Going completely organic - anyone else? (in hair care of course!)

[rosieex3]

Hi everyone! So after a lot of thinking and researching - I've decided to use only 100% natural products on my hair from now on. (Unless it for some reason goes wrong). Shampoo, conditioner, the whole sha-bang. I just received Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle rose shampoo and conditioner, I'm super excited to try it! I think in the long run, using all products on my hair that would be safe to even eat will promote healthier hair and a healthier scalp.

So here are some questions
~To those of you using only natural products, what difference did it make in your hair?
~What are your favorite products?

Thanks. :D

[-j-]

Hi!

Congratulations on a good desicion :)

I´ve been all organic for a couple of years. Since I also stopped dying I can´t be really sure which changes are due to organic products and which due to non-dying.

I thought my hair felt coarser than it used to, but now it is all soft since I started to CO. So no shampoo anymore, except on special occasions. I think my hair has more volume now anyway.

My favorite products are Urtekram (aloe vera) conditioner, I use it to clean and condition my hair, as a leave-in and a wash-out, plus to clean and moisturise my skin. I also like Kevin Murphy´s born again-conditioner.

I tried Aubrey organics products once, but the smell was too overwhelming for me! I remember that the hair care products were okay otherwise, but the skin products I didn´t like at all.

[Mina17]

Great thread! I'm interested in reading the replies to this question. I am not sure if I'll go completely natural, but I have been replacing a lot of my beauty products with more natural alternatives.

I bought Alaffia Shea and Honey Nourishing shampoo and conditioner a couple of weeks ago. I've been making a lot of changes in my hair care routine and haven't been using these exclusively so I can't say for sure how effective they are. But I do love the shampoo, my hair feels really soft after using it. I'm not crazy about the conditioner though. My hair felt kind of stiff and was harder to comb through. One of the ingredients in it is emulsifying wax, which I suspect might be the culprit.

[BeatlesFanGirl]

I went completely 'natural product crazed' years ago. I tried a few brands, but Faith In Nature (chocolate shampoo and sea weed conditioner) works the best on my hair. (It is 1B/1C, more coarse than avarage, and tends to be dry.) First of all the shed hairs reduced significantly, and my hair is healthy and shiny. I use no heat or chemicals either. I use oils too, coconut and sweet almond are my favourites.

[Mírien]

I went completely 'natural product crazed' years ago. I tried a few brands, but Faith In Nature (chocolate shampoo and sea weed conditioner) works the best on my hair. (It is 1B/1C, more coarse than avarage, and tends to be dry.) First of all the shed hairs reduced significantly, and my hair is healthy and shiny. I use no heat or chemicals either. I use oils too, coconut and sweet almond are my favourites.

Hi, BeatlesFanGirl!
I have decided recently to go start organic hair care. I bought Faith In Nature chocolate poo and conditioner. I only tried them once but my hair felt much softer than with those cone-filled, overadvertised products... :eek: Hope, it will work well in the future too. :)

(Hey, I just noticed that we are fellow Hungarians... :eyebrows::eek:)

[BeatlesFanGirl]

Hi, BeatlesFanGirl!
I have decided recently to go start organic hair care. I bought Faith In Nature chocolate poo and conditioner. I only tried them once but my hair felt much softer than with those cone-filled, overadvertised products... :eek: Hope, it will work well in the future too. :)

(Hey, I just noticed that we are fellow Hungarians... :eyebrows::eek:)

Hi Mírien! :) Do you live in Hungary, or have you move somewhere eslse? It's great to discover new Hungarians here!

Oh those overadvertised crap products full of cone and bad ingredients... I hate them a lot. And I'm surprised that most people don't even know about healthy haircare!! They only complain about how bad their hair is. But when I tell them how they should treat their hair, they always find an excuse to continue the wrong path.

[dropinthebucket]

I'm using a castor oil based shampoo bar, and a couple of different oils for leave in, pre-wash, and general conditioning. I also have one bottle of LiveClean's organic clarifying shampoo with ACV, for when I have overoiled, or disastrously tried an oil my hair doesn't like. The great changes are that my hair looks amazingly healthy since I gave up sulfates - I have to wash more often, twice a week instead of once a week, but the damage the sulfates did to my fine, thin hair was much, much greater than possible damage from the extra washing. The best plus is that when I travel, all I take with me now is a small box of baking soda (as deodorant and toothpaste) and a shampoo bar. Makes going through security so much easier, no more little plastic bags!! :)

Of course, if I'm going for a long while, I'll need all my supplements! now, that's a different story ...

[aenflex]

It was not a great experience for me, the 2 years I spent using 'all-natural' hair care options. I mean everything's natural, chemically speaking, but I get what you mean :)
I went thru Jason, Aubrey, Nature's Gate, Avalon Organics, Tate's, M.O.P, and some others. While each line has a product or two that I liked, I was not impressed with the effects on my hair overall. Shampoo without an SLS or Betaine or some surfactant-type cleanser just didn't work for me, my hair became more coarse, velcro-y and built up. I needed to constantly clarify and ACV rinse, which my hair hates coincidentally. Same with the no-cones conditioners. They didn't quite smooth my hair enough. I loved the smell and feel of AO Honeysuckle Rose conditioner, but it just didn't work out. And it took me like 4 bottles of it before I would let it go cause it smelled divine
Overall I had to revert back to SLS and cones, while still using 'all-natural' things like coconut and grapeseed oils and CV soap bars in my hair routine. I try to have a good mix of both.

Everyone's different though, I'm jsut sharing my experience, not trying to talk you out of it. You might have totally different restults, in fact you probably will :)

[CarpeDM]

I recently went natural and I have seen a big difference in my hair. First, my hair doesn't get crunchy and dry at the ends anymore like it used to a couple of months after a trim (which equates to less cutting). Secondly, no more split ends. Going natural has made my hair much healthier. Now here comes the less than fun part. Finding all natural products and I mean ALL NATURAL is very hard. Finding ALL ORGANIC products, even harder! For example, I used to use Sebastian texturizer for years (16 years to be exact) and it was my go to product. Every day I would put it in my hair after a shampoo and blow-dry (that is where the dry, crunchy, split end part comes in). When I switched over to the natural organic side, I stopped using it due to the ingredeints:

water, mathyl gluceth-10, glycerin, hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, hydroxyethlcellulose, polysorbate-20, hydrolyzed soy protein, imidezolidinyl urea, methylparaden, panthenol. mathyl gluceth-20, fragrance, propylparaden, disodium edta, amodimethicone, citric acid, hydrolyzed wheat protein, tetrasodium edta, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, cyclomethicone, trideceth-12, orange 4, cetrimonium chloride, ext.violet 2, hamamelis virgininia (witch hazel) water, witch hazel extract, matricaria flower extract, glucose, lactic acid, caramel

I can't imagine any of this is good for my hair or for me. So ever since I stopped using it I have been on this quest to find a chemical free replacement, sadly without much success. Aubrey Organics B5 Design Gel is the closest natural replacement I have come across so far, but it isn't even close to what the texturizer did for my hair. So in a nut shell, my hair's condition has improved greatly from a healthiness perspective since I've stopped using chemicals, but from a body, lift, thickener, and volume perspective I do miss that one chemical filled product. There seems to be enough organic and natural shampoos and conditioners, like Aubrey Organics and Chagrin Valley Bars, but when it comes to styling products, I have a hard time finding natural and organic products that actually deliver. Anyone else feel this way?

[LissaJane]

I swore off a whole list of products which I've been informed was bad for me (Whether actually harming the part of the body it was put on/being carcinogenic/aging me, etc... I don't remember them all)

Started using baking soda and ACV, which was an EPIC failure and turned out to be, slowly at first and then verrry rapidly, destroying my hair.. this made me hunt ALL over the place for reasonably priced organic products for my hair.

I'm now using a shampoo called 'Organic Care' from Australia... very reasonably priced and doesn't contain any of the stuff on my list :D
The only thing which I saw on its ingredient list which I might consider questionable is Dimethicone, but my hair doesn't seem to mind it one bit, it's in the best shape of its life!
Also stopped using conditioner, I do a home-brewed rinse of boiled rosemary and different teas and then rub in some Olive Oil.

So, in short:

The difference noticed already is AMAZING. I used to have to wash my hair every two days, at least... whereas I now only wash it once and occasionally twice a week. It's shinier, it's healthier, it's happier and I'm never going back!

My favorite products, so far (as I'm hoping to discover many more): Organic Care (Normal Balance Shampoo), Black tea, Green tea, Rosemary, Olive Oil.

[bubblyredhead]

I have been using Shea moisture Target sells it and it is amazing.

[christine1989]

I have a 100% natural shampoo/conditioner and it really brings out my hair's natural texture (umfortunatly that means more frizz). I also have a cone conditioner that makes combing eaiser but makes my hair feel synthetic so I hardly ever use it. Even with the frizz issue my vote is definatly for natural organic products.

[2peasinapod]

I use Burt's Bees, and they are amazing for my hair. I also like the way my hair behaves using just ACV and coconut oil. Using natural products really helped my hair!

[little_cherry]

I use shikakai aritha, Methi, and hibiscus to wash an condition. Sometimes I use my home made pumpkin or banana-chocolate conditioner followed by an acidic rinse. I've tried all the other washing techniques and none of them did anything special for my hair. I also use oil.

[rosieex3]

Thank you so much for all of the replies and product suggestions. I am excited to post my results, I am washing my hair tonight. :)

[Lianna]

I've gone that route...my scalp likes SLS better than anything else. I've tried for several months before going back to my old routine with some tweaks.

[Pierre]

I don't know that all the EOs I put on my hair are organic, but I know they're natural. I don't use products like shampoo or conditioner, just henna, amla, cloves, jojoba, and some EOs. The biggest difference is from henna, in texture as well as color.

[einna]

Hi. My long term goal is to go (at least almost) completely organic, so I will read this thread for inspiration. Will come back when I have something to tell ;) Good luck!

[Anisaa]

I too tried using "organic" hair products and I must say the results were slow and the products are a little hard getting used to but it does pay off. I notice my hair is more manageable, softer and I feel that the organic products are more gentle and they dont strip my hair. I notice a huge difference with the hair conditioners especially. I don't have a favorite shampoo, but the conditioners that I LOVE on my hair are from a brand called DESERT ESSENCE ORGANICS. This line is with out my favorite line and I would recommend you trying it, it is in my opinion the best organic hair care line! I tried JASON, Natures gate, Avalon, Burts Bee and so on and I always end up going back to Desert essence. Good Luck <3

[Tia2010]

There are sooo many thngs I want to try :) but right now I use ( and love) Giovanni and David Babaii shampoos and conditioners. I usually dilute the shampoo when I wash. They both contain protein but my hair seems to like it ..... I also just bought The body shop Rainforest moisture line which I think is all chemical free and mostly organic and fair trade but I'm not positive.

[princessp]

Oh yeah, there are a lot of us here. I'm big on cruelty-free. Welcome!

[silverjen]

I went all-natural without really intending to. WO for a couple of years, then I switched to shampoo bars to lighten henna. With the shampoo bars I used organic coconut oil and organic white vinegar. Right now I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to go back to WO-- there are pros and cons to each method. They both work, and neither uses crazy polysyllabic ingredients.

[nena_shawty]

I would love to go natural , but it is so hard to find completely natural things here in mexico... and if i do find them they r ussually more expensive then what i can afford so yea

[Smitabulous]

Hi everyone! So after a lot of thinking and researching - I've decided to use only 100% natural products on my hair from now on. (Unless it for some reason goes wrong). Shampoo, conditioner, the whole sha-bang. I just received Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle rose shampoo and conditioner, I'm super excited to try it! I think in the long run, using all products on my hair that would be safe to even eat will promote healthier hair and a healthier scalp.

So here are some questions
~To those of you using only natural products, what difference did it make in your hair?
~What are your favorite products?

Thanks. :D


Hi there rosieex3!
First and foremost, I'd like to warn you of the rather long post that awaits you... I got carried away :p

I just stumbled upon your post and wanted to ask: how has your transition been since you have decided to venture into the world of all natural/organic hair care?

I was in your position exactly 1 year ago (oh how time flies...) however, I did not know about this wonderful resource--> LHC.
Throughout the past year, I have tried many different techniques, experimenting with different products, frequencies, amounts, etc. Some that worked great, and others that I had to cross off the list.

In the beginning, as you can see below, I used Dr. Bronner's Castile soap as my shampoo. That didn't work so well because my hair became sooo dry... my split ends were very noticeable since they were white 0_0. I've read about others using that product as a shampoo, and unlike what I did, they dilute it and make sure to condition and moisturize their hair properly.

After realizing what I was doing to my hair, I stumbled upon the products of Aubrey Organics and became amazed... especially when I started using the Honeysuckle and Rose shampoo and conditioner. Some people do not like the smell, but for me, that was a major PLUS since previous products had a very potent, and unpleasant smell... Anywho, the combo of the shampoo and conditioner helped to clean, condition and moisturize my hair.

I also began to incorporate oiling techniques using Jojoba and Coconut oil. Both are great, but Coconut oil is very thick and can be a challenge to wash out of hair. I've also read that it can cause a reddening effect on some people's hair. I haven't come across any major negatives with Coconut oil, other than the fact that it doesn't wash out easily.

As a result of researching online, I stumbled upon the Ayurvedic world and began using whole soapnuts (Aritha) as my shampoo. If you ever feel adventurous, I'd give these a try. The soapnuts aren't as drying as shampoo can be. Downside?: It doesn't come readily prepared in a bottle as shampoo does. However, that can be solved with a little bit of time and patience.

I also started experimenting with tea rinses during this time. I would use Brahmi and Shikakai powders, boil water, and then let the mixture steep over night. In the morning, I'd strain the liquid and apply the rinse on my hair. Tea rinses are nice, leaving your hair feeling alive and healthy. As with the soapnuts, you'll have to be a bit more patient and flexible with your time.

My most recent experiments have been with: Aloe Vera and Catnip. There is a lot of great information on Catnip provided by Ktani (a member here on LHC) both on the internet and LHC forums. If you are every interested, google "Ktani catnip recipe" and the wealth of information on Catnip will pop up.

I use the Catnip to help prevent split ends, and the aloe to help regulate the pH level as well as moisturize my scalp.


Product timeline:
Beginning:
-Dr. Bronner's Castile soap for shampoo, avocado and egg yolk for conditioner, and avocado and jojoba oil as leave in moisturizer on ends


Present day:
Shampoo Options: Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle and Rose or Aritha (whole soap nuts)
Conditioner: Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle and Rose conditioner
Moisturizers: Jojoba oil for scalp and ends
Other beneficial items: Fresh Aloe vera gel for scalp or Catnip tea rinse after shampooing


Words of advice:
-Try not to shampoo daily --> Very drying on scalp and ends
-Read ingredients on the products your purchase (even if the product claims to be "all" natural or organic.
-Wear a silk night cap when you go to bed --> This totally helps to prevent major tangling, and hair breakage.
- Always have time and patience by your side through this adventure--> The possibilities are endless!

:cheese:

[rosieex3]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late response, I've been experimenting a bit with the shampoo & conditioner. Here's how things have went:

~My first (semi-organic) wash was about a week ago. I clarified twice with Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo to have a "fresh start." I then applied the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner, left it in while I went about the rest of my showerly (not a word, lol) business..and then rinsed it out. The first thing I noticed as my hair was drying (I let my hair dry in a bun), was that all of the crazy frizzies at my crown and by my forehead were so smoothed. I was not expecting results right away or moisture, because clarifying dries out my hair so much no matter what..especially twice! But amazingly, my hair was more moisturized then it has ever been with this conditioner. When my hair was completely dry the next day, it was shinier then I have ever seen it and just all around moisturized and frizz free! Yay! :D

~Next time I washed my hair, a few days later..I wanted to JUST use the conditioner in my hair because I am trying to shampoo once a week. When my hair was drying, I noticed it was not as nice as the first wash when I shampooed with the clarifying shampoo. Maybe my hair was over-moisturized? My roots were greasy in spots, and my hair just didn't have the shininess that it did the first time. My length actually didn't feel as moisturized as the first time. I was expecting the opposite of this!

~Third wash (which is currently drying!) I finally broke out the Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose shampoo. I massaged it into my scalp and rinsed it out, then applied the conditioner as usual. My hair is now drying as I mentioned, and it it looking a lot better then it did drying with only the conditioner! Even though it's in a bun, I can tell from what I'm seeing so far. I feel like the spots that were greasy last time (the sides of my head at my scalp) might be a little greasy this time as well, but it's really too early to tell. I will update this tomorrow!

And Smitabulous, thanks for the lengthy reply and suggestions! Thank you everyone else as well. :D

[Demetra]

I've got a couple more products for you to try! The Pureology hair care line is all 100% vegan. There are products for all hair types and needs, I suggest the hydrate line or the NanoWorks line.
Also you might try DermoOrganic shampoo and conditioner. It's made with organic argan oil, and I've had nothing but GREAT results.
These brands are pricey but def worth it!

[patienceneeded]

Great thread! I am trying to switch over to a natural/organic haircare routine as well. I also bought the AO Honeysuckle Rose shampoo and conditioner, after reading about it here and doing some online research. I've only used it once, as I only wash my hair every other day, but I really liked the initial results. I also liked the smell...so pretty! What I am trying to find now (and would like some recommendations) are styling products, but most importantly, a deep conditioning treatment. I am really hoping to find a deep conditioning treatment I can apply and leave-in overnight, then shampoo/condition as normal the next morning.

[faeflame]

I am trying to find a good organic shampoo. I've been using California Baby SuperSensitive Shampoo and Bodywash. It's ok but not the holy grail. I've tried Aubrey's but the only ones on the shelves here all have protein which my hair hates. I'm currently giving Goth Rosary a trial run. Ii is too soon to see if I will like it, but Gothic Rose smells divine. If that doesn't work this thread looks to be a good starting point for more experiments.