9 Best Baby Shampoos That Won’t Irritate Sensitive Skin 2023

Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, avocado fruit extract

Best Vegan Baby Shampoo: Puracy Baby Shampoo and Body Wash

Why It’s Worth It: As a vegan and gluten-free formula, Puracy’s Baby Shampoo and Body Wash is formulated with plant-based (largely coconut-derived) ingredients that are suitable for eczema, cradle cap, and sensitive skin. It is pH-neutral, hypoallergenic, and free of just about every controversial chemical you can think of: sulfates, salicylates, parabens, petroleum-based ingredients, animal by-products, perfumes, and dyes.

Editor Tip: If your little one isn’t sensitive to fragrance, Puracy’s shampoo comes in two delightful scents: Citrus Grove and Lavender Chamomile.

Key Ingredients: Vegetable glycerin, coco-glucoside, citric acid

Best Baby Shampoo Gift Set: Dabble & Dollop Welcome Baby Gift Set

Dabble & Dollop Welcome Baby Gift Set

Why It’s Worth It: This EWG-verified Dabble & Dollop Welcome Baby Gift Set has everything you need for a seamless and soothing bath routine including a gentle shampoo and body wash, post-bath balm, and surfactant-free face and neck wipes to keep your little free of dribbles and drool on non-bath days. The vegan cleanser is also gentle enough to use on eczema-prone skin.

Editor Tip: To make bathtime more fun, this gift set even comes with a color-coordinated rubber ducky toy.

Key Ingredients: Coco-glucoside, aloe vera, honeysuckle flower, glycerin

How often should you shampoo your baby’s hair?

Just like most adults, most babies don’t need to use shampoo daily. And just like adults, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how often you should shampoo your baby’s hair. It depends on a variety of factors, like the weather or whether or not they have certain skin conditions like eczema, says Nava Greenfield, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends bathing newborns three times a week for the first year. “Bathing them every day can risk drying out their skin,” explains Dr. Chang.

Can you use baby shampoo as a body wash?

There’s a seemingly endless amount of things to buy for tiny humans including a full suite of bath-adjacent products. Do you really need a dedicated shampoo and body wash? Absolutely not, according to Dr. Chang. “Baby shampoos are often formulated to be gentle on sensitive skin and can be used over the entire body,” she says.

“I prefer a product that is hydrating, not just cleansing,” says Dr. Greenfield. She looks for ingredients like aloe vera and shea butter that can help moisturize and soothe the most sensitive baby’s skin.

What should you do if shampoo gets in your baby’s eyes?

Luckily, “most baby products are not harmful to baby’s eyes,” Dr. Greenfield says. But they can still be irritating. To avoid getting shampoo in their little peepers, “tip your baby’s head back and rinse the shampoo away from the face,” says Dr. Chang. Using a sponge or washcloth to rinse away suds around their head and face can also help prevent soap getting into the eyes, too. “Tear-free formulas can help with possible eye irritation, but always keep the shampoo out of the baby’s eyes whenever possible,” says Dr. Chang. If shampoo does get into your little one’s eyes, flush it out with lots of water.