19 best sulphate-free shampoos for healthy locks

The age-old question when it comes to hair care is, why isn’t my hair doing what I want? Getting your locks to look their best can often be a struggle, especially if you have textured, coloured or damaged hair as so many of us do. Often it’s the products we think are helping our hair that are actually harming it. It’s time to look at the fine print, literally, and stop using sulphates.

Sulphates are the chemicals and ingredients added to shampoos that give you that clean hair feeling. They remove dirt, grease and other impurities, and create that bubbly lather we all know and love. But what they also do is strip the hair of its natural oil and moisture, leaving it more brittle, lifeless and likely to shed or snap.

So what do we do? Well, the good news is that sulphate-free shampoos are gradually becoming the norm, providing nourishing alternatives that can cleanse your hair and scalp without being too harsh.

We spoke to Emma Vickery, art director at Percy and Reed, who’s spent most of her career obsessing over how we should look after our hair. “Products are far more gentle and kind to the hair and skin without sulphates – any other good ingredients in the formulations are now no longer compromised by being intermixed with them,” says Vickery.

As for finding the right product for your particular locks, we’ve put a whole range of formulas through their paces. No matter what you’re looking for – from frizz-fighting to colour protection – you’re sure to find the best sulphate-free shampoo for you in this round-up.

How we tested the best sulphate-free shampoos

Trying out a wide range of sulphate-free shampoos – from luxury salon-style buys to budget-friendly brands – we have never looked at our hair so closely before, taking note of even the slightest changes. This started by keeping the rest of our hair care routine the same so that any changes could be attributed to the new shampoo.

We took note of how the product was to use, how well it lathered up in the shower and how it made our wet hair feel. As well as the all-important scent – a good-smelling shampoo can make or break a purchase. Then we air-dried our hair as usual, making sure not to use any heat that might affect the normal condition of the hair.

Finally, we looked at how luscious our locks were in many ways, such as how soft, clean, healthy and voluminous they felt, especially taking note of the benefits the shampoo promised to provide. We also asked loved ones to have a look