Not Your Mother's

Balancing Act Detoxifying Scalp AHA Exfoliant

Scalp treatment

Scalp treatment
Sulfate-free
Silicone-free
Protein-free

Size4.5 fl oz

Price$27.99seen at one store · 4.5 oz

Where to buy1 store

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.

Manufacturer page: notyourmothers.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types All types Not in your profile

Moisture level High Not in your profile

Slip / detangling Moderate Not in your profile

Weight on hair Light Not in your profile

Fragrance Present Not in your profile

Protein None Not in your profile

Silicone / wax buildup None Not in your profile

Clarifying wash needed Moderate Not in your profile

Parabens / preservatives None of these listed Not in your profile

Essential oils None listed Not in your profile

Show all 19 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Fast-drying alcohol None Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Not yet verified Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified Not in your profile

Heavy humectants Heavy Not in your profile

Hard-water defence High Not in your profile

UV filter None listed Not in your profile

Ingredient list 33 ingredientsA long list Not in your profile

Price tier Salon Not in your profile

Where to buy it UltaOne 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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$49 once, with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates. Nothing renews, and you never have to buy a product.

Not enough priced scalp treatments to place it

We have not priced enough scalp treatments to place this one.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added

Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front

Fine hairthat flattens under most products

Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list

Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list

Maybe skip if

this product has a scent

Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you

Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers

Picking it up locallywe’ve only seen it sold in one channel

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 Moderate

Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list.

Oils and butters None

No oils or butters in the list.

Weight on the hair Light

Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.

Water-binding (humectants) High

Humectants near the top: binding water is one of its main jobs.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Hard-water defence Chelators present

Contains chelators, which 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. 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
WaterWater (Aqua)(Eau)	solvent	The base everything else is dissolved in	Neutral
Glycerin	humectant	Pulls water into the hair	Moisturizes
Cetyl Alcohol	fatty alcohol	Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol)	Softens
Lactic Acid	pH adjuster	Fine-tunes the pH	Moisturizes
Isopentyldiol	solvent	Carrier for the rest of the formula	Moisturizes
Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water	botanical extract	A trace plant extract	Neutral
Glycolic Acid	exfoliant	A little exfoliation	pH balancer
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract	botanical extract	A trace plant extract	Neutral
Menthol	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
FragranceFragrance (Parfum)	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Limonene	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Phenoxyethanol	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Stabilizes

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. No protein: a moisture formula, not a repair one. Fragrance is on the label. Hard-water chelators are present.

Full ingredient list (33)

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 · Water (Aqua)(Eau)

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 Glycerin

General function
Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.

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

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.

Scientific Reports
- humectant
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
▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
4 Lactic Acid

General function
An acid used to set pH and, in scalp products, to loosen flakes.

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
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant moves water in whichever direction the air allows: it holds moisture in humid conditions and can pull it back out of hair in very dry ones.

PubChem
- pH adjuster
- humectant
- exfoliant
5 Isopentyldiol

General function
A light solvent and humectant used to dissolve extracts and improve feel.

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 suitFine or easily flattened hair
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

PubChem
- solvent
- humectant
6 Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water

General function
Witch hazel water, used in scalp products for an astringent claim.

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.
- botanical extract
7 Glycolic Acid

General function
The smallest fruit acid, used in scalp products to loosen flakes and clear build-up.

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.

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.

PubChem
- exfoliant
- pH adjuster
8 Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract

General function
An extract from the fruit of Vaccinium Myrtillus. Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.

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.
- botanical extract
9 Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
10 Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
11 Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract
- botanical extract
12 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
13 Tartaric Acid

General function
A fruit acid used to set an acidic pH; at higher levels it also loosens surface build-up.

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.

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.

PubChem
- pH adjuster
- exfoliant
14 Malic Acid

General function
An apple-derived acid used 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.

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.

PubChem
- pH adjuster
- exfoliant
15 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
16 Sea Water · Sea Water (Maris Aqua)
- humectant
- solvent
17 Laminaria Digitata Extract
- botanical extract
18 Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
- botanical extract
19 Saccharide Isomerate
- humectant
20 Lavandula Stoechas Extract
21 Propanediol

General function
A corn-derived humectant and solvent, often chosen as a lighter-feeling alternative to propylene glycol.

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 suitFine or easily flattened hair
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

PubChem
- humectant
- solvent
22 Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
23 Cetearyl Alcohol

General function
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the 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
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.

PubChem
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
24 Ceteareth-20
- emulsifier
25 Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum

General function
A plant or fermented gum. Gums thicken a water-based formula and give it a slippery, cushioned feel; in a styler they also contribute soft hold.

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 suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold
Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.
- gum
- thickener
26 Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylates Copolymer

General function
A positively charged conditioning agent. Damaged hair carries a negative charge, so it deposits where the damage is and makes wet hair comb through.

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.
- conditioning agent
27 Isohexadecane

General function
A light, quickly evaporating carrier that spreads silicones and oils thinly, then leaves.

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
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
- solvent
- emollient
28 Coceth-7
- emulsifier
29 Fragrance · Fragrance (Parfum)

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
30 Limonene

General function
A citrus-smelling fragrance component that EU rules require to be named separately because some people react to 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
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

PubChem
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
31 Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

General function
A biodegradable hard-water chelator used in place of EDTA.

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
32 Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
33 Ethylhexylglycerin

General function
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.

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
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

PubChem
- preservative
- emollient

What the whole list adds up to

8 botanical extracts
6 humectants
5 solvents
5 pH adjusters
4 emollients
4 exfoliants
3 thickeners
3 fragrances
2 fatty alcohols
2 hard-water chelators
2 emulsifiers
2 preservatives
1 active
1 gum

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-14. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 4.5 oz

Seen at $27.99 1 store · checked Sep 14

Show the price ladder

Price for 4.5 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store

Amazon (ships from Amazon, sold by LemonZee)
$27.99

4.5 oz · $6.22/oz

Sep 14Lowest 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

4.5 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 $27.99 is the price we have observed for the 4.5 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.

Formula

Formula score

7 of 10

Too few comparable prices in our library to place this one; that is a gap in our data, not a fact about the product.

How the score is counted

No conditioning agents up front in the formula
Salon tier, sold at Ulta
Salon tier
5 sources consulted for this record

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

Hair that stiffens on protein, looking for a protein-free formula and moisture that stays in

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, very dry or very humid climates, or people shopping on a budget

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

non-irritating AHA blend that gently exfoliates

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

clinically tested with pre- and postbiotics to support scalp microbiome balance

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.

formulated without sulfate surfactants, silicones, parabens, dyes and gluten

No sulfate detergents appear in the ingredient list.

—

Supported

Gentler on colour and coils.

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.

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 (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 4 editorial), last checked 2026-09-14.
Ingredient references are linked for 14 of 18 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 2026-09-15.