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Head & Shoulders

Classic Clean Conditioner

Conditioner / Everyday rinse-out, detangling

Conditioner
cream
Sulfate-free
Protein-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed

Size325 mL

Price$6.64seen at one store · 10.99 oz

Where to buy1 store

Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.

Scent:

Notes: fresh.

“Light, fresh Classic Clean fragrance” (Brand page)

Strength: Light

Manufacturer page: headandshoulders.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types All types Not in your profile

Moisture level None found Not in your profile

Oils and butters None Not in your profile

Slip / detangling High Not in your profile

Weight on hair Medium Not in your profile

Fragrance Prominent Not in your profile

Protein None Not in your profile

Silicone / wax buildup High Not in your profile

Clarifying wash needed High Not in your profile

Scent Fresh & airyLight strength Not in your profile

Show all 22 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Parabens / preservatives Present Not in your profile

Essential oils None listed Not in your profile

Fast-drying alcohol None Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified Not in your profile

Heavy humectants Not heavy Not in your profile

Hard-water defence None Not in your profile

UV filter None listed Not in your profile

pH adjusted Adjusted Not in your profile

Ingredient list 14 ingredientsA short list Not in your profile

Price tier Drugstore Not in your profile

Where to buy it Grocery / massOne channel Not in your profile

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.

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Not enough priced conditioners to place it

We have not priced enough conditioners to place this one.

Price and stores

Great for

Flaking scalpsit has an over-the-counter active

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added

Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet

Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list

Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers

A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight

Maybe skip if

this product has a light scent

Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove

Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list

Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list

Non-medicated routinesthis is an over-the-counter drug as well as a cosmetic

Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here

Whether this much richness suits you depends on your strand thickness, porosity and how easily your hair goes flat. We work that out in the consultation.

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.

Slip and detangling High

Conditioning agents sit high in the list, so this is a detangling formula.

Oils and butters None

No oils or butters in the list.

Weight on the hair Medium

Middle of the range: noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.

Water-binding (humectants) None found

No humectants, so nothing here pulls water into the hair.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Needs detergent to remove Yes

Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.

Hard-water defence None

No chelating agent in the list.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance is in the first eight ingredients, so it makes up a larger share of the formula.

from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.

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
Zinc PyrithionePyrithione Zinc	active	The over-the-counter active	Active
Water	solvent	The base everything else is dissolved in	Neutral
Stearyl Alcohol	fatty alcohol	Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol)	Softens
Cetyl Alcohol	fatty alcohol	Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol)	Softens
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine	conditioning agent	Conditions and softens so hair combs through	Detangles
Dimethicone	silicone	Smooths the cuticle and adds shine	Buildup
Fragrance	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Glutamic Acid	amino acid	A trace of amino acids	Protein
Phenoxyethanol	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Stabilizes
Benzyl Alcohol	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Stabilizes
Methylchloroisothiazolinone	isothiazolinone	—	Stabilizes
Methylisothiazolinone	isothiazolinone	—	Stabilizes

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates or drying alcohols. Protein-free: this is built for moisture rather than for strengthening. Contains fragrance. The silicones here need a detergent wash to come off.

Full ingredient list (14)

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 Zinc Pyrithione · Pyrithione Zinc

General function
An over-the-counter anti-dandruff active that reduces the yeast associated with flaking. Its percentage is stated in the drug facts panel.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChem
- active
2 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 ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- solvent
3 Stearyl Alcohol

General function
A fatty alcohol that thickens conditioners and helps them coat the hair evenly.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

DependsFine or easily flattened hair
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

PubChem
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
4 Cetyl Alcohol

General function
A fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

DependsFine or easily flattened hair
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

PubChem
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
5 Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine

General function
A gentle conditioning agent activated by the acid in the formula. It smooths the cuticle without much build-up.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
The class that does the detangling in a conditioner. It deposits lubrication where the cuticle is worn.

DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

PubChem
- conditioning agent
6 Dimethicone

General function
The most common conditioning silicone. It coats the strand for shine, slip, and frizz control, and needs a detergent (not just water) to wash out.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

May suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Lays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.

May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines
Dimethicone does not disperse in water. On a routine that skips detergent it stays on the hair and accumulates wash after wash.
- silicone
- emollient
- conditioning agent
▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
7 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 zone
It 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 routines
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
8 Glutamic Acid

General function
An amino acid used for moisture binding and to bring the formula to an acidic pH.

Estimated lower-concentration zone
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.

DependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
pH adjusters are how a formula is brought to a chosen acidity, and an acidic formula keeps the cuticle lying flatter than an alkaline one. Which way this one moves the pH depends on the formula, and the finished pH is not on the label.

DependsProtein-sensitive hair
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.

PubChem
- amino acid
- pH adjuster
9 Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
10 Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
11 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 zone
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
The 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 hair
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.

International Journal of Trichology
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
12 Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
13 Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
14 Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative

What the whole list adds up to

4 preservatives
3 emollients
3 thickeners
2 solvents
2 fatty alcohols
2 pH adjusters
2 isothiazolinones
1 active
1 conditioning agent
1 silicone
1 conditioning agent
1 fragrance
1 declared fragrance
1 amino acid

Drug facts actives

Pyrithione Zinc 0.5%

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 2026-10-10. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 10.99 oz

Seen at $6.64 1 store · checked Oct 10

Show the price ladder

Price for 10.99 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store

Well.ca (Canada)
$6.64

10.99 oz · $0.60/oz

Oct 10Lowest per oz

Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.

How we work this out

10.99 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 $6.64 is the price we have observed for the 10.99 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.

Formula

Formula score

8 of 10

We do not have enough conditioners with a computable price per ounce to say where this one sits. The formula itself carries the systems a conditioner is built around.

How the score is counted

Covers 4 of the 6 things a conditioner should do
Reviewers mention 2 things they like about how it performs
Drugstore tier, sold at Grocery / mass
Drugstore tier

Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.3 pts
Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
Slip for detanglingReduces the force it takes to comb wet hair.2 pts
A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
A pH adjusterBrings the formula to the acidic pH hair prefers.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.

Should you buy it?

Depends on your hair: see who it suits

Best user

Flaking scalps who want an over-the-counter scalp active and a protein-free formula

Biggest tradeoff

Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein

Best alternative if not

Nothing in our library matches it closely 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.

Claims check

What the brand says, and what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We mark a claim supported, partly supported or conflicting only when the ingredient list speaks to it. Everything else stays "stated by the brand". That isn’t a criticism: most claims can’t be checked from a label.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

Preserves the ZPT deposited by Head & Shoulders shampoo

This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Paraben-free formula safe for color-treated hair

No parabens appear in the ingredient list.

—

Supported

Preserved without parabens.

Canada's #1 choice of dermatologists for personal use

A sales or award claim. It says nothing about what is in the bottle.

—

Stated by brand

Popularity, not performance.

How to read this

We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula, not at the marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.

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 a thick, silky conditioner that detangles and adds shine without leaving the hair greasy or heavy.

Canadian Well.ca reviewers

Many reviewers say the conditioner leaves hair soft, smooth and manageable while their dry, itchy scalp and visible flakes calm down within a week or two.

Canadian Well.ca reviewers, mostly a 2017 launch-era review batch

Curly, wavy, colour-treated or fine-haired reviewers find it not hydrating or frizz-taming enough, and one fine-haired reviewer reports knots.

Reviewers naming their own curly, wavy, colour-treated or fine hair

A few reviewers dislike a medicinal smell, while others call the scent subtle or refreshing.