Sunday, November 20, 2011

Going Green with Shampoo

Many shampoos have chemicals that go back into the environment. They typically contain artificial colors, fragrances and ingredients that haven’t been specifically tested for safety. Many of these shampoos come in plastic bottles that cannot be recycled. That’s why you should go with “green shampoo”. Green shampoo can come in a recyclable bottle, is sulfate-free, is DEA free, is free of synthetic dyes, is 100% Vegan, 100% Biodegradable, 100% Alcohol free and organic.
Everyone thinks that all those foamy bubbles clean your hair and scalp. Wrong! The lather is created by sulfates. If you want to go green, go with a sulfate-free shampoo. Even though there is no lather, it is still cleaning.
Make sure to read the label. Get a shampoo that doesn’t contain salt (sodium chloride). Salt is abrasive and creates friction on your hair.
Shampoo cannot exist without have some kind of preservative in the formula to keep the product from separating and going bad. The bad preservatives are called parabens and DMDM hydantoin. Watch out for sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and disodium laureth sulfosuccinate.
Great shampoos:
1.       BY Framesi Shampoo: Packaged in a recyclable container, safe to use on color treated hair and is water soluble.

2.       Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo: This shampoo tames flyaways with babassu oil, aloe, and guar bean. It’s produced using wind energy and comes in recycled packaging.

3.       Tasmanian Lavendar Shampoo from Sea Chai Organics: This shampoo is great for all hair types. It does not contain any solvents or sodium laureth sulfates. It contains natural ingredients like seaweed extract, calendula blossoms, and kombucha tea.

4.       Lavender Rosemary Shampoo from John Masters Organics: It contains 13 certified organic ingredients and is cruelty-free.

5.       Clarifying Shampoo from Alba Botanica: This shampoo has a pleasant fruity scent. It is made with eucalyptus, which has antiseptic and cooling qualities. It contains 100% vegetarian ingredients.

Another option is to not use shampoo. Shampoo isn’t really necessary. There are many claims that hair is healthier and more manageable without shampoo. Shampoo strips the coating off of the hair follicles causing them to dry out, and then the scalp over produces oil. It can take up to 2 months for the oil production to balance out once starting the no shampoo method. My husband does not use shampoo and it works for him, but he has really short hair. I tried it for a couple of weeks, but my hair was greasy. I then went to baking soda and that worked for a couple of months. Honestly, it was annoying after awhile and I am now using Aveda. However, my hair has a lot of tangles and it takes a lot of work to brush. I am still going to experiment.
Make your own shampoo! You can make your own shampoo using baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and a few drops of peppermint and chamomile essential oils.
1.       Wet your hair.
2.       Make a paste with a couple teaspoons of baking soda and water.
3.       Spread it through your hair.
4.       Rinse.
5.       Get a reusable bottle. Put 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in it and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Add a few drops of peppermint and chamomile.
6.       Squirt a few tablespoons of the solution on hair and rinse.
*You can also use lemon juice instead of the vinegar.
Organic shampoos are extremely safe on hair as well as the environment. By using shampoos made from natural ingredients you can play a very important role in protecting the environment as there are no harsh chemicals released in the process.

1 comment:

  1. I was looking for green shampoo's the other day! I love Aveda products :D

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