Some days, smelling strongly just isn’t what you’re looking for, and we at QUILL understand that. We also understand that gendered smells can feel uncomfortable for your gender identity. Since we’ve covered unscented shampoo and body wash combos, it’s time we cover just fragrance free shampoo!
While I love smelling like a fresh lotus most days, sometimes the smell is just too much. Plus, all women’s shampoos smells like flowers, while all men’s shampoo is named something like “Wolf Fighter” and smells like every other shampoo on the market.
So, yeah, not into it 100% of the time. Plus, my scalp is sensitive, and fragrances can bother it on bad days.
Solution: fragrance free shampoo, which will keep your scalp calm and your hair clean. Here are 18 we can’t get enough of!
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SHAMPOO BOTTLES
ECZEMA CARE – EXTRA GENTLE SHAMPOO
Like Odele’s unscented shampoo, Noodle and Boo’s fragrance free shampoo is beyond gentle on the scalp, making it perfect for those with irritation and eczema. I cannot even cover how good this shampoo is for your hair, but to give you a little peek: it’s cruelty-free, fragrance free, paraben-free, dermatologist-tested, pediatrician-tested, plant-based… alright, fingers are cramping up. The secret ingredients are pro-vitamins E and B, which protect, repair, strengthen, and keep you tearless. (Your hair AND your eyes, with this one.)
ALL NATURAL MOISTURIZING FRAGRANCE FREE SHAMPOO
Briogeo Be Gentle Be Kind Aloe Oat Milk Ultra Soothing Shampoo
Briogeo’s shampoo is filled with the good, protective stuff: aloe vera, which is anti-inflammatory; oat milk, which moisturizes; and green tea extract, which has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties plus antioxidants.
Ultra Sensitive Shampoo
We recently featured Lindsay Holden, co-founder of Odele, because we’re obsessed with their genderless mission. Their Ultra Sensitive Shampoo is completely fragrance free – you won’t even find a hint of essential oil in this. It’s because of their dedication to helping sensitive scalps that the shampoo has received a National Eczema Association certification, meaning even those with easily-irritated scalps and skin conditions can have shiny hair.
Paula’s Choice All Over Hair Shampoo & Body Wash
First: love the bottle. Second: love a multitasking product (it can be used as a body wash too!). Third: it doesn’t have soap in it, which you’ll occasionally find in multitasking products that don’t smell. Paula truly nailed this one.
No Scent No Colour
Created for those with cancer who need a sensitive shampoo, patients going through chemo rave about Philip Kingsley’s – as do people who simply have sensitive scalps. On top of this, the packaging is CO2 negative, 100% recyclable, and made from sugarcane bio-plastic.
Alaffia EveryDay Shea Shampoo
We love Alaffia for so many reasons, but we’ll start with their mission. Women-led cooperatives in Africa are the powerhouses behind the brand’s fair-trade ingredients, then included to create products that are both ethical and effective. No sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, anything-s are here, but you’ll love the shea butter that coddles every part of your body it touches, as well as virgin coconut oil and shea leaf.
Phillip Adam Fragrance Free Shampoo
When my partner had an itchy scalp, he’d use apple cider vinegar. It. Smelled. Disgusting AF. So, I was hesitant to include a “fragrance free” ACV shampoo. But the reviews promise that there’s no scent at all, and it has a solid B rating when it comes to 4+ stars, so I’ll believe it. Infused with pea protein, which help protect, repair, and hydrate, your scalp will remain unscathed while your strands are cared for.
The Honest Company Shampoo + Body Wash
The Honest Company comes in clutch with a 2-in-1 (a favorite of ours when it comes to bathing!) that’s fragrance free. Meant for all skin types, no matter your sensitivity or your age, this shampoo will be sweet to your scalp. Instead of relying on sulfates or parabens to get you clean, nourishing ingredients for both hair and skin include soothing aloe and coconut extract, plus a healthy dose of glycerin.
SEEN Fragrance Free Shampoo
Choose a shampoo that makes your hair happy without clogging any pores. (Who likes clogged scalp pores? No one, that’s who.) It’s filled with hemisqualane, which is biodegradable and helps to retain color and fight frizz. You’ll also find bisabolol, aka the reason your scalp will love you.
SHAMPOO BARS
Ethique Solid Shampoo Bar for Sensitive Skin
Ethique joins the list of shower bars that have switched to fragrance free, thank goodness! Their sulfate-, fragrance free bar promises to completely protect and nourish, and you can benefit extra by pairing with the Buff Bar. Cocoa butter helps soften strands while also rejuvenating the scalp, while babassu seed oil is an anti-inflammatory that soothes the scalp while providing strands with healthy antioxidants and fatty acids.
HAIR & BODY SOLID CLEANSER (UNSCENTED)
Another 2-in-1! We love Bravo Sierra because they’re against gender stereotypes, too. When you think about the Armed Forces and see the photos, it is mainly… well, men. But women are badasses too, and Bravo Sierra knows that, which is why they’re so inclusive in their marketing. This unscented shampoo bar has coconut and shea butters to nourish and condition, while oat flour calms inflamed scalps to encourage healthy growth.
COCONUT MILK SHAMPOO BAR
It’s filled with coconut… but it doesn’t smell like coconut? Magic. Coconut oil moisturizes, conditions, and helps encourage hair growth, while coconut milk soothes dry scalps. Add in avocado oil and sweet almond oil to hydrate and soften, and you’ve got a dream fragrance free shampoo.
Unscented Shampoo Bar
Its base is coconut oil to fight frizz and condition, and cocoa butter to smooth and nourish. Eco Roots made this shampoo bar zero waste, so you can feel confident knowing you’re saving the environment while shampooing away.
Fragrance Free Shampoo and Conditioner Bar Set
We love how this comes with a conditioner bar as well that is also unscented. Ideal for oily hair, the fragrance free shampoo bar has D-panthenol for elasticity, coconut oil to strengthen, cocoa butter to moisturize, and natural SCS-SodiumCocoSulfate to foam without a waxy residue post-shampoo.
There are quite a few ingredients that go into this super effective shampoo, working to clean without leaving a whiff of citrus or lavender. We especially love the aloe vera, helping to volumize and fight the stereotype that shampoo bars leave hair greasy and weighed down.
MOISTURIZE FRAGRANCE FREE SHAMPOO BAR
Hello, it’s HiBar! With so many options, you might be wondering which fragrance free option they chose. Luckily: it’s Moisturize, so your hair is super hydrated, conditioned, and manageable without a single smell – especially useful if your hair is thick or dry. While many want more fragrance free options in the line, QUILL is glad they chose the universal bar. In terms of ingredients, coconut oil and rice protein work together to protect, strengthen, and moisturize (of course).Â
CUSTOM SHAMPOO
Prose Custom Shampoo
We had to include Prose, because it’s a way to receive the exact benefits you need. Oily, itchy scalp? Inflamed, sensitive scalp? Never ending split ends and brittle strands? Take a quiz, and you’ll find the perfect shampoo for you. It asks questions about split ends and genetic hair loss, stress and your diet, bleaching and styling – anything that could affect your hair — as well as your preferred fragrances, one of which is fragrance free.
At the end, it tells you what affects your hair in your area, facts like scalp sensitivity and stressors, and what ingredients your haircare will contain (mine include birch juice, hyaluronic acid, and plant collagen).
Do you have a fragrance free shampoo you’re obsessed with? Tell us your favs in the comments!