No More Chemical Hair Care - Part 1
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I’m happier with my hair now that I haven’t only eliminated shampoos from my hair regimen, but "natural" conditioners too. So you’re probably wondering what I’ve been cleansing and conditioning my hair with, and how am I keeping my hair healthy? The answer is simple 100% natural herbs and oils, plus edible ingredients.
Before I get into the ingredients, I'd like to tell you more about why I stopped specifically using "natural" conditioner although I haven't used traditional shampoo for years. Detergents in chemical shampoos weaken and dry out healthy hair. Last year I learned exactly what ingredients make a conditioner specifically different than a simple hair lotion. Although these synthetic conditioner ingredients are not deemed seriously toxic to our bodies, they pollute our water supply.
Ingredients such as cetyl alcohol, emulsifying wax, and wheat protein are all chemically processed. I also learned that popular conditioner ingredients such as BTMS aka behentrimonium methosulfate, cetrimonium bromide, quaternium-15 are all quaternary ammonium compounds and can cause contact dermatitis as well as contribute to unnecessary water pollution. -Source
Other conditioner ingredients such as cetrimonium chloride, stearalkonium chloride, and cetalkonium chloride can create dry and brittle hair after long-term use. -Source
When I was thinking about these types of conditioning ingredients, it made me wonder why they were so valuable in hair care in the first place. I also began to question why so many "natural" cosmetic brands, and smaller home-based beauty businesses where using chemical ingredients in their products. Now even toxic chemical cosmetic ingredients are available to everyone with internet access. It also had me determined to see if it was possible to truly maintain healthy curly hair without these commonly used chemical conditioners. Here are three different needs of hair care by general hair type.
Curly hair needs gentle cleansing, some sort of slippery product to detangle and condition hair, and another to clump curls to be remain frizz free.
Straight hair also needs cleansing and detangling without being weighed down by oils especially if the scalp already produces excess sebum while leaving hair shiny with volume.
Chemically altered hair needs serious strengthening and sealing of the hair cuticle to make it appear healthy.
I decided to do some research on The Long Hair Community to see what natural ingredients women with all hair type were using to maintain their long straight, wavy, and curly hair. I wanted to know what was and wasn’t working. Many women were happily using herbs and natural oils for healthy hair care. Many of these simple ingredients I’ve tried, while a few were new to me.
I've continued to play around with a bunch of different natural ingredients. I want to start by saying that my hair is softer yet stronger than when I was using synthetic conditioners.
I do get single strand knots although less than before, and my split ends have drastically been reduced. My hair seemed to be over conditioned from consistent co-washing, and using leave-in conditioners caused excess split ends. I can access the true health of my hair now that it’s not coated with synthetic conditioners. It was odd at first to feel my naked hair without conditioners, yet I absolutely love it now.
Here is a list of 100% natural alternatives to healthy hair care for all hair types.
Cleansing Herbs
Shikakai
Conditioning/Detangling Herbs
Slippery Elm
Irish Moss
Brahmi
Henna
Cassia
Conditioning Hair Foods
Bananas
Avocados
Coconut Milk
Yogurt
Great Leave-in's/Styling Products
Apricot Oil
Wheat Germ Oil
Hemp Oil
Camellia Oil
Jojoba Oil
Castor Oil
Coconut Oil
Flax Oil
Natural Humectants
Vegetable Glycerin
Honey
Agave Nectar
In Part 2 I’ll share my experience using herbs for hair care with more information on how to use these natural ingredients for herbal hair cleansing for all hair types.
No More Chemical Hair Care - Part 2 - Herbal Hair Cleansers
No More Chemical Hair Care - Part 3 - Conditioners & Leave-Ins
No More Chemical Hair Care - Part 4 - Building A New Regimen
Image by D Sharon Pruitt