Faith In Nature Coconut Shampoo at £3.99: A Hydrating Shampoo That Sometimes Does the Opposite

What's In the Bottle (And Why That Matters Here)

Faith In Nature Coconut Shampoo is a 400ml clear formula built around organic coconut oil, with the brand's standard supporting cast: rosemary essential oil, nettle, and chamomile. The label promises 99.5% natural origin ingredients, 100% natural aroma, and the holy trinity of free-from claims that drive a lot of these purchases: no parabens, no SLS, and no silicones. It carries Vegan Society approval and is sold as cruelty-free.

The pitch is that coconut oil's fatty acids hydrate and condition hair, while the herbal blend soothes scalp and adds shine. The tropical scent is meant to be the bonus that makes wash day feel like a small holiday.

That ingredient list is doing two jobs. It's a sales pitch to buyers who actively want clean-beauty credentials, and it's a wide net for anyone with a sensitive scalp who's been quietly Googling alternatives to mainstream shampoos. Both groups show up clearly in the reviews, and they don't always agree on what they got.

The Hydration Paradox

Here's the part the marketing copy doesn't want to dwell on. A shampoo sold for dry hair and dry scalp is, for a meaningful slice of buyers, producing the opposite result.

One reviewer with thick wavy hair, dry scalp and dry ends wrote that it "made my hair awful, so greasy and unmanageable. Got steadily worse each time I used it." Another, who specifically described having dry hair but an oil-prone scalp, said the foam didn't feel cleansing on the first wash, and after three months of trying, the hair was still hard to brush without conditioner. A third, who came in with high hopes, said both the shampoo and matching conditioner had the consistency of water and "left my hair drier than before."

This isn't a small subgroup either. Out of 100 recent reviews, around 12% are one-star, and the most common complaint inside that group is some flavour of "it dried me out" or "it made me greasier." A 4★ reviewer summed up the moderate version: "continued use makes my hair slightly dryer than usual."

The probable explanation lives in the ingredient list itself. Several reviewers flagged ammonium lauryl sulfate, which is a sulfate (the brand's "no SLS" claim is technically accurate but only refers to sodium lauryl sulfate). One reviewer wrote: "I'd be OK but it contains Sulphate which I'm allergic to." If you've assumed sulphate-free reading the front label, that's a meaningful catch.

Where It Actually Wins: Itchy and Sensitive Scalps

If the dry-hair pitch is shaky, the sensitive-scalp use case is where this shampoo seems to actually deliver, and the strongest five-star reviews pile up here.

One buyer with eczema-prone skin called it "the best I have ever used," reporting no irritation after years of trying delicate-skin brands that all failed. Another reviewer wrote: "my usual shampoo kept leaving my scalp itching like mad tried this and the conditioner really good no itching scalp so far worth every penny." A long-time itchy-scalp sufferer who'd tried every mainstream shampoo without success said Faith In Nature "totally cleared this up after only three uses."

The chemo use case turns up too. One buyer wrote: "Lovely shampoo and suitable to use during my chemo with the matching conditioner. Hair is in good condition as no nasties in it." That's a specific kind of recommendation, and it tracks with the brand's positioning, but it's worth knowing it shows up in real reviews and not just the marketing.

The pattern across the wider Faith In Nature line is consistent enough that buyers with MCAS, psoriasis and severe scalp irritation often single out the brand as the one shampoo family that didn't trigger their symptoms. If your shampoo problem is "big-brand shampoos are giving me an itchy, irritated scalp," this is the bottle to try first. If your problem is "my hair is dry and I want it less dry," the case is much less convincing.

The Scent Argument

Coconut shampoo should smell like coconut. Most reviewers say it does, and they love it. "Smells amazing," "smells gorgeous," "got loads of compliments on how gorgeous my hair smelt," and "transports you to the tropics" are all in the recent review set.

A second group, smaller but persistent, finds the scent off. One reviewer said it had "a musky smell to it what I don't like." Another reviewer said simply: "smells disgusting." A particularly memorable 4★ review, after a positive wash experience: "now I've just dried it, it really smells like dog shampoo." One buyer reported the smell was strong enough to leave them with a headache.

The pattern looks like a fragrance-strength issue more than a quality one. The natural-origin scent is more assertive than the synthetic-tropical fragrance you'd get from a high-street shampoo, and a small fraction of buyers find it overwhelming or surprisingly different from how it smells in the bottle versus dried in the hair. If you're sensitive to scents, the safer Faith In Nature pick is the fragrance-free range, which has its own dedicated fanbase in the review pool for that reason.

Lather, Volume and the Two-Wash Question

One quietly recurring tip in the reviews: this shampoo often needs two washes to feel clean, particularly if you're coming off heavy styling product, oil treatments, or just longer gaps between washes.

Several positive reviewers mention this without complaint. "Just a little bit creates a large amount of lather and I do not need to use conditioner," said one. Another wrote: "reasonable lather and cleans hair well. Better if you use the shampoo with the conditioner." Multiple buyers note that the foam isn't as aggressive as a high-street formula, but that this is the trade-off you accept with a milder, more natural shampoo: "You don't need to worry if it doesn't lather up like other shampoos because it still cleans the hair and it's natural."

The negative version of the same observation: a few buyers feel the first wash doesn't really clean, and they have to repeat. If you're already on a tight morning routine, that doubles your shampoo time and effectively cuts the value of the bottle in half.

For best results, follow with the matching Coconut Conditioner. The brand recommends it, and a high proportion of the happiest reviews are coming from people who bought both products together rather than the shampoo on its own.

Quibbles That Aren't Really About the Shampoo

A few one and two-star reviews are really about delivery and packaging, not the formula itself. One buyer reported their bottle arrived 15-20% empty. Another said the bottle cap arrived broken (though nothing had leaked). A third had an issue with an Amazon refund that didn't materialise after they were told it would.

Worth flagging because they affect the star average, but if you're weighing up whether the shampoo itself works, set those aside. They tell you more about Amazon UK's fulfilment day than about Faith In Nature's product.

One reviewer also lobbed a more philosophical complaint at the brand: that "cruelty-free" labelling is meaningless marketing. That's a separate debate, and not one a shampoo review needs to settle.

Who Should Actually Buy This

This shampoo works best as a sensitive-scalp shampoo with a coconut scent attached, not as a hydration treatment for already-dry hair. If that distinction makes sense to your shopping list, you'll likely be happy.

Buy it if:

• You've reacted to fragranced or sulphate-heavy shampoos with itching, sores, eczema or scalp irritation
• You want a vegan, paraben-free, SLS-free, silicone-free formula at a high-street price point
• You'll buy the matching conditioner with it and not just the shampoo on its own
• You like assertive natural fragrances rather than soft synthetic ones
• You're coming off something harsh (Head and Shoulders is named repeatedly in the reviews) and need a calmer wash

Skip it if:

• Your main problem is dry, brittle hair and you need a richer, more moisturising shampoo (a coconut-oil hair mask plus a conditioning shampoo is probably a better bet)
• You have very oily, fine hair that doesn't tolerate a milder cleanse
• You need a sulphate-free formula specifically (this contains ammonium lauryl sulfate, despite the SLS-free label)
• You're sensitive to assertive scents

At £3.99 for 400ml, the price keeps the risk small. If you fit the sensitive-scalp profile and you've been overpaying for big-brand alternatives, this is an obvious one to try. If you fit the dry-hair-needs-rescue profile, look elsewhere first.