Native Shampoo Review (Is it Worth the Hype?)

January 27, 2023

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I have never used one of Native’s infamous deodorants so it may seem a little strange that I was so interested in in doing a Native Shampoo Review, but I was really intrigued when I saw these in Target. I was especially interested in this claim on the packaging: “Thoughtfully made with 10 ingredients or less.” Could such a simplified formula also work well?

Native has actually come out with several shampoo and conditioners for different hair concerns: one each for volumizing, strengthening, moisturizing, and “daily clean.” They also have two 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioners and they’ve recently come out with a strengthening hair mask.

I’ll go over some of the details of the Native Shampoo and Conditioner as well as my experience and whether I recommend it.

Native Shampoo and Conditioner Details

I bought the Native Volumizing Shampoo and Volumizing Conditioner which both come in the Cucumber & Mint scent. It claims to lift hair and make it fuller and more full of bounce. I was really excited to try this one on my fine hair which can always use some volume.

I also have heard that Native has a lot of different scents for their products so I was interested in what it would smell like and how strong the scent would be.

Native Shampoo Ingredients

Native says they use 10 ingredients or less in both their shampoo and their conditioner and on the back they helpfully lay out those ingredients with a little description of each.

Native Shampoo Ingredients (left) and Conditioner Ingredients (right)

For Shampoo the following ingredients and descriptions are on the back of the bottle:

INGREDIENT	WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS
Water	You know this one...
Lauramidopropyl Betaine	Cleanser derived from plant oils
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate	Cleanser derived from plant oils
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate	Cleanser derived from plant oils
Sodium Citrate	Food grade salt for pH balance
Citric Acid	Food grade salt for pH balance
Sodium Benzoate	Food grade salt
Fragrance	Cucumber & Mint
Sodium Salicylate	Sodium salt
Polyquaternuim-10	Hair detangler derived from cellulose

The shampoo and conditioner are cruelty-free, vegan, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and silicone-free.

How to Use the Native Shampoo

This is a great regular use shampoo so I used this one every other day when I washed my hair. I start at the back of my scalp and massage into my scalp all over until I’ve covered my head and the shampoo has worked into a nice lather.

Scent

The cucumber mint scent was surprisingly nice. I was expecting a sharp fresh smell but it was much subtler than that. I could definitely smell it but it was not at all overpowering. The scent was also neither masculine or feminine, but rather a good gender neutral scent. I would have to smell my hair pretty deeply after the shower to still smell the cucumber and mint, so if you’re looking for something that won’t add fragrance to your hair this is a good choice.

Packaging

I love the packaging on this set. It comes with a pump which is super easy to dispense a good amount of shampoo and conditioner. The Native branding is a little unexciting to me overall, but it’s pretty inoffensive and probably appeals to a wide range of genders and ages.

Lather

This shampoo lathered quite nicely which surprised me for the price. My hair felt pretty clean afterwards, not overly so, but I knew I would have to wait a couple of days to see how cleansed my scalp really was.

A couple of days later my hair felt a bit cleaner than normal, which meant this shampoo did a great job of not bringing a lot of moisture to my hair. I’d curious to see what the ingredients are for the moisturizing or “daily clean” shampoo to see how they compare to the volumizing shampoo.

Is the Native Shampoo Packaging Recyclable?

The shampoo packaging is recyclable.

How the Native Shampoo Worked for me

Overall I really liked this shampoo, especially for the price.

Pros

It really cleansed my scalp and left it clean for a couple of days.
The scent was not unpleasant or overpowering.
I love the convenient pump dispenser.
The affordable price.
Th transparency of ingredients on the back of the packaging is a great step.

Cons

I wish it had more of a unique scent.
The branding on the packaging is a little unexciting.

Where to Buy Native Shampoo

You can buy Native’s shampoo and conditioner at Target, Amazon, Walmart, CVS, and on Native’s website nativecos.com. It retails for $9.99 but they also sell travel versions of both the shampoo and conditioner for just $4!

Who Should Buy Native Shampoo?

Native's Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner set is great for anyone looking for a good cleanse at an affordable price who doesn’t care about frilly smells or packaging and wants a practical and easy user experience with packaging. It’s also good for anyone who is looking for an affordable but solid shampoo and conditioner set.

TL,DR: The Native Shampoo and Conditioner set is a good buy for an affordable shampoo and conditioner aimed at those with fine hair or oily scalps. I probably won’t buy again because I prefer more of a scent profile, but I think different ages and genders could be happy with this shampoo.