Herbal Essences

Purifying Tea Tree Conditioner

Conditioner / Everyday rinse-out, detangling

Conditioner
Sulfate-free
Protein-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed

Size13.5 fl oz

Price$5.99 Good valueseen at one store · 13.5 oz

Price / oz$0.44/ozat 13.5 oz

Where to buy1 store

Scent:

The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.

“Refreshing notes of tea tree essence and invigorating minty citrus” — Brand page

Manufacturer page: herbalessences.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types All types Not in your profile

Moisture level Moderate Not in your profile

Slip / detangling High Not in your profile

Weight on hair Medium Not in your profile

Fragrance Present 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

Parabens / preservatives Present Not in your profile

Essential oils Present Not in your profile

Show all 20 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Fast-drying alcohol None Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free 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 High Not in your profile

UV filter None listed Not in your profile

pH adjusted Adjusted Not in your profile

Ingredient list 18 ingredientsAbout average 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, then reads every factor in this table against it — and tells you where this product fits, or what to use instead.

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$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

Lower cost than most conditioners

$0.44/oz at 13.5 oz — less than 92% of the 689 conditioners , which mostly run $0.91–3.10/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

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

Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers

Maybe skip if

this product carries a 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

Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

Whether this much richness is right for you depends on your strand thickness, porosity, and how easily your hair flattens — that is what the consultation works out.

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 — this is a detangling formula.

Oils and butters Present, high in the list

Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula.

Weight on the hair Medium

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

Water-binding (humectants) None found

No humectants found — 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 Chelators present

Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals.

Fragrance Present

Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.

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. These 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
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 — this is what makes it comb through	Detangles
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil	botanical extract	A trace plant extract	Fragrance
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil	emollient	A softening touch, low in the list	Softens
Mentha Arvensis Leaf/Stem Oil	oil	A small amount of oil for softness	Softens
Menthol	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Fragrance	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Bisaminopropyl Dimethicone	silicone	A little smoothing and shine	Buildup

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates or drying alcohols. No protein — a moisture formula, not a repair one. Fragrance is on the label. Water-insoluble silicones — needs a detergent wash to remove.

Full ingredient list (18)

US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.

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

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

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 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
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
5 Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil

General function
Tea tree essential oil, used in scalp products for its sharp scent and traditional clarifying reputation.

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
Essential oils are fragrance. Several carry constituents on the EU list of declared fragrance allergens, so a label with no fragrance line can still be a scented product.
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
6 Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil

General function
The oil pressed from Peppermint (Mentha Piperita)'s leaf/stem. How much weight a plant oil leaves depends on the hair it lands on; coarse hair tends to take more of it than fine hair.

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 suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
- emollient
- essential oil
- oil
7 Mentha Arvensis Leaf/Stem Oil

General function
The oil pressed from Mentha Arvensis's leaf/stem. How much weight a plant oil leaves depends on the hair it lands on; coarse hair tends to take more of it than fine hair.

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 suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
- oil
- emollient
8 Menthol

General function
Produces the cooling, tingling feeling on the scalp. The sensation is real; it is not evidence that anything else is happening.

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.

PubChem
- fragrance
- active
9 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
10 Bisaminopropyl Dimethicone
- silicone
- conditioning agent
11 Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
12 Dicetyldimonium Chloride

General function
A conditioning agent used for slip in thick creams and masks.

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 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
13 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
14 Peg-2m
- emulsifier
15 Disodium EDTA

General function
Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.

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
Binds 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 hair
Copper 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.

PubChem
- hard-water chelator
16 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
17 Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
18 Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative

What the whole list adds up to

4 emollients
3 fragrances
3 preservatives
2 solvents
2 fatty alcohols
2 thickeners
2 conditioning agents
2 essential oils
2 oils
2 pH adjusters
2 hard-water chelators
2 isothiazolinones
1 botanical extract
1 active

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-06. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 13.5 oz

Seen at $5.99 1 store · checked Sep 6

Good value under $7 Under $0.50/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $7 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $9 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 13.5 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store

Herbal Essences (herbalessences.com, MSRP)
$5.99

13.5 oz · $0.44/oz

Sep 6Lowest 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

13.5 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 $5.99 is the price we have observed for the 13.5 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $7 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $0.50/oz; at 13.5 oz that is $7. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $9 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 13.5 oz.

Formula

Formula score

8 of 10

It carries the working systems a conditioner needs and still sits in the lower part of the price range for conditioners per ounce.

How the score is counted

1 products that do the same job cost less per ounce
Costs less per ounce than 92% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Covers 4 of the 6 things a conditioner should do
Drugstore tier, sold at Grocery / mass

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 is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.

Does the same job, for less

Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.

Paul MitchellLowest cost per oz Awapuhi Conditioner $0.32/oz $0.12/oz less

Protein-free
Alcohol-free
Medium weight

· Same function

Differs: Salon tier
2.5 oz bottle

Compare

See more alternatives in the product library

These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Good for the right person

Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and real detangling slip

Biggest tradeoff

Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein

Best alternative if not

Consider Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Conditioner, 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.

Claims check

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

Detangles and protects hair from damage leaving your hair soft with volume

A mid-weight formula: it will not flatten fine hair, but lift is not its main job.

—

Partly supported

Neutral on lift.

Mineral oil-free

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Safe for color-treated hair

It avoids sulfate detergents, which are the usual cause of fast fade.

Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Dicetyldimonium Chloride

Supported

Less fade per wash.

Controls frizz

Silicones or film formers smooth the cuticle, which is the usual mechanism.

Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil
Mentha Arvensis Leaf/Stem Oil
Bisaminopropyl Dimethicone

Supported

Smoother strands, less frizz.

Certified cruelty-free by PETA and dermatologist-tested

A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.

—

Stated by brand

Only the brand’s testing shows this.

How to read this

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

How this page was made

Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per 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.
3 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-09-06.
Ingredient references are linked for 8 of 12 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
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 v22. Record last updated 2026-09-06.