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Side by side

Neutrogena Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo vs Neutrogena Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo

74% function match · 9 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 68%. Neutrogena Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo and Neutrogena Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo share 3 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo — colour-treated hair
  • Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo — flaking scalps

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Neutrogena Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo — front of package Neutrogena

Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Neutrogena Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo — 12 oz container Neutrogena

Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$10–12 13.5 oz · $0.81/oz
$12.39 12 oz · $1.03/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most shampoos $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 75% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 65% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Differs
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Differs
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
salicylic acid, 2.5% Carries an over-the-counter scalp active, listed under Drug Facts. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Flaking scalpsthis carries an over-the-counter active
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a light scent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Shampoo
Shampoo
Where to buy
Grocery / mass
Grocery / mass
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Not vegan · ingredient list
—
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

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The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientHair Restore Strength + Purity ShampooScalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line
Hexylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#18Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo

Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo (18)
Full ingredient list — Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo (13)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsHair Restore Strength + Purity ShampooScalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo

  • Shampoo for shedding due to breakageSupportedReinforces a damaged strand.
  • Sulfate-free shampoo with 1.5% mandelic acidStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Neutrogena Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo draws complaints about how it cleanses; Neutrogena Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo draws complaints about dryness and the scent.

Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo

Users describe thorough cleansing and fresher roots without a heavy feel.

Users report softer, shinier hair; some also notice less shedding during washing or brushing.

Several users find the lather sparse and use many pumpfuls to spread it.

Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo

Many users report a cleaner scalp and less itching.

The persistent fragrance is unpleasant or overpowering for some users.

Some users report continued or worse dryness and visible flakes.

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$0.81/oz vs $1.03/oz — Neutrogena Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Neutrogena Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $0.81/oz Hair Restore Strength + Pu $1.03/oz Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readHair Restore Strength + Purity ShampooScalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo
Label
Lower cost than most shampoosCosts less per ounce than most shampoos we have researched.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo vs ProGrowth + Peptide Clarifying Hair ShampooOGX · 100% function matchScalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo vs Neutrogena T/Sal Therapeutic ShampooNeutrogena · 100% function matchHair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo vs Moisture Repair Shampoo MiniOdele · 96% function matchScalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo vs Scalp Therapy Anti-Dandruff Extra StrengthNeutrogena · 100% function matchHair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo vs Volumizing ShampooOdele · 96% function matchScalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo vs T/Sal 3% Salicylic Acid Anti-Dandruff Shampoo for Scalp Build-Up ControlNeutrogena · 100% function matchHair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Hydrating ShampooCHI · 93% function matchScalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo vs Agave & Lavender Moisturizing & Strengthening ShampooDesign Essentials · 89% function match

Hair Restore Strength + Purity Shampoo · Scalp Therapy Itchy Scalp Shampoo · All shampoos in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 12 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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