When you are camping, hiking, or backpacking, any shampoo and conditioner that you use are likely to flow into the earth, directly impacting the environment.
This makes it important to choose these products carefully and look for eco-friendly options such as biodegradable shampoo.
Whilst traditional hair care products are made with chemicals like phosphates and sulfates that don’t break down, around 90% of biodegradable shampoo and conditioner will break down into water and carbon dioxide within a six-month period.
Not only does that make these products gentle on the environment, but it also makes them healthier for you, especially if your skin is sensitive to harsh chemicals.
Please remember, though, that – unless stated otherwise – most biodegradable shampoos and conditioners should not be used in a natural water source.
This is because they don’t break down immediately, but over time as they are filtered through the ground.
In this guide to the best biodegradable shampoos, I’ll share with you some of my favorite products that are kind to Mother Nature and leave your hair looking great too.
Direct 2 Boater Biodegradable Shampoo & Body Wash
This excellent biodegradable shampoo doubles up as a body wash too. Direct 2 Boater helps cut down on the number of toiletries you need to take with you, which is perfect if you are backpacking and weight is an issue.
It has a specially designed formula that works well with all kinds of water, including fresh, salt, brackish, chlorinated, or hard.
This gives you the confidence to know that – no matter if you are boating, camping, RVing, or hiking – you will have a hair product you can rely on.
Unscented and completely free of dyes, it is safe to use in a variety of eco-systems, even around coral and reefs.
Despite the fact that it contains none of the harsh chemicals that are usually used to create foam when you wash your hair, the formula for this shampoo still produces a nice lather.
It has a very pleasant feeling on both your skin and hair and really helps eliminate tangles – good to know when you spend a lot of time outdoors.
Sierra Dawn 4 Ounce Campsuds
Let me introduce you to one of the best biodegradable shampoos for camping and hiking. This product from Sierra Dawn is more than a match for dirt and grease.
Not only is it great for your hair but you can also use it to wash your face and hands, clean your laundry, or do the dishes.
Multi-purpose products like this are just what you need when you want to keep the weight of your luggage to a minimum – and the compact size and design of the bottle make it perfect for traveling.
This shampoo comes with the added benefits of citronella, lavender, and peppermint oils.
These essential oils will keep any insects away as you bathe, offering you protection right up to the time you are able to reapply your repellent.
Completely biodegradable, Campsuds is made with a mixture of vegetable-based cleaning ingredients, natural fragrance oils, and purified water.
As its name might suggest, it produces a good, sudsy lather as you shampoo and leaves both your skin and hair smelling lovely.
It is also very economical, because – as you will discover – a little goes a long way!
Stream2Sea 3-in-1 Conditioning Shampoo & Body Wash
Made with natural and organic ingredients, this Stream2Sea biodegradable shampoo also conditions your hair and can be used as a body wash.
This three-in-one formula means that you can cross two other items off your packing list, keeping the weight of your gear to an absolute minimum.
Stream2Sea is designed to protect your hair from the elements and leave it looking healthy and shiny.
Infused with panthenol and keratin, it nourishes both your scalp and hair, even if it is damaged or colored.
It also provides protection by absorbing and blocking the rays of the sun, so it is ideal for use whether you are camping, hiking, or spending time on the ocean. It is also good to know that it is fish, reef, and coral-safe.
It has a lovely tropical fragrance, made up of a combination of tulsi, green tea, olive leaf, and wakame.
The scent is refreshing and invigorating, whilst this antioxidant blend produces a moisturizing effect for better hair and skin.
The packaging is environmentally friendly, too, with tubes made from sugarcane resin and bottles made with almost 97% post-consumer recycled content, such as milk containers and plastic water bottles.
Ethique Shampoo Bar
The vegan, eco-friendly shampoo bars from Ethique are available to suit a range of hair types, including oily, dry, frizzy, and damaged.
There is even a bar just for babies and young children!
The bars are designed to be 100% compostable and have zero waste. This is thanks to the fact that they are completely solid, doing away with the need for plastic bottles for packaging!
What’s more, each bar is super concentrated, equivalent to three bottles of liquid shampoo. So by using one, you are actually saving 2.7 liters of water, which is pretty impressive!
Each shampoo in the range is specifically designed to address a particular problem.
The oily hair shampoo, for example, uses natural lime and orange oils to balance the oil production in your scalp.
You won’t even need a conditioner, as the humectants in the bar draw moisture to your hair.
PH-balanced and safe for color-treated hair, the bars are easy to use – all you need to do is wet your hair and slide the bar from root to tip a few times.
Your hair will then lather up nicely and will be left delicately fragranced and feeling fresh.
Dr. Bronners – Pure-Castile Liquid Soap
Made with organic oils and with no added fragrance, this vegan and non-GMO biodegradable Dr.Bronners shampoo works well for more than just your hair.
Ideal for everything from doing the laundry or dishes to using on sensitive baby skin, this eco-friendly liquid soap cuts down on the number of toiletries you need to take with you on your travels.
It is also very concentrated – up to 2 to 3 times more than traditional cleaning liquids. This means that you can dilute it by varying amounts, depending on what you are using it for.
Completely cruelty-free and never tested on animals, it contains no thickeners, foaming agents, or preservatives.
What’s more, it is responsibly packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and contains more than 70% of certified fair trade ingredients.
It is very gentle on color-treated hair and has a nourishing effect.
This is ideal if you are looking for a camping shampoo that will help protect your hair from the elements. It can also have a very soothing effect if you suffer from a sensitive or itchy scalp.
Final Thoughts On Biodegradable Shampoo
Using biodegradable shampoo when you travel – or even at home – is one of the most environmentally responsible decisions you can make.
I hope this guide to the best biodegradable shampoos has helped you find a product that suits you, which is both better for our planet and for your hair.
Need more help with packing? Read one of the following blog posts:
