Beat the dryness and hair fatigue the natural way – here’s how to make green hair care work for your tresses
Throughout time natural, organic and primarily plant-based ingredients have been used due to ease of access. Think simple ingredients such as avocado and even eggs. But it wasn't until the 20th century that large-scale industrial production of hair care products made its way into our lifestyles.
When it comes to choosing the right hair care for you, it's important to consider that some products on the market may contain hazardous chemicals with endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic properties. And your scalp, with its significant accumulation of coarser hair follicle openings and sebaceous glands on a minimal surface, is part of the body's skin and therefore can absorb substances. Particularly at the bottom of the root, where substances can be quickly absorbed and then transported around the rest of the body.
Photo: Getty
Clean hair care is formulated differently from standard products, meaning most synthetic ingredients are replaced with natural alternatives. Concerns that this niche won't perform as well as its counterparts is a common reason customers don't clean up their act.
But today's formulas use ingredients in the most scientific, high-tech manner. For example, instead of sulphates, brands use other plant-derived surfactants such as Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate from coconut oil, along with Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate from the fatty acid of coconuts.
Svante Holm, co-founder of Beauty Disrupted, explains how they formulate their bar shampoos and conditioners. “Unlike many shampoo bars, we don’t use any soap in our haircare products – as it dries out the hair – instead, we use shampoo and conditioner formulations that contain the most nourishing and natural ingredients.”
History shows washing and treating happened at home with homemade components fashioned from age-old concoctions. As interest in hair wellness grows, these rituals have started to make a comeback due to a combination of cultural awareness and the pandemic lockdowns, which saw us exploring scalp care, acupressure points and massage for the neck and jaw. Whether activating the head chakra or following science-based facts, treatments such as hair oiling are growing, with the hair oiling market projected to reach $3.9 billion by 2024.
Photo: Getty
"Healthy hair begins at the scalp," asserts Babba C Rivera, founder of clean hair care brand Ceremonia. Rivera, who uses Aceite de Moskas for her weekly pre-shampoo oil treatmente. "It's inspired by the long-cherished oil ritual derived from the Dominican Republic.
"The hair care aisle is dominated by a styling-first approach, the equivalent makeup for the hair. I was more interested in treating things like dryness, frizz, and damage from the root cause, instead of just masking the symptoms with chemical styling products."
Healthy hair begins at the scalp
Babba C Rivera
Part of green hair care is how we use the products. Washing the hair might sound simple, but due to the obsession with foaming shampoos for the past 50 years, lathering on frenetically and rinsing off hastily, our scalps can sometimes be left stripped or the follicles clogged.
The art of proper hair cleaning entails a shampoo, dispensing the desired dosage into a bowl and diluting it with some water. Pour it onto damp hair, and gently and slowly massage it with the tips of your fingers until clean and then rinse thoroughly.
Experts say that how we treat hair when wet significantly influences its luster and health as temperatures drop outside. Hairstylist Ali Pirzade, who has tamed the locks of Cate Blanchett and styled campaigns for Louis Vuitton, suggests: “Don't sleep with damp hair and be mindful of how you untangle it.”