Last Updated on February 15, 2024
Did you know in the United States alone 550 million empty shampoo bottles are thrown out annually?
Only 5% of plastic gets recycled. Not to mention, where I live, squeezable plastic tubes cannot be recycled at all (and, of course, my favorite shampoo brand happened to package their products like this).
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Before I went zero waste, I’d go through at least one shampoo and conditioner bottle every month. That’s about 24 plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner every year, give or take. Now, I’ve switched over to refillable shampoo I get at my local refillery.
I also love making my own dry shampoo! I only need three simple ingredients and store it in a salt and pepper shaker that looks like my dog Nala (too cute).
Of course, packaging isn’t the only thing to take into consideration. Before purchasing shampoo, it’s important to look at the ingredients label.
Many conventional shampoos contain harsh ingredients like fragrance, sulfates, parabens and artificial dyes. Many of these ingredients are linked to health problems, like allergies and skin/scalp irritation.
Also, some ingredients may lead to waterway pollution when they go down the drain (more on this later).
So, if you’re able to, consider switching to organic shampoos that utilize natural ingredients. Here are my favorite organic shampoos that are also zero waste and sustainable.
are organic shampoos better for you?
Yes, organic shampoos are better for you because they don’t contain any harsh chemicals that may irritate your scalp.
You’ll want to look for shampoo that contain natural ingredients in their products.
If you don’t know what an ingredient is, I recommend looking it up in EWG’s Skin Deep database to better understand it. You can also look up your favorite product to see what score EWG gives it (1 being the best, 10 being the worst).
However, it’s important to note that even natural ingredients can be irritants, as everyone’s skin is unique. Please remember to read the ingredients carefully before purchasing to see if it’s a good match for you.
Also, when I refer to organic shampoos, I’m talking about shampoos that contain organic or natural ingredients.
A shampoo is considered natural when it includes organic and plant-based ingredients. Instead of synthetic ingredients, natural shampoos commonly contain essential oils, fruit extracts, botanicals, and certified-organic ingredients.
However, be aware that there are no industry-wide requirements for what constitutes a “natural” beauty product. Anyone can technically label something as “natural” – what’s important is reading and understanding the ingredients.
There are far and few shampoos that are organic certified. So, to create this list, I specifically chose brands that contain natural and organic ingredients.
Not all the ingredients in a shampoo need to be organic to make this list. In fact, many do not use certified organic ingredients, but rather, natural ingredients you can trust, like cocoa butter, argan oil, coconut oil, and essential oils.
As always, be sure to read the ingredients label on every individual product before making a purchase to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Additionally, while packaging isn’t everything, it’s a good idea to opt for organic shampoos that are plastic-free, refillable or made from recycled materials. All the brands listed below have thoughtful packaging that cuts back on waste.
which is the most healthy shampoo?
The most healthy shampoo contains no harsh chemicals or questionable ingredients, like parabens, synthetic dyes, or artificial fragrance.
Also, cosmetic products and ingredients are not subject to FDA premarket approval authority, with the exception of color additives. This includes shampoo, which means shampoo brands can technically put almost any ingredients they want into their products.
The problem with this is it puts a lot of stress on the consumer to avoid harmful ingredients, when it should be up to the manufacturers who make the product.
Here are some general ingredients you should consider avoiding in shampoo.
fragrance
According to EWG, the word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants, such as diethyl phthalate. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.
Look for shampoo brands that are fragrance-free, or use essential oil blends.
synthetic dyes
Many conventional shampoos are colored using synthetic dyes. Synthetic dyes are a broad group of ingredients that have been chemically manufactured to add vibrant colors to products like shampoo.
Many synthetic dyes are derived from non-renewable coal tar or petrochemicals, which contain carcinogens and can be eye, skin and lung irritants. These will often pop up as ‘Blue 1 Lake’, ‘FD&C Green No. 3’ and ‘Yellow 6 Lake’, etc. in the ingredients label.
Look for brands that use natural pigments to color their shampoo, or none at all.
parabens
Parabens are used to preserve the shelf life of many shampoos. But parabens may be connected to increased growth of breast cancer cells. They can also contribute to the die off of coral reefs, which are vital aquatic ecosystems. Look for brands that are paraben-free.
sulfates: a grey area
In regards to sulfates, a lot of people have mixed feelings on whether or not sulfates are good for your hair or the environment.
So first, lets define what they are: Sulfates are a class of cosmetic and household ingredients used for cleaning. Typically, you’ll see sulfates appear on the ingredients label as sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, and sodium saureth sulfate.
In shampoo, sulfates serve as the cleansing agent that makes shampoos suds. But, sulfates may also strip away too much moisture and leave the hair dry, sometimes even damaged. Certain sulfates have even been known to inflame the skin, eyes, and lungs.
In terms of the environment, sulfates may be transformed into toxic substances under certain conditions, which result in the loss of essential metal elements in aquatic plants. This can result in changes in the
Sulfate in relation to the environment may be transformed into the toxic substances under certain conditions, resulting in the loss of essential metal elements in aquatic plants. These can cause changes in the original water and ecosystems that rely on it.
If you have very greasy hair, sulfates may appeal to you. Looking for Sodium Coco Sulfate is also a potential solution, as this is naturally derived from coconut.
But if you’d like to play it safe, or have normal non-greasy hair, you may want to avoid sulfates altogether. I’ve included some sulfate-free options in the brands listed below.
which brand of organic shampoo is best?
All the options listed below are the best organic shampoo brands on the market. These brands use natural, plant derived ingredients.
I’ve rounded up a list of organic shampoo that get the Going Zero Waste seal of approval. All these brands wash your hair thoroughly without harsh chemicals. Many of these brands are also plastic-free and low waste.
I’ve gone ahead and highlighted some of my favorite features of each brand, but it isn’t an exhaustive list. Be sure to check out their websites for more information.
1. plaine products
- Natural, plant-based liquid shampoo
- Rosemary mint vanilla, citrus lavender, and unscented options
- Refillable + comes plastic-free aluminum bottles
- Vegan, cruelty-free, women owned, carbon neutral
- 100% plastic-free shipping
2. by humankind
- All-natural liquid shampoo
- Grapefruit + lavender scents
- Comes in an aluminum bottle
- Can order with or without a reusable pump to cut down on plastic
- Sulfate-free, silicone-free, vegan, and gluten-free
3. ecoroots
- All-natural shampoo bars
- Various scents available
- Vegan + cruelty-free
- Silicone Free, Phthalate-free & Paraben Free
- Plastic-free shipping
4. brixy
- Natural shampoo bar
- 3 scents available: citrus, mint eucalyptus and coconut vanilla
- Vegan and cruelty-free
- Free from palm oil, sulfates, silicones, phthalates, parabens, synthetic scents + colorants
5. hibar
- All-natural shampoo bar
- 5 Types: Soothe, volumize, moisturize, maintain + curl
- No sulfates, parabens, phthalates, or silicones
- Shipped plastic free
6. ethique
- Natural shampoo bar
- Various scents + types available
- Vegan + cruelty-free
- Plastic free + home compostable packaging
7. superzero
- Natural shampoo bars
- Various bars for different hair types such as thinning, damaged, or colored hair
- Free of sulfates, silicones, synthetic fragrances, phthalates, and artificial dyes
- Vegan + cruelty-free
- Plastic-free packaging
- Includes shampoo bar bag made from organic, unbleached cotton
8. dips
- Natural shampoo bar
- 8 scents to choose from
- Made for all hair types + textures
- Mini dip versions available
- Plastic-free packaging
9. public goods
- Natural Liquid shampoo
- Made with organic essential oil blends
- Refillable
- Travel sized option
- Free from parabens, synthetic fragrance, sodium lauryl sulfates, phthalates
- Vegan + cruelty-free
10. suds + co
- Natural shampoo bars
- 13 different scents to choose from
- Free of SLS, parabens, preservatives, silicones, GMOs, artificial colors, + fragrances
- Vegan + cruelty free
- Plastic-free packaging
11. earthling co
- Natural shampoo bars made with certified organic ingredients
- 6 scents to choose from, plus unscented option
- Great for all hair types
- Free of SLS/SLES, parabens, phthalates, and silicones
- Vegan & cruelty-free
12. good time
- Natural shampoo bar
- Smells like bergamot, tangerine and juniper berry
- Great for all hair types
- No parabens, sulphates, or preservatives
- Vegan + cruelty-free
- Carbon neutral shipping
- 50% of profits to clean water initiatives
So, which of these organic shampoo brands would you try? Let me know in the comments!
The post 12 Best Organic Shampoo Options for a Natural Hair Care Routine appeared first on Going Zero Waste.
12 Best Organic Shampoo Options for a Natural Hair Care Routine
Last winter, we kept our house at 60 degrees and our electric bill was STILL $280. I’ve been interested in solar for a long time, but on the long list of house projects (especially when you’re restoring a 200 year old house on the historic registry) some are more pressing than others.
But with a few of those major projects wrapping up, and a daunting bill before me, I figured now was the time for a quick google search on solar panels, and let me tell you….. It can be very overwhelming.
Figuring out the rules (cough, cough, historic society), incentives or rebates if applicable, how much it would cost, how much we could save, etc. felt a little like a part-time job. But, one website made it really easy to compare things, and I am happy to be partnering with Aurora Solar to share that site with you.
Because I think you should be able to easily run the numbers on your house without a lot of hassle!
This post is sponsored by Aurora Solar, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you’ve ever gotten a solar quote, there’s a good chance that Aurora Solar was involved. Aurora was founded in 2013 after its co-founders spent seven months trying to design a solar energy system using a patchwork of different tools.
Afterall, designing a solar system shouldn’t be harder than actually installing one. So they built software specifically for solar professionals. Today, more than 7,000 solar organizations use Aurora, and more than 20 million solar projects have been designed using the platform. They are also the largest solar software provider in the world. Their software is used by roughly 80% of the top 75 residential solar companies in the U.S.
All of this tech has been primarily used by professional installers to map your roof and then create a proposal, but now Aurora is offering this tech to us to help compare quotes.
So instead of having to call a bunch of different installers, I could use the Aurora Solar Marketplace to understand my solar potential, compare estimates, understand my possible savings, look into battery storage and other home electrification incentives, and map out different financing options.
1. know how much electricity the system will actually produce
Before you even get into the price, make sure you understand what you’re actually being quoted.
Two solar systems can have very different prices because they may not be the same size or produce the same amount of electricity. A cheaper system might simply have fewer panels and offset less of your electric bill.
With Aurora, you can compare solar estimates and see the system size, energy production, and how much electricity the system should offset.
You can also upload your utility bill to get a solar estimate based more closely on your actual energy usage, to make the quote accurate for you instead of a ‘generic household’.
2. understand the solar payback period
Aurora calculates things like payback period and lifetime savings, which makes it much easier to understand the long-term finances.
The solar payback period is basically how long it takes for your estimated savings to make up for what you spent on the system, and this is the number that surprised me most!
One estimate had a payback period of around 7 years, and another was closer to 11 years! Over 25 years, two of the estimates I looked at had almost a $13,000 difference in projected savings.
Of course, these are still projections as electricity rates can change (HELLO 2026) but when you’re trying to compare two options for the same house, knowing that one is projected to pay for itself four years sooner is pretty useful information.
3. look beyond the monthly payment
Depending on the installer, you may be looking at a cash purchase, solar loan, lease, or power purchase agreement.
But thankfully with Aurora you can compare the different financing options side-by-side which makes it a lot easier to see the trade-offs. One option may have a lower upfront cost, another may have a lower monthly payment, and another may give you better long-term savings.
4. find out which solar incentives actually apply to you
The minute you start Googling solar, you can find federal incentives, state incentives, utility programs, rebates, net metering, and a whole bunch of information that may or may not even apply to where you live.
And some of the articles ranking at the top of Google are several years old! (RIP to the federal incentives canceled at the end of 2025.) But, Aurora can account for solar incentives when calculating the cost and savings of a system, including state, local, and utility-specific programs.
I would still double check any incentive or tax benefit you’re planning to use before signing a contract, especially because programs and eligibility can change, but having all the relevant information in the same place makes the research process much less overwhelming.
5. research the installer, equipment, and warranties
Aurora lets you compare solar installers based on things like reviews, reputation, pricing, and financing options, which I think is just as important as the actual quote.
I’d also look closely at what equipment is included. What panels are they using? What kind of inverter? How long are the equipment warranties? Is there also a workmanship warranty from the installer? Who handles repairs if something goes wrong five or ten years from now?
And, I know I’ve said it a million times, but it’s nice to see it side-by-side without having to fill out a bunch of forms and be hounded on the phone just to get an idea of what solar may look like.
The post How to Compare Solar Quotes: What to Look For Before You Choose appeared first on Going Zero Waste.
How to Compare Solar Quotes: What to Look For Before You Choose
Green Living
Sustainability In Your Ear: XPRIZE’s David Babson on Why Climate Grand Challenges Need Buyers, Too
Buyers contracted nearly 30 million tons of durable carbon removal in 2025, more than triple the 2024 total, according to CDR.fyi data reported by Heatmap. About 90% of those purchases came from a single company, Microsoft, and suppliers delivered only about 450,000 tons during the year. That is a sliver of the six to 10 billion tons of removal a year that climate scenarios suggest the world will need by 2050. The technology to pull carbon out of the air works, but the customers needed to scale it remain scarce.
Our guest today, David Babson, is executive vice president of the Energy, Climate, and Nature domain at the XPRIZE Foundation. He calls the slow progress a market failure, because the technology is progressing faster than it is being adopted. Babson previously led MIT’s Climate Grand Challenges initiative and was a program director at the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E. His portfolio includes XPRIZE Carbon Removal, which drew 1,334 teams and whose participants have raised more than $3.3 billion. In April 2025, Mati Carbon won its $50 million grand prize for spreading crushed basalt on smallholder farms in India, where the