Natural Hair Care

• Sponsor: M Salon
• Author: Louise Engels

The media – fashion magazines, commercials, even TV shows and movies send a message that certain hair colours and types are more fashionable, or even more beautiful than others .They promote the idea that we should  intervene with nature, and use a variety of chemicals and hair styling gadgets to achieve a desired look. When curls are in fashion, perms and curling paraphernalia are necessary – when straight hair is in, outcome the straighteners and straightening treatment. Of course in reality all types and colours of hair, with all their natural variations, are beautiful. Even grey hair can be look stunning. Hair that is taken care of looks healthy and beautiful, regardless of whether or not it conforms to fashion.

Hair will be healthier with reduced reliance on chemicals and heat for colour and styling which is the opposite to the message commonly portrayed. With regular trims or cuts, less hair washing, using natural, organic shampoos, oils coconut oil and essential oils including tee tree, lavender, aloe vera or henna, our hair can look great, more naturally. For example natural henna can help to produce stronger hair strands with less breakage, balance hair porosity, reduce or eliminate dandruff, smooth hair cuticles, thicken hair, and promote growth and less shedding due to antibacterial and anti fungal properties. Hair can be dried and styled more naturally rather than relying totally on hair dryers and hair sprays, and natural products are strong enough to tame even the wildest hair.

If you want to treat your hair at home with natural, organic ingredients, consider these excellent recipes:

 

Remedies For Damaged Hair

1. Repairing Damaged Hair With Avocado And Egg:
   Remove pit from a ripe avocado, mash it and blend it with an egg. Apply this hair pack onto a little damp hair. Avocados are packed with vitamins, vital fatty acids, and minerals that will help recover luster to your hair. Let it on for at least 20 minutes, then shampoo and rinse as usual. Repeat this natural remedy once a week for damaged hair and once a month for healthy hair.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar Mask:
   This home remedy is an effective way to repair damaged hair and infuse life back into the limp and dull hair. Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 egg whites, then apply the mix onto your hair. Cover your hair with plastic wrap or a shower cap for about 30 minutes, then shampoo and rinse as usual.
3. Rinse With Tea:After your regular shampooing, give a final rinse to your hair using a quart of warm, unsweetened tea (freshly brewed or instant) to infuse dry hair with a natural shine. Tea can naturally liven up hair color, so take care to use a kind of tea that works well with your hair color. Brunettes should choose black tea to augment shine and enrich their hair color. Blondes should go for chamomile tea, as black tea can darken their tresses.
4. Shampoo And Egg:
   Blend one egg with a small amount of your favorite shampoo, and then apply onto your damaged hair for few minutes and finally rinse thoroughly. This home treatment helps to boost up protein in your severely damaged hair.
5. Treat Damaged Hair With Botanical Oil:
   These oils you can get from health food stores. Examples are olive, jojoba, coconut, sweet almond oils, are all ideal tonics for dry, heat or chemicals damaged hair. Coconut oil works well on thick and heavy hair. Moisten your hair a bit and apply small amount of botanical oil until your hair is fully covered. Wrap your hair with a shower cap and warm towel for about 30 minutes, and then shampoo and rinse your hair as usual.

 

Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar For Hair

Here are 12 apple cider vinegar hair benefits and treatment.

1. Natural Conditioner: Apple cider vinegar works as an excellent natural hair conditioner, in the same way as baking soda functions as a natural shampoo. So, it’s a perfect natural combination to get clean and shiny hair, all in a natural way!!
2. Natural Cleanser, too: When combined with baking soda, it makes a super-powered hair cleanser.
3. Natural Clarifying Treatment: It’s ideal for getting rid of clumpy residue and gunk from products build-up in your hair, without depriving your hair of its natural oils.
4. Fights Tangles: It works as a natural detangler. It flattens the hair surface, letting a comb or brush to slide easily through the hair.
5. Enhances Porosity: Adequate porosity enables hair to absorb and retain moisture. Apple cider vinegar’s acidity enhances porosity by closing the hair cuticle. Consequently, hair will retain more moisture.
6. Treats Dry, Itchy Scalp: It contains antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, so will soothe and heal an itchy, dry scalp.
7. Prevents Split Ends And Breakage: It has the capability to smooth hair’s cuticle, thus can control split ends and hair breakage.
8. pH Balancer: Hair is towards the slightly acidic side of pH scale, and its ideal range is pH of 4.5 to 5.5, which is quite near to that of an apple cider vinegar rinse (pH 2.9). Therefore apple cider vinegar hair rinse is helpful in bringing the pH back to where it should be after shampooing.
9. Revitalize Hair: When used regularly in your natural hair care routine, it can revitalize your hair, leaving it soft and smooth.
10. Cure Dandruff: Apple cider vinegar has natural anti-fungal properties to combat and mitigate dandruff. Plus, its acidic properties balance pH levels and restore the scalp’s protective acid mantle layer to ward off further fungal growth.
11. Eases Frizz: When it’s used as a follow-up to baking soda, it works to make hair strands shinier, closes cuticles and lessens frizz.
12. Apple Cider Vinegar And Hair Loss: In some cases of hair loss, it can stimulate hair growth also.

Some recommend no washing at all and allowing natural hair oils to take care of their hair called ‘no poo’ haircare, but that is another story. I am not that brave.

 

Professional Hair Salon Hair

There are professionals in the hair and beauty industry who do care about the environment. They choose good commercial environmentally friendly, even organic, products and act  responsibly to reduced their carbon footprint. Perhaps they use alternative energy, support local producers  when choosing their products.

Question your local salon and encourage them to think about using these, or change your patronage to an establishment more in line with your green values. M Salon is one salon that offers the Devines line of products that are organic and natural – so natural they are good enough to eat! M Salon cares deeply about the environment and makes sure that all that they do reduces their carbon footprint.

My local hairdresser cares about the environment. She is a fan of the 60’s and her salon is furnished with retro second hand furniture throughout. I recently took her a bag of retro toys , children’s books and magazines to keep her client’s children occupied during their visits. She is keen to protect the environment and uses ecofriendly products, without harmful chemicals such as ammonia and is also looking into alternative energy. She uses bio degradable and disposable, towels when hair washing.  It is estimated that one Eco Towel per client can save up to 50% on laundry bills using less energy, water and detergent polluting the earth. The ones she uses are made from recycled paper and bamboo. There are other options for hair salons, including many products and practices that can still allow a trip to the hair salon to continue the green values

During my first Montreal winter I noticed that my long, slightly damp curls that I hadn’t dried properly after a shower, would freeze and snap off. Whilst this was a novelty at first, it didn’t take me long to realise that my hair was not looking that great. I learned that at different times and seasons I had to adapt my hair care regime. During the summer or in a heated room, I didn’t need to dry my hair, but on some occasions I did. I also learned the hard way that a good cut makes all the difference…

A friendly Spanish speaking neighbour newly arrived to Canada offered to cut my hair. I explained to her in my newly learned French the style I was hoping to achieve. Either my French or her understanding of my French was not up to scratch. Maybe she couldn’t actually cut hair as it’s very thick and curly, but was trying to help me out anyway. The end result was that whilst both sides of my hair looked ok, they did not match. The hairstyle was ridiculously lopsided, and resulted in me tying my hair up for months until it had grown and could be rescued. That is the great thing about hair. It grows, it is alive. Some people shave off their hair to raise money for charity, or to be made into wigs for people suffering with hair loss. Either way, our hair is precious, to be taken care of, as is our planet.  Let’s hope that whilst growing and caring for our hair, we are also taking care of our planet.

There are commercially produced environmentally friendly hair products, and an endless list of natural ingredients to use for home remedies. For more ideas see  http://naturalbeautytips.co/category/hair-care/

 

Resources:

http://blackgirllonghair.com/2013/02/3-tools-that-promote-moisture-in-natural-hair/

http://naturalbeautytips.co/category/hair-care/

http://www.msaloncalgary.com/

www.davines.com