Everyone has different hair. Curly, wavy, straight, blonde, brunette, black, red, dry, thick, fine, and maybe sometimes a tangled mess. Maybe some of us need volume, toning, moisturizing, clarifying. The list goes on. This means that not everyone can use the same shampoo. Our reason for using shampoo is personal and based on what you need your shampoo to accomplish. This means a lot of experimentation is involved in finding the right shampoo for you. It can be a lot of work and without people discussing shampoo brands, you might lose your hair from frustration instead.
With all of us amazing humans having different hair, please know I am not trying to convince you to buy the different shampoos that I like to use. However, I am trying to convince you to make a switch. A safe, natural, non-toxic, beneficial to you and the environment kind of switch. Make the switch and feel good about what you are putting on your body.
Why You Should Switch
Switching is hard, especially when you have stuck by the same brand for a long time. A phrase I have been hearing lately is the safe brands do not have as many options as the brand I use. This is simply not true. Safe brands have all the same kinds of shampoo. Ones for dry hair, normal hair, fine hair, tangled hair. Ones for volume, moisture, and frizziness. I think this is a fear-based statement. People are scared to switch because what they have is working for them. Or fear of the unknown. The downside is it's dangerous for them and it's dangerous for the environment. This is where people like me who have already made the switch along with some other bloggers I have read about come in. We are here to help you make the switch and make an informed decision about what is best for you and your hair.
You may be thinking what is so terrible about these products... why should I go through the hassle of switching? Because of CHEMICALS. You are putting chemicals on your body that can cause a number of health concerns; cancer, skin irritations, allergies, etc. Researchers are constantly saying you are as good as what you put inside your body but we need to be thinking about what we are putting ON our body, too.
Let's get down to business. Foaming. We all love the foam that comes from our shampoo, soaps, face washes, and many other products. It gives us a sense of cleanliness. "This is super foamy, it must be really doing its job." I was a victim of thinking this, too. In reality, all of those brilliant, clean feeling bubbles are chemicals. Companies put a mixture of chemicals in their products to produce these magnificent bubbles so we can think it is making us cleaner. Wrong, you are just putting a bunch of harmful chemicals on your body and wreaking havoc to your body along the way. On top of that, they put synthetic or fake fragrances in to make it smell good. Fragrances that do not come from the environment. They are mixed together with more chemicals or "natural" ingredients. Wrong again. Think about it, most of us use the shampoo once a day. That's 365 times one year. Using these products over time may cause harm to you and the beautiful environment that we should be protecting.
The chemicals in many popular shampoos are sulfates, preservatives, artificial fragrances, and petroleum products. Sulfates such as sodium lauryl are used as a foaming agent. Some sulfates can be contaminated with carcinogens. You should stop using shampoos with sulfates. You may be putting carcinogens on your body which can cause cancer. Preservatives such as parabens. Parabens have been closely researched and are linked to breast cancer and hormone disruption. No thanks. Ditch your shampoo with parabens in it. Artificial fragrances. In other words, fake. These can cause skin irritations such as rashes and dandruff. There are better, more natural ingredients you can put in shampoo that makes it smell nice. It's called essential oils. Throw out your fake scents! Petroleum products. This is a non-renewable source making it not environmentally friendly. Get rid of them. Protect the environment.
My Favorite non-Toxic, All Natural Shampoo
I have short hair, a pixie cut if you want to put a label on it. It is brown, wavy, frizzy, and sometimes hard to tame. Now, we probably don't have the same hair but these companies that I choose to make different kinds of shampoos for different hair. These are also companies that I have done a lot of research on and trust them to make the clean products that I want to use on my hair.
Acure is a company that prides themselves on using vegan, high quality and all-natural ingredients. They are paraben-free, sulfate-free, mineral oil-free, petrolatum free, formaldehyde-free, and cruelty-free. Their company is on a mission to get people to make the switch to a better for you product while still being affordable and accessible. I have bought some of their products as gifts to others and have not heard a negative comment yet. I have used the mega moisture to replenish dry hair and I have also used the curiously clarifying to help with volume. They both do the job and they both smell great with little foaming action. I felt clean afterward. It was a check-in in my book. Not to mention, it lasts a REALLY long time. I believe I was using it for 8 months. They have many different kinds of shampoo for all hair types. They come in 12 oz bottles and for a set, they range between $15-$25 on Amazon.
Weleda is a company that sets a very high standard in the beauty industry. They are committed to using environmentally friendly practices to make their products and using sustainable production processes to produce their products. They use a variety of fruits, flowers, minerals, and essential oils that are meant to work with our body's system. Their mission is to create natural products with exceptionally high standards of quality you can trust. I have used many of their products other than just their shampoo but I have really enjoyed their shampoo for normal hair and the one for dry, damaged hair as well. The scents of Weleda take a bit to get used to at first. It doesn't smell like your normal shampoo but once you get used to it, you will relish in the joy of how good it feels. If you love the foam still, Weleda does have a little foaming action going on with it but in a safe, all-natural way. Weleda also has many different kinds for all types of hair. Weleda is a little more expensive than Acure but it is worth it. A 6.4 oz bottle is between $10-$15 on Amazon.
Giovanni has some really great products, too. Not all of them are natural but their Eco Chic collection is sulfate, paraben, and cruelty-free. Their Eco Chic collection is also the most affordable option. This company, I've noticed, has been working hard to change their product to make it better for people and the environment. I use the Eco Chic Tea Tree Triple Treat. It is an invigorating shampoo for people who are prone to dry scalp. This is me. I used to use Head & Shoulders and that nasty T-gel shampoo which smelled like straight-up chemicals. It was horrible. I remember using it as a child, only once a week and that smell still sticks with me. Giovanni's smells really good and my scalp starts to tingle when I use it. I don't use it every day but it really is a treat when I use it. And it works. It releases my dry scalp and I feel refreshed. (Side note from last week's post... bone broth is also supposed to help with dry scalp from the inside out, I have been noticing a difference since I started Kettle & Fire 8 days ago.) A 3-pack of 8.5 oz bottles of this shampoo is going for $23 on Amazon. That is an extremely good deal for a natural shampoo.
Shampoos to Avoid
Head & Shoulders- it has an artificial fragrance and sulfates in it. If you suffer from a dry scalp like me, try Giovanni Eco Chic Tea Tree Triple Treat shampoo. It can also get the job done in a safer way.
Pantene- it also has artificial fragrances and sulfates in it. Also, when I used to use Pantene when I was younger, it made my dry scalp even worse so I had to stop using it.
Suave- this company uses artificial fragrances, sulfates, and DMDM hydantoin which is a formaldehyde-releasing agent. Mold!!
This list could go on and on. There are many other companies that use these chemicals. You just have to do your research or check out the different bloggers who have already done the research for you.
Shampoos I Want To Try
Intelligent Nutrients is a company that has many of the same values I have. They are committed to saving the earth and the people by using plants in their products rather than petroleum. Their practices and what they are setting out to do is inspiring. They have a shampoo called Harmonic for normal hair that I would like to try. Their product is expensive which is a reason I have not been able to try it quite yet. It goes for $35 a bottle. But when I do decide to try this product I bet it will be totally worth the splurge.
Another product I want to try is HiBar. This is a plastic-free company and they are sulfate, paraben, and cruelty-free, too. This company is big on keeping plastics out of the ocean and ways we can use less plastic. This is a topic I'm very passionate about. They are making a salon-quality, all-natural product without the plastic. Using less plastic in my house is a win for me so I want to support this company by trying their products. A shampoo/conditioner set is $26.50 and they say their bar lasts at least as long as a 16 oz bottle of shampoo with the conditioner lasting even longer.
In Conclusion
To my readers or whoever else gets their eyes on this post, PLEASE make the switch. I don't care if you buy the products on my page, someone else's, or if you do your own research. What I DO care about is YOU. Make a switch that will be less harmful and more beneficial for you and the environment around you.
Your Certified Brain Health Coach,
Ashley, Owner of SustainaBRAIN
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