Extra Strength Therapeutic Dandruff Shampoo
Shampoo / Clarifying, deep-cleaning
- Shampoo
- Silicone-free
- Protein-free
- Lightweight
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Listing used for research: walmart.com
Personal fit
Is this right for you?
Complete the consultation to see how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 6,000+ products in our library, we can match you to the right ones.
- About 20 minutes, and your answers save as you go.
- Every product matched against your hair across the 21 factors we check.
- A personalized routine built around your schedule, styling habits, and local weather.
- Find products that do the same job at a lower cost.
- Your goals, scalp, damage history, water, budget, and scent preferences all shape your plan.
$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
Show all 21 factors we check
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
The consultation builds your hair profile, checks every factor in this table against it, and tells you where this product fits or what to use instead.
Start your consultation$49 once, with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates. Nothing renews, and you never have to buy a product.
Your avoid-list
Upper-mid price for a shampoo
$1.92/oz at 6 oz, more than 59% of the 1544 shampoos , which mostly run $0.79–3.04/oz. The cost less.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
Read from the label, not the marketing
Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.
A reset wash that removes oil, buildup, and most residue.
Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair.
Nothing here is built to reduce combing force.
No humectants, so nothing here pulls water into the hair.
Carries an over-the-counter scalp active, listed under Drug Facts.
Contains chelators, which bind hard-water and pool minerals.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
Ingredients that matter
The ingredients that change a decision
The workhorse ingredients, plus anything lower down that changes a decision. The chips name what an ingredient does. They are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Sodium Laureth Sulfate | sulfate cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Cocamidopropyl Betaine | amphoteric cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Cocamide MEA | secondary cleanser | Softens the main detergent | Cleanses |
| Laureth-4 | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Stabilizes |
| Polysorbate 20 | solubilizer | Keeps oils dissolved in water | Stabilizes |
| Bis-Hydroxyethyl Dihydroxypropyl Stearammonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Reduces combing force | Detangles |
| PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate | thickener | Sets the texture | Stabilizes |
| Fragrance | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
Full ingredient list (18)
In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.
-
1
Water
General function
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
General function
A strong, high-foaming cleanser and the most common shampoo detergent. It removes oil and product efficiently, which can be more than dry or colour-treated hair wants.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Indian Journal of DermatologyMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesA sulfate detergent can lift deposited silicone, wax and styling films, which is what resets a routine before build-up is visible.
May suitFine or easily flattened hairFine hair that goes limp under conditioning films usually reads a full detergent wash as volume returning.
May not suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoarse and high-porosity hair loses water quickly on its own; an efficient detergent removes the surface oils that were slowing that down.
- sulfate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
General function
A mild coconut-derived co-cleanser that boosts foam and softens the effect of stronger detergents. It appears in most shampoos, gentle or not.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Indian Journal of DermatologyMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairMild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.
May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesThe mildest detergents are also the least complete: a routine that deposits films needs something stronger periodically.
DependsVery dry or highly damaged hairAmong the mildest detergents in use — it is what baby shampoos are built on — but it is almost always the second detergent in a formula. How much a wash strips is still decided by the primary detergent listed above it.
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Cocamide MEA
General function
A coconut-derived thickener that stabilises foam and gives shampoo its body.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairMild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairA sugar-derived non-ionic detergent, among the gentlest in use. It cleanses with little foam of its own and little sebum removal.
May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesGentle cleansing leaves water-insoluble deposits largely in place; they come off with a stronger wash, not this one.
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
5
Laureth-4
General function
An oil-side emulsifier that helps a cream hold together.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- emulsifier
-
6
Polysorbate 20
General function
Keeps fragrance and oils dissolved in a watery formula so it stays clear.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
7
Bis-Hydroxyethyl Dihydroxypropyl Stearammonium Chloride
General function
An antistatic ingredient used to reduce electrostatic charges in hair.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- conditioning agent
-
8
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
General function
A sugar-derived thickener used to build body in sulfate-free cleansers.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- thickener
- emulsifier
- ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
-
9
Disodium EDTA
General function
Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesBinds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairCopper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
- hard-water chelator
-
10
Citric Acid
General function
Used to bring the product to a slightly acidic pH, which helps the cuticle lie flat. It is almost always near the end of the list.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
International Journal of TrichologyMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesHolds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairThe acid side of pH adjustment, and the reason it matters is measured: alkaline formulas raise the fibre's surface negative charge, increase friction between strands and lift the scales, while lower-pH ones do the reverse.
May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairWhere a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
11
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
12
Fragrance
General function
An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May not suitFragrance-sensitive routinesDeclared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
13
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
14
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
15
Red 40
- colourant
-
16
Blue 1
- colourant
- direct dye
- blue dye
-
17
Yellow 5
General function
A certified colour added to tint the product itself. It does not colour hair.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairA violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.
- colourant
-
18
Yellow 6
General function
A certified colour that tints the product itself. It does not colour hair.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairA violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.
- colourant
What the whole list adds up to
- 4 colourants
- 3 emulsifiers
- 3 preservatives
- 2 cleansers
- 2 secondary cleansers
- 2 thickeners
- 2 hard-water chelators
- 2 isothiazolinones
- 1 solvent
- 1 sulfate cleanser
- 1 amphoteric cleanser
- 1 nonionic cleanser
- 1 solubilizer
- 1 conditioning agent
Drug facts actives
- coal tar 1%
This product is an over-the-counter drug as well as a cosmetic. It treats a cosmetic scalp condition; it does not diagnose or treat disease.
Ingredient list captured 2026-10-03. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 6 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $2 line; products that do this job typically go for about $6 at this size.
Sizes
The 4.5 oz costs the least per ounce, 32% less than the 6 oz.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it2 listings · 1 store
How we work this out
- 6 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
- Seen at $11.54 is the price we have observed for the 6 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $2 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $0.41/oz; at 6 oz that is $2. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- Each size is guarded on its own, so a multipack or a marketplace listing at one size cannot move another.
- About $6 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 6 oz.
Formula
Both the formula and the price land mid-range: it covers the core of what a shampoo does and costs about what shampoos cost per ounce.
How the score is counted
- 5 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
- Costs more per ounce than 59% of the 1544 shampoos we’ve priced
- No slip for detangling in the formula
- Drugstore tier
- A working detergent systemWhat actually removes oil and product.3 pts
- Slip for detanglingReduces the force it takes to comb wet hair.2 pts
- A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
- A hard-water chelatorBinds the minerals that dull hair in hard water.1 pt
- A pH adjusterBrings the formula to the acidic pH hair prefers.1 pt
- No detergent-dependent filmNothing that needs a clarifying wash to remove.1 pt
- Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt
The formula score measures completeness for the job: a weighted share of the systems this product type is usually built around that we find in this list. It does not rate how well the product works or its quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Formulas that do the same things (cleanse, condition, coat or hold) for less per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy them can still differ.
- Scalp active
- Protein-free
- Deep clean
- Differs
- Scalp active
- Protein-free
- Deep clean
- Function
- Also
- Protein-free
- Deep clean
- Hard water
- Function
- Also
See more alternatives in the product library
These products do a similar job. We haven’t matched them to you. Find the one that fits your hair, routine and budget
Final decision
Should you buy it?
A solid pick for the hair it suitsFlaking scalps, looking for an over-the-counter scalp active and a protein-free formula
Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, sulfate-free routines and fresh keratin treatments, or dry or damaged hair
Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula, for similar results at a lower price
We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.
Reviewers
What people report
Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.
Reviewers repeatedly describe the lower price as good value compared with other coal-tar shampoos.
Alexa, Nichol, MeleKalikimaka and Benj discuss price; no medical efficacy conclusion taken from their comparisons.Lather takes more patience for one reviewer, while another reports more suds than expected.
Benj December 26, 2025 and Bumblebee November 22, 2025 report contrasting lather experiences.Several reviewers find the medicinal coal-tar smell unpleasant; views differ on how long it remains in hair.
Alexa, Nichol, anonymous July 14, Brittany, Bessy, MeleKalikimaka and AuburnFamily discuss scent.More from Equate
How this page was made
- Everything above comes from our researched product record: identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated prices and review themes our researchers wrote in their own words. No part of this page is written by hand for one product.
- 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.
- Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
- 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.
- 5 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 2 retailer, 2 editorial), last checked 2026-10-04.
- Ingredient references are linked for 4 of 8 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are general formulation guidance. They aren’t a verdict on the finished product or on you.
- We haven’t tested this product in a lab, and we don’t physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list. Claims about how it behaves are labelled as the brand's.
- Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are what we saw on the dates shown and can change.
- Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Formula readings: derivation v23. Record last updated 2026-10-04.
