It’s no secret that French girls know the ins and outs of their beauty routines. The ultimate French girl look is somehow put-together and effortless at the same time.
When it comes to hair, French girls always have healthy-looking bouncy locks that make the rest of the world envious. They embrace their natural hair texture and allow it to shine by taking good care of their hair and keeping it healthy.
If you want to treat your hair like a Parisian, the best place to start is with shampoo. With so many amazing French shampoos on the market, it can seem overwhelming.
Which French shampoos are the best? The best French shampoos are free of harsh ingredients and leave your hair shiny, silky, and healthy on the inside and outside.
We’ve done the research. In this post, we will go over what makes a good French shampoo, how to find one that works best for your hair, and what our top picks are.
Keep reading if you’re ready to revamp your hair care routine and discover the secrets of French beauty.
How To Choose The Best French Shampoo
When looking for the right shampoo (French or otherwise), you should always keep in mind what your hair type is. You need to be able to recognize any hair concerns you have in order to find a product that would best tackle those issues.
There are lots of French shampoos out there, and you’re bound to find one that is ideal for your specific hair situation. Keeping that in mind, here are a few important factors to pay attention to when you’re choosing your French shampoo:
Free From Harsh Chemicals
The majority of French shampoos are ahead of the curve when it comes to eliminating harsh chemicals like sulfates and parabens. French haircare brands have been formulating products that work incredibly well without having to rely on some of those questionable ingredients.
If you have concerns about some of these chemicals, pay attention to the ingredient list and the labels. When curating our list of top French shampoos, we tried to stick to ones that have the cleanest formulas.
Some chemicals we tried to steer clear of are:
- Sulfates
- Preservatives
- Parabens
- Alcohols
- Silicones
Although not all of these ingredients are bad, we realize that some of our readers want to avoid them for one reason or another, which is why we rated these shampoos with that in mind.
Scent
Scent is a very important factor when choosing a shampoo, even though it plays little role in the product’s cleaning ability, smells are very personal and sometimes they can make or break a product.
With French shampoos, there is a lot of variety when it comes to scents. Some of them are floral, some are herbal, and some are perfume-y (in that classy French way).
Whatever your preferred scent is, keep that in mind as you’re looking through our list of shampoos. We do our best to describe each scent accurately so that you can include that in your consideration.
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a shampoo is whether it is naturally scented or if there is a fragrance in it. If you know that you are sensitive to synthetic fragrances, you might want to look for shampoos that have no fragrances in their ingredients list and instead rely on essential oils.
Active Ingredients
Active ingredients are what we use to describe those ingredients in shampoo that do more than just cleaning your hair or thickening the shampoo itself.
For example, hydrating oils and butter moisturize your locks and improve their health. We consider those to be active ingredients.
Some shampoos might be geared towards repairing damaged hair and will carry active ingredients like keratin or other proteins.
Some other active ingredients you might want to pay attention to are:
- Aloe – for hydration
- Essential oils – for scent and scalp health
- Honey – for moisturizing and repair
- Silk protein – for smoothing and repairing
There are a lot of other active ingredients that can be found in French shampoos. In this guide, we will point them out so that you have an easier time picking a perfect shampoo for you.
The Best French Shampoos
Without further ado, here are our top picks for best French shampoos based on the qualities listed above and customer feedback. If you want a quick overview, here is a handy table:
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Klorane Ultra-Gentle Shampoo with Oat Milk | Great for sensitive scalps, gentle, pleasant light scent |
| 2. | L'Occitane Aromachologie Gentle & Balance Micellar Shampoo | Clean ingredients, pH balancing, contains scalp-healing probiotics |
| 3. | Klorane Shampoo With Nettle | Natural formula, balances oil, leaves hair clean longer |
| 4. | Leonor Greyl Paris Shampooing Crème Moelle de Bambou | Hydrates, repairs, prevents oxidative stress, invigorating scent |
| 5. | Klorane Nourishing Shampoo | Hydrating and nourishing plant-based formula |
| 6. | L'Occitane Intensive Repair Shampoo | Natural formula that repairs damaged hair, makes it more manageable |
| 7. | Kerastase Nutritive Bain Satin 2 Hair Shampoo | Repairs damaged hair, ideal for color-treated/over-styled hair with high porosity |
| 8. | Kerastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet Shampoo | Perfect for blondes - removes brassiness, hydrates and nourishes hair |
| 9. | Christophe Robin Delicate Volumizing Shampoo | Creates volume, gently nourishes damaged or color-treated hair |
| 10. | Loreal Professionnel Paris Serie Expert Volumetry Shampoo | Salicylic acid gently cleanses and exfoliates scalp, adds volume |
| 11. | Le Petit Marseillais French Shampoo | Ultra-hydrating, quenches thirsty hair |
1. Klorane Ultra-Gentle Shampoo with Oat Milk
Klorane is a well-respected hair care brand in the French market that delivers naturally-based shampoos with healing ingredients that are perfect for that healthy and effortlessly chic look.
We love this ultra-gentle shampoo with oat milk for several reasons. It’s great for all hair types and can be used every day without stripping or drying out your hair.
It contains organic oat milk (harvested in a French field just 29 miles away from the shampoo production facility), which is a hydrating, calming, and repairing ingredient.
It soothes the scalp, softens the hair, and helps it feel fresh. It doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals like sulfates or parabens.
We would definitely recommend this for anyone who has a sensitive scalp or tends to react to some hair care ingredients. This product is hypoallergenic and as gentle as they come.
It has a very light clean scent that most people enjoy, as it is not overpowering.
2. L’Occitane Aromachologie Gentle & Balance Micellar Shampoo
Another cult favorite is this L’Occitane shampoo that is great for dry, damaged, or fine hair. It features a list of clean ingredients free from phthalates, sulfates, and silicones.
It also contains a pre-biotic complex that helps balance the pH of your scalp and encourages healthy growth.
It has a rich scent that most people are obsessed with, a blend of essential oils that will make you smell like you spent the morning in the spa. If you’re not a fan of essential oil smells, this might seem too strong for you.
Overall, reviewers agree that this shampoo makes their hair feel clean, shiny, and healthy, while healing their scalp, and giving their hair a divine aroma.
3. Klorane Shampoo With Nettle
Another great product from Klorane, this shampoo with nettle is amazing for those who struggle with oily hair.
Like all Klorane products, this shampoo takes advantage of natural plants and their incredible capabilities. This shampoo uses organic nettle root to help regulate sebum production on the scalp.
It helps cleanse the oil in your hair and reduces the amount of washing you need because it balances your oils. You’ll be left with light, bouncy, and clean hair for longer between washes, and be able to say au revoir to your oily scalp!
This shampoo does this without using any harsh ingredients like parabens, sulfates, or silicones.
The scent can be best described as a “pleasant, plant-like scent” which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s light enough that it shouldn’t bother you.
If you’ve struggled with oiliness before, definitely give this one a try!
4. Leonor Greyl Paris Shampooing Crème Moelle de Bambou
This hydrating shampoo from Leonor Greyl Paris has it all – hydration, repairing, and powerful antioxidants for a well-rounded hair care routine.
It contains bamboo shoot extract that conditions and nourishes the hair. It also contains an unexpected ingredient – garlic – which detoxes, purifies, and keeps the scalp healthy. Don’t worry, you won’t smell it!
There is also wheat and silk proteins in this shampoo which help repair damage and strengthen each hair follicle resulting in beautiful, smooth, and strong hair.
This shampoo is great for any hair type, but would be especially helpful for someone with dry or frizzy hair. It’s free of SLS/SLES, parabens, and preservatives and has a natural scent created by an essential oil blend.
5. Klorane Nourishing Shampoo
Another great product from Klorane, this shampoo with mango butter smells amazing and heals your hair from the inside out.
For hair that’s screaming for moisture, this formula features sun-dried and cold-pressed mango kernels to preserve the highly nutritious quality of mango butter.
Mango butter is full of vitamins E and C, which gives your hair impeccable softness and provides it with antioxidants.
Like all Klorane shampoos, this one is free from any questionable ingredients like parabens and sulfates. It features a deliciously sweet mango scent that leaves you feeling like you’re vacationing in Martinique.
For hair that is soft, silky, and luscious, look no further than this mango butter shampoo.
6. L’Occitane Intensive Repair Shampoo
This silicone-free shampoo helps strengthen and repair dry and damaged hair with the use of sunflower oil, rice protein, and hydrolyzed silk.
It makes hair softer and more manageable, while strengthening and repairing it.
Like other L’Occitane shampoos, it has a natural essential oil blend scent.
Reviewers love that it makes their hair softer, shinier, and more manageable over time and with consistent use.
7. Kerastase Nutritive Bain Satin 2 Hair Shampoo
This shampoo is perfect for those who are looking to repair some damage, whether it’s from coloring or styling.
This shampoo contains active ingredients like glucose, protein, and lipids, that repair the hair cuticle and help it become stronger and smoother. Your lock will become more resilient and supple with regular use.
Another great ingredient in this shampoo is Iris Rhizome extract, which is a powerful antioxidant and protects your hair from free radical damage.
While it is not sulfate-free, it does provide a gentle clean that leaves the hair clean and smelling fresh, according to multiple reviews.
8. Kerastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet Purple Shampoo
French blondes definitely know the secret to maintaining their hair color vibrant and brass-free, and we think it might be this shampoo.
This shampoo, enriched with hyaluronic acid and Edelweiss flower, instantly removes brassy tones while hydrating the color-treated hair so that it remains soft and healthy. It protects the hair from daily oxidation and pollution.
The purple tones in it are powerful. We wouldn’t recommend using it every day, but once or twice a week is perfect to maintain your color.
Reviewers note that it has a gentle scent and gets their hair looking platinum for weeks.
9. Christophe Robin Delicate Volumizing Shampoo
This divine-smelling shampoo gently cleanses and hydrates the hair without weighing it down. Perfect for those with fine hair, this product will help add some volume and oomph to your locks.
The slightly acidic pH of the shampoo helps seal your hair cuticles to lock in moisture and color, while maintaining the proper pH balance helps keep the scalp from overproducing oils.
It’s also great for color-treated hair as it contains no parabens, silicones, or sulfates.
And with hints of natural rose extract, it will make you smell like you just walked through le Jardin des Champs-Élysées.
10. Loreal Professionnel Paris Serie Expert Volumetry Shampoo
This volumizing and clarifying shampoo has an unusual ingredient – salicylic acid, which is often used in skincare, but not so much in haircare. But why not?
Salicylic acid is great for the scalp – it helps remove dead skin cells that are responsible for dandruff, irritation, and poor hair growth.
This shampoo is also infused with HydraLight and Intra-Cycalane technologies which soften and de-tangle your hair while casting an anti-gravity spell on your locks and making them voluptuous.
People love how shiny and soft it makes their hair feel. This is ideal for anyone who suffers from very limp, flat hair and issues with the scalp. This shampoo will make you look in the mirror and think “ooh la la!”
11. Le Petit Marseillais French Shampoo
For super dry locks, this Le Petit Marseillais shampoo has just what you need to infuse softness and hydration back into your hair.
Formulated with shea milk and honey – two powerfully hydrating and nourishing ingredients – this shampoo can revitalize your hair and bring it back to its healthiest, shiniest state.
The shampoo is not sulfate-free and contains fragrances, but we think the nourishing formula makes up for that. It smells like warm vanilla and honey, which is another great bonus for those who love gourmand notes.
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