so you may need to stock up sooner than with other shampoos on this list.

Read Full Review: Target's New Monday Haircare Works Just as Well as My Prestige Products

Best for Color-Treated Hair

Ouai Detox Shampoo

$14 at Sephora $32 at Ulta $14 at Target

Size: 10 fl oz︱Scent: Bergamot, lychee, white musk, champagne︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

Ouai Detox Shampoo is made with apple cider vinegar and is a safe option for color-treated hair. We’re impressed with how clean it leaves the hair and scalp (we saw and felt a noticeable difference after just one use), especially if you’re someone who is active and experiences a lot of sweat build-up on the scalp. Additionally, we like the shampoo’s scent: a unique blend of bergamot, white musk, lychee, and champagne.

This shampoo thoroughly cleans and nourishes hair, and. We also found that our hair’s appearance and general health continued to improve with consistent use of this product. Overall, we really love this clarifying shampoo, but we did not experience any improvement in hair texture with regular use.

Best Deep Clean

Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo

$24 at Amazon $24 at Ulta View on Ouidad.com

Size: 2.5 fl oz, 8.5 fl oz, 33.8 fl oz︱Scent: Citrus︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

While every clarifying shampoo offers a deeper clean than standard shampoo, we found Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo to do the deepest work. With key ingredients including citrus and botanical extracts, this cleanser removes residue without stripping the hair of natural oils and leaves it feeling light and oh-so-clean. One tester who typically experiences buildup and flakiness around the hairline saw residue completely wiped away after using this shampoo.

The consistency of this shampoo also really stood out to us—it’s not too thick or too watery. It also lathers well and spreads across the scalp evenly with ease. We also love the citrus scent and were pleased to find that it lingers even after hair is dry. That said, we did notice that we needed to use a lot of product for each wash.

Best for Scalp Health

Paul Mitchell Shampoo Two

$14 at Amazon $18 at Ulta View on Paulmitchell.com

Size: 3.4 fl oz, 10.14 fl oz, 16.9 fl oz, 33.8 fl oz︱Scent: Lemon︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

Paul Mitchell’s Shampoo Two has a lot of great qualities, but we especially love its effect on scalp health. After using this shampoo, we noticed a dramatic decrease in scalp residue and itchiness. We also like how this shampoo keeps hair feeling healthy days after use, and that it extends how long you can go between shampoos.

Despite its thin consistency, this shampoo lathers well, making it easy to spread across the scalp. We also like its clean, lemon scent and how gentle it is on the scalp—especially given how thoroughly it cleanses. One thing that stood out to us is that it left our hair feeling dried out at first (though this faded by the next day after use).

Best Drugstore

Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Shampoo

$9 at Walmart

Size: 22.5 fl oz︱Scent: Suave’s Fresh scent︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

We were impressed with this ‘poo’s performance, especially given the budget-friendly price. We were delighted to find hair feeling clean, light, and healthy with regular use. As an extra benefit, we also noticed more volumized hair at the end of the testing period. The formula is hypoallergenic and gentle, which was a perk for our tester with color-treated red hair (it didn’t strip their hair of the notoriously quick-fading color). We love the shampoo’s consistency, how quickly and easily it lathers up, and how much product you get for the price. However, it’s worth noting that it’s not as strong as some of the higher-end clarifying shampoos.

Best Scent

Shaz & Kiks Clay Hair Cleanser

View on Shazandkiks.com View on Thirteenlune.com $42 at freepeople.com

Size: 90 ml or 230 ml︱Scent: Spicy and sweet with hibiscus flowers︱Sulfate-Free: Yes︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

This clay-textured shampoo is jam-packed with natural ingredients that are great for removing toxins from the scalp such as antioxidant and antibacterial jamun berries. It also contains Indian clay to remove buildup and oil. A touch of hibiscus flower also helps to stimulate the scalp and aid hair growth at the same time. The texture starts as a clay but quickly transforms into a rich lather which left our hair softer and silkier, and our scalp noticeably cleaner. During testing, we loved its amazing fragrance that a Byrdie staffer described as "sweet, spicy, and a little bit earthy," though we wish it lingered longer. We enjoyed everything about this product, from the packaging to the results on our hair, and we’re confident you will too.

Best for Itchy Scalp

Nécessaire Shampoo

$28 at Amazon $28 at Sephora $28 at Nordstrom

Size: 8.4 fl oz︱Scent: Unscented︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you have oily hair, then you know that finding a shampoo that effectively cleanses while also not stripping your scalp and causing rebound oiliness is key—this one fits the bill. It works to completely cut excess oil and product build-up while remaining soft, silky, and gentle-feeling during application. It uses plant surfactants and hyaluronic acid to remove product build-up and moisturize the scalp, while an ingredient called ApiScalp helps to relieve itchiness. We appreciate the gel-like texture and how well it lathers. It’s also fragrance-free—perfect for people who are sensitive to smell or find that synthetic fragrances irritate their skin.

Best Plant-Based

AG Care Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo

$34 at Amazon $34 at Ulta View on Ag.care

Size: 12 oz︱Scent: Apple︱Cruelty-Free: Yes

We recommend a sulfate-free option if shampoos are stripping or drying on your hair, as sulfates can be a bit harsh for some people. This sulfate-free shampoo reduced oil in our hair well and left the scalp feeling super clean. It works by sealing the cuticle with 98% plant-based ingredients including argan oil, nourishing superfoods, and apple cider vinegar. It also lathers nicely and is easy to spread throughout the hair.

While the texture can feel a bit watery, that doesn't impact how it lathers or performs, so it isn't a dealbreaker for us. We loved the way it controlled usually oily roots while adding volume and shine to the lengths of the hair. It’s available to buy as a 12oz bottle and it also comes in a liter size for refills, making it a sustainable option, too.