Hair Food is a shampoo brand made from natural ingredients. The brand uses exotic ingredients like “avocado and argan oil,” and claims that “what you put on your hair is as important as what you eat.”
But does Hair Food contain research-backed ingredients for improving hair quality, or are these just marketing claims? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? Why was the brand sued? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Hair Food products?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Hair Food to give our take on whether or not the shampoo is likely to improve hair quality and promote hair growth.
We’ll also explain why the brand was sued and if it poses a health risk to consumers, and feature real Hair Food customer reviews.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Hair Food Coconut Milk & Chai Spice Shampoo are shown above.
The product does contain coconut, but doesn’t appear to contain any chai.
Coconut fruit extract is a strange ingredient choice in our opinion, given that coconut oil is so well-studied and effective for hair quality.
A medical review published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science found that coconut oil prevented hair damage. We’re unsure why the brand would choose an extract which may not have the same benefits.
Panthenol is clinically shown to hydrate the skin, as we documented in our review of Prose hair products, so it may be effective for scalp health.
Salicylic acid is an exfoliator, and was also shown to have anti-dandruff properties in a clinical trial.
Glycerin was found to have a hair conditioning effect in a 2019 medical review.
There are two inactive ingredients in this shampoo that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid.
Fragrance was analyzed in a 2016 meta-review, and the study authors concluded the following: “Results of this study provide compelling evidence that everyday fragranced products can impose serious risks to human health.”
Sodium benzoate and phenoxyethanol are synthetic preservatives, the latter of which was shown in a 2020 clinical trial to be toxic to human cells.
Overall, we consider Hair Food Coconut Milk & Nourishing Chai Spice shampoo likely to support optimal hair quality and appearance, but we don't currently recommend it due to the inactive ingredients discussed above.
Which Hair Food Shampoo is Best?
We reviewed the ingredients in all seven Hair Food shampoos.
Unfortunately, all of them contain fragrance, but Hair Food Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Water Purifying Shampoo is free of phenoxyethanol.
It does contain the other preservative sodium benzoate, but we believe this is a healthier preservative choice based on toxicity studies.
Tea tree leaf oil is included in this shampoo, and was shown in a clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology to be highly effective against dandruff.
Trial participants in the tea tree shampoo group experienced a 41% improvement in measures of scaliness, itchiness and greasiness of the scalp.
We do not currently recommend any Hair Food products, but for consumers intent on purchasing from the brand, this is the product we think is the healthiest option.
Real People Try Hair Food
A YouTube creator named “faceovermatter” reviewed Hair Food and included a live product demonstration:
A TikTok user named “livingmygreatlife2” claims that Hair Food is a great option for natural hair:
@livingmygreatlife2 Today, I’m reviewing some new hair products. You will definitely want to grab these #naturalhairtiktok #hairfoodshampoo #naturalhair #selfcare #naturalhairproductsthatwork ♬ original sound - Self Care Advocate
Why Was Hair Food Sued?
In 2022, Hair Food was one of a number of brands facing a lawsuit due to contamination of one of their dry shampoo products.
According to ClassAction.org, benzene contamination was the consumer health risk that prompted the lawsuit, and benzene is a carcinogen, meaning it can cause cancer.
The FDA recall notice regarding this contamination reported the offending product to be Hair Food Coconut Dry Shampoo.
Given that the product has already been recalled, there is no indication that this product is a health risk moving forward, but it may be logical to be wary about all dry shampoos sold by this brand.
Procter & Gamble, the company that owns Hair Food, only allowed refunds for customers who had purchased six or more contaminated products, according to the lawsuit.
Customers Rate Hair Food
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, Hair Food Coconut Milk & Chai Spice Shampoo has been reviewed over 90 times on Amazon, with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Linda B. Ratliff” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
"I have baby fine thick hair and this shampoo is the best I have ever used and I am 71. You won’t need conditioner at all, and your hair will smell good, have body and texture. Clean earth friendly ingredients. Keeps your hair healthy and is planet friendly."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Mcksch” who have the product a 2/5 rating:
"Item was boxed with all my other things and the lid of the shampoo wasn't shut so it spilt in transit. The box was in tact along with all the things in it but the cap to the shampoo was not fully on and it wasted 1/4 of the bottle and made a mess on all the other contents."
Hair food Coconut Milk & Chai Spice Shampoo currently has an average review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google.
Our Clean Hair Care Picks
Acure Vivacious Volume Shampoo is our top shampoo pick.
It contains argan oil which is clinically shown to help protect hair from damage.=
Ritual HyaCera is our top hair growth supplement.
This supplement contains wheat oil extract, and a 2024 clinical trial reported that a wheat lipid complex had "a reducing effect on hair shedding and a stimulating effect on hair reappearance and growth."
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Hair Food Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Hair Food in our opinion:
Pros:
- Research-backed active ingredients
- Affordable
- Highly positive Amazon reviews
- Highly positive Google reviews
- Should support optimal hair quality
- Should support optimal hair appearance
Cons:
- Contains fragrance
- Contains phenoxyethanol
- Brand sued over alleged benzene contamination
