Native Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner Review
Reviewed at 4.5 out of 5 Stars (out of 311 ratings on Amazon) and 4.5 out of 5 stars (out of 183 reviews on Shoppers Drug Mart), can this minimalist shampoo and conditioner be an affordable and accessible alternative to the pricier “healthy hair” shampoos and conditioners on the market?
Be sure to read till the end on this one as you may be surprised!
Simple Review
Pros
Minimal Ingredients that are Sulfate & Paraben Free
Leaves hair and scalp feeling clean and soft without irritation
Light, pleasant fragrance
Affordable, depending on location or seller.
Cons
Inconsistent prices among sellers
May cause scalp issues or hair loss (according to some of the 1-star reviews)
Long Review
My Experience
I’ve been using the shampoo and conditioner from Rocky Mountain Soap Co. for a long time. Their rosemary mint shampoo and conditioner have been my favourite, leaving my hair feeling super clean and soft.
However, the downside is that the peppermint in the formula can be very irritating to people’s scalps and because it is more of a local company, I don’t think many people can find it themselves outside of Alberta Canada.
So in the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with the Native Shampoo and Conditioner, in the Almond & Shea Butter scent.
I’ve heard good things about Native, mostly that they use very minimal ingredients in their formula, and the bottles themselves will tell you what each ingredient is so that you’ll be informed on exactly what you’re putting in your hair.
The minimal approach mixed with the transparency and the lack of sulfates and parabens made me curious enough to wonder if the shampoo and conditioner could really match up with my tried and true Rocky Mountain Soap.
Positives
The shampoo lathers well and provides a gentle cleaning of the hair and scalp. It isn’t as stimulating as having rosemary and mint rubbed into it, but for those with a sensitive scalp, that may be just what you’re looking for.
I found the hair was left a bit dry after shampooing, but throwing in the conditioner and letting it sit for a bit helped offset all that drying (as it should).
The fragrance of almond and shea butter is light and pleasant, nothing super strong (which is my preference). I am usually a bit more sensitive to perfumes, but have found no issues with the scent of the Native Shampoo and Conditioner. Not too sure about the other scents though.
Another factor that drew me to The Native is that I found it at my local Shoppers Drug Mart and it was around $18 per bottle (maybe less since I may have gotten it on sale). For the size of 16.5 oz (487 ml), and being free of sulfates and parabens, I think this was a reasonable price. In comparison, you can get the Rocky Mountain Shampoo and Conditioner in a bundle for $56 ($28 per bottle at 460 ml).
For people within my region, the Native could be the affordable alternative to Rocky Mountain Soap Company.
Negatives
Although I have only experienced positive things using these products, I have found two big reasons why I wouldn’t recommend them to others.
The first is that the price of the Native Shampoo and Conditioner is super inconsistent among online retailers. At the time of writing this review, you can purchase the product through the Native’s website for $10 USD. This only applies to American customers, and people outside of the states will not be able to select their country for delivery.
So if you’re looking to get this online, you’ll want to check out Amazon. Those in the USA can purchase the set of shampoo and conditioner for $30- $40 USD.
When looking at the Canadian Amazon page, the same set will be around $55 CAD.
That is around $27 per bottle, not factoring in any shipping and handling fees.
Again, I was able to get my products for about $18 at my local Shoppers Drug Mart.
I can’t say I’d spend almost $30 for this shampoo and conditioner, the price of sub-$20 seems just about right for what I am getting. If the shampoo had more benefits to it, or more healthy hair/scalp promoting properties, then maybe, but as a simple and efficient cleanser the price should match that minimal function.
Price aside, the second issue for the Native Shampoo and Conditioner is that the 1-star reviews on the Native homepage, Shoppers Drug Mart page, and Amazon page all share that hair loss was experienced by users.
It has gotten to the point where there is actually a class action lawsuit against Native for potential false-advertisement of their ingredients being completely safe [1].
However, according to a third-party organization the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the Native Shampoo has a hazard score of 4 out of 10 (10 being the worst) [2], and the conditioner has a hazard score of 3 [3]. Certain ingredients are shown to be irritants or have specific restrictions on how they should be used to be considered safe.
This means that using the Native products comes with a low-to-moderate risk but isn’t as dramatic as having a lawsuit makes it sound. So if you’re like me and have started using it and have found no issues, then you may have nothing to worry about. Those who are experiencing hair loss should discontinue use right away.
Summary
Although I enjoy the products and think they are great at cleansing the scalp and hair, I don’t think I would purchase these products again. Depending on where you live, they may simply be overpriced, and not worth the risk of hair loss.
Even for me, where the product is more affordable, I much prefer the Rocky Mountain Shampoo and Conditioner. I personally find them to be a better product overall, and obviously, they do not have a class action lawsuit against them for deceiving people into putting potentially harmful ingredients on their heads.
Hope you found this helpful!
My name is Wesley, I am a Barber located in the city of Calgary helping my clients become more confident with all things related to their hair by providing customized haircuts that suit them best while demystifying all the complicated hair information out there!
