Makes hair 3x stronger versus non-conditioning shampoo
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Shampoo / Everyday cleanser, balanced
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Listing used for research: target.com
Personal fit
Complete the consultation to see exactly how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 2,400+ products in our library we can match exactly the right products to you.
$49.00 one-time consultation, no subscription
Add the optional $49/year membership for unlimited adjustments for changes in weather and lifestyle.
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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.
Start your consultation$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.
Your avoid-list
Priced with its peers
$0.96/oz at 13 oz — less than 68% of the 805 shampoos , which mostly run $0.81–3.01/oz. The cost less.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
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.
Removes oil and product; leaves some conditioning behind.
An ordinary shampoo lather.
Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list.
Humectants in the working part of the formula.
No over-the-counter scalp active.
Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient.
Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.
Ingredients that matter
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterWater (aqua) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Cocamidopropyl Betaine | amphoteric cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate | mild anionic cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Fragrance | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Sodium Chloride | salt | Adjusts the texture | Stabilizes |
| GlycerinGlycerin (Vegetable) | humectant | Adds a little water-binding | Moisturizes |
| Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter | butter | A little richness, low in the list | Heavy |
| Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil | oil | A small amount of oil for softness | Softens |
| Hydrolyzed Rice Protein | film former | A supporting film former | Protein |
| Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein | film former | A supporting film former | Protein |
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.
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A mild coconut-derived co-cleanser that boosts foam and softens the effect of stronger detergents. It appears in most shampoos, gentle or not.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Mild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.
The mildest detergents are also the least complete: a routine that deposits films needs something stronger periodically.
Among 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.
A mild cleanser with a creamy lather, gentler than a sulfate.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
The detergent class most curl routines are built around: it lathers and cleanses without stripping the strand back to bare.
A gentler detergent leaves more of the surface oil that slows water loss from coarse or porous hair.
Cleanses with less sebum removal than a sulfate detergent, so hair that is short of moisture keeps more of it through the wash.
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.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
Table salt. In shampoo it is used to thicken the liquid, not to treat the hair.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A small water-loving molecule that draws moisture into the hair and holds it there. It is the most common softening ingredient in conditioners and leave-ins.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
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.
A rich, solid plant butter used for heavy conditioning on coarse or dry hair. High in the list it makes a product decidedly heavy.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.
A thick, tacky oil used for sealing ends and for slick, held-down styles.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A rich orange fruit oil used in small amounts in curl and colour-care products.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Vinegar acid, used in tiny amounts to bring the formula to an acidic pH so the cuticle lies flat.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
A light plant protein that adds body and shine, popular in volume products.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.
Wheat protein broken into fragments small enough to cling to the hair. It adds temporary strength and body; too much can feel stiff.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.
A starch fragment used for light body and film. It is a carbohydrate, not a protein.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Adds grip and body with no oil attached, which is what lifts fine hair at the root instead of weighing it down.
How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
Starch gives texture and grip rather than a set film; firm hold usually needs a polymer alongside it.
A conditioning polymer made from guar bean gum. It deposits during rinsing, which is why sulfate shampoos can still leave hair soft.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.
Cationic conditioners bind to the negatively charged damaged cuticle, laying it flat and cutting the friction that causes combing breakage.
A styling polymer dries into a film across the strands, which is what makes a shape hold instead of relax.
A light plant oil used to soften and carry other oil-based ingredients.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Aloe gel, used for light moisture and slip. High in the list it also contributes a little natural hold.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.
Hydration with no oil attached, so it adds very little weight even high on a list.
Aloe is mostly water carrying sugars that bind more of it, which is why it turns up as the base of moisture-first formulas.
A mild cleanser that keeps foaming in hard water and rinses cleanly.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
The detergent class most curl routines are built around: it lathers and cleanses without stripping the strand back to bare.
A gentler detergent leaves more of the surface oil that slows water loss from coarse or porous hair.
Cleanses with less sebum removal than a sulfate detergent, so hair that is short of moisture keeps more of it through the wash.
A cellulose-based conditioning polymer that leaves a thin, static-reducing film. Very common in shampoos as the ingredient that keeps them from stripping.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Cationic polymers hold a curl loosely and stay soft, which is why they turn up in definition products rather than firm-hold ones.
A cationic polymer stays on the hair through rinsing, which is what keeps static and combing friction down after the wash.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
A mild cleanser that comes along with sodium cocoyl isethionate and helps it dissolve.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Cleansing is what lifts deposited films off the strand. How completely depends on which detergent it is and how high on the list it sits.
Every detergent removes some sebum along with the product it is there to wash out. Which detergent it is matters more than that there is one.
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.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the 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.
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
A rice-derived chelator that binds hard-water minerals without EDTA.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
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.
A colour added to tint the product itself. It does not colour hair.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A 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.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-21. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 13 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $10 line; products that do this job typically go for about $14 at this size.
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.
Formula
The formula carries the systems a shampoo is built around, and it sits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
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.
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
Colour-treated hair — for washing without sulfates and moisture that stays in
Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, very dry or very humid climates, or anyone who wants to pick it up locally
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
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.
Makes hair 3x stronger versus non-conditioning shampoo
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Prevents breakage by up to 67% after one use
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Formulated for damaged or chemically processed hair
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
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.
Reviewers
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
Reviewers with curly/coily hair use it periodically (roughly monthly) to clarify and remove buildup without over-drying the scalp.
curly/coily hairMultiple reviewers credit the castor oil formula with strengthening and thickening hair over repeated use.
generalSome reviewers caution against daily use, finding it too drying or heavy as an everyday shampoo rather than an occasional clarifying treatment.
frequent/daily users