Can you recommend shampoo for fine hair and sensitive scalp?

[teaandcake246]

My hair is very fine and most shampoos weigh it down and make it look greasy. Alberto Balsam is the only shampoo I’ve managed to find that works well with my hair and doesn’t irritate my scalp (which most shampoos do). Alberto Balsam raspberry shampoo was best. They’ve now changed the formula and it dries out my hair and makes it look straggly. Can anyone recommend a shampoo similar to the old Alberto Balsam raspberry, please?!

Following with interest.

Anyone?!

My hair and scalp were exactly the same... I've tried lots even the simple range to no avail... but somehow by accident whilst in the shower I grabbed my DS's flo & Fred top to toe wash and it is a game changer for my hair, not a slight irritation along the hair line or anywhere on my scalp.
May be worth a try op? Hope you find something ASAP x

Yes to Carrots - although it is unbelievably stinging if you get it in your eyes.

Head & Shoulders Apple one works well for my thinning hair and dry flaky scalp

I use Bain and Savon solid coconut milk shampoo and friendly soap company solid conditioner. I have a Manta hairbrush too, it's been amazing for my itchy scalp.

The nettle and rosemary shampoo by Soaps for Little Suds is good for a sensitive scalp. It's very gentle but lovely. The bonus is it is a shampoo bar, so no plastic and takes up less room (great for travel, gym, etc) and is made by a mum running her business from home which I feel good about supporting, too. Her shampoo bars aren't like any others I've tried (they're also cheaper than most, presumably due to her lower overheads). The downside is that she's pretty much on maternity leave now for her imminent next baby, but on her Facebook page she did say she was taking some orders today until tomorrow, I think it was. I've snuck in a last order. You just message her via Facebook to order.

My hair is exactly the same - my saving grace has been Body Shop Green Tea Scrub Shampoo - it's not as harsh as it sounds but it gently exfoliate scalp and stops hair from feeling too greasy. I used it in a sample once and never looked back

Shampoos that irritate sensitive scalps usually contain sodium lauryl/laureth sulphate (SLS) or ammonium lauryl/laureth sulphate (ALS). A lot of people can't use SLS but ALS is okay, while some people can't use either.

I have super-fine hair and became allergic to SLS and ALS while I was pregnant and took a year to find a decent replacement shampoo.

If you can use ALS, the Faith in Nature shampoos are very good. They clean well without being too harsh, have good eco credentials, and come in a range of flavours scents incl fragrance-free.

But if you can't use SLS or ALS, then some gentle baby and children shampoos leave them out and use things like Cocamidopropyl betain instead - they're don't clean as effectively as conventional shampoos, but rinse and repeat usually helps. However, better (IMO) is a soap-based shampoo bar - the best one I've found is from the Friendly Soap Company, and it cleans my hair really well, far better than the baby shampoos, and doesn't dry out my skin so much either.

None of the above shampoos contain silicones, so shouldn't weigh down your hair, but if weighing-down is a problem, be careful your conditioner doesn't contain silicones either.

Thank you very much for the replies. I’ve just looked at the website of the Friendly Soap Company and it says their shampoo bars don’t work in hard water. It has a list of the 20 places in the country with the hardest water, and my location is not on there, but it does have hard water (but not as hard as some I’ve come across). I’m wondering whether the shampoo bars are worth trying. @geekaMaxima and @Disfordarkchocolate if you don’t mind me asking, have you tried their shampoo bars with hardish water?

Modern Organic Products - lemongrass or mixed greens.

www.friendlysoap.co.uk/hard-water/
I’m in one of the purple areas.

I was very happy with my friendly soap company shampoo bar but picked up the Bain and Savon coconut milk one in a local shop when I ran out. It really suits my hair and I find the cube shape easier to use right to the end. I love their soaps. I love my solid conditioner.

I'm not on the list but I am in a purple area.

OP - yes, I've used the Friendly Soap Co bars in hard water areas when travelling. They worked fine for a week at a time, at least - a bit harder to rinse our, but still lathered and cleaned fine.

One caveat with soap-based shampoo bars is that they can't remove plastics from hair products - silicones in conditioners, vinyls in styling products, etc. It was ok for me because I was cutting out plastics anyway and happy with switch products, but I did end up with my hair in a mess from product buildup about 2 weeks after starting to use soap-based shampoo... it turned out there was PVP (poly vinyl chloride) in my styling cream. One wash with ALS shampoo sorted it out, and everything has been fine since.

I’ve used Korres shampoo and conditioner with no issues for a few years (£10 per bottle) but ran out and tried Garnier Oat for sensitive scalps - often on 1/2 price offer in Boots - my hair feels lovely and no scalp issues!

www.boots.com/garnier-ultimate-blends-oat-milk-sensitive-scalp-shampoo-360ml-10238544

Thank you for the replies - this thread is really helpful!