
Last December I decided to finally try the Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash, especially after hearing so much about it from Minimalist Beauty readers, on the Hairlista forum, and on YouTube. So I went to the website and found that there was a local retailer that sold Terressentials products. I purchased both the Organic Left Coast Lemon Hair Wash and the Organic Lavender Garden Hair Wash as they were both recommended for dry curly hair.
I was most interested in this product because of the ingredients. I have used rhassoul clay for shampoo and had wonderful experiences with clay for hair care. I was excited to try this popular product with such clean chemical free ingredients. I hadn’t seen too many hair care products that didn’t contain synthetic ingredients, chemicals, or preservatives. Not many products stand up to my list of cosmetic ingredients to avoid and this one did.
Here are the ingredients:
Pure Earth Hair Wash–Organic Left Coast Lemon
Organic aloe vera juice°, clay minerals, organic extract° of organic linden flower°, essential oils of organic lemon°, organic sweet orange° and organic lime°, extracts of organic nettle°, organic chamomile° and organic shavegrass°, essential oils of organic bergamot°, wildcrafted bay and organic petitgrain°.
°USDA Certified Organic
Pure Earth Hair Wash–Organic Lavender Garden
Organic aloe vera juice°, clay minerals, organic extract° of organic linden flower°, essential oils of organic true lavender° and organic sweet orange°, extracts of organic nettle°, organic chamomile° and organic shavegrass°, essential oils of organic rose geranium°, organic ylang ylang° and organic clove bud°.
°USDA Certified Organic
It wasn’t until I purchased the hair washes that I saw that the “clay minerals” were actually bentonite clay. I hadn’t had too much experience with bentonite clay in hair care as with rhassoul clay, yet love it just as much. I have also fallen in love with using herbs in my DIY hair and skin care and always acknowledge botanical ingredients in natural products that I purchase.
Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash detoxes your hair of all previous chemical products or synthetic ingredients used on your hair in the past, and the company suggests a specific detox program for first time users especially those with very porous hair or excess sebum production. The detox program suggests a week of daily sometimes multiple washes so that you can remove all of the chemical gunk off your hair strands, and enjoy the amazing cleansing/conditioning results of the hair wash.
I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week, and chose not to do the detox program as the company suggested. I noticed many natural, curly, and coily hair users on YouTube express that after detoxing their hair for the complete week they were no longer interested in using the product any more. Because curly coily hair tends to be extremely dry, I wanted to have an enjoyable experience with the product therefore detoxed my hair slowly.
Even with all of the natural and DIY hair care that I use, I still experienced a detox with Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash. The first time I used the hair wash my hair was extremely soft and easy to detangle. By the second and third wash my hair began detoxing and was more tangled. I had to take extra time to carefully detangle my hair even though I had washed it in braids. By the fourth and fifth wash my hair felt back to normal and extra soft again.
To apply the hair wash, I diluted 3-4 tablespoons with aloe vera juice in a 7 oz. applicator bottle. I found that this was the easiest way to apply the product to my hair. Although Terressentials has been created to be your one and only hair care product with suggested use of their shea butter cream for extremely dry hair, I used catnip tea as a deep conditioner/leave-in conditioner which added more manageability and softness, and castor oil to seal in the moisture for my hair. My hair responded very well to this routine and the Organic Left Coast Lemon Hair Wash has become my absolute favorite. The scent is so refreshing and the extra oils in the Left Coast Lemon do help with providing more moisture and conditioning properties.
I am no longer a shampoo user and haven’t been for a year now. Although I am currently using a homemade botanical conditioner for conditioner washing my hair and as a leave-in, I will probably use Terressentials or a clay wash once a month or as needed. It was a relief to not make all of my hair care products every time I washed my hair. Terressentials Hair Wash is a great hair cleanser/conditioner for traveling as well.
Trying Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash has been an wonderful experience. My husband absolutely loves this hair wash as well. I truly admire that the Terressentials company has such an ethical approach to hair and skin care, and their Certified Organic seal doesn’t slip in any new preservatives or strange chemicals into their ingredients like other companies. Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash is a perfect product for those who understand that shampoo strips the hair of natural oils, that sulfates are almost impossible to completely rinse away, and are looking for a completely natural alternative to hair care and overall health. Be aware that this product will not mix well with any hair care that has any synthetic lab created ingredients.
I believe that going no ‘poo with Terressentials or any botanical cleanser is the best way to go for healthy balanced hair care.
Learn to make your own mud/herbal hair wash here!
(Image by Terressentials)
Aleonriv says
Do you prefer the terressentials hair wash to your rhassoul clay for shampoo? I use the terressentials hair wash and I love it but I’m considering trying the rhassoul clay if it’ll be a cheaper alternative. Especially if I can use it for facial treatments as well.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Aleonriv,
I feel that rhassoul clay mixed with aloe vera is a wonderful hair wash and much more cost effective than the Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash although it is a really wonderful product. The major difference is the blend of essential oils that the Terressentials contains as well as that is is formulated with bentonite clay versus rhassoul clay. You can easily create your own hair wash with clay, aloe vera juice, essential oils, natural oils, and other ingredients of your choice. Also having a product that you can also use as a face wash with raw honey makes purchasing rhassoul clay a more versatile product. Have a beautiful day!
Dawn Michelle
Melody says
Hi Dawn,
Thanks for putting together such a great blog! I’ve been using Terressentials for about 6 months now and love it. I’d like to try the tightly curly method but I know I couldn’t be able to do it with Terressentials. I also don’t feel comfortable using store-bought conditions with Terresentials as they don’t mix well. Any suggestions for a condition I could use with Terressentials for the tightly curly method?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Melody,
I completely agree with you that Terressentials does not mix well with other conditioners. I haven’t tried using Terressentials with the Curly Girl Method or Tightly Curly Method because of it. I have a feeling that flax seed gel may work though. What have you been using with Terressentials currently?
Best,
Dawn Michelle
Nunya says
Hello, I read your response to Rhassoul clay being more cost effective. I love terressentials! I have changed my hair habits COMPLETELY after using it. What I want to know besides versatility issues, which product makes your hair FEEL the best?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Nunya,
I haven’t used Terressentials for awhile. I do think that the essential oils in Terressentials makes it feel extra conditioning. Since I’ve been doing the Curly Girl Method I’ve been co-washing. Terressentials does not work well with conditioners although rhassoul clay mixed with aloe vera isn’t a problem for me. I’ve found that using a good natural conditioner feels the best for my hair. I’ve been sticking to using conditioners since I switched over from my strict no-poo hair care regimen that I was doing last fall/winter. I hope this is somehow helpful to you.
Best,
Dawn Michelle
Anya says
Hello, I love your blog and all of the useful information. I have never tried Terressentials, as I use my own DIY cleansing clay, but it seems like an interesting product. My concern with Terressentials is that it contains aloe but does appear to have a preservative. I know that the product is certified organic (95% not 100% ) so I wonder what keeps it from spoiling. Have you had any issues with spoilage?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Anya,
Thank you so much! I’ve never had any problems when I used the Terressentials products yet if you are having success with your own DIY cleansing clay then keep using it. I give tips on how you can create your own DIY Herbal Hair Cleanser here. There are lots of ways you can make your own 100% natural hair cleansers.
Best wishes!
Desiree says
I have been no poo for about 6+ months now using baking soda and acv. I want to try terressentials, but I am not sure if I need to detox since I have pretty much already been through all that. Btw I have straight fine hair
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Desiree,
You most likely don’t need to go through the detox since you haven’t been using commercial products. I enjoy using clays as a hair cleanser and Terressentials is a good company. You can find more no-poo hair cleansing options here as well.
Best wishes!
Lulue says
I really don’t think that neither of these products are being completely transperant with their product list. There is water in both of these products so would HAVE to be a preservative of some kind. You may also note that there are some preservatives that can be listed as fragrance or parfum so producers can say they have a preservative free product.
Also, it is likely that these products have linalool and geraniol (noted on your no no page) as these ingredients are natural by products of geranium and lavender respectively.
Even making one’s own products that contain water without preservatives can be a bit of a chance as mold, bacteria or other nasties can develop extremely quickly often before you are able to see or smell them. I would not leave anything longer than a couple of days without preservatives. Things like clay and botanicals can be very attractive to bacteria etc.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Lulue,
You are possibly right, yet there are herbal extracts in the ingredients that are most likely alcohol based which would act as the preservative. You’d have to contact the company though if you want more info. That’s just my thought on the matter. As for making your own products, make only enough to use up so you won’t have to worry about preservatives or bacteria. Also make sure thwt the tools you use are sanitized. Best wishes!