So Long Flakes! Here Are the 18 Best Shampoos for a Dry Scalp

Best for Daily Use

Created by a Scandinavian haircare brand that treats hair loss and thinning, their mild shampoo gently removes excess oils and dead skin cells from your scalp, while balancing the pH, so it feels nourished and clean. Tip: After massaging the shampoo into your scalp, leave it in for 30 seconds before rinsing it out; repeat with a second shampoo for best results.

Best Drugstore

Oftentimes, a dry scalp is accompanied by dandruff, and many dandruff shampoos that clear up flakes can also be drying on your strands. Luckily, the team at Dove cracked the code with this shampoo. It features pyrithione zinc to effectively tackle dandruff and reduce flakes. The blend also has coconut oil and shea butter to hydrate the scalp. Plus, this flake fighter claims to be surprisingly mild and moisturizing on the rest of your hair.

Best for Fine Hair

If your skin is easily irritated, you may appreciate this hypoallergenic and dermatologist-approved shampoo that was formulated for people with sensitivities to fragrance, essential oils, lactose, soy and gluten. With scalp soothing aloe vera and oat milk, it reduces dryness, itchiness or tightness. (Note: Reviewers have reported that this formula works best on fine hair, so if you have thicker strands, maybe skip to one of the others on the list.)

Best for Curly Hair

This creamy shampoo gently cleanses your scalp of any residue or product buildup, while adding back moisture with manuka honey and ceramides. The rich formula is especially forgiving on dry, frizzy hair, and the warm tuberose and jasmine scent lingers until your next wash.

Best for Combination Scalps

If your scalp is both oily and dry, we feel your pain and we raise you this deep-cleaning scalp wash from salon favorite, Kevin Murphy. Made with micellar water (yes, like the makeup remover) and celery seed extract, it gently dissolves any buildup and extra oils from your scalp. Meanwhile rose water and coconut oil soothes any itchiness and hydrate dry ends.

Best Scent

Like its name suggests, this sensorially pleasing shampoo is made with—and thus, smells like—peonies. Fresh, bright and lovely. Plus, the pH-balanced formula helps soothe irritated and sensitive scalps, while being gentle enough to use on color-treated hair.

Most Hydrating

Shu Uemura’s cleansing oil shampoo is a stylist and editor favorite. As its name implies, it acts similarly to a cleansing oil you’d use on your face. In short, it has a nice slip and believes to be incredibly gentle on your scalp, though it still produces a rich foam. With a subtle citrus scent and loaded with hydrating plant and fruit oils, it leaves your scalp and strands in a state of blissful equilibrium.

Best for Itchy Scalps

Formulated with a potent duo of sulfur and salicylic acid, this clarifying shampoo soothes itchy scalps, while clearing up any surface flakes. Add rosemary oil, which helps to rebalance your skin, and olive and jojoba oils to condition the lengths, and we never want to be without it.

Best Natural

Who doesn’t want to indulge in a hydrating hairbath from time to time? This rich cream wash is packed with essential oils like sage and tamanu to balance your scalp, while emollients like avocado oil and shea butter smooth the cuticle of parched strands. The clean formula is hydrating, yet lightweight, and gets rid of grease without stripping your hair dry.

Best Scrub

Does one actually need a scalp scrub? Why yes, it turns out we do. This one has a whipped texture that lathers nicely as you massage it into your scalp. With Himalayan pink salt, cold-pressed moringa oil and unfiltered rosehip oil (this is GP, after all), it promises to make our hair feel shiny and new.

Best for Thinning Hair

Avid reviewers on Amazon (there are over 13,00o 5-star reviews as of writing) claim this shampoo reduces hair shedding and improves volume with continued use. Upon closer inspection of the ingredients, we see it includes biotin, vitamins, amino acids and over 17 DHT herbs that nourish, cleanse and protect your scalp with every wash.

Best for Chemically-Treated Hair

For those with chemically-treated strands and a perpetually dry scalp, this balancing shampoo will become your shower MVP. Zinc pyrithione tackles dandruff, while squalane and coconut oil softens and strengthens the mid-lengths and ends. FYI: We don’t mind the minty fresh aroma either.

Best Bar Shampoo

If you’re really looking to cut down on space and waste, you’ll love this shampoo bar from Superzero. It's formulated with Brazilian ziziphus joaxerio extract to soothe the scalp and reduce flakes. Rosemary and tea tree oil further protect your scalp, while shea butter and avocado oil add moisture to your strands. The brand really (ahem) raised the bar with this plastic-free option.

Best for Kids

Sometimes a dry scalp is caused by certain skin conditions like eczema. And as anyone with eczema knows, the key to preventing and treating flare-ups can be to pare down the number of potentially irritating ingredients that you encounter. This gentle formula has plant-based ingredients (like colloidal oatmeal, shea butter and cocoa butter) so you can cleanse your scalp without worry.

Best Fragrance-Free

If you’re looking for a simple shampoo that is free of pretty much every possible irritant (from fragrance, parabens, sulfates and formaldehyde), this dermatologist-tested product promises to cleanse your scalp and strands sufficiently. A helpful tip: Shampoo twice, and really work it into your scalp, as the formula does not lather like conventional formulas do.

Best Splurge

We’re suckers for packaging, so when a product is as effective as it is good-looking, it’s a win-win. This salon-quality shampoo features gentle salicylic acid to slough away flakes, plus soothing active ingredients (like orange and lemon extract) to keep them from coming back. But the real game changer is the addition of botanicals like bilberry fruit and sugar maple extract, which maintain moisture and protect against free radicals when we lather up. (It’s like an anti-aging treatment for your scalp.)

Derm Pick

This budget-friendly shampoo is dermatologist-approved and we can definitely get behind it, too. Its hydrating blend of rosemary, peppermint and cucumber refreshes and restores your scalp. Plus, the core ingredient—colloidal oat extract—soothes and moisturizes your hair. "It's also sulfate-free and free of parabens, making it a good option for those with dry or sensitive skin, as well as those with color-treated hair," adds Dr. Garshick.

Best Gentle Formula

Whether you have curly hair or color-treated locks, this sulfate-free shampoo is great for all hair types. It's enriched with coconut oil to add moisture back to the scalp, while glycolic acid deeply cleans and removes flakes, and xylitol strengthens strands. The calming lemongrass scent adds to the whole in-shower experience.

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