Natural Organic Hair Products?

by Julie
(Mechanicsburg, PA, USA)

I was wondering what kind of organic hair products are out there? I've read about how a lot of shampoos are stripping my hair of natural oils and minerals and leaving harmful chemicals behind. I knew one girl who used a natural "soap" for her hair, teeth, and body. It sounds like an affordable and preferable option. What have you found out on this front?

Thanks! Your site is incredibly helpful! I can't wait to try out your tips.

Michelle says: Hi Julie,

Thanks for your compliments about my natural-health-restored.com. I'm glad you found it helpful! :-)

There are a lot of organic hair products on the market these days. I don't even know about all the brands that exist. Here's a list of just some of the ones that come to mind:

Avalon Organics

Aubrey Organics

Kiss My Face

Nature's Gate

The problem with most shampoos, even some natural brands is that they contain either sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureth sulfate or a combination of both. These ingredients are added because they cause that nice lather that everyone seems to like.

Problem is, they are irritants and can dry out and damage your hair and skin. I'm not sure if the brands I just mentioned contain SLS or not, so the best thing to do is to read all the labels (even on "natural" products) and avoid buying the ones that contain these ingredients.

A cheap and simple alternative to shampoo which is becoming more and more popular is baking soda and water of all things. It sounds pretty crazy, I know, but it works! It doesn't dry out your hair like shampoo does and it actually gets your hair nice and clean. Apparently it's good for all hair types too.

All you've got to do is mix a small amount with some water to make a paste. Then you apply the paste to your scalp and scrub gently and rinse out. That's it! You can follow it up with a natural conditioner, or you can try a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water (half and half). Simple, natural, effective, and cheap!

People have been raving about "shampoo bars" on different hair forums that I visit from time to time, but I've never actually tried them myself. I'm sure that if you found a nice natural bar of soap made from vegetable ingredients, that it would be great for your hair and skin.

Soap is not going to taste so great for brushing your teeth though (yep, I've tried it). Of course, you could always get used to the flavor over time... And if not, there are better tasting soaps out there that are made just for your teeth like Tooth Soap. I've tried it and I love it.

My hair tends to be on the dry side, so I prefer the baking soda alternative I mentioned above. If my hair feels extra dry, sometimes I'll wash it with just conditioner alone. This is a method I learned over at naturallycurly.com. It's pretty simple to do....

All you've got to do is apply some conditioner to your scalp, the same way you would use shampoo. Gently massage your scalp with it and rinse it clean. Follow up with a conditioner. It's supposed to be really great for curly hair because it's non-drying and gets rid of the frizz that's common with this hair type. I'm sure it'll work just fine for other hair types too.

One more thing I just thought of is liquid castile soap. I've never tried it on my hair, but I've heard of other people having good success with it. It's a very gentle soap that doesn't contain any SLS.

Hopefully you'll find something that works great for your hair! In the near future, I'm going to be creating a brand new section of my website that deals with natural hair and skin care, so stay tuned....

Michelle