2022 eco beauty awards

The Best Eco Haircare Products

Keep scrolling for Byrdie's 2022 Eco Award winners.

Updated on 04/21/22

In This Article

Best Shampoo Best Co-Wash Best Conditioner Best Deep Conditioner Best Hair Mask Best Scalp Treatment Best Gel Best Curl Cream

Best Detangler Best Leave-In Conditioner Best Hair Oil Best Strengthening Cream Best Paddle Brush Best Detangling Brush Best Dry Shampoo Best Do-It-All Hair Product

Our hair is deeply personal and the ever-changing journey spans our styling choices and the products we use. It's why more of us are paying attention to the components inside our products, the brains behind them, and the life cycle beyond our shower caddy. Conscious consumers are actively seeking out products that work but are better for the environment.

The good news? Brands are delivering on their promises of products that are good to you and then some. Below, find our 2022 Eco Beauty Award winners in the haircare category.

01 of 16

Best Shampoo

sienna naturals H.A.P.I shampoo pictured with byrdie eco award seal

Sienna Naturals H.A.P.I Shampoo $18.00

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Highlights

Infused with baobab and geranium oil
Removes buildup without stripping hair
Ingredients are responsibly sourced and cruelty-free

Learn more: Baobab oil has a ton of benefits for your hair.

"I've had a few run-ins with moisture-shipping stripping shampoos, so I've become super careful about the ones I use in my wash day routine. Sienna Naturals' H.A.P.I Shampoo is one that I can always count on. I tend to have a lot of build-up on my scalp, and this shampoo removes every little bit. It's also thoughtfully formulated with baobab oil to boost moisture and geranium oil to help calm the scalp. The brand operates according to the Environmental Working Group standards. The product's ingredients are responsibly sourced, plant-based, and cruelty-free. On the sustainability front, Sienna Naturals' products are recyclable."
-Olivia Hancock, editor

02 of 16

Best Co-Wash

Playa Super Seed Co-Wash $28.00

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Highlights

Boosts hair's softness, strength, and shine
Formulated with kalahari, chia, flax, and hemp seeds
Notes of black coconut, orange blossom, and sandalwood

Learn more: Read our full review of Playa's Curl Co-Wash.

"Playa's Super Seed Co-Wash has impressed me with its ability to add moisture and softness to my hair. It's made with chia, flax, and hemp seeds to strengthen coils. Kalahari seed is also present in the formula to cleanse hair and encourage healthy growth. In addition to the results it delivers, I love the product's delightful beach-y smell (you'll want to sniff it again and again). Plus, all of Playa's packaging is recyclable and the brand offers a program allowing customers to send their empty containers back to be properly recycled."
-Olivia Hancock, editor

03 of 16

Best Conditioner

Ceremonia Acondicionador de Cupuaçu & Castor All-In-One Conditioner $16.00

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Highlights

The formula hydrates, adds shine, and strengthens hair
The products spotlight traditional Latinx beauty rituals and ingredients
Gorgeous, fresh scent

Learn more about Ceremonia's founder Babba C. Rivera.

"Truth be told, I’m always on the hunt for a new conditioner because so few deliver the right balance of hydration and volume. However, this conditioner lives up to its 'all-in-one' name. The formula hydrates, smoothes, and boosts shine for all hair types. It includes aloe vera, babassu oil, castor oil, cupuaçu butter, patauá oil, yucca extract, blue agave extract, and caffeine for a formula that strengthens without weighing down your hair. I also love the brand’s transparency: On the website, each product has an in-depth rundown of the benefits, sourcing, and history of each ingredient. The brand uses 30% to 100% post-consumer-recycled (PCR) material on all their bottles, cutting down on the production and shipping energy required. In short, this is my eco-beauty shower soulmate."
-Madeline Hirsch, news director

04 of 16

Best Deep Conditioner

Adwoa Beauty Baomint Deep Conditioning Treatment $36.00

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Highlights

Addresses dryness and damage
Ingredients include shea butter and prickly pear oil
Fresh, minty fragrance

Learn more: These are all the benefits of using shea butter on your hair.

"As a natural with incredibly thick and very dry hair, there's one attribute that skyrockets to the top of the list when I'm looking for deep conditioners: Slip. Adwoa Beauty's Boamint Deep Conditioning Treatment doesn't just smell divine (minty in a very natural, clean way) and delivers a major dose of moisture to curls and coils through ingredients like shea butter, prickly pear oil, and pumpkin seed oil. It also creates next-level slippage. When paired with my detangling brush, tangles practically fall apart on their own."
-Eden Stuart, editor

05 of 16

Best Hair Mask

Dae Monsoon Moisture Mask $28.00

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Highlights

Hydrates, smooths, and softens dry hair
With every purchase, Dae helps deliver clean water to communities in need
Made from desert-derived ingredients like prickly pear seed oil, cactus flower extract, and cocoa seed butter

"It's called Monsoon for a reason—this buttery mask delivers intense hydration when you need it most. It single-handedly kept my sad, dry strands in check this winter, leaving my hair smooth and soft. Thanks to desert-derived ingredients (the brand was founded in Arizona) like prickly pear seed oil, cactus flower extract, and cocoa seed butter, the formula takes only five to 10 minutes to revitalize your hair. Plus, the packaging is 100% recyclable, and the brand offers an incentive to make sure its products don't end up in a landfill: 20% off your next purchase with every five containers recycled."
-Madeline Hirsch, news director

06 of 16

Best Scalp Treatment

Scalp Briogeo Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Cooling Hydration Scalp Mask

Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Cooling Hydration Scalp Mask $32.00

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Highlights

Leave on for a few minutes and immediately feel relief
Ideal for dry, itchy scalp
Made with charcoal, tea tree oil, and hyaluronic acid for maximum relief and hydration

Learn more about the best Briogeo products.

"Between product buildup and sweaty workouts, my scalp gets greasy quickly. I like to call in reinforcements on more extensive wash days, like this Briogeo scalp mask. Think of it like a clarifying mask you'd use on your face, but for your scalp. Inside the tube is a mix of charcoal to remove buildup, tea tree and peppermint oil to soothe itchiness, and hyaluronic acid and aloe to hydrate. After leaving it on for a few minutes, my scalp feels super cool and squeaky clean. If you're wearing a protective style—like braids or wigs—use this when you take your style out and thank me later."
-Aimee Simeon, senior beauty editor

07 of 16

Best Gel

Kinky-Curly Original Curling Custard $18.00

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Highlights

A nourishing blend of chamomile, aloe vera juice, agave nectar extract, and vitamin E
Hydrates, elongates, and defines curls
All-natural and strengthening

"I have tried many gels and it's so hard to find one that defines kinky and coily hair without making it feel hard or even worse—flaky! The Kinky-Curly Custard hydrates, elongates and defines my curls every time."
-Brooke DeVard Ozaydinli, host of Naked Beauty podcast

08 of 16

Best Curl Cream

Bread Beauty Supply Curl Cream $28.00

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Highlights

For medium and thick hair textures
Made with hydrolyzed quinoa protein and mango butter for more shine and less breakage
Soft-hold formula

Learn more: These are the benefits of mango butter for your hair.

"I love everything Bread Beauty creates because the founder, Maeva Heim, approaches every product with intention. This is a really soft curl cream I use to detangle my hair and style it into a bun—but it can also be used for a twist out. It doesn't hurt that the package is gorgeous and looks great on your vanity."
-Brooke DeVard Ozaydinli, host of Naked Beauty podcast

09 of 16

Best Detangler

LolaVie Glossing Detangler $25.00

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Highlights

Multitasks as a detangler and heat protectant
Adds shine to hair
Pleasant citrus scent

"Without this detangler, my medium-coarse waves are dry and difficult to manage. This slippery leave-in detangles, softens, and gives hair a healthy-looking shine (courtesy of fermented bamboo extract and coconut alkanes). The best part? Its gorgeous citrus scent lingers in your hair all day. Lolavie replaces water with bamboo extract—a renewable resource—wherever it can in hopes to conserve clean water."
-Jesa Marie Calaor, editor

10 of 16

Best Leave-In Conditioner

Reverie Milk Anti-Frizz Leave-In Treatment $42.00

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Highlights

Meant to protect, nourish, and smooth hair long-term
For every plastic bottle sold, the brand funds the recovery and removal of twice as much waste from the ocean
Has a warm, herbal fragrance

Read more about our favorite leave-in conditioners here.

"This is so much more than an anti-frizz product. Yes, it immediately keeps flyaways in check, but this cream-oil formula also protects, defines, moisturizes, and repairs hair long-term. Personally, I love the way it feels: lightweight and hydrating without too much shine. I use it as a finishing cream, but you'd have equally stellar results applying it before heat styling. Formulated in small batches, Reverie's leave-in also smells as good as it works. I love that the brand prioritizes biodynamic and organic farming partners to lessen stress on the world's ecosystem."
-Madeline Hirsch, news director

11 of 16

Best Hair Oil

Fable & Mane HoliRoots Pre-wash Hair Treatment Oil $34.00

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Highlights

A pre-wash and root treatment oil inspired by Indian tradition
Key ingredients include dashmool, Ashwagandha, and castor oil to stregthen hair and increase circulation
Suitable for all hair textures

"I apply this pre-wash oil at night, then wash it out in the morning. My hair looks so shiny, feels so soft, and my scalp is more comfortable—which is a big one for me. It's also very easy to wash out, which is a feat for many hair oils. You can genuinely feel the richness of the ingredients chosen in this formula, both in terms of benefits and culture!"
-Priscilla Tsai, founder of Cocokind

12 of 16

Best Strengthening Cream

Salwa Petersen ChÃ©bÃ© du Tchad Hair Cream

Salwa Petersen Chébé du Tchad Hair Cream $32.00

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Highlights

Recyclable packaging
Fair-traded ingredients, including African shea butter, virgin castor oil, and ceramides
Carbon neutral shipments

Learn more: How African Beauty Rituals Inspired Salwa Petersen’s Signature Hair Cream

"This strengthening leave-in treatment is inspired by Chadian beauty rituals passed down for generations in founder Salwa Petersen's family. All you need to do is apply a pea-size dollop to dry or damp hair, and you'll very literally feel the difference after just a few weeks. Think: softer, longer, stronger, healthier-feeling hair. The brand uses a fair trade supply chain—from those who handpick and sort the Chébé seeds to the small batches made by chemists in France. Plus, 2% of the proceeds from every product support conservation projects in Chad with African Parks Network."
- Hallie Gould, editorial director

13 of 16

Best Paddle Brush

Crown Affair The Brush No. 002 $62.00

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Highlights

Best to use on dry hair
Sturdy handle for easy grip
Gently work through tangles from bottom to top

"I love this brush for very gently detangling my hair while also providing a relaxing scalp massage. I notice significantly less hair build up on this brush than on any others I've ever used (especially postpartum). It also moves the natural oils in my scalp through my hair, leaving my hair feeling soft and visibly healthier."
-Priscilla Tsai, founder of Cocokind

14 of 16

Best Detangling Brush

Felicia Leatherwood Detangler Brush $19.00

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Highlights

Great for curly hair textures
Expertly designed for snag-free detangling
Comes in standard and travel sizes

Learn more about Felicia Leatherwood's products here.

"Felicia Leatherwood's Detangling Brush is my desert-island hair tool—nothing styles and detangles my tight coils like it. The plastic bristles are placed expertly to allow for snag-free detangling that doesn't hurt. My hair is super thick and this brush has withstood even the most aggressive detangling sessions without bending or breaking. I keep a full-sized brush in my shower for regular use and a travel-sized for when I am away from home. It's a great investment since it's an item that will come in handy regularly, but you don't have to repurchase frequently."
-Aimee Simeon, senior beauty editor

15 of 16

Best Dry Shampoo

Love Beauty & Planet Coconut and Mimosa Flower Dry Shampoo $14.00

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Highlights

Uses non-greenhouse gas propellant (nitrogen)
Offers tons of volume and doesn't leave behind white residue
Brand donates 250k to the Surfrider Foundation for World Ocean's Day

Learn more about our favorite Love Beauty and Planet products here.

"Two things about me—I'm a cardio fanatic and I hate washing my hair. So, I know a thing or two about dry shampoo. This is the best formula I have ever tried. It's lightweight, absorbs seamlessly, doesn't leave any white residue (I have dark roots), and gives my hair volume that rivals my Airwrap. And instead of using typical aerosol propellants that contribute to the greenhouse gas effect, Love Beauty & Planet uses Nitrogen here, something you'll already find in the Earth's atmosphere."
-Holly Rhue, senior editor

16 of 16

Best Do-It-All Hair Product

Squigs Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil $34.00

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Highlights

Great for all hair types
Key ingredients include Amla extract and coconut oil
Inspired by Indian beauty rituals

Learn more: Read the Squigs brand story here.

"Beyond adding shine to my super dry hair, I turn to hair oil as a nourishing treatment and a styling product. Squigs Gooseberry Delight Hair Oil does it all. Amla extract, a staple used traditionally in Indian beauty treatments, helps soothe dry scalp, while coconut oil works to protect and repair. Apricot and orange peel oils both have rich conditioning properties and leave behind a subtle, sweet scent on your hair. While Gooseberry Delight's intended purpose is to be slathered on hair, it also doesn't hurt to massage anything that's leftover into your elbows and knuckles when you're finished."
- Aimee Simeon, senior beauty editor