Can anyone recommend a good natural shampoo and conditioner?

[Charlize]

I've been desperately searching for at good and natural shampoo without sulphates, cones and so on. I looked at an ecological brand today, but it still had some kind of sulphate in it. Can any of you recommend a good natural product? I live in Denmark (Scandinavia) so probably something you can buy online.

[*Rose Red*]

Hi,
I would recommend Aubrey Organics. You can read a lot about it here at the LHC, and on the homepage. AO has got a homepage so you can do onlineshopping.

[Fractalsofhair]

I recommend Burt's Bees if you have an oily scalp, but don't mind non SLS detergents. It's pretty natural. Not 100%, but very much so. No fragrance in the shampoos(At least the super Shiny one), but there is some in their lotions! Phlatate free though, but still bugs me due to sensitivities. Bit drying for my hair, but if you don't have EXTREMELY dry hair it works well.
http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051

I strongly recommend Alaffia if you have dry hair. It's what I use, and it works wonders!
http://www.alaffia.com/
It's organic and fair trade for the most part. Very much all natural. It is a soap, but if you use the conditioner, it should help prevent build up etc, and it leaves my hair feeling soft.

Neither of these use cones, or SLS.

http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/
Chagrin Valley soaps gets mixed reviews. It is 100% all natural, but it builds up in some people's hair and you generally need to use a vinegar rinse. I've used Doc Bronner's (http://www.drbronner.com) soap on my hair with some success, so it would probably work well for my hair. Dr.Bronner's is a bit drying for my hair though.

[hennaphile]

Morrocco Method, best stuff I've used! Their conditioner is kind of weird, but works.

Organic Excellence

Dr Hauschka

[manderly]

Hennaphile, what is the conditioner like? I find their website so obtuse and hard to find any real information. Then the price turns me off. But I've always wanted to try it :)

Charlize, have you considered dropping shampoo from your routine and using a cheap conditioner? Suave and VO5 are great for COing and are cheap :)

[hennaphile]

Hennaphile, what is the conditioner like? I find their website so obtuse and hard to find any real information. Then the price turns me off. But I've always wanted to try it :)

Charlize, have you considered dropping shampoo from your routine and using a cheap conditioner? Suave and VO5 are great for COing and are cheap :)


Ya, I can't stand their website, nor their new agey bullsh*t. But their shampoos are nothing short of amazing, I looked in the mirror and went WOW. I dilute it and put it in a squirt bottle which makes it last longer. The conditioner is gritty, like the shampoo. It works, but it wont do a deep condition.

EDIT: For me and many others, you can see a very strong, tangible difference with the shampoos after the first try. Not "I think it's working, is it" but, "GEE WIZ!"

I need to refill my supply, but there's only one place in my state that carries it :p

[manderly]

Ya, I can't stand their website, nor their new agey bullsh*t. But their shampoos are nothing short of amazing, I looked in the mirror and went WOW. I dilute it and put it in a squirt bottle which makes it last longer. The conditioner is gritty, like the shampoo. It works, but it wont do a deep condition.

EDIT: For me and many others, you can see a very strong, tangible difference with the shampoos after the first try. Not "I think it's working, is it" but, "GEE WIZ!"

I need to refill my supply, but there's only one place in my state that carries it :p


How the heck do you know which one to get? That bugs me too, it doesn't seem to want to lead to you one or two, but the whole stinking line.

So, is it like that terressentials at all? Kind of mud-like? Hmmm, maybe I'll try to find this locally or through ebay or something. I like the "Gee whizz!" kind of instant gratification :D

ETA: I found a shop that is more navigable to me :)
http://www.jashbotanicals.com/products/index.php?cPath=2_4#prp

[hennaphile]

How the heck do you know which one to get? That bugs me too, it doesn't seem to want to lead to you one or two, but the whole stinking line.

So, is it like that terressentials at all? Kind of mud-like? Hmmm, maybe I'll try to find this locally or through ebay or something. I like the "Gee whizz!" kind of instant gratification :D

ETA: I found a shop that is more navigable to me :)
http://www.jashbotanicals.com/products/index.php?cPath=2_4#prp

You can find a store locator on their site. Yeah, in a perfect world you rotate all four but, pffff. My favorite is the Sea Essence, it seems to agree with me the best, but they're all nice. It's definitely like dirt, but slightly foaming, and very usable. I like my squirt bottle method because it's a very concentrated consistency, and a little goes a long way. It has a strong smell which I don't mind, but it might take a bit of getting used to.

I find it to be nothing like terresentials. TERRESENTIALS ALMOST RUINED MY HAIR!!!!!!! :rant:

And their customer service was so snotty, not to mention that their company is all about scare tactics. I'd love to try their other products though.

[manderly]

Good to know, I've never tried either. The locater doesn't have anything on my island (in my state, yes, but on a different island).

I was trying to decide between the earth and the sea poos. My ends are like Barbie hair and I'm tangly as all get out. I was also thinking of the diamond spray stuff. Have you tried any of their other stuff, the condish, spray, treatments?

I think I'll order a bottle soon and give it a go, really diluted :) Thanks for your input!

[mellie]

I've been using whole soapnuts exclusively, for about 9 months now. No shampoo, no conditioner, no oils, nothing but whole soapnuts. I love it and I love how pure and natural it is too! Plus it's been better than any commercial stuff I've used too! You might be able to find them locally, in the laundry aisle of your health food store or if you have an Indian grocery store. You can see how I use them in my siggy article!

It may be easier to find soapwort locally for you, since it grows like a weed in Northern Europe. I used that before I used soapnuts. I love it too! I just had to switch because soapwort became impossible to get here in the USA.

[Charlize]

Hennaphile, what is the conditioner like? I find their website so obtuse and hard to find any real information. Then the price turns me off. But I've always wanted to try it :)

Charlize, have you considered dropping shampoo from your routine and using a cheap conditioner? Suave and VO5 are great for COing and are cheap :)

Thank you all for your suggestions. It gave me some ideas of what to search for:-)

Hmm... Haven't really thought about COing as I've always noticed that my hair falls flat if I put conditioner on my scalp. But since it's been suggested here, I've read about COing and think I'm gonna give it a try. I just don't want my hair to become flat and limb. I remember Suave and VO5 from my childhood, but I haven't seen it lately in Danish stores. I might try finding it online. Somehow it just seems so wrong to only use conditioner, but I can't wait to give it a go;-).

Any advice on which type of conditioner to use? By that I mean if it's supposed to be for damaged hair or moisturising or any other kind?

[Canarygirl]

Ya, I can't stand their website, nor their new agey bullsh*t. But their shampoos are nothing short of amazing, I looked in the mirror and went WOW. I dilute it and put it in a squirt bottle which makes it last longer. The conditioner is gritty, like the shampoo. It works, but it wont do a deep condition.

EDIT: For me and many others, you can see a very strong, tangible difference with the shampoos after the first try. Not "I think it's working, is it" but, "GEE WIZ!"

I need to refill my supply, but there's only one place in my state that carries it :p

I have to agree with this about the MM shampoo. I tried one the other day for the first time ("Earth") and I could see a difference after the first try. I used the Crystal spray afterwards and it wasn't very conditioning...not sure what that product is supposed to do, really. But I think I'm really going to enjoy using their shampoos. :)

by the way, it appears that the cleansing agent in the shampoo ingredients is soapwort. I think I saw that listed in all 4 of the shampoos....

[Norai]

I really like the Trader Joe's brand stuff - it's the most natural for the price that I've found ($3.00 a bottle!).

It is mostly organic and SLS-free, but has SL-somethingelse towards the end of the ingredients list. I guess you gotta have something to make it foam, if it's not soap-based.

The conditioner is cone-free.

[hennaphile]

I have to agree with this about the MM shampoo. I tried one the other day for the first time ("Earth") and I could see a difference after the first try. I used the Crystal spray afterwards and it wasn't very conditioning...not sure what that product is supposed to do, really. But I think I'm really going to enjoy using their shampoos. :)

by the way, it appears that the cleansing agent in the shampoo ingredients is soapwort. I think I saw that listed in all 4 of the shampoos....

I think it's the soapwort and the clay perhaps... or is the magic in the bottle?:silly:

I prefer the sea essence. Even though they're all nice, this is my favorite scent and ever so slightly gentler. I've used all of their products except soaps and henna. I got a set on ebay awhile back that lasted me a good long bit. I wash every day, and only shampoo once with those, even though they say to do it twice. I found that when I washed every other day and shampooed once, it didn't clean enough, but using it everyday and shampooing once was perfect. Let me give you a quick rundown of my experience:D

Sprays: Very subtle, but nice. I had good luck with the volumizing spray, and the diamond mist did leave a very light conditioning. They're good, but if you want something that conditions better, I wouldn recomend something else.

Oil: It works very nicely, but given that it includes other carrier oils in addition to avocado, EVOO, and coconut, I think you could save money getting a different type of oil with a carrier base that is proven to penetrate. There was a study that said these are the only three oils tested (so far ) that penetrate the hair shaft. Why not get more bang for your buck? It still works, but I'm sure something would work better and be a better value.

Styling gel: I like it a lot, the yucca really makes a difference. Sometimes it leave a little bit of white residue. I get similar results with using aloe life's aloe gel, but the MM is slightly better. I could do without the sodium benzoate, and I'm pretty sure the potassium sorbate is ash tree derived, but I don't know, it could be artificial.

Condish: Gritty but good! Very nice, especially if you like something with medium level conditioning. I don't think it would take out oil very well, and it's not a deep condition. Feels good with their other products.

I'd really like to try the elixers, but they don't disclose the ingredients, and they're customer service is horrible. Maybe someone else can pester them to get them to disclose the ingredients in those?

I still say that MM shampoos are miraculous, at least for me. If you don't like the results, stick with it, and wait till you go through a whole bottle before you decide. And if you dilute, it's a very good value. And think of all the money you aren't spending to fix the problems sometimes associated with lower quality shampoos.

[hennaphile]

Forgot to add about the zen detox:

Felt like a deep shampoo, probably because of the clay. Stinky, but feels nice on your scalp. nothing special.

[rose_in_bloom]

Aubrey Organics www.aubrey-organics.com is my favorite by far. I've tried several natural brands. The only downside is the price, but if you don't wash very often it ends up being fairly economical. I get AO whenever I can afford it. Chagrin Valley shampoo bars www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com are also good and reasonably priced.

Hope you find something you like!

[manderly]

Thank you for all the input hennaphile :) :flowers:

[brok3nwings]

i like aubrey organics :)

[gmdiaz]

Great suggestions, everyone!

I decided to try out the MM shampoo and conditioner and mist. I ordered them from Amazon.

I should receive them in about a week or so. I'll let you know how it goes!

[hennaphile]

Keep us posted! I've found that different natural products are dramatically different, and that different stuff works for different folks!

And manderly, you're most welcome! Hope your experience is as good as mine :D

[Moonstruck]

I know you've already ordered, but I just wanted to plug shampoo bars, haha. You could even try whatever hard soap bars you might have lying around (not detergent bars). They're super simple and can be completely natural and organic if you poke around a bit. I'm not sure what's available in Denmark, but it isn't hard to find soaps at any health stores, or local markets.
They give me really great volume and let me control everything that's going on my head, mmm.

[hennaphile]

I know you've already ordered, but I just wanted to plug shampoo bars, haha. You could even try whatever hard soap bars you might have lying around (not detergent bars). They're super simple and can be completely natural and organic if you poke around a bit. I'm not sure what's available in Denmark, but it isn't hard to find soaps at any health stores, or local markets.
They give me really great volume and let me control everything that's going on my head, mmm.


Seconded! And try an acv/beer/rose water rinse for extra fun!:cheese: