French women and men have some of the most luxurious hair on the planet. They wash their hair less often than most because it thins out the hair and irritates the scalp. French women and men are so confident in how they look because of how their hair looks. They also believe that your mood can be lifted with a beautiful style and healthy hair.
Shampooing is an art for the French and their salons. They carefully assess the condition of your hair and scalp then choose a shampoo that works for your hair type. From dry to oily, there’s a shampoo for every type. We’re going to discuss some of the best French shampoo brands on the market and what their most effective shampoo is for certain types of hair.
Best French Shampoo Brands
1.L’Occitane
L’occitane is well-known for developing their products as sustainable as humanly possible. They work directly with 130 French farmers and 10,000 pickers from the immortelle fields of Corsica to the lavender fields of Provence.
They ensure that only the highest quality ingredients are used. The reason this brand is so popular is because they don’t use silicones, sulfates, phthalates, and BHT. Their most popular shampoo is the Gentle & Balance Micellar Shampoo. It’s great for normal-to-dry hair and formulated with a prebiotic natural sugar complex that respects and maintains the eco-sytem of your scalp and pH.
2.Christohpe Robin
Christophe Robin has been in business since 1999 and offers a complete collection of products intended to meet the needs of all hair types. They use highly concentrated and gentle formulas that are derived from natural-origin ingredients that are free from silicones, parabens, and SLS.
If you’re looking for a volumizing shampoo that’s also gentle on your hair, we found that the most popular product for this was the Delicate Volumizing Shampoo. It will gently clean your hair while restoring its volume and body, leaving behind a rose scent.
3.Klorane
Klorane has a very botanical approach to their hair care products. They use botanical foundations to protect and promote botanical heritage around the globe, active ingredients that are developed according to a responsible and certified approach, eco conception with recyclable and recycled packaging, and all products are made in France.
Their Nourishing Shampoo with Mango Butter is one of their most popular moisture-rich, plant-based shampoos for dry and malnourished hair. It contains a mix of fatty acids and polysaccharides from Mango to provide long-lasting softness and shine.
4.Kerastase
Kerastase has been around since 1964, creating hair care products with highly concentrated ingredients that result in hair that’s strong, resilient, and healthy. One of their most respected and sought after shampoos is the Densifique Bain Densite Bodifying Shampoo.
It’s great for thin hair types and strengthens hair at the fiber and gives more texture, substance, and resilience to your hair. Within just a few weeks, they guarantee you will have visibly fuller and thicker-looking hair.
5.Leonor Greyl
Leonor Greyl created her brand shortly after meeting her future husband in 1968. Today, her brand is present in more than 20 countries, 450 salons, 50 department stores, and 60 Sephoras. Her only daughter, Caroline, is now the President and CEO of the company and her husband is the Director of Research and Development.
They only use the richest natural and organic ingredients while protecting the planet that these botanicals come from. Shampooing Creme Moelle de Bambou is a fan favorite. It’s made from natural oils, proteins, and plant extracts while remaining free of SLS/SLES, parabens, and preservatives. It’s perfect fo those with dry, thick hair.
6.Nuxe
Nuxe began in 1990 and has become a global group present in 60 countries. It was founded by Aliza Jabes who was a pioneer in natural-origin cosmetology. All products are formulated and manufactured in France. They believe in conserving natural resources and ensure that all of their products’ ingredients are completely traceable.
Their rinse-off formulas are more than 80% biodegradable to help eliminate environmental impacts. If you’re in the sun a lot, you would benefit from the Nuxe After-Sun Hair & Body Shampoo Duo. It removes all traces of UV filters, chlorine, sand and salt, leaving hair soft and supple.
7.L’Oreal
L’Oreal is a very well-known shampoo brand that you can find just about anywhere you go. They’ve been on the market for over 100-years and strive towards a sustainable business model. They focus on the planet, people, and products and have been achievers of many firsts.
They were the first company to produce a cosmetic plastic bottle made from industrial carbon and recognized as a leader in sustainability. Their Ever Pure Shampoo is amongst the best that’s sulfate, salt, and paraben-free as well as vegan. It’s great for those with dull, color treated, dry, or chemically treated hair.
8.Vichy
Vichy has been around since 1931 and has been pioneering research into hair growth and loss mechanisms. The brand was created by Dr. Haller, the medical director of the thermal treatment center in Vichy, France. They offer a variety of anti-aging skin and hair care products, specifically for hair loss. The Dercos Technique Energising Shampoo is great for hair loss. It helps reduce hair loss due to breakage and clinically reduces hair loss in 6-weeks.
9.David Mallett
David Mallett hair care stands out mostly for its high quality ingredients, technical innovation, and overall excellence. Their products are very carefully developed to meet the needs of international clients in salons all across the globe. If you suffer from dry, chemically treated, or damaged hair, you would certainly benefit from the L’Hydration Shampoo No.1. It’s infused with Macadamia Nut Oil and has no scent. It can also work on normal and dry hair types alike.
10.Rene Furterer
The Rene Furterer brand has a philosophy that “Beautiful hair grows from a healthy scalp, like a plant in fertile soil”. This is due to the fact that he turned to plants for the development of scalp treatments. In 1957, he created a method called Etheirology, a philosophy built around a healthy scalp and beautiful hair.
One of their staple products is the TRIPHASIC Strengthening Shampoo for thinning hair. It leaves behind a subtle scent of citrus, lavender, and rosemary while fortifying the hair’s strength and resilience. It’s made with Pfaffia extract and wheat micro-proteins to maximize nutrient supply and enhance thickness.
11.Phyto Paris
Phyto Paris has been around since the late 1960’s and was founded by Patrick Ales. 95% of their products are natural overall because they use absolutely no chemical substances such as mineral oils, synthetic alcohols, silicones, or parabens. Fun fact; Patric Ales invented the blow-dry!
One of their most well-respected products is the Phytovolume Volumizing Shampoo. It’s made with botanical active ingredients, yarrow and tormentil extract, bamboo extract rich in silica, and it works well for all hair types.
12.FEKKAI
FEKKAI believes in taking care of yourself and the planet with a cleaner beauty routine. Their products are safe, clinically-proven using salon-grade, EWG-compliant formulas. Their formulas are clean, vegan, silicone-free, and cruelty-free. All ingredients are naturally-derived and sourced sustainably all while considering the local environment and needs of the planet.
Their Brilliant Gloss Shampoo is a fan favorite. It’s perfect for dry hair and leaves behind a floral, green tea scent. It’s made with French Cold Pressed Olive Oil to give your hair maximum shine and moisture.
How Do I Find The Right Shampoo For My Hair?
This isn’t an easy task for some individuals. Some people may see unkempt roots and purchase a shampoo that’s more for oily hair, which can actually do more harm than good. This is because the scalp isn’t even oily, but rather moist or dry. Here are specific shampoo types for the issues your hair is facing:
Regular: This is for those who don’t have any specific hair needs. It’s a simple cleanser with simple ingredients to clean normal sebum production without stripping the scalp of its natural oil, hydration, or shine. Regular shampoos can be used on dry, normal, or oily hair.
Everyday: Everyday shampoo is for those who suffer from greasier than normal hair that needs shampooing more often. It contains less surfactants when compared to normal shampoo. They’re soap and alkaline-free to ensure safe everyday use.
Clarifying: If you constantly use styling products, you would benefit from clarifying shampoo. It deep cleans and clears out build-up in the hair and scalp from extensive usage of styling products, silicones, and conditioners. Unfortunately, clarifying shampoos are harsh on hair, and should be used only once per week and followed up with a conditioner. They can also make your hair more dry and frizzy.
Anti-Breakage: Anti-breakage shampoos are ideal for those who have long or damaged hair. They gently clean the hair to create a glossy shine. Not only that, but they restore your hair’s natural pH balance and repair damage. These types of shampoos work great on frizzy hair.
Purifying: Purifying shampoo focuses more on the scalp than the hair. It cleanses, soothes, and provides antimicrobial benefits. They tend to target dandruff-prone hair. You will also find that a lot of these shampoos contain dandelion, willow bark extract, and tea tree oil.
Dry Shampoo: It’s not actually shampoo, but it helps absorb hair oils rather than actually cleaning the hair or scalp. It can be a spray, liquid, or powder. It’s great for in-between days to keep the oil away
Moisturizing: If you suffer from dry or weak hair, you may need moisturizing shampoo. If the scalp fails to produce enough oil to lock moisture in, you will suffer from dry, brittle strands that will lead to dandruff. If you have oily hair, you won’t benefit from this type of shampoo.
Color-Treated: If you have color-treated hair, you would benefit from color-treated hair shampoo. The ingredients won’t strip your hair of the color that was just put in it. This keeps your hair hydrated, healthy, and protected from damage.
Curly Hair: If you have curly hair, you would need this shampoo. Curly hair tends to be frizzier than other hair types, so it’s important to use super hydrating shampoo, such as these kinds. They gently cleanse frizzy hair to make it smooth and shiny.
Does Hair Get Used to Shampoo?
Not usually. However, if you use an aggressive anti-dandruff shampoo too much, it will remove the dandruff but since the scalp has been irritated and stripped of oil, it will produce even more new dandruff. With the right shampoo, you can restore balance to your hair without irritating your scalp.
How Long Should Shampoo Be Left On?
There is no activation time with shampoo. You want to make sure the hair is getting washed without causing hair to swell.
If I Leave Shampoo In For Longer, Can I Enhance The Effect?
No. If this is something you’re looking for, then we suggest anti-aging shampoos. They contain a special active ingredient whereas regular shampoos instantly cleanse as soon as they are applied to the scalp and rinsed out.
Do I Ever Need More Than One Type of Shampoo?
Not at once, but you will have to change it up eventually. As your hair and scalp change, you will need a shampoo that matches that change. People are constantly changing whether it’s getting older, being under stress, and it affects that hair and/or scalp. Because of this, you need to regularly adjust your shampoo to match your lifestyle.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, folks. Those are the top French shampoo brands on the planet. Most of these brands are readily available while others may take some digging into. It’s important to remember that not all shampoos are alike.
Some are for dry, frizzy hair and others are for oily hair. You should get a good idea of what hair type you have when searching for the right shampoo that will give you beautiful hair like the French have.