Recommendation for "safe" haircare products?

[SaccaraBird]

Hello! I don't post here often, but after searching for such a long time I decided I plain old needed to ask some fellow long hair heads for some advice. As the title suggests, I am on the hunt for a safe shampoo that actually works! By "safe" I mean as natural as possible with little to no adverse affects on general health or hair health; no silicones, sulfates, dimethicones or other somewhat dodgy ingredients. I'm currently using Aveda which has been working really well but after examining the ingredients list more closely, while they are technically sulfate/silicone free, there are other ingredients they use that are a little bit concerning. I am happy to continue using them for now as they are the best high quality more or less safe brand that actually works but I'm still on the lookout for something better.

I have tried a few random "all-natural" shampoos and never really found they worked for me - they would either not cleanse well enough or would leave my hair feeling like straw. I used Morroccan Method for about 8 months religiously, which is the most completely natural brand I have ever tried, and the best. It worked well, except when it didn't. I just found after 8 months that it was very hit or miss, sometimes I would LOVE my hair, it was clean and curled beautifully at the ends, and other times it would be greasy and frizzy. This is possibly partly due to my hard water. I might go back to MM once I have a new water softener but even then it's such a hassle to wash and makes my shower time super long so I would love a more convenient alternative.

So I thought in the meantime I would ask for some product recommendations of some natural shampoos (or the closest thing). I don't mind the price as long as they work. For reference my hair is mid back length, medium-fine strands but a lot of them, tends to be flat on top but wavy (and sometimes poofy) at the bottom. Ultimately I would love something that cleansed well and gave body and hydration.

Thanks so much in advance! :)

[ExpectoPatronum]

Hi there!

Have you thought about giving shampoo bars a try? There can be a learning curve with them and many require an acidic rinse, but they keep my hair and scalp very happy and healthy. There's a whole thread here (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=74) with a lot of good advice.

As for conditioner and other products, I don't really have any recommendations. I'm currently working through my stash of products with the hopes of using natural alternatives in the future, so I'll be watching this thread for suggestions.

[SaccaraBird]

Thank you! I have actually tried shampoo bars before from Morrocco Method. They cleansed ok but I didn't enjoy the fact they contained lye (sodium hydroxide/caustic soda) in their formulations which leaves my hair feeling quite stripped. I think I remember reading on their website somewhere that it was impossible to make bars without lye so it kind of put me off of the idea completely. But I happened to be browsing Henna Sooq when you mentioned bars and thought I'd have a look at theirs. And very happy to find no mention of lye in their ingredients list! (unless it's hidden somewhere under a different name I suppose). So maybe I will give those a try next! So thanks for the suggestion :)

[The-Young-Maid]

I just wanted to add that soap/shampoo bars do not contain lye in the final product. It's a component necessary to make soap but it is bound together with the oils and therefore doesn't effect the hair on its own. And improperly mixed soaps just wouldn't set up correctly and wouldn't be sold(because it literally isn't soap). At least that's my understanding of it.

Have you tried soapnut powder? I tried it a couple times and my hair felt okay but it didn't really clean my scalp. But that's the only other natural thing I tried besides shampoo bars.

You can use ash from a fire pit... but thats also lye.

[Tinyponies]

Hi there, this doesn’t answer your question directly but from what I read it sounds as if you might have product and / or mineral buildup, especially as you mentioned how some things initially worked but then stopped being so great. The tricky part would be how to occasionally get your hair very clean without using something like sulfates, because then potentially you could go back to some of the products/methods that you liked rather than moving on again and again.

[SaccaraBird]

Oh that's good to know! Most of what I've seen (admittedly not a lot I haven't delved deep into research) was that lye wasn't great but it's good to know that it doesn't really affect the end product at all! I think I will try bars again. I haven't hear of soapnut powder but have seen it in bar form. I'll look into it.

Haha no, I'm ok with no ash thanks ;)

[SaccaraBird]

Hi there, this doesn’t answer your question directly but from what I read it sounds as if you might have product and / or mineral buildup, especially as you mentioned how some things initially worked but then stopped being so great. The tricky part would be how to occasionally get your hair very clean without using something like sulfates, because then potentially you could go back to some of the products/methods that you liked rather than moving on again and again.

You are very likely correct! Where I live has from what I can tell EXTREMELY hard water as well which doesn't help so I'm hoping my new shower filter will help with that once it arrive. I'm not against using sulfates and the like every now and then, just prefer not to do it long term so I will probably look into a robust clarifying shampoo to use on occasion too.

[MusicalSpoons]

Will your shower filter actually soften the water? There's only one brand I know of anywhere that does, ShowerStick (by WaterSticks). Otherwise it can filter some things from the water such as chlorine or chloramine, whichever's in your water, and maaaybe some other minerals (possibly, I'm not up on the science of that) but not the mineral ions that actually make your water hard and bond to hair.

[Kalamazoo]

I like Earthly Delight Shampoo, by Lāfe's.

[Climber]

Though it's been quite a few years since I've made soap, I know that you can't make soap without lye (from wood ashes, drain cleaner, or simply a chemical supply company). The oils saponify through a chemical reaction with the lye. In properly made soap, all of the lye has been transformed.

[Siv]

Just wanted to point out that if you have hard water shampoo bars might be problematic as soap can leave a very stubborn and waxy residue especially with hard water... IME acidic rinses didn’t help because my water is simply too hard. Also, soap isn’t exactly “safe” as in “no adverse effects on hair health”. It’s not a super gentle cleanser, though it does depend on the formulation of the product, but soap causes wear and tear on hair too. The same goes for sulfates and most cleansers. The cleansers (surfactants) that are truly gentle also don’t clean the hair particularly well either. Generally cleans well = harsh on hair, cleans poorly = gentle on hair.

[Chromis]

In ultra hard water, I need to use a rinse with both ACV and citric acid. In fact even when I briefly tried "normal" shampoo with sulphates...I still needed the rinse! (And my scalp protested and my hair didn't look as nice, so I went back to the bars as soon as I finished the bottle and said never again even if they are a pain to get in Canada). So no matter what you pick, I would pair it with the rinse. You will need to use more than just ACV to remove the build up though. Citric acid is a good chelating agent (also great if stuff comes out of your dishwater coated in white spots or for getting the white crust off the bottom of kettles and pots!)

You can use straight citric acid like I do or play around with lemon or lime juice which contain high levels of it naturally but will be less predictable and more fuss. I used shampoo bars for over ten years living with the hardest water in Canada with excellent results. It took patience and a bit of trial and error, but mostly it was finding the right mix and also lathering more than once. Now that I am living on rainwater catchment, I am having to relearn my ratios :lol: