We all want beautiful hair, don’t we! And for me it is important that the products I use are natural and low-tox.
After years of swimming in chlorine, bleaching, dying, perming, straightening and blow drying my hair it began to look like thin straw with tonnes of split ends. Oh and did I mention that the reason I dye it is because I began to go grey early just like my mum and sister? Sure genetics has a bit to do with how luscious our hair looks but so does our diet, particularly a lack of minerals and essential fatty acids but even stress and illness can affect our hair.
Why Natural Hair Care Products?
The other thing which a lot of people may not realise is that the chemicals in shampoos can actually dry out our hair so we then feel that we “have” to use a conditioner. For example, one chemical that does this is Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) which has sister chemicals like Sodium Laureth Sulphate that dry hair out too. They are added to shampoos and pretty much any other products that companies want to foam up. They are a surfactant and are drying to both hair and skin. Wow! No wonder I used to have a dry scalp all the time and got eczema on my forehead, around my ears and on the back of my neck.
Then there are other chemicals added to shampoos which strip the acid mantle from our hair leaving it more susceptible to breakage. So then we need to buy treatments to treat the damage caused by the shampoos. Coincidence… or clever marketing plan??
Not only that, but lots of hair products also contain silicone, which ends up coating the hair follicles and building up on your head. See the video below for our episode of Let’s Talk About Hair with hairdresser, Kristy Brown where she talks about this. You may need a hair de-tox!
So, PLEASE tell me there are natural shampoos and conditioners that don’t contain nasty chemicals that actually work and are good for my hair? Yes, in fact there are! I’ve found not one, but FOUR!
Well, four shampoos and three conditioners. Best of all, if you know what your hair type is, it certainly makes choosing the right shampoo and conditioner a breeze. Oh and there are even certain essential oils suited to various hair types which you can add to your shampoo or conditioner to enhance it even more.
Let’s take a look at your particular hair type:
Normal – Natural Hair Care Products
The Lavender Shampoo and Conditioner are gentle and great for anyone and everyone, so if you’re not sure what your hair type is, then start with these.
The essential oils which are great for normal hair include:
Dry and Damaged – Natural Hair Care Products
The Young Living Copaiba Vanilla Shampoo and Conditioner are perfect for you as they condition and also hydrate dry and damaged hair.
The essential oils for Dry Hair include:
In addition, I love to use the Young Living Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood Hydrosol as a spritz for my hair.
When you have damaged hair the essential oils to include are:
Damaged Hair Treatment
Ingredients:
30g Gelatine
1 cup Distilled Water
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
3 drops Young Living Carrot Seed essential oil
3 drops Young Living Clary Sage essential oil
Method:
- Firstly, mix the gelatine with the distilled water to form a gel.
- Then stir in the apple cider vinegar and essential oils before the gelatine mixture sets.
- Use the mixture to apply to the hair.
- Leave for 10 minutes and then rinse out.
- Use weekly.
Dry Scalp
The essential oils for a dry scalp include:
- Basil,
- Carrot Seed,
- Cypress,
- Lavender,
- Lemon,
- Lime,
- Rosemary,
- Thyme and
- Sage.
You could add any of these to your shampoo or make up a scalp massage oil.
Scalp Massage Oil
Ingredients:
2 tsp Young Living V6 Carrier Oil
1 drop of Young Living Lavender essential oil
2 drops of Young Living Rosemary essential oil
2 drops of Young Living Carrot Seed essential oil
1 drop of Young Living Basil essential oil
1 drop of Young Living Cypress essential oil
Method:
- Combine all ingredients in a glass or stainless steel bowl.
- Gently massage the oil into your scalp (not all of your hair) when your hair is dry.
- Wrap hair in a towel and then leave for 30 minutes.
- Shampoo and condition as normal.
Oily to Normal – Natural Hair Care Products
The Lavender Mint Shampoo and Conditioner are your best bet as they work for anyone managing oily to normal hair.
The essential oils for oily hair include:
If your hair tends to go oily quickly between washes and you don’t have time to shampoo it then make yourself up a dry shampoo to use on the days in between washes.
Dry Shampoo Recipe
Blonde Hair Ingredients:
1/2 cup Corn Flour
2 tbs Bicarb soda
3 drops of Young Living Valor essential oil blend
Dark Hair Ingredients:
1/2 cup Corn flour
2 tbs Raw Cacao Powder
3 drops of Young Living Sage essential oil.
Red Hair Ingredients:
1/2 cup Corn Flour
2 tbs Bicarb soda
3 drops of Young Living Carrot Seed essential oil
Method:
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and then spoon into empty salt and pepper shakers or spice jars.
- Sprinkle a small amount on your scalp area.
- Leave for a few minutes and then comb out.
Children’s Natural Hair Care Products
When my girls were little I actually didn’t use anything other than water to wash their hair. Their hair had all the natural oils to protect it, so I didn’t want to damage it with harsh chemicals that would strip these from the hair.
Then when they started swimming and playing outdoors I used the Young Living Kidscents Shampoo. They didn’t need a conditioner and the few times my eldest has used a conditioner when she has stayed at other people’s houses she has actually ended up with a dry scalp.
If their long hair becomes knotty then I spritz in a bit of Kristy Brown’s Leave in Conditioner recipe, that I make up.
Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a go:
Leave In Conditioner
Ingredients:
1 tbs Young Living Copaiba Vanilla Conditioner
7 tbs Distilled Water
2 drops of Young Living Lavender essential oil
1 drop Young Living Geranium essential oil
1 drop Young Living Cedarwood essential oil
100ml glass spray bottle
Method:
- Mix all ingredients into spray bottle.
- Shake well.
- Spray in wet hair for added moisture.
Hair Rinse
If you don’t like to use conditioner then a great alternative is to use a hair rinse. They’re super easy to whip up, but make sure you use a non-breakable cup or bowl in the shower or it can be disastrous. I’ve included some of my favourite hair essential oils in the recipe, but you can add in the ones listed above for your hair type.
Hair Rinse
Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
2 drops Young Living Rosemary essential oil
1 drop Young Living Melaleuca Alternifolia essential oil
Method:
- Combine all the ingredients in a non-breakable cup.
- Pour over hair after shampooing.
- No need to rinse out as the vinegar smell goes away when your hair dries.
Finally, for more of my great hair recipes check out my free ebook If I wouldn’t eat it I wouldn’t put it on my body.
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