I'm looking for shampoo, conditioner and hair care products that: A) are effective B) do no harm to me C) do minimal harm to the environment D) are good value for money I have tried the Ecostore range (www.ecostore.co.nz) and found that they are not very effective for me. My hair is quite oily, and with the ecostore shampoo I have to wash my hair every day, whereas I would prefer to wash it every second or third day. The conditioner I find doesn't detangle my hair effectively. Recent media reports about occupational hazards list hairdressers as pretty high in their cancer risk due to toxic chemicals - and we're rubbing them into our scalps! (The chemicals, not the hairdressers) What products have you discovered that work on your hair?
Submitted by Lindis on 5 February 2008 11:22:21
Comments
Hmmm... my friend hasn't used "regular" hair care products for about 18 months now and her hair looks pretty good. I'm not sure what exact mix she uses - I think she uses a rinse of white vinegar from time to time and she's mentioned coconut oil essence (I think!), but to be honest it's not for me. I'll ask her what she uses and get back to you.
I just use regular shampoo and conditioner, but I try to use both sparingly. I have quite long hair, but only use an amount about the size of an old 50c coin - it's what I was told when I was about 17 by a hairdresser, and it really is enough!
Submitted by Sarah on 7 February 2008 09:35:23
Thanks Sarah. I also have longish hair and use shampoo quite sparingly but I use a bucket full of conditioner every time (because I ride a motorbike and my hair gets terribly tangled!)
My partner has short, thick hair and has used nothing but fresh water on it for years. No shampoo or conditioner or anything else, he just rinses it each day in the shower. I wish I could get away with that!
I would like to know what our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used on their hair. I have heard of things like lemon juice (to lighten blonde hair), witch hazel, camomile etc. When my mother was a teenager she saw a recipe for using egg yolk as a conditioning treatment. Unfortunately she tried to rinse it out with hot water - and ended up with scrambled egg in her hair for days!! LOL!
Submitted by Lindis on 7 February 2008 14:32:33
Hey Lindis, I checked with my friend and all she uses is hot water and very occasionally she'll use half a cup of white vinegar diluted with half a cup of water. So that's not really very helpful conditioning-wise, I'm afraid.
Hee, I've heard about people doing the scrambled egg thing before too - bleugh!
It probably sounds terribly stupid and obvious, but do you braid your hair up when you go riding? I do horse riding and the only way my hair doesn't go revolting is if I tie it up in a tight braid - less tangles means less conditioner :) I've also started combing through my conditioner while in the shower - it really helps - I don't even brush my hair most days (now my workmates are probably going to smirk at me :D)
Here are some links that you might find useful:
Submitted by Sarah on 8 February 2008 10:53:39
Lush cosmetics www.lushnz.co.nz have a range of shampoos that are solid (kind of like a bar of soap). They come wrapped in paper so you don't have to worry about empty shampoo bottles. I think they are relatively environmentally friendly, but they aren't cheap.
Submitted by Amy on 8 February 2008 14:24:52
Opps that should be www.lushnz.com.
Submitted by Amy on 8 February 2008 16:15:06
Thanks Sarah and Amy. I will try out some of the recipes on those web sites. I like the look of the Olive Oil treatment and I have olive oil and lavender oil at home:
1/2 cup of olive oil
10 drops of lavender essential oil
Warm up olive oil over low heat.
Remove from the heat and add lavender oil.
Apply on damp hair while still warm and massage the scalp.
Using a shower cap, cover the head and leave on for 20 minutes.
Shampoo the hair.
Submitted by Lindis on 12 February 2008 11:31:57
re: Braiding
When my hair used to be all one length, braiding worked very well. But I had it layered and now bits of hair escape all over the place, wrap round and round the braid in 100kph winds, and I end up with one single dreadlock! In winter I tuck my hair inside my jacket and that helps, but in summer it's just too hot.
This morning I braided my hair then put 5 hair ties in it, in different positions down the braid. That worked a bit better :)
I also find leave-in conditioners quite good, so I'm hoping the olive/lavender oil will have a similar effect.
Submitted by Lindis on 13 February 2008 09:47:03
I tried the olive oil treatment. I do not recommend it. See my 'vinaigrette' thread for details. :(
Submitted by Lindis on 16 February 2008 16:57:57
I couldn't imagine putting olive oil in my hair there are far to many hair care products that work well. Plus getting oil out of your hair is just such a pain. A girl friend of mine nearly cut her hair off because there was so much oil in it she was about to go look for wigs if it came to that.
Submitted by jasonla on 10 March 2009 06:28:00
LOL jasonla yes, the olive oil was not a success! It took days and days to wash out - I used vast amounts of shampoo and in the end my hair was drier than ever because I had to wash it so much to remove the oil! Not recommended!
Submitted by Lindis on 12 March 2009 15:44:14
I use Trilogy shampoo and conditioner. It is Laureth sulphate free, not tested on animals, 100% natural, and has different types to suit your hair. Price isn't too bad, considering you only use a little of it, and it smells lovely
Submitted by cally on 19 March 2009 19:03:20
Thanks Cally, is that a shampoo/conditioner that can be brought from the supermarket?
Submitted by Tink on 24 March 2009 09:30:37
Hi Tink, it's not a 2 in 1, but you can buy either shampoo or conditioner. My local supermarket doesn't have it yet, still at the Chemist. Seems to range between $11 and $24 per bottle, depending which chemist has it. I highly recommend it. I have a reaction to the Laureth Sulphate, I've tried every natural shampoo, and that's the only one that keeps your hair soft, clean and shiny, without a build up of oils.
Submitted by cally on 24 March 2009 21:03:01
Excellent tip, Cally. I already use Trilogy's 'Everything Balm' and really love it. I looked for the shampoo and conditioner yesterday at the chemist and found it for $25 a bottle. A bit much for me at the moment but it sounds like I might be able to find a better price if I shop around.
Thanks for the tip!
Submitted by Lindis on 1 April 2009 11:34:38
Thanks Cally! I will keep an eye out for them :)
Submitted by Tink on 3 April 2009 13:04:19
Really love it.Also rinse the hair carefully using hair conditioner at least once a week. This practice will keep the hair from drying and splitting.
Regards
Eco fair trade
Submitted by mohit123 on 31 August 2009 00:04:17
Hmmm...Use the hair conditioners and shampoo at least once in a week if you want your hair clean and more effective.For the quite long hair just care about your hair.
Submitted by jany on 1 October 2009 05:47:00
I've tried just rinsing my hair with vinegar before - worked really well as a conditioner for me. And I have since heard that rubbing baking soda into your scalp basically dissolves any oil, making it simply rinse out. I've been meaning to try it will let you know how it goes. Baking soda wash combined with vinegar might work quite well - even adding a few drops of essential oil to the vingar might even leave a nice fragrance.
Submitted by hannahmac on 28 October 2009 11:52:43
Use shampoo at least one time in a week. wash hair is urgent for healty hair and silky. I use hand & solider shapoo one time in a week. I have no dust and dandruff.
Thanks
Submitted by mannu on 4 November 2009 19:31:00
For years I used glycerine soap (just rub a bar of soap sparingly over your scalp and along the length of your hair) and a rinse of white vinegar diluted about 1 part vinegar to 8-10 parts warm water. The vinegar really is very effective as a detangler (in fact for me it was more effective than standard conditioners) because it makes all the scales on the hair shafts lie flat and smooth. You can add herbs to it too - just use a "tea" made from fresh herbs instead of water. I used glycerine soaps because I found that opaque soaps left a residue on my hair. Now my hair is short I just rinse it, sometimes with vinegar or just with hot water.
Submitted by gardengoddess on 5 November 2009 19:35:48
Thanks for useful informations...its very useful to me.
Submitted by jany on 5 December 2009 07:06:00
I feel You should use just Loreal. They are the best and have a lot of varieties. Thank you for the post.
Trim Hair
Submitted by rachelwatsonikesoft on 25 December 2009 00:32:40
The rate of hair shedding in androgenic alopecia is speeded up by three forces: advancing age, an inherited tendency to bald early, and an over-abundance of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) within the hair follicle. You can try home made lemon oil and watercress rinsers. Certain prescription drugs such as Propecia can make some positive difference. Comb hair briefly and infrequently. When working the brush or comb through the hair, avoid contact with the scalp. This helps prevent or limit the transfer of oil from the scalp to the hair.
Submitted by aman on 4 February 2010 19:42:46
Hello Friends,
Thanks for sharing us useful information.
Submitted by arch0101 on 13 April 2010 23:52:38
I have very long very fine tangled knotty hair, I get scalp eczema and dandruff, oily roots and dry ends, my hair becomes very brittle and I get a lot of breakage. I tried a lot of regular shampoos and conditoners with varying results, but always with itchy scalp. Baby shampoos was very bad on scalp, hair & eyes, Healtheries Tea Tree ok on scalp, bad on hair. Ecostore shampoo & conditoner, bad on my hair and scalp & eyes. I looked at five different pharmacy's and two supermarkets and two health shops for a affordable shampoo and conditoner with no SLS & parabens, the conditioner was next to useless, I needed great amounts of it to work, and then my hair would fall out. I found Sukin Organics products at a farmers store, $11 250ml bottle, cheaper than most I had brands I had looked at, that often contained harsh chemicals, and Sukin does not contain bad chemicals, but I didn't think it would last long, but I've washed my hair every 2nd day for over a month, and I haven't run out yet, I find I need very small equal amounts of both, the conditioner is pretty good, my hair smells great, looks very shiny and healthy, feels lovely, no eczema, much milder dandruff, no itchy inflamed scalp, I love this stuff so much, I bought the facial scrub, moisturiser & cleanser, stuff I don't normally put on my face as it's sensitive to everything, it works and I have no symptoms. The only problem is my hair looks & feels more oily a little more quickly. I recommend you try Sukin Organics if you haven't already, it's eco-friendly too, I won't be switching.
Submitted by ek-oh on 19 April 2010 03:46:22
I went to the hair dressers the other day. We had a big chat about shampoos and stuff. I asked her about that urban legend where if you don't wash your hair it's gross for a bit and then it starts to condition itself. She said it was true – sort of. She said it would work if our skin didn't get dirty but the problem is that it does. She told me about one of her client's success stories. This woman would just use conditioner on her hair for the normal wash and then about once a week or once a fortnight she'd make up a 'shampoo' of one part baking soda to 10 parts water and use that on her hair. Apparently it works! I haven't tried it myself cos I bike to and from work everyday and my hair gets gross and sweaty, plus it's hot and dusty here (I'm living in Tanzania at the moment) but if you're someone who doesn't frequently get a sweaty scalp this could be an option.
Submitted by Twiga on 29 June 2010 23:04:07