Did you read Healthy Hair Part 1? In this post, we’ll cover a few ingredients to avoid in hair care products as well as a few products I have tried and I’d recommend.
Disclosure: This post was put together in collaboration with Follain, but all views are my own. I would never endorse products or companies that I wouldn’t use myself. Thanks for supporting Crunchy Kat!
Healthy Hair Part 2
Ingredients to Avoid
When purchasing a new hair care product, make sure you check the label! Here are 4 ingredients you want to avoid.
Parabens
I’m sure you’ve heard of this one before. It’s definitely the most known ingredient to avoid and is also the most talked about.
Parabens are preservatives added to products to prevent the growth of mold or bacteria. They are known endocrine/hormone disruptors that can be absorbed into the body. Look for ingredients ending in –paraben on your labels. (You can read more about Parabens on Follain’s blog.)
Fragrance
Synthetic fragrance is everywhere. And “fragrance” is used as a blanket ingredient to cover upwards of 3,000 other ingredients which don’t have to be disclosed. I’ve talked about fragrances before when I posted about green beauty perfume. And I still feel the same way: if you can’t tell me what’s in my product, I don’t want to use it. (You can read more about Fragrance on Follain’s blog.)
Ethanolamines
These can also be labeled as DEA, ETA, TEA & MEA. DEA is used as an emulsifier in shampoos and TEA is used as a fragrance, pH adjuster, and emulsifying agent. They are linked to allergies and endocrine disruption.
1,4-Dioxane
This is a tricky one to avoid because you’ll never see 1,4-Dioxane listed on an ingredient label. It’s a by-product of a process called ethoxylation and isn’t an added ingredient.
But let’s back up. Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are found in a lot of shampoos, as well as other products that produce a lather (face wash, body wash, bubble bath, etc.). SLS is a known skin irritant so scientists tried to improve the formulation by putting it through a process called ethoxylation, in order to get SLES. That process produces 1,4-Dioxane as a by-product and that by-product is a known carcinogen. It has also been tied to organ toxicity and birth defects.
So a lot of people in the green beauty world avoid both SLS and SLES in order to avoid 1,4-Dioxane. The good news is that Follain has added 1,4-Dioxane to their Restricted Ingredient List and you can trust that you will never be able to buy a product from Follain that contains 1,4-Dioxane. (You can read more about SLS, SLES, and 1,4-Dioxane on Follain’s blog.)
Product Recommendations
Now that we know what to avoid, here are some products I’d recommend!
Shampoos
True Botanicals Fresh Nourishing Shampoo
I tried this shampoo for the first time a bit ago after a few beauty bloggers I trust raved about it. I know it has “botanicals” in the name but it does smell like a lot of botanicals! Almost like a fresh spring garden. It cleans my hair well and definitely doesn’t weigh it down. A great pick if you want clean, fresh scent and have heavy hair.
Josh Rosebrook Balance Shampoo
Be warned, this shampoo does not lather so don’t be disappointed when you try to create suds and get nothing. This shampoo would work for a lot of hair types, including those that need to be washed more frequently. It cleans my hair well and I think it works even better if I let it sit for a few minutes before washing it out.
Yarok Feed Your Moisture Shampoo
This is not a new shampoo recommendation, I’ve written about this one before. If your hair needs a little more moisture, this is a great one to try. I have heavy hair and even though it was moisturizing, it didn’t weigh it down one bit!
Yarok Feed Your Volume Shampoo
If you’re looking for volume, this shampoo might be your match. I love the scent and I love the volume it adds to my hair. It also doesn’t dry my hair out like other volumizing shampoos.
Conditioners
True Botanicals Fresh Nourishing Conditioner
This is a great lightweight conditioner. It’s perfect for everyday use, won’t weigh your down, and provides a decent amount of moisture. If you need something super moisturizing though, this one isn’t for you.
Intelligent Nutrients PureServe Color Saving Conditioner
This conditioner is brand new to me and I really really like it. It’s more moisturizing than others I’ve tried but also doesn’t weigh my hair down at all. In the summer, my hair tends to be drier and I find I need something with a bit more treatment to it. Also, if you have color in your hair, this may be perfect for you. You can always try the travel size first!
Styling Products
Captain Blankenship Mermaid Sea Salt Hair Spray
This lightweight sea salt spray is perfect for summer so grab some before the season is over! It doesn’t make my hair crunchy like other salt sprays.
Rahua Voluminous Dry Shampoo
RIP my favorite dry shampoo from One Love Organics. I got this Rahua Dry Shampoo to see if I could find a replacement and I really like it! It takes a few tries to make sure you apply it correctly but it blends in really well as long as you don’t apply too much.
Josh Rosebrook Lift Hair Texture & Volume
I love this Lift spray from Josh Rosebrook because it doesn’t weigh my hair down and gives a lot of lift at the roots. I spray this one while my hair is wet, gently rub it in, then blow-dry my hair upside down while gently tugging at the roots.
So there you have it! Are there other products or ingredients you’re curious about?
Disclosure: This post was put together in collaboration with Follain, but all views are my own. I would never endorse products or companies that I wouldn’t use myself. Thanks for supporting Crunchy Kat!