Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo

Product Information

Best for: Normal to oily, fine hair types. The brand also claims the product is safe for colored hair. The first two ingredients listed after water are Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. These are two incredibly controversial ingredients. They are basically cheap ingredients that both wash and foam. These harsh surfactants can, and will, strip your skin of its natural oils. Hence, they are strong potential skin irritants. Most people looking for gentle personal care products avoid these ingredients these days. There are far gentler alternatives out there, and their inclusion didn’t fill us with much hope of what was to follow. The brand is so animal friendly that they also produced their animal care range in 2006. John Paul Pet has a wide range of animal care products from shampoos, detangling spray to Ear and Eye wipes. All formulated with cruelty-free and safe for animal ingredients. Uses: An invigorating shampoo that helps with oil and scalp health. Depending on your hair type, it can work for regular use or as a periodic clarifying shampoo.

Washing your hair can be a mundane beauty chore—or it can be an enjoyable ritual. It all depends on how you look at it and the products you’re using. Personally, I love the sensory benefits that come with a fresh-scented shampoo. Who doesn’t want to turn their shower into a mini day spa? The Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Shampoo is a product that fits the above bill perfectly. Enriched with tea tree, peppermint, and lavender essential oils, this product is not only great for hair health, but it has a certain zingy quality that’s hard to resist. Keratin is a skin cell-based protein that’s commonly included in many shampoos to help with hair thinning and hair loss. When used supplementally, keratin can strengthen the hair shaft and make it less prone to breakage, which means your hair may grow longer and stronger. A couple other ingredients worth mentioning are panthenol (or vitamin B5) and glycerin. Both of these are well-known moisturizers, so they can assist with creating soft, shiny, manageable hair. Sarah Bradley has been writing health content for over five years, and has covered everything from product roundups to nutrition explainers. She knows how important it is to receive trustworthy and expert-approved advice about over-the-counter products that manage everyday health conditions such as hair loss and dandruff.

The Shampoo: How it Looks, Smells, and Washes

Aloe Barbadensis (aloe vera) Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis (chamomile) Flower Extract, and Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract are all soothing for the skin. And Hedychium Coronarium (White Ginger) Extract is anti-inflammatory. Unfortunately, there’s no prescription for how often you should wash your hair—everyone is different so it really comes down to individual preference and needs. It may take a little trial and error to find the shampooing timeline that strikes the right balance. While there is no conclusive scientific evidence to show that sulfates, phthalates, and formaldehyde can cause thinning hair or hair loss,” Dr. Palm says, “I would recommend avoiding these ingredients in your shampoo or hair care products since they’re known to cause skin irritation and can strip natural oils from your hair.”

Editor’s Note: We reviewed this article on September 24, 2023. As per our editorial policy, we are constantly updating our content, to make sure it reflects the best of the best when it comes to beauty, wellness, and fashion. We want to assure our readers that we still stand by our recommendations, which we do. We recommend thinking more about your scalp and less about your hair when deciding how often to wash. Dr. Palm says the goal is to prevent flaking, itchiness, and redness on the scalp, and that many people do this by shampooing every one to three days. The namesake products have been made popular by their seemingly sophisticated ingredients, and “natural” and “vegan” claims.

Paul Mitchell is a pioneer in cruelty-free, working since 1980 to be the first professional beauty company to publicly stand up against animal testing. The tea tree and menthol in the shampoo definitely come out when washing and simply sniffing the bottle. They provided an invigorating experience, both for my skin and my nose and left a slightly cooling sensation. To find the best shampoos for thinning hair, we asked dermatologists what to look for and avoid when choosing a product that can improve the condition of existing hair and prevent future thinning and loss. Those we spoke with included:

In addition, to the tea tree, this shampoo contains a number of “interesting” noteworthy ingredients. For example, there are some great moisturizers, including Panthenol, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, and Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Leaf Extract, even though Jojoba oil may contribute to a dandruff problem. Limonene, Linalool, and Citronellol are also fragrances with strong evidence for being irritants, allergens, and toxins. They are restricted for use in cosmetics in several countries. The shampoo also contains artificial colors CI 42090 (Blue 1) and CI 19140 (Yellow 5). These rank relatively low as toxicants but can be irritating for some. About the brand: Paul Mitchell is a haircare brand founded by friends John Paul DeJoria and Paul Mitchell. It’s part of the broader JPMS haircare group, which creates tools and haircare for use both at home and in the salon. About My Hair: Fine with oily roots and dry endsAs the name suggests, it’s a tea tree shampoo. It’s signature tingly sensation appeals to many, but we’re here to look at the efficiency of the shampoo by looking at the formulation to learn exactly what goes into this shampoo. The Shampoo: How it Looks, Smells, and Washes Wow, where to even start. While there is a handful of nice ingredients that could benefit the scalp and hair, there are far too many irritants, allergens, and toxicants. And strong ones at that. Paul Mitchell may claim to use only the highest quality ingredients that are good for us and the planet, but we’re sad to conclude that as false. With such a mixed formula, there’s just no way that this is good for the majority of users, or the earth for that matter. When dealing with hair loss, it’s important to take care of the hair that’s still on your head. According to Palm, you should look for nourishing and hydrating ingredients, such as the following: Everyone is different, so the frequency of your hair washing should come down to personal preference and needs. However, less is not always more when it comes to washing thinning hair. “Many people believe washing your hair less frequently can curb hair loss, but this is simply not true,” Dr. Palm says. “In fact, shampooing is critical to follicle and scalp health. A dirty scalp is prone to inflammation, redness, scaling, and other problems that could exacerbate hair loss.” The brands now vast range of products covers everything from their original products, made with Hawaiian awapuhi which helps to balance moisture of hair to kid friendly formulas. An amazing top tip from the Paul Mitchell team is that their shampoos and conditioners also double to be used on skin to cleanse and moisturise.

In 1980 two friends, Paul Mitchell and John Paul DeJoria came together to launch a revolutionary haircare brand. The brand created a hair care system with three products. Great tools are essential to supporting great talent which inspired the duo to create the best professional haircare products with both the hairdresser and client in mind. Now, this shampoo isn’t one big bag of bad chemicals. There are some really promising ingredients in there. Algae extract may seem natural, but the generic labeling means that it can come from any source of algae, either safe and soothing or poisonous. So it’s not necessarily a positive ingredient since we don’t know the source. Conclusion: Look Elsewhere! As active ingredients go, tea tree is one of the most popular treatments for mild cases of Seborrheic Dermatitis. Anyone with more severe cases should look to one of the stronger agents. What’s Inside: The IngredientsThe experts strongly suggested choosing shampoos made with nourishing and growth-promoting ingredients such as biotin, saw palmetto, and ceramides. They suggested avoiding harsh cleansers like sulfates and phthalates. They also stressed the importance of choosing shampoos that emphasize scalp health, since dirty or clogged follicles can impede healthy hair growth. Every time you use shampoo, natural oils are removed or stripped from your hair along with excess oil, sebum, or product buildup,” Dr. Ilyas says. “These natural oils serve to protect and hydrate your hair, [but] in excess, they can weigh the hair down and make it lose fullness or body.” When it comes to your scalp, it’s delivering those same benefits, just for the skin on your head. It is said to be particularly beneficial for those dealing with scalp issues such as dryness, itching, flakes, and even full-on dandruff. Not to mention that the essential oil innately feels refreshing, a major win for anyone who craves that ultra-clean, totally refreshed sensation. The easiest way to reap these benefits? With a tea tree oil shampoo, of course. What sets this shampoo apart from others is the inclusion of tea tree, peppermint, and lavender essential oils. This blend brings the benefits of the oils together to improve hair and scalp health while providing a lovely sensory experience.