Best Acne Safe Haircare
Did you know that your haircare routine could be contributing to breakouts? If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you know that I am all about cutting out pore clogging ingredients from any product that will touch your skin. This includes haircare too. Personally, when I first heard about haircare (conditioners especially) causing acne, I thought if I make sure to be really careful how I apply conditioner away from my face, and wash my face thoroughly afterwards, that I would be fine. However, I was still breaking out around my hairline. When I started testing out acne safe shampoos and conditioners, my hairline breakouts were gone. This is what convinced me that my haircare was a culprit to my acne. Below, I've curated a selection of thoroughly tested, clean, and non-toxic acne-safe haircare products, based on weeks of personal testing. This post contains affiliate links, so if you decide to purchase any of these, I would be ever so thankful if you used them.
Clearstem Restorative Shampoo
*best lather shampoo*
Clearstem is a brand that’s dedicated to creating products that are acne safe and without any pore cloggers. I already love their skincare and MINDBODYSKIN supplement, so when they recently launched their first luxury haircare products, I was all about them! The shampoo is a great value for the size. You don’t need much because this lathers SO well! I usually need to do a second shampoo wash to get some lather going, but the Clearstem Shampoo lathers super well on the first wash! This color-safe shampoo has a really calming yet refreshing aroma thanks to the rosemary, spearmint, chamomile and a touch of vanilla, so you feel like you’re at a spa. My scalp felt soothed during shampooing, and my hair was extra smooth once I dried it. The ingredients are squeaky clean and Switch Natural App approved. It’s also vegan, cruelty free, sulfate free and SLS free. I can 100% guarantee that Clearstem’s Haircare will never add pore cloggers into their formulas, which I can’t guarantee with the other products in this post (if they reformulate them), so make sure to keep checking for formula changes if you decide to get a product that’s not from Clearstem. Get 15% off Clearstem anytime with my code GREENBOOTLIFE, and shop their shampoo here!
Rahua Hydration Shampoo
*best travel shampoo*
Want to feel like you’re on a tropical vacation? Get the Rahua Hydration Shampoo! This is a very hydrating, vegan, luxurious formula with zero pore clogging ingredients. It has a plant derived hydration complex with natural aromas from passionfruit and mango (sooooo yummy). I bought their travel sized Hydration Duo (pictured above) which is super convenient if you just want to test it out before buying a full size, and of course it’s great to bring on your travels too. If you do buy the full size, you can then save on future purchases as they have a refill pouch you can get on their website. Please note that only the Hydration Shampoo, Classic Shampoo, Hydration Conditioner, Scalp & Skin Toner, Aloe Vera Hair Mousse and Voluminous Dry Shampoo from Rahua are acne safe as of this writing. Buy the Rahua Hydration Travel Duo here or the full size shampoo here!
The Unscented Company Daily Shampoo
*best budget friendly shampoo*
The Unscented Company Daily Shampoo is a simple, budget friendly and no frills acne safe shampoo. It’s great if you’re sensitive to any scents from essential oils or fragrance, as it’s truly unscented. You also get a lot of shampoo in the bottle for about $17! Great shampoo for all, especially if your hair is short or low maintenance. It’s cruelty free, vegan, biodegradable, fragrance free, dye free, and refillable. Get it on Amazon here!
Rahua Classic Shampoo
This is Rahua’s bestseller, and for a great reason. This shampoo does it all: hydrates without weighing the hair down, smells amazing (palo santo heaven), balances the scalp and restores from roots to ends. I fell in love with it the most because of its’ incredible palo santo smell; I’m quite obsessed with it! Also, this shampoo lathers really well and a little goes a long way. This shampoo’s standout ingredients are omega-9 rich Rahua Oil, quinoa, and Palo Santo oil. You can get a travel size, deluxe mini, regular or large bottle, as well as a refill for this shampoo! Shop Rahua’s Classic Shampoo here!
Coconut Matter Matcha Shake Shampoo
*best sustainable shampoo*
The Coconut Matter Matcha Shake Shampoo is the most sustainable option out of all my recommendations! It’s packaged in an aluminum bottle and is a waterless, powder formula. I was pleasantly surprised with how well this washed my hair - I used three shakes of the powder as that’s what recommended for longer, fuller hair and the lather was pretty amazing! It smells really nice without being overpowering, thanks to essential oils like peppermint, lavender and may chang. I found this powder shampoo made my hair really voluminous, too! The standout ingredients in this formula are: Matcha, Amla, Argan Oil, Aloe Vera, Rice Protein and Coconut Powder. The ingredients are stellar and Switch Natural App approved. Get it 10% off with my code MILA10 here!
Rahua Voluminous Shampoo
*best voluminizing shampoo*
This is a perfect formula if you’re looking for a leightweight, energizing and volumizing shampoo. This clarifying shampoo will also nourish your strands and make them smell like lavender and eucalyptus, and who doesn’t want that? Rahua’s Voluminous Shampoo formula is packed with incredible ingredients such as rahua oil (prevents breakage), green tea antioxidants, citrus juices, and lemongrass (they remove product buildup and reduce excess oil production). This is the perfect shampoo with warmer, more humid months and if you have oiler hair. You can get a travel size, deluxe mini, regular or large bottle, as well as a refill for this shampoo! Shop Rahua Voluminous Shampoo here!
Evolvh Better Roots Shampoo
*best hair growth shampoo*
The Evolvh Better Roots Shampoo is specifically formulated to stimulate hair follicles for enhanced hair growth. It’s meant to help hair grow thicker, stronger, and healthier from the roots. According to Evolvh, this shampoo’s key ingredient red clover flower (Capixil) does the following: boosts density by up to 46% after 4 months; accelerates hair formation by up to 50%; improves hair follicle anchorage by up to 400%. I also love the scent, as it’s not overwhelming, but it has the salon like smell. You can watch me use it in this reel. The Better Roots Shampoo is the perfect shampoo if you’re looking to improve your hair growth. Shop Evolvh 15% off with my code GREENBOOTLIFE, and get the shampoo here!
Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo
*best dry shampoo*
I’m not usually a fan of dry shampoos, because most of the ones in clean beauty don’t really work, and the conventional ones are toxic and heavily fragranced. However, I recently discovered Rahua’s Voluminous Dry Shampoo and it really suprised me. It has the FINEST powder texture and the most interesting dispenser. Rahua states this is a non-aerosol plant-based dry shampoo, refreshes and cleans hair without leaving a gritty, dry feeling, and I TOTALLY agree. I also like that it helps with volume, which is tricky to do once your hair isn’t as fresh, IYKYK. Shop Rahua’s Voluminous Dry Shampoo here!
Clearstem Repair Conditioner
*best repairing conditioner*
It’s incredibly hard to find a conditioner that’s not only clean, but also acne safe, without ANY pore clogging ingredients. Clearstem’s incredible team did it and exceeded my expectations with their new Repair Conditioner. A little goes a long way with this delicious spearmint and vanilla infused formula. It made my hair so silky smooth, that I was shocked to see how commerical-like my hair looked during a film shoot I did the morning after I used this conditioner. Some standout ingredients are Kokum Butter, Almond Seedcake, Watermelon Oil, Aloe Vera and Rosemary Extract. The ingredients are squeaky clean and Switch Natural App approved. I can 100% guarantee that Clearstem’s Haircare will never add pore cloggers into their formulas, which I can’t guarantee with the other products in this post (if they reformulate), so make sure to keep checking for formula changes if you decide to get a product that’s not from Clearstem. Get 15% off Clearstem anytime with my code GREENBOOTLIFE, and shop their conditioner here!
Rahua Hydration Conditioner
*best smelling conditioner*
Rahua’s Hydration Conditioner has the same intoxicating, tropical scent like their Hydration Shampoo, and I’m obsessed with it! Since it’s so hard to find an acne safe conditioner that’s clean and works, I actually bought the full size before finishing the travel size I got initially! That tells you a lot. It made my hair smells like passion fruit & mango heaven. I also noticed I had a much easier time detangling my hair (it gets tangled SUPER easily) from using this conditioner. This vegan conditioner also comes in a travel size, and once you have the full size, it’s refillable! Please note that only the Hydration Shampoo, Classic Shampoo, Hydration Conditioner, Scalp & Skin Toner and Voluminous Dry Shampoo from Rahua are acne safe as of this writing. Buy the Rahua Hydration Conditioner here!
Evolvh Better Roots Growth Support Styling Foam
*best hair growth styling foam*
A styling and volumizing foam that helps your hair follicle growth?? Yes, please! I personally spoke to Evolvh’s founder, Boris, about how he dreamed up the idea for this product. He noticed that when he was using Evolvh’s Volumizing Foam, some of the product would naturally settle on his scalp, so he thought: “Why not add some scalp and hair growth supporting ingredients into a new styling foam?”. Its clinically-proven ingredients:
Boosts density by up to 46% after 4 months
Accelerates hair formation by up to 50%
Improves hair follicle anchorage by up to 400%
Reduces scalp micro-inflammation by up to 48%
Reduces oxidative stress by up to 30% (preserves hair pigmentation)
Increases melanogenesis by up to 66% (slows and reverses graying)
You can watch me use it in this reel. Shop 15% off with code GREENBOOTLIFE here!
Rahua Aloe Vera Hair Mousse
*best volumizing foam*
This new product from Rahua has become an instant favorite of mine. It’s lightweight, feels like nothing in my hair, it increases volume and lift and provides hold control as well. I tested the hold claim of this prodcut by curling my notoriously straight hair, and let me tell you, my hair never looked better! I went to get a Rahua blowout as well, in which the Rahua Aloe Vera Hair Mousse was the star product, and you can watch it here. Shop Rahua’s Aloe Vera Hair Mousse here!
Evolvh Better Roots RootBoost Serum
*best hair growth serum*
There’s a lot of hair growth serums on the market right now, but most of them have potentially toxic ingredients that you definitely don’t want on one of the most absorbent part of your body, your scalp. This is where Evolvh’s Better Roots RootBoost Serum comes to the rescue. I’ve used this on my husband, and even he likes it (and he doesn’t like using any products, ha). I even used it on my husband’s beard when he suddenly had a hairless spot show up, and after a couple of applications of the RootBoost Serum, the hair came back! Evolvh’s founder Boris told me that I can use this in any areas where I want to boost hair growth, like eyebrows, so I’ve been using this and I’m happy with the results so far. Shop it 15% off with my code GREENBOOTLIFE here!
What about more acne safe hair products?
I am continuously testing out new-to-me haircare products so, I will keep an ongoing list of acne safe haircare products here and also make sure to check this blog post out from time to time, as I will be expanding it with new reviews, too.