I Discovered a Great Fragrance-Free Shampoo at My Silent Retreat

By,a senior writer at the Strategist covering appliances and men's style.He was formerly a deputy editor at Wirecutter.
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Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photo: Getty Images, Retailer

I spent the last week in silent meditation at a scent-freeretreat center in Massachusetts, where I gained a valuable insight that I will now share with you: Ginger Lily Farms’ ZeroDermshampooandconditionerare actually pretty great. As a longtime Hairstory devotee, I feared that switching for even a week would leave my scalp an itchy, oily mess, as it often does when I travel without New Wash. But I was happy to be proven wrong by this nourishing, clean-rinsing, and surprisingly affordable combination.

Ginger Lily Farms Botanicals ZeroDerm Shampoo
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Ginger Lily Farms Botanicals ZeroDerm Fragrance Free Conditioner
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The sulfate-, paraben-, and phosphate-free shampoo and lightweight conditioner left my thick, straight hair andsensitive scalpfeeling clean and itch-free. And it didn’t introduce any frizziness to my wife’s dense, S-shaped waves. However, those with curlier hair types might benefit from a more moisturizing formulation — the retreat center stockedEveryday Sheafor people who need it.

As an institutional product, ZeroDerm only comes in gallon-size jugs, meant for decanting into an existing dispenser or bottle. This is great if you’re trying to reduce plastic consumption (or if you’re an Airbnb host) but not ideal if you just want to try a sample. The good news is that a whole gallon of ZeroDerm costs about half as much as the eight-ounce bottle of New Wash I just recently purchased. That’s money I won’t get back, but at least it’ll make a nice receptacle for ZeroDerm refills going forward.

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