An Ayurvedic shampoo does not behave like the bottle it is replacing.

That is the part nobody warns you about. You order one, you get it home, and the first wash goes wrong. It barely foams. It smells of herbs rather than of shampoo. Your hair feels different coming out of the shower, and you cannot tell whether that is the shampoo or the water.

None of that means you bought the wrong bottle. It means this category works on different principles, and the label does not explain them.

This guide compares eleven Ayurvedic and herbal shampoos we ship, grouped by the herbs each one is built on and the hair each maker aims it at. Nothing is ranked against anything else. Every ingredient list, every direction for use, and every description of what a shampoo is for comes from the manufacturer of that product.

Two sections come before the list, because both will change which bottle you pick.

A Note on Lather

Traditional wash herbs like reetha, also sold as soap nut, and shikakai contain saponins. Saponins clean, but they produce very little foam compared with the sulfates in a mainstream shampoo. Several of the shampoos below are also sold in sulfate free bases, which has the same effect.

So expect less foam. Sometimes far less. A shampoo that does not lather is not faulty and is not doing less work, it is doing the work differently.

Two practical consequences. If you oil your hair before washing, you will almost certainly need two rounds rather than one, because the first round is mostly lifting the oil. And if a household is used to a foaming shampoo, a low-lather bottle tends to get used in much larger quantities than it needs, which is how a bottle disappears in three weeks.

If foam matters to you, the comparison table further down marks which of these behave like an ordinary shampoo.

A Note on Hard Water

This one applies wherever you happen to be, and it is the reason two people can use the same bottle and describe completely different results.

Large parts of the UK sit on hard water, as do many US states, and hard water carries dissolved calcium and magnesium. Those minerals react with soap and reduce lather further, which stacks on top of the low-lather issue above. They also leave a residue on the hair that builds up over weeks and can leave hair feeling coated or dull no matter what you wash with.

If the shampoo you used before was a strong foaming sulfate formula, it was cutting through that residue in a way a gentle herbal cleanser will not. Switching to a herbal shampoo in a hard water area is a bigger change than switching in a soft water area.

Two things help. Check your water supplier's hardness figure for your postcode or ZIP, which is usually published. And if your area is hard, plan to alternate rather than switching everything at once, or use a clarifying wash occasionally alongside the herbal one.

How to Compare Ayurvedic Shampoos Before You Buy

Four things separate one bottle from another.

The herb system it is built on. Amla and reetha, bhringraj, aloe vera, henna, tulsi and brahmi are all different starting points, and makers build around one or two of them rather than all of them. The groups below are organised on this.

Whether it lathers. Covered above. It is the single most common source of disappointment in this category, and it is knowable before you buy.

Whether it contains sulfates. Many shampoos marketed as Ayurvedic still contain SLS or SLES. Some are built without them. Neither is right or wrong, but it decides how the bottle will behave, so read the ingredient list rather than the front of the pack.

Whether it is a cosmetic or a registered Ayurvedic preparation. These are different product categories with different labelling rules, and one group below is made up entirely of the second kind.

Group 1: Amla, reetha and the traditional wash herbs

The oldest approach on this shelf. Amla, reetha and shikakai were the wash before shampoo existed, and these two bottles are the closest modern versions of it. Expect the lather note above to apply most strongly here.

1. Khadi Natural Amla and Reetha Hair Cleanser

Khadi sells this one as a hair cleanser rather than a shampoo, which is how the brand labels most of its washes, and the name tells you the two herbs it is built on. Khadi positions it for hair that feels thin or weak in texture. See the Khadi Natural Amla and Reetha Hair Cleanser page for the full ingredient list and directions.

2. Dabur Vatika Ayurvedic Shampoo

The longest herb list of anything here. Dabur lists henna, amla, shikakai, reetha, hibiscus, methi, lemon, olive, almond, tea tree oil, rosemary, aloe vera and bhringaraj across the range. It is the most mainstream bottle in this group and the most likely to already be familiar. Dabur's directions suggest using it at least twice a week. Details on the Dabur Vatika Ayurvedic Shampoo page.

Group 2: Bhringraj and the classical hair oil herbs

Bhringraj, amla and the herbs that go into traditional hair oils, put into a wash instead. These are the bottles aimed at people who want their shampoo to come from the same tradition as the oil they already use.

3. Sesa Ayurvedic Medicinal Shampoo for Hairfall Control

Sesa builds on traditional Ayurvedic herbs and sells this one as a daily-use cleanser. The product name is the manufacturer's own. See the Sesa Ayurvedic Medicinal Shampoo page for what Sesa lists.

4. Sesa Ayurvedic Anti Hairfall Shampoo

The same house with a different formula, sold in a larger bottle, which makes it the more practical choice if more than one person in the house uses it. Details on the Sesa Ayurvedic Anti Hairfall Shampoo page.

5. Sesa Ayurvedic Strong Roots Shampoo and Conditioner

Sold as a pair rather than a single bottle, which is the thing to know about it. If you have been looking for an Ayurvedic shampoo and conditioner that were designed to go together rather than assembled from two brands, this is the set in this list. See the Sesa Ayurvedic Strong Roots Shampoo and Conditioner page.

6. Avimee Herbal Shakuntala Hair Cleanser Shampoo

Avimee lists aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, rice protein and keratin protein in a coconut water base, and states that it is made without SLS or parabens. That puts it in the low-lather group, and it is the most modern formulation in this section. Avimee's full range sits on the Avimee Herbal brand page.

Group 3: Aloe vera, for scalp comfort

Aloe led washes are the mildest group here. Both are sold as cleansers rather than treatments, and both suit someone who wants to wash more often without their scalp objecting.

7. Khadi Natural Herbal Aloevera Hair Cleanser

Aloe vera as the lead in Khadi's herbal cleanser format. Mild, and the one to look at if the shampoo you were using felt too strong. See the Khadi Natural Herbal Aloevera Hair Cleanser page.

8. Patanjali Kesh Kanti Aloe Vera Hair Cleanser

Patanjali's aloe entry in the Kesh Kanti hair range, sold as a herbal cleanser, which is how Patanjali labels its hair washes. It comes in the larger sizes that the Kesh Kanti range is known for. Details on the Patanjali Kesh Kanti Aloe Vera Hair Cleanser page.

Group 4: Henna and citrus, for texture and oily roots

Two bottles that behave differently from the rest. Henna adds body and grip rather than slip. Citrus and honey formulas are aimed at roots that go flat quickly.

9. Biotique Bio Henna Leaf Fresh Texture Shampoo and Conditioner

Henna leaf led, and sold as a shampoo and conditioner in one. If you want texture rather than smoothness, this is the bottle in this list built for that. It is also the second shampoo and conditioner option here. See the Biotique Bio Henna Leaf Fresh Texture Shampoo and Conditioner page.

10. Khadi Natural Honey and Lemon Juice Hair Cleanser

Lemon and honey in Khadi's cleanser format, pointed at hair that goes greasy quickly rather than hair that runs dry. Details on the Khadi Natural Honey and Lemon Juice Hair Cleanser page.

Group 5: Classical Ayurvedic pharmacy preparations

A separate category rather than a variation on the others. These come from Ayurvedic pharmacies rather than cosmetics companies, and they are registered differently, which means the label carries different information from a cosmetic bottle. If you already buy Ayurvedic preparations, this will be the familiar group.

11. Kottakkal Ayurveda Hair Nourishing Shampoo

Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala is one of the older Ayurvedic pharmacies, and this shampoo is built on kaidarya, tulsi and brahmi rather than the amla and bhringraj that dominate the rest of this list. Kottakkal's directions are to apply to hair and scalp, massage, then rinse. See the Kottakkal Ayurveda Hair Nourishing Shampoo page.

Indulekha also sits in this category rather than among the cosmetics, and it is covered in our anti dandruff shampoo guide.

Comparison Table

All eleven sit in our shampoo collection, alongside the medicated and mainstream bottles.

Where to Buy Ayurvedic Shampoo Online

There are three realistic options.

A local Indian grocery store, if there is one within reach. The hair aisle there is usually one or two bottles, whatever the supplier happened to send that month, and the pharmacy preparations rarely make it that far at all.

Marketplaces such as Amazon, where the same bottle often appears under several listings at different prices and sizes, and where the photograph does not always match the size being sold. Read the seller details and the volume before ordering.

Or ordering directly, which gives you the whole range rather than whatever a shop happened to stock. It takes longer to arrive, so it suits buying ahead rather than buying the day you run out. We offer doorstep delivery worldwide. Explore hair care products to see the full shelf.

Related Reading

• Best anti dandruff shampoos, covering the herbal and medicated bottles aimed at flakes, including Indulekha, Kesh King and Patanjali's anti dandruff cleanser.

• Best tea tree shampoo, on the tea tree led options and what separates them.