I’m no Rapunzel or have gorgeous locks like Julia Roberts, but I like my hair and wish it were in better state. A friend of mine posted her photo on Facebook and her hair just looked gorgeous — silky smooth and shiny. She disclosed to a few of us that her secret is using sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner. No need for anti-frizz treatments or blow-drying. Just naturally dried with normal, manual brushing.
That certainly got me motivated to search for sulfate-free hair products. But I wanted to go a step further and go organic, because organic shampoo and conditioner can actually revive hair and scalp from decades of harsh treatment caused by the use of traditional, commercial products. Yup, those store-bought products are cheaper and more easily found, but they aren’t really good for our health. By “our” I mean yours and mine. We certainly wouldn’t want to risk our health by cheaper products ridden with harmful chemicals, now would we?
When shopping for organic shampoo and conditioner products, you should be careful to read the labels of products before buying them. Even though some products claim to be all natural or organic, not all of them strictly adhere to this promise. Typically, if you read more than nine or ten ingredients on a product label, the product most likely contains at least some synthetic materials.
What ingredients to watch out for in buying shampoos and conditioners, even if they claim to be organic, are the following:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfates
- Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
- Derivatives of Lauryl Alcohol
- Mureth Sulfate
- Propylene Glycol (Antifreeze)
- Olefin Sulfonate (Deodorized Kerosene)
The above ingredients tend to dry your scalp, abrade oil glands, and/or corrode hair follicles. Worse, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can actually cause cataracts in adults and improper eye development in children; and yet this ingredient is commonly used in most commercial shampoos and conditioners.
Aside from being toxin free, I found out that organic shampoos and conditioners will not excrete any parabens in our bodies. The bigger plus is there will be an immense difference on the health of our hair and scalp. Cheap, commercial hair products will strip our tresses of shine and colour. With paraben-free products, our hair’s texture will be softer and the colour-enhanced, since organic hair produces use healthy vitamins, nutrients, and vegetable based colour boosters.
What are good organic shampoo and conditioners brands and where to buy them? Australia has a few local organic brands like Australian Organics, Perse, and EverScents, but I’m in no way endorsing any of them since I have yet to try them myself. You can find several options categorised at Green Organics. There are heaps more, you just have to do what I’ve just done — start looking.
Here’s to happy, healthy hair for you and me!
Image: Nuusuite.com
