New Wash Dupes: Exploring Alternatives to New Wash
Are there any worthy substitutes?
It’s been quite a long time since I’ve explored any products (or, at least, written about it), but I’ve been wanting to write about New Wash dupes for a while now, because I had to stop using Hairstory’s New Wash a few years ago. This was because I developed some sort of scalp sensitivity that I had thought was perhaps caused by the New Wash. As such, I decided to try out some other options. It turns out that the issue had nothing to do with the New Wash and is just… something that’s up with me, so to skip to the end a little bit, I will confess that at the moment, I’m just straight-up using Head & Shoulders, but I will say that none of the products I’m using (H&S included) has had an effect on my dandruff, and I’ve resorted to having an extremely short haircut as a result.
I digress, there were three major contenders as alternatives to New Wash when I did my research a few years back, which were Curl Girl’s co-wash, Trader Joe’s Cleansing & Conditioning Hair Wash (which I heard was discontinued!?), and the eco-organic products from Urtekram. Now, based out of Finland, I obviously couldn’t get my hands on anything from Trader Joe, but I was able to find the Curl Girl co-wash and some scalp protection tea tree shampoo from Urtekram.
Worth mentioning maybe that I did also try a shampoo bar from Lush after someone gave one to me, but not only did I not like it because it gave my hair that same gross sticky feeling soap bars give my skin, but they use detergents, so they aren’t actually good for your scalp and thus aren’t even worth considering as a New Wash dupe. I think I ended up forgetting it at a public pool and didn’t really care.
The two dupes I tried are supposedly “detergent-free,” meaning they shouldn’t have surfactants or harsh chemicals in them. Here’s an article on the subject from Hairstory that explains this in more detail.
My Hair Type (For Reference)
If you didn’t read the original New Wash review, it’s worth mentioning what my hair type is, because obviously, hair type is very unique and different skins and hairs react in different ways. I’m Caucasian, with fairly neutral skin (as in, it gets greasy of course, but I’ve never had severe issues with acne) but some mild skin allergies to plants and glues (like bandages). I have dirty-blonde hair that’s got a limp natural wave. It holds form magnificently if you style it, but any moisture or humidity will affect it. I’ve got a very dense head of hair, but the individual hairs are very fine, and I’ve always suffered from a greasy scalp, regardless of how often or infrequently I wash it and regardless of my skin’s oiliness.
It’s also worth saying that I haven’t had my scalp issue diagnosed (nor have I tried any sort of anti-fungal shampoos), but I have a bit of a problem with dandruff and now if I take too long to wash my hair (3+ days), my scalp will start to get very itchy and painful.
Curl Girl’s co-wash
As I understand it, this product is meant to be used in conjunction with another one of Curl Girl’s products, but when I read the Reddit thread about it being the ultimate New Wash dupe, the OP had said that they were using the co-wash alone, so that is how I tried it as well.
Curl Girl is a Nordic company, which appeals to me for being more local (Denmark is near enough to Finland), but loses points for not pursuing eco-certification. While they do seem to be vegan, cruelty-free, and free of sulfates, silicones, and mineral oils (all things that cause issues with regular grocery store shampoos), they are nevertheless not certified organic.
As for how they work as a New Wash dupe, my experience was extremely middling. The product itself is thick and rough and I felt like I needed to use an enormous amount compared to New Wash. I also did not feel as though it gave my hair the same silky smooth sheen that the New Wash had, and it does still foam more like a shampoo rather than a conditioner. It also didn’t smell especially nice (it was too candy/marshmallow-y). I can’t say that I thought it came anywhere close to making my hair as nice as it was when I was using New Wash.
For those wanting to try some of these dupes, it’s also worth mentioning that Curl Girl is also only available at Normal stores in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Spain, and Portugal.
Urtekram Shampoo
I’ve enjoyed Urtekram products in the past, like their body wash, but find them a bit on the expensive side of things, which is why I’ve often only bought them when they popped up on a food salvage site, for example. However, since they have a reasonable spread of products available in Finland, it was easy enough to find them. I opted for the tea tree scalp repair shampoo since it seems my scalp needs some extra help.
Now, because this is shampoo, I couldn’t use it on its own. I did have some old Nordic Berries -scented conditioner that I’d gotten from Urtekram ages ago, before I started to use New Wash, so I used that. I will say that there’s something odd and chemical-smelling about that conditioner, but that could possibly related to it being organic and several years old… it’s possible some of the components have broken down. If that’s not the case, that conditioner smells funky.
In the end, this was a nice enough shampoo but once more, it wasn’t doing anything for my scalp problem (not even with that extra tea tree treatment), and while it’s an acceptable replacement if you’re looking to save money on New Wash, I likewise don’t think it was matching their ability to make my hair feel silky and smooth.
Conclusion
For me, the main conclusion that I’ve personally reached was that New Wash clearly wasn’t causing me a scalp sensitivity, and this is an issue I have regardless of what I use to wash my hair.
On the front of New Wash dupes, I can’t say I’m as impressed with any of the alternatives the internet has tossed my way. Of course I’d be more than happy to test out Trader Joe’s products if I were to come across them, but in the end, it seems I might need a proper scalp treatment and then, if I choose to grow my hair out again (I won’t lie, I’m kind of enjoying the ease of short hair), I’ll probably go back to New Wash, since—for better or for worse—it was the best product I’ve come across so far.
In more recent years, there has been some talk of Unwash having some decent products that a few people have liked as a New Wash dupe, but I have myself yet to try it out, as I only came across it when I was finishing this long-overdue dupe review. In the meantime, hopefully those of you in the US can at least check out the Trader Joe’s line and see if you find anything decent that’s as good as the discontinued hair wash. If you come up with something I should try, feel free to shoot me a message and let me know!
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