I can’t remember when I started using natural shampoos but I do know it took me a long time to find a good one. I have really long red wavey hair that gets oily really quickly so I have to wash it every couple of days. The natural shampoos I originally tried stripped too much oil out of my hair making it really dry and a bit like straw which was weird because I’m used to having a lot of oil in my hair.
I got really fed up with the quality of these natural products until I came across two brands which I now absolutely love, Wild and Organic Instinct (which is sometimes called Natural Instinct, I can’t figure them out).
Why bother with natural shampoo?
If you think about it, we put these shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments and hair dyes directly onto our scalp only centimeters away from our brains. This is a little too close to that very special vital body part for me. Most of us have no idea what’s in these products either. Ask yourself this question, what would you feel safe having that close to your brain? Do you really think your skin is a magic shield that blocks everything from going into your body? Of course it’s not. Skin is a porous organ that can soak in whatever we put onto it.
Most ‘regular’ shampoos contain harsh chemicals. Here are just a few:
- Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) and ammonium lauryl sulphate (ALS) are detergents, surfactants and foaming agents. They’re also the same ingredients found in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. Animals exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and even death.
- Alcohol, isopropyl (SD-40) is a drying solvent that is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative. This chemical can act as a carrier, accelerating the penetration of other harmful chemicals into your skin.
- FD&C color pigments are synthetic colors made from coal tar, containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins onto the skin.
- Mineral oil is a petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores.
Hmmm yeah, not on my head thanks.
Fran’s shampoo recommendations
I can only recommend shampoos for my type of hair. If you’ve had a good experience with your hair and a natural shampoo then write a comment about it, I’d love to know what other people have tried. I’m especially looking for a great natural shampoo and conditioner for my good friend Yaro who has very curly hair.
- Wild shampoo and conditioner
Wild is a great shampoo for all hair types. It recommends different amounts of the shampoo and washing time be used for oily and dry hair. I found this shampoo can be a little drying but generally it kept my hair looking soft and healthy. - Organic Instinct
This brand has a range of hair and body products. I love their face cleanser and moisturisers as well. I probably prefer to use Organic Instinct more than Wild because it doesn’t dry my hair as much. During certain times of the month when I start producing more oil (girls, you know about this one), it can keep my hair a little too oily so this is when I usually switch to Wild. Two of my friends have also tried this product. One loved it like me, but the other prefers Wild a lot more. Organic Instinct is very inexpensive and cheaper than Wild which makes it a great regular shampoo to use.
Hairdressers and hair dyes
You’ll probably find an organic hairdresser in your town. There are at least two in Brisbane that I’m aware of. They’re especially popular with pregnant mothers who want to continue dying their hair and people who choose not to put chemicals onto their scalp. I’m lucky I have a hair colour that I’m happy with so I choose not to dye it, but there are heaps of men and women out there who do dye their hair so something natural and organic is definitely a better way to go.
Give your brain a break and next time you run out of shampoo, buy a natural one instead. Give it a test run and see if you’re happy with how it makes your hair feel. Your body and your brain will certainly thank you for it.
Frances Kerr
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
4 responses ↓
Hi Fran,
My two fav natural shampoos at the moment are:
Tohunga Mist (Mana). This shampoo contains peppermint oil for problem scalps and is created by Cooloola Bodycare in Gympie. I do find this shampoo a bit too drying for my “winter” hair, so have been using ABBA nourishing shampoo. This one comes with a leave-in nourishing conditioner that I find great for taming frizz. The bottle says it can also be used as a body moisteriser. My all time favourite de-frizz product is Hair Butter from Handmade Naturals by Corinne. It’s easy to control how much you put in and at the end of the day your hair is soft & conditioned rather than goopy with product.
I’m curious, I’ve been using my daughter’s baby shampoo for a while but I’ve never checked the ingredients. Maybe it’s not so good. I go through stages of being really careful and then just ‘buying something’. Since I color my hair every month I’ve probably should be extra careful with everything else I put on my head.
You will find that any product which foams has SLS, even if they say they don’t.
I haven’t used shampoo for years, I wash my hair with my own home-made soap. Lots of coconut oil gives fantastic lather, and since I’ve been doing this I haven’t needed a conditioner.
Carol, I would love to know how you make your shampoo. What kind of hair do you have, would it be okay for oily hair?
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