Finding the perfect hair care products can feel like winning the lottery. These sustainable, clean, and oh-so-effective natural hair care products are musts for healthy, shiny, happy hair.
The quest for perfect hair can seem fruitless. From the coloring, curling, drying, and everything in between, it can feel impossible to ever achieve the hair we want. Add to that the shampoos and hair products that can strip our locks of precious oils, dry out our scalps, and lead to split ends. Whether you’re an overwasher, an underwasher, or somewhere in between, your hair washing habits could be adding to the problems.
We’re not promising miracles, and healing your hair can be a process, but just like you want your beauty products clean and natural, with the right natural hair care products, anything is possible. At the very least, these picks shouldn’t make your situation worse. Check out our favorite sustainable and clean hair care products for locks that deserve the very best.
Hair type and maintenance
First things first: what’s your hair type? Different types of hair and different textures need varying kinds of care. Some hair may need to be washed or conditioned more frequently, or some hair might need extra protection to prevent damage. When you’re familiar with your hair and how it behaves, you can make the best choices for it. You might be able to save time by washing your hair less frequently or choosing a daily style that helps to protect it.
The length of your hair also matters when you’re thinking about how much maintenance it requires. There are a couple of things to take into account here. One is how much daily maintenance your hair needs. Longer hair will often require a little more attention, while short bob haircuts can save you a lot of time. On the other hand, if you cut your hair short and want to keep it the same length, this will require more maintenance in the form of regular cuts and styling products.
Let’s talk about bangs for a minute, too. A shorter hairstyle can be easy to grow out if you’re not in the mood for regular cuts. However, when it comes to bangs, growing them out can be a little more annoying. And if you want to keep your bangs, that’s going to mean regular trims to stop them from growing out and getting in your face. Some people save time by trimming their own bangs, but this can be risky business if you’re not sure what you’re doing.
Another way to keep your hair routine maintenance low is by protecting it through the night so you wake up with it knot-free and sleek. A satin pillowcase can help, or you might choose to wear a silk bonnet or hair cover. Nighttime can also be a good time to use dry shampoo, saving yourself time on washing and drying your hair. You can apply it at night and comb it out in the morning.
Find your essential haircare products
Having a multitude of hair products can definitely cost you a lot of time. It’s also not great for the environment, especially if you have dozens of plastic bottles. Keeping your haircare products to a few essentials is a great way to save yourself some time, as well as some storage space. A shampoo that works for your hair type and a good conditioner may be all that you need. When your hair really needs some attention, a deep conditioner or hair mask can act as a rescue treatment and give your hair the hydration it needs.
Maintaining colored hair can also be a pain. Once you’ve dyed it, you have to touch up the roots to avoid a stark contrast with your natural color. One way to mitigate that is with ombre — a gradient of color from your roots to your tips. That means that as your hair grows out, you’re not going to see a significant difference between your natural color and the dyed parts of your hair. You might still want to get regular trims, but you don’t have to go through dramatic coloring of your hair as frequently.
What are natural hair care products?
There are no regulations defining the term ‘natural’. It’s a tough concept to qualify because, like the late comedian George Carlin pointed out, everything is natural. But what it implies, and what it can often mean, is better for you and better for the planet. Often, natural hair care is compliant with Clean at Sephora standards or contains certified organic or Fair Trade ingredients. Bonus if the products are vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainably packaged.
These brands tick most, if not all of the boxes for dreamy, effective, natural hair care.
1. dpHUE Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo
If you’re not washing your hair with apple cider vinegar, are you even washing your hair? Apple cider vinegar, or ACV, is the shine-maker. It cleans, balances the scalp, and keeps your color intact. There’s science to back this up. Credit the acidity in ACV. Dry, brittle, and (ahem) frizzy hair, is generally more alkaline.
The acidity of ACV helps to lower the pH and promote balance. Because it’s also microbial, it can keep the scalp healthier, too. And because vinegar is all-natural, it’s safer for your body and the planet. The dpHUE ACV shampoo is free of all nasties like parabens, phthalates, and sulfates, and is made with all vegan ingredients.
2. Reverie Milk Anti-Frizz Leave-In Nourishing Treatment
Don’t let the name fool you. There’s no dairy here, just sustainable, natural plant oils that tame frizz, promote moisture, and lock in the shine. Suitable for all hair types, it’s infused with 16 essential oils for a fresh scent everyone will love. Reverie’s products are handcrafted in California is small batches made from wild-harvested, sustainable, and organic ingredients. Use it throughout the day to keep your shine.
3. Bread Beauty SupplyScalp-Serum: Cooling Greens Exfoliating Scalp Treatment
From vegan hair care brand Bread Beauty Supply comes this must-have for healthy hair. After all, healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, and this scalp serum aims to bring new life to your head. It’s a revelation; cooling mint soothes, reduces itching, exfoliates thanks to lactic acid, and it’s easy to use. Just squeeze a few drops onto your scalp and massage through with fingers for a scalp refresh. Plus, this formula is free from added fragrance, just pure peppermint goodness for your healthiest scalp ever. It’s a great mid-afternoon pick-me-up if you need a little refresh. The recyclable bottles look adorable too.
4. Kitsch Coconut Oil Deep Moisturizing Conditioner Bar
Bar shampoo is one of the hottest beauty trends in recent years. But bar conditioners are going to be hot, too, just like this coconut oil moisturizing bar from Kitsch. Ditch the plastic bottles but not the healthy hair with this oil-rich and emollient conditioning bar. A single bar is estimated to last through 100 washes, which will save at last two bottles of liquid shampoo or conditioner. Simple to use and shower space saver, you’ll never go back after you make the sustainable switch to bar conditioner.
5. R+Co Dry Shampoo
Dry Shampoo has been a girl’s best friend for years now. If you’re still a “wash my hair every day” kinda gal, that is all about to change with the right dry shampoo. This one from R+Co is lightweight so as to not overly weigh down hair and leaves no white residue. The formula is equipped with Vitamin E to hydrate the hair while Pro-Vitamin B5 adds that extra body and volume we all need and want.
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