What is the Cetaphil of Shampoos?

January 3, 2020 12:01 PM

I am looking for a mild, gentle hair cleanser.

Years ago, my acne disappeared and my skin miraculously improved when I switched to Cetaphil, which is a very basic, gentle cleanser. In the fight against acne, I had been trying harsher soaps/cleansers with exfoliants, Salicylic acid, etc. But it turned out that I needed to go a lot easier on my skin and just let it do its own thing.

Is there a shampoo version of this? Right now I just get whatever is cheap- Pantene, Suave, etc. I have some scalp buildup and a lot of shedding, but otherwise my hair is pretty normal, not particularly oily/dandruffy/ limp. What mild, gentle shampoo would you recommend for everyday use?

Other factors: caucasian, hair length is past my shoulders, starting to go grey (mid 30's), do not dye my hair, pretty straight with a bit of a wave/ texture. I wash every day or every other day.

posted by jschu to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (18 answers total)

i don't have any recommendations because i don't wash my pixie anymore, but pantene is harsh as heck, so i would avoid that.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:10 PM on January 3, 2020

Do you have E45 available? That fits the bill.
posted by catspajammies at 12:14 PM on January 3, 2020

Cetaphil makes a baby shampoo, and Mustela makes a baby shampoo that are very gentle. Most baby shampoos don't contain SLS or irritating ingredients.
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:16 PM on January 3, 2020 [4 favorites]

Mr. Terrier and I can vouch for Kirk's 3-in-1. We buy it online or at a local health food store. It does it all without any nasty ingredients. Quoting their website:
free from Artificial Fragrance, Phthalates, Sulfates, Parabens, EDTA, Glutens, or Colorants.

Biodegradable Formula
posted by BostonTerrier at 12:21 PM on January 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

Honestly the most gentle option is probably the no-poo method. Otherwise, I would try something like Free & Clear over a baby shampoo. TJs & Whole Foods also have a number of cheap natural generic lines formulated for adult hair.
posted by veery at 12:37 PM on January 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

I mostly use a solid shampoo made by Junebug - works well for my barely-wavy fine hair. Also lasts a long time, once you realize how little is needed even for long hair.

I wanted to avoid a bunch of specific oils for allergy reasons, so had to wait for a custom batch, but even that was pretty quick. Weeks, maybe.
posted by clew at 12:38 PM on January 3, 2020

You can just straight up use Cetaphil.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 12:54 PM on January 3, 2020 [2 favorites]

I personally like the ShiKai everyday shampoo. A lot of other shampoos are either too astringent or too heavy for my hair, which has a similar profile to yours.
posted by vunder at 1:48 PM on January 3, 2020

I bought a shampoo bar from Royalty Soaps after watching Katie make them on youtube and I have to say it is very very nice on my hair.
posted by phunniemee at 1:58 PM on January 3, 2020

I have similar skin issues and have found good luck with both Nature Gate Aloe Vera and Renpure Coconut Cream shampoo and conditioner.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:26 PM on January 3, 2020

I've switched to Hairstory's New Wash. It's made my hair look pretty incredible.
posted by Marinara at 3:54 PM on January 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

Ditto no-poo. It takes a couple of weeks to get used to and I think depends on just how much hair you have to wash. Also ditto on the just use Cetaphil. Both may take a while of bad hair days before your body adjusts to the new regiment.
posted by zengargoyle at 4:11 PM on January 3, 2020

This will depend on your hair type and whether it's excessive cleansing or a sensitivity to an ingredient that's an issue - I have straight, fine hair that does well when I wash the crap out of it, but sodium laureth sulfate started making me break out a couple years ago. Whole Foods has a $5 SLS-free shampoo that is a cheap way to try out the SLS-sensitive hypothesis and it's too gentle for me, so maybe it's right for you. (I use shampoo I buy from my stylist and I can't remember/search the name.)
posted by momus_window at 4:46 PM on January 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

I stopped using shampoo a couple of years ago and went water-only. This worked fine for almost all of my hair, except for a tiny patch at the base of my skull that never quite felt "clean."

Not having the patience for trying out all the fancy natural no-poo self-made shampoo potions to deal with that one spot, I eventually settled for cutting my longish hair short (just past ears). Now I get by on water mostly, but use a bit of everything-free conditioner once a week or so to soften things up.

I find this has been hugely helpful for my own problem scalp, which was way itchier and flakier back when I was using all kinds of super special sensitive shampoo.
posted by invincible summer at 6:31 PM on January 3, 2020

On the same principal, I use Dr bronners baby mild.
posted by lorimt at 7:03 PM on January 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

I use Neuma’s Renu which is SLS free. When I switched to it some years ago my itchy scalp went away. It is for sure on the pricey side though, and has some mint and other scents going on, so might not fix your issue. But it does keep my down-to-my-butt hair happy, so there’s that.
posted by nat at 6:24 PM on January 4, 2020

Agree on avoiding SLS. And second trying Free & Clear which is for people with skin sensitivities. It strips my hair a bit too much but it might be ok on straighter hair which tends to be a bit more "oily" than my thick, curly hair. Another brand is Exederm that is for folks with eczema so it is pretty mild. Otherwise, in general try washing your hair less often (you may need to change what you put in/on it after the shower for this to work), or try a low-poo type of shampoo.
posted by evening at 4:22 PM on January 5, 2020

Free & Clear is my go to for sensitive skin. They have a dandruff version with zinc which works well.
posted by troytroy at 10:07 AM on January 6, 2020