I am very happy about this Five Best – it is a real departure from the last one. Since the last Five Best shampoos in January, there have been many tested, many rejected and such fabulous new finds that an update seemed overdue. These shampoos are all excellent quality, have and will stand the test of time, really promote healthy scalp and hair growth, and there’s something here to suit every wallet. An honorable mention should go to Nutra-Lift’s (although it promoted hair growth for many people, it was all to often at the expense of drying the hair). These Five Best winners will give your locks the kind of quality and attention you give to your skin.

Mukti Botanique Shampoo (16oz/$43 in the TIA shop). This is a great shampoo and my new favorite. It uses aqueous botanical extracts and doesn’t even have a water base – so you know all your money is going on things that are good for you. Many of the ingredients are known to help healthy hair growth. Bladderwrack is a seaweed that has a high amount of vitamin C and something called alginic acid, a very good source of vitamin B12, a lack of which can result in hair shedding and dullness. Ginkgo is also associated with hair growth, as well as being a potent antioxidant and horsetail is a great natural source of silica. Also worth a shout-out is antioxidant red clover. This shampoo foams up a treat (due to cocobetaine) leaves my hair feeling clean and soft. I have also noticed that my hair sheds less. Excellent! Read the full review

Acure’s Moroccan Argan Stem Cell + Argan Oil Shampoo (12oz/$11). Reviewer Nancy said that this was the cheapest shampoo she’s ever used and probably the best she’s used in decades. With a staggering list of mostly organic ingredients, Acure is excellent value for money. A fair few of them (and some of the most dominant) are good botanical antioxidants including blackberry, rosehips and pomegranate. The sudsing ingredients are from coconut. Read the full review

Dr. Alkaitis Organic Shampoo (8oz/$45 in the TIA shop). I first tried and liked Dr. Alkaitis Organic Shampoo back in 2008 and recently revisited it. The formula has since been updated. I was pleased that this year our tester, Emily, found it had the desired effect in her thick and wavy hair. She found it left her hair “clean but not dry, supple, with good body and sheen.” And without using conditioner afterwards. So we decided to add it to the TIA shop. This completely chemical-free formula has a herbal complex that includes horsetail, oat buds, nettle, comfrey and much more. Read the full review

Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Shampoo ($15 in the TIA shop). A previous Five Best winner and a perennial favorite with members of the Truth In Aging community, MGA is finally in the TIA shop. This is a really good everyday shampoo, but it will also do a spectacular rescue job on unhappy scalps. MGA’s shampoo is vegan and there’s no SLS, parabens or petrochemicals. One of its finest attributes is its ability to help treat psoriasis of the scalp, seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. Unusually for a shampoo, licorice is a top ingredient, and it is chock full of botanicals including coltsfoot, burdock, horsetail and yarrow, lemon tea tree and nettles. Cleans hair well without stripping and leaves a soft bounce.

ReLuma Shampoo (8oz/$60 in the TIA shop) Why spend nearly $60 on a shampoo? Because it passes the drain test. The drain test is my way of judging whether my hair is shedding less – by the amount of hair that collects at the shower drain. Since I have been using ReLuma Shampoo, there has been very little. ReLuma's shampoo is a simple but potent formula based on stem cells. It certainly seems to reduce hair shedding and may be promoting hair growth as well. If you are serious about thinning hair then consider this investment. Read the full review

Ingredients in Mukti: Certified Organic Aqueous Extracts of Bladderwrack (Fucus Vesiculosus), Calendula (Calendula Officinalis), Chamomile (Chamomilla Recutita), Ginkgo Biloba Leaf, Horsetail (Equisetum Arvense), Nettle (Urtica Dioica), Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense), Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Sage (Salvia Officinalis) & Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium); Cocobetaine (Coconut derived); Certified Organic Essential Oil of Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia); Vitamin B5 (Panthenol); Vitamin E (Tocopherol); Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) blend preservative; Salt (Sodium Chloride); Citric Acid

Ingredients in Acure: Organic Euterpe oleracea (Acai) Berry, Organic Rubus fruticosus (Blackberry), Organic Rosa canina (Rosehips), Organic Punica granatum (Pomegranate), Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Rooibos, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Vera Leaf Juice, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate (from Coconut), 100% Naturally-derived Betaine (from Sugar Beets), Vegetable Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate (from Coconut + Amino Acids), Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate (from Coconut + Amino Acids), Cocoglucosides Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Sugar Conditioner), Sodium Levulinate (from Corn), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Guar gum conditioner), Potassium Sorbate (food grade preservative), Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Organic Fair-Trade Certified™ Olea Europea (Olive) Oil, D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (vitamin E), Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) seed oil, Organic Curcubita pepo (Pumpkin) seed oil, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Argania spinosa (Argan) Stem Cells,  glycerophosphoinositol lysine (from sunflower), Almond Extract, Cinnamomum aromaticum (Cassia Bark) Oil

Ingredients in Dr. Alkaitis: Organic Aloe Vera Gel*, Distilled Water, Coconut Oil/Amino Acid Cleansing Base (sodium cocoyl sarcosinate and cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine), Vegetable Glycerin, Dr. Alkaitis Hair & Scalp Herbal Complex (Horsetail*, Oat Buds*, Coltsfoot*, Wild Chamomile, Lacris*, Boxwood, Greater Nettle*, Comfrey*, White Man’s Foot*, Garden Sage*, Panama Bark, Dulse, Rosemary*, Jojoba*, Mexican Sarsaparilla, Aztec Marigold*, and Wild Andean Rose, Vitamin B-5, Hydrolyzed natural Rice Protein, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Natural Vitamin E Complex (D- alpha, beta, gamma, delta tocopherols), natural Vitamins C, F, and A complexes, and 100% Pure Essential Oils.

Ingredients in Max Green: Purified Water, Aqueous Herbal Extract (Glycyrrhiza Glabra* (licorice) Root, Tussilago Farfara+ (coltsfoot) Leaf, Achillea Millefolium* (yarrow), Salix Alba+ (willow), Tabebuia Impetiginosa+ (pau díarco), Arctium Lappa* (burdock) Root, Berberis Aquifolium (mahonia), Calendula Officinalis* (calendula), Equisetum Arvense* (horsetail), Urtica Dioica* (nettles)), Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate (coconut derived surfactant), Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine (coconut derived surfactant), Sucrose Cocoate (sugar/coconut emulsifier), Coco-Betaine (coconut derived surfactant), Leptospermum Petersonii (lemon tea tree), Melaleuca Alternifolia* (tea tree), Lavandula Angustifolia* (lavender), Pelargonium Capitatum* (geranium), Rosemarinus Officinalis* (rosemary), Oryzanol (rice extract), Hydrolysed Soy Protein (hair strengthener), Glycerine (vegetable source), Panthenol (pro vitamin B5), Sodium Chloride (solar sea salt), Macadamia* Ternifolia (macadamia) Seed Oil, Parfum (fragrance of plant origin), Xanthan Gum, Ascorbyl Palmitate (vitamin C ester), Aloe Barbadensis* (aloe vera) Leaf, Mixed Tocopherols (plant derived GMO-free vitamin E).
* Organic + Wildcrafted

Ingredients in ReLuma: Human Adipose Derived Stem Cell Conditioned Media, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Polysorbate-20, Avocado Oil, Cellulose Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, V-B3, V-B5, V-B6, Fragrance