Malin + Goetz Makes the Best Shampoo for Almost Every Hair Type
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Like most people, I’ve tried a lot ofshampoosin my time. Even before I became a beauty writer, I’d analyze ingredients lists at thedrugstore, hunting for the best shampoo my limitedstudentbudget could stretch to. When I became a professional, my scope widened: Oribe’s luxurious Gold Lust sat next to my L’Oréal, the Kérastase shampoo I’d gazed at with longing in the salon now slotted next to my Herbal Essences. And among the soap and the lather, I found the moisturizing shampoo by Malin + Goetz. It’s been my pick for thebest overall shampoofor three years, ever since I started writing our shampoo guides.
It cleans without stripping (instead, it moisturizes the hair)
Every time I test a shampoo, I think about the basics: how well it cleanses, how well it hydrates, and cost per ounce. In terms of hydration, the Malin + Goetz sits ideally between other products I’ve tried, like theVerb Ghost shampoo, which is really lightweight but not quite as quenching, and theBumble and Bumble Invisible Oil, which with its blend of oils is very smoothing, but can weighfiner hairdown a little. As the Malin + Goetz shampoo strikes such a great balance, it acts as an “all-rounder,” the sort of product that I can recommend to a huge variety of hair types as “the best.” Although it is fairly lightweight, it moisturizes my fine andchemically treatedhair without saturating it. Even if your hair isn’t as dry as mine, most hair types benefit from a moisturizing shampoo, as even without chemical damage, hair can still lose moisture from sun and heat damage or simple genetics.Conditionerdoes do a lot of the heavy lifting in this department, but if your shampoo isn’t giving you enough moisture — or, worse, is actually stripping your hair — you’re setting up all of your other products to fail.
Scan the ingredients list, and you’ll see why it works so well. It contains so many of the ingredients at the top of my hit list for a moisturizing, non-stripping hair cleanse: glycerin, sodium PCA and sodium lactate, arginine (an amino acid), and panthenol. As panthenol is a skin smoother, that means the shampoo is soothing thescalpas well as the hair — and keeping this area moisturized is key to avoiding irritation and dandruff.
I also like the fact that the formula is sulfate-free. I’ve gone intomore detail on sulfatesin the past, but the TL;DR is that they’re really powerful cleansing agents that separate the dirt from your hair (known as surfactants) and can be so powerful that they become stripping on certain hair types. There’s no real general consensus among the hair experts I chat to about how much of a big deal sulfates are, but I find there’s always a noticeable difference when I use them. TheSachajuan Normal Hair shampoo(a great choice for really greasy scalps), for example, completely stripped the moisture from my hair and caused my color to fade a little faster. Sulfates do have the benefit of giving the shampoo that really satisfying lather, though, and it’s often hard to replicate that without them. But Malin + Goetz does with milder, creamy coconut surfactants — so I can still lather my entire head up in shampoo and get that truly clean feeling without having to double-cleanse. (Just to be transparent, I combine it with a clarifying shampoo once a fortnight in order to break down the layers of products that I use on my hair.)
It works for a majority of hair types
As someone with fine, dry, color-treated hair, it does feel like this shampoo was tailor-made for me. But asMasami Hosono, founder and creative director of the gender-neutral East Village hair salonVacancy Project, told me, the shampoo is “really for any hair type, and it’s not too heavy.” I mostly agree with them: It’s suitable for all hair types, but perhaps optimal for those on the drier side. If you have trulydehydrated curls, for example, perhaps this isn’t your top option. Or, if you have an extremely sensitive scalp, something likeVanicreammight be more appropriate. But for most hair types, this shampoo remains the standout of all I’ve tried.
One bottle goes a long way
If you’re still not convinced, I sympathize. The frugal version of me that would deliberate in the drugstore still exists and would definitely raise an eyebrow at an eight-fluid-ounce bottle of shampoo costing $30. This is the average price per ounce for mid-range shampoos, though, and after using it on and off for a year, I know it’s the right price. It still sits well below those luxury products from Oribe, and when it comes to stepping up from budget options, you’re getting what you pay for. Another hallmark of a great shampoo is that you don’t really need too much; thanks to that creamy lather, a coin-size dollop is enough to coat your whole head. I find that the eight-ounce bottle will last me around two months, washing my hair two to three times a week.
As a beauty writer, crowning the “best” shampoo is one of my trickier tasks, as a true all-rounder has to cater for a really large variety of hair and scalp types. But after trying dozens of different options over the years, I’ve still yet to find one that beats the Malin + Goetz moisturizing option when it comes to cleaning, hydrating, and just being generally pleasant to use(it smells ever so slightly of basil — delightful). I will be updating mybest in class on shampoossoon, and I know that this one will be entering its fourth year in the top spot.
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