Best Children's Shampoo: Top 5 Expert-Recommended Gentle Hair Cleansers For Kids -

Looking for the best children’s shampoo? Just stroll down any hair care aisle and you’ll be overwhelmed by bright-colored bottles with all the buzzwords shoppers are looking for. Phrases like: no parabens, no phthalates, tear-free, all-natural. It’s hard to tell what’s good marketing versus what’s good shampoo. So, we searched for what experts say is the best children’s shampoo. And we found five that they think you and your kids will love so much. Plus, they won’t leave either of you in tears.

But does your shampoo look good enough to eat? You’ve likely heard cautionary tales of young children ingesting substances, such as shampoo, but a study suggests it’s happening pretty frequently. Researchers found that 64,686 children under five were treated in U.S. emergency rooms between 2002 and 2016 due to injuries from personal care products. Those numbers work out to approximately one child visiting the ER every two hours. The most prevalent cause of seeking emergency care — 75 percent of admissions — was children swallowing a harmful product.

The products we choose for our children, and their ingredients, can be essential to keeping them healthy. In fact, one study reveals the toxic chemicals found specifically in kids’ makeup and body products, such as heavy metals, appear to be particularly harmful to both infants and children. Such chemicals, whether manufacturers are adding them intentionally or they appear as contaminants, have a link to numerous health problems like cancer, neurodevelopmental harm, and other serious and irreversible health consequences. So, in order to keep your little ones safe, choosing the best bath time products is important.

To keep your kids safe, clean, and happy, we found the consensus among 11 experts on which are the best children’s shampoos you can buy. These aren’t the I’ll-use-what-I-have-in-the-shower rankings (though we’ve all likely been there). These are the top-rated products that are almost guaranteed to get your kids all bubbly about bath time. What do you like best for your kids? Leave your recommendations in the comments below!

The List: Best Children’s Shampoos, According To Experts

1. SheaMoisture Mango With Shea Butter Shampoo

Mom News Daily recommends this as a great overall pick, writing, “This kids shampoo is a tear-free, sulfate-free shampoo that is perfect for cleansing and moisturizing delicate hair. The mango with shea butter extract helps nourish and revitalize dry, damaged hair, while shea butter helps soothe and protect the scalp from irritation. The manufacturers of this shampoo also claim that it can help to improve hair growth.”

Best Products says this is the best choice for curls: “SheaMoisture has a kids’ shampoo-and-conditioner line created to nourish your babe’s natural curls. This duo smells like mango and carrot, which is sweet, fresh, and addicting. These suds are sulfate- and paraben-free — and they’re packed with organic ingredients to promote healthy, manageable curls.”

According to Mom Loves Best, “This is ideal for kids with fragile hair. The sulfate-free blend conditions with shea butter and coconut for an all-natural glow. With no silicones, sulfates, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, or petrolatum, this eco-friendly pick is ideal for sensitive skin types.”

2. Babo Botanicals Moisturizing Shampoo & Wash

Grove Collaborative raves about this brand’s moisturizing properties: “Babo Botanicals Moisturizing Shampoo and Wash is a comforting cleanser that moisturizes and nourishes sensitive or dry hair, scalp and skin leaving hair soft, smooth and shiny. This mild and pure plant-based formula contains a skin loving blend of active botanicals.”

The Strategist claims it’s a favorite of both parents and kids: “Babo Botanicals’ shampoo and wash is another favorite among Babylist users. Plant-based and hypoallergenic, it’s free of harsh chemicals and irritants, and can be used on eczema-prone and sensitive skin. It features an organic ‘nutri-soothe’ blend containing calendula, chamomile, kudzu, watercress, and meadowsweet. Other ingredients include colloidal oatmeal, coconut oil, and shea butter for moisturizing.”

“The light lavender scent is perfect for relaxing and calming frazzled nerves, while the chamomile and calendula extracts help to soothe and protect sensitive skin. The Babo products manufacturer also donates a portion of all profits to help support environmental causes,” writes Mom News Daily.

3. The Mane Choice Fruit Medley Kids Hydrating Shampoo

This is the main choice of Verywell Family: “The Mane Choice Fruit Medley Kids Hydrating Shampoo is our top pick because it’s safe to use on all hair textures and does more than only cleaning the hair. This shampoo is designed to leave it smelling wonderful thanks to the orange-infused formula. It’s made to minimize and protect breakage and split ends, promote growth, hydrate the hair, and keep the scalp clean and clear.”

“Mane Choice offers a comprehensive methodology to achieve beautiful, healthy hair by infusing hair care products with vitamins and essential nutrients such as biotin, vitamin A, B, C, D, & E and more,” Natural Hair Kids claims.

4. Pipette Baby Shampoo + Body Wash

Green Baby World recommends Pipette because: “This shampoo is approved by pediatricians, has been tested by dermatologists, and was EWG verified after a rigorous safety screening process. Also, we are so pleased how great this baby shampoo works on sensitive skin without drying or causing irritation.”

And Green Active Family describes what makes it a top shampoo for kids: “This is a tear-free formula made from plant based ingredients. It’s vegan and PETA-certified to be cruelty free. Parents won’t need to worry about any bad stuff in this safe baby shampoo. It’s free from sulphates and synthetic fragrances. Pipette also used biologists, pediatricians, and dermatologists to create it, which we love. All ingredients score a 1/10 on EWG’s Hazard Scale, making this one of the safest and best shampoos for kids.”

“As an aside, it’s also a great shampoo for everyone. I love the subtle geranium fragrance and soft, foamy texture,” writes Best Products.

5. Puracy Natural Baby Shampoo & Body Wash

Insider says it’s outstanding: “Puracy Natural Baby Shampoo & Body Wash is an outstanding choice for many hair types. The natural formula lathers up nicely and leaves young, delicate skin super clean.”

Better Mind Body Soul thinks you should try it out: “The ingredients list is absolutely impressive: it contains different types of coconut-based cleansers, pink grapefruit essential oil, and preservatives that are based on plants and fruit extracts. But aside from being natural, Puracy is also a brand that’s sustainable. It is a product developed by doctors, which can be used on babies and toddlers with all sorts of skin types and does particularly well in those who suffer from eczema.”

“The hypoallergenic, toxin-free two-in-one is tear-free, biodegradable, vegan, gluten-free, and great for sensitive skin. It also contains sea salt, which is supposed to hydrate and balance a baby’s skin,” notes The Strategist.

We hope this expert-recommended list helps you find the best children’s shampoo for your kids!

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Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links.

Tags: Baby shampoo, bath, bathing, children, children’s health, shampoo