by
Editorial
by Kara of NaturalCurliesTV (pictured above)
I remember watching Kimmaytube on YouTube as she was discussing the pH balance of hair and how it is important to use products that are close to the same ph as our curly hair which is between 4.5 and 5.5. Using hair products that are similar in pH cause the cuticle to remain closed, thus reducing frizz, increasing shine and softness. As soon as I heard this, I was scouring British Curlies Website, (back then this was the only place us UK naturals could get US products from) for the Ph balanced hair products.
The only pH balanced products I found during that time were from the Komaza Care product line. So, with my uncontrollable product junkie self, I purchased the shampoo, conditioner, leave-in, moisturizer and styler from the Califa Care line which is for thick kinky hair. I wasn’t playing! I wanted my hair to grow and be healthy.
After the first use, I realized products that are predominantly made with natural ingredients suited my hair. It was amazing. My hair had never felt so good. Purchasing those products was the best decision I could have made in my healthy hair care journey. I noticed a tremendous difference in the softness, pliability and increased health to my hair.
To be honest, this all happened by accident. I didn’t suddenly wake up one morning and say ‘I will only be using products with natural ingredients.’ But I guess this is why it is called a natural hair journey, as different paths lead us in new directions. I also began researching some of the chemicals commonly used in hair ingredients and realized that some are extremely toxic and potentially harmful to overall health if used consistently over a long period of time, which many of us do! At that point I stopped thinking about my hair and started thinking about whether I wanted to put myself at risk of cancer or hormone imbalance.
Even though natural products are more expensive, I think the investment is worth it. I am okay with spending a few extra pounds/bucks on products if it means I am protecting my health in the long term.
So these are some of the product brand changes I have made:
| Past | Present |
| Organic Root Stimulator | Komaza Care |
| Doo Gro | Bee Mine |
| Patene Pro V relaxed and natural | Kinky Curly |
| Herbal Essences | Giovanni |
Have you changed over to 100% natural hair care products? How did it affect your hair care regime?
Kara is a London-based health professional who teaches individuals with physical and mental health disabilities how to live independently. She is also an active natural hair vlogger. You can find her on YouTube at NaturalCurliesTV and Instagram @NaturalCurlies
45 Responses
Going Natural is definately a great step and going biological would be an even greater! I’m trying to use only biological products on my hair for 8 months now and I can truly feel that my hair is regenerating, brands like Giovanni or Kinky Curly are composed of silicone like ingredients like quaternium, behentrimonium metosulfate or behentrimonium chloride (or other -monium chloride)and honestly even if it’s a bit more expensive, I prefer using a lower quantity of product but better quality. You can trust labels like USDA or Ecocert because they don’t accept heavy chemical ingredients so you will only find natural conditionning ingredients, Helvetia Natura or Melvita make great sulfate free shampoo not so expensive if you take the extra size,as detangler I use Ciel d’Azur and as leave in aloe vera juice+baobab oil or Doobaline leave in with parcimony lol! And for your health watch out for -paraben or phenoxyethanol,particularly for children, studies are on going to show that this are dangerous but prevention is better than cure
Does anyone use Wen products, how does it work for you?
I love Wen. It’s not all natural but it makes my hair very happy. I get moisture and my curls look great. I get it on Amazon since it is a bit pricey for me. When I can’t get my Wen I use As I Am coconut co wash.
Nice article, thanks for posting!
I’m a product junkie, so I have a little bit of everything. I have noticed though, that I’ve been incorporating more natural products in to my regimen (and using less cones). My hair responds really well to Eden BodyWorks products across the board, Camille Rose Naturals (especially Fresh Curl and Curlaide Moisture Butter), As I Am’s gels, and tgin products. Great article!!!
Love the hair gal. A question for those who use Aloe Vera in its natural state how do you use it? Im curious because i do have Aloe also in my Balkon and would use it for hair if i knew what it does and how it is used. Thanks in advance
What I do is scrape the clear stuff from inside the leaf, blend it up with a little bit of water, some oils (coconut and olive and maybe an essential oil for fragrance) and some honey, and use it as a leave-in moisturizer. Sometimes there will be little aloe chunks left in the water, I don’t strain them out, I leave them to continue to infuse the mix with aloe goodness. I only make a small amount of this at a time (enough to last a week), and I keep it in the fridge. I’ve also found the aloe gel to be really good on my face as well, but if you have sensitive skin you may find it too itchy.
When I use my aloe vera plant I just cut the spiky parts off then open up the leaf and literally just rub the gooey side on freshly washed hair before adding any type of oil or cream. I don’t scape any out as I think its easier to use it straight from the plant. It makes my hair softer and silkier.
I also use it on my face at night and wash it off in the morning. It helps make my skin more smoother and clearer.
Side note; I am beginning to despise auto correct….tis all
Now that I think about it my styling products are from all natural brands; design essentials defining creme gel and their daily moisturizing lotion. I also recently bought Eden body works curl defining creme…I think I have been slowly moving toward more natural products subconsciously..not sure why..what sparked the change I have been natural for nearly five years now…
However my leave in of choice is Garnier fructis sleek and shine they reformulated and added apricot oil, without my permission may I add, but it’s still great. .. I have been using it this whole time and it leaves my hair moisturized for over a whole week..Wanted to love Giovanni direct but it leaves my hair crispy by the third day…
I also use L’OrĂ©al total repair 5 damage erasing balm with ceramide as a WEEKLY DC before I cowash with their total repair extreme reconstructing conditioner…I’ve just start these two a few weeks ago and I am nearly finished with the bottle of conditioner..I noticed a difference in my hair after the first use…I plan to continue using them. But I also have a natural conditioner I use occasionally when I feel my hair needs it is Adama ancient minerals conditioner by zionhealth. I contains kanwa clay, aloe vera, jojoba oil and its.an antifrizz formula… I seal with a mixture of coconut and olive oil…
I think I am more concerned about what I leave in my hair being more natural than products that or going to be rinsed out. While it is a must for them to be effective, I am also not opposed to rely of a chemist’s handiwork to achieve my hair goals..
I make my own deep conditioner (avocado, banana, egg, honey, coconut oil). I cleanse with apple cider vinegar and bentonite clay. The only product I buy is kinky curly knot today for my leave in. I seal with shea butter. I refresh my hair with aloe vera juice and jojoba oil mixture. That’s pretty much all my hair needs.
I use a lot of natural and raw products on my hair: honey, bentonite clay, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, aloe vera (fresh from the plant), and henna. I do this because I find it simpler, just as effective, and (big consideration!) more economical.
The only two formulated products that I haven’t found an effective raw/natural substitute for are gel (I use Ecostyler, but I am considering giving flax seed gel another try) and deep conditioner (Neutrogena Triple Moisture). I don’t even really need commercial leave-in conditioners these days; I have a few jars of Cantu, Shea Moisture and Eden Bodyworks stuff that are going to take me forever to go through because I hardly use them.
I agree with the gel, lol. Natural products are not ALWAYS more expensive, if you keep it basic. Have you tried Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle? The exorbitant costs usually come when you start using a lot of indie natural “brands” such as the one’s on the author’s list. I really want to support my indie folks, but $40 for a jar of anything just aint in the budget right now.
When I first decided to go natural I used ORS products. They aren’t natural but they had products that covered a lot of issues that I was having (thinning edges, patches of short hair) and it definitely boosted my hair. But not ALL of their products worked. Their leave-in conditioner made my hair soft, but it wasn’t long lasting. And a shampoo that I used was a good detangler, but it made my hair feel brittle and stripped. Then that’s when I learned that I needed to stay away from sulfates. Anyways, I then changed over to Shea Moisture and my hair says softer for longer, and it’s definitely growing. I’m also using different oils like JCBO mixed with coconut oil and my hair loves it.
I still have some ORS products but I’m using them little by little so eventually they’ll be used up (I don’t have the heart to just trash them..that adds up $$! lol). Long story short, yes, I have noticed growth since using all natural products. My face has even cleared up since using natural facial products.
Natural products lines have transformed my hair! I love that many of those products are cruelty-free and safe to use. Outstanding product lines, in my opinion, are jessicurl, aubrey organics, komaza,camille rose natural! These really make my thick kinky hair moisturised and healthy, and easy to detangle!
For those who care to learn more about chemicals, toxicity in cosmetics ect go to
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
Enter the product’s name, and you will find a toxicity grade as well as details on each ingredient, wich are safe, wich are unsafe and what exactly are the conserns with those ingredients. There is so much information I love this website!
concerns*
I found that once I got away from products in general, my hair began to thrive. Stylers and gels were leaving crazy buildup and residue on my scalp, even with a weekly wash routine, even when I used to use full-strength shampoo. The gunk left behind gave me scalp acne and the itchies. YUCK!
Don’t get it twisted–you’d have to pry my bottle of Giovanni Direct Leave-in from my cold, dead hands if you want me to give it up, lol. <—Holy Grail. And occasionally (read: when I've been lazy and I want to
waste moneysplurge), I like to use a good detangler (Aunt Jackie’s Knot on My Watch or Kinky Curly Knot Today) But for the most part, shampoo and conditioners (leave-in, rinse out and deep) are the only products I really buy, and it takes me forever to go through shampoo because I dilute it with ACV. I just use my personal oil mix and aloe spritz for everything else.I’ve been straying away a bit from natural products (experimenting) but ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner and Creme of Nature Argon Oil Intensive Conditioner is the bomb. I love using natural oils for sealing but to be honest Virgin Coconut Oil doesn’t do much for my hair so I just use it as a moisturizer. Now Carol’s Daughter Hair Elixir is good to my hair but I don’t like paying that $20 for 8oz. Maybe I should make my own “elixir”.
Also, I looove her bun in this picture!
Since realizing that my hair is finally long enough to bun, I’ve been trying to do as little as possible with it, including product ingredient-wise. I rinse with organic Apple Cider Vinegar when necessary, condition with SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner, use a watered down version as a leave-in, and seal with an EVOO and Jojoba oil mix.
Random, but where can I get those earrings?
Those are awesome!
I completely agree with this article. I started making my own homemade conditioners and oil treatments my hair was so soft, growing uncontrollably, moisturized, and strong. When I went to college and I start using Garnier fructis conditioner my hair became very dry and started to break.
Using all natural products leave my hair dry and brittle. My hair needs silicone’s in the worst way. I use a balance of natural and silicone products. The only products I use are Coconut Oil, Shea Moisture Curl n Style Milk, Creme of Nature Argan Oil (cones) Giovanni Direct Leave In & some type of Tressemme Conditioner.
The language of natural hair is getting confusing. When People say all natural products I am thinking like actual raw Shea butter, organic oils and flax seeds not Kinky Curly and Shea moisture. Just like it seems that protective styles are automatically assumed to be weave or extensions these days lol. Although those products boast natural ingredients they are commercial to me. In the beginning I went through an all natural everything phase and I still mostly lean that way because most stuff bought off the shelf are too expensive and too easy to make my self. I use a nice mixture of both these days with some DIY recipes here and there. What is more important is to pay attention to your ingredients. Know what they do and you won’t be out there wasting money. Example grease is a sealant the same as shea butter. One is slightly better than the other depending on how “green” you are but one is also cheaper than the other . Go from there. Choose things based off your wallet and personal preference. Research is important. Don’t use stuff that obviously screams bad for you (remember those greases and hair dress cremes back in the day that had hormones in them?) but at the same time don’t drive yourself crazy.
great advice. i know i was thinking, judging off the title, that she was talking about literally using raw ingredients- as in eggs, aloe vera straight off the plant, honey, stuff she might have plucked off the shelves of an herbal or health foods store! lol i was a lil confused to find her talking about regular ole KK products and Burt’s Bees and all the rest.
I agree with what you said about how protective styling has seem to be refined. At one time it meant styling their own hair with ends tucked to protect them. But as you said, now protective styling seems to just mean wigs and weaves. Even “natural” seems to mean as long as you got the look even with wigs and weaves, you’re natural.
I started off using all natural products when I first went natural almost 3 years ago, but my hair never stayed moisturized. I slowly started to incorporate products that were not all natural and now I use both. I love Jane Carter Solution and Grapeseed oil, but I also love the ORS line as well. It all depends on what works for you and your hair.
I love Shea Cantu leave in strengthening conditioner. I have 4C hair and it is the most coily hair texture and often very difficult to maintain. I had interlocks put in my hair and used greased to keep my scalp moisturized but this time I will be using all natural products such as Shea butter and olive oil. I look forward to see how my hair responds to all natural products once I take my braids down the second time around. I grew up using grease but now that my hair is natural that may not be the best thing because it leaves a strange sticky texture as the commentator nic mentioned. Would my hair ph be a 4 or 5? How do you know the ph of your hair? Is it the same for everyone? Consider writing an in depth article on that.
I have been doing no chemicals food based hair products. My hair have grown so much and so quickly. I am so pleased with it. My scalp don’t itch, my strands are stronger, my hair is softer and tangles less. My curls are more defined and my hair styles hold much much better.
The only thing I buy from the store is leave-in conditioner. I don’t think I can make anything that compares to cantu shea butter or redken anti snap
I started with 100% natural and my hair dried out horribly. I recently bought Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in and my hair was really dry. Coconut oil was drying and made my scalp itch and a lot of products with coconut in them made me itch as did JBCO. I tried several things and got the same or worse results. I can get away with mostly natural products in the summer as long as some form of glycerin is involved but in the cool/cold months my hair is like hay even with all the DCing, moisturizing, hot oiling, buttering and sealing. Humectants during those times suck all the moisture out. So as of May this year, I have sworn off using all natural products and my hair has done much better. My go to’s now are Blue Magic hair grease, Mazani Coconut Soufle and Jane Carter Nourish and Shine. I have fine, low density mostly 4b/c hair.
I can definitely relate to this. When I slowly made the switch to more organic and all-natural products after my second big chop, my hair really started thriving. No more itchy scalp, product buildup, or having products that just coat my hair rather that penetrate and moisturize. And sometimes, natural products don’t even have to be expensive–they can be homemade.
Side note: I am so glad that someone else uses the “Yes To” line (I’m noticing your Yes To Tomatoes conditioner in that photo of products lol). I use their Yes to Carrots Pampering Conditioner and it has worked wonders for my 4b/4c hair. Definitely a staple. 🙂
I’m a bit confused, the products that you’ve changed to still have chemicals in them don’t they? :/
I have to say, using a lot of natural (as in mostly unrefined) products has worked out cheaper for me, with a big jar of coconut oil costing very little compared to some of the more natural brands and lasting for much longer. Also, I can sneak spoonfuls while I do my hair..
The only thing I buy from the store is leave-in conditioner. I don’t think I can make anything that compares to cantu shea butter or redken anti snap.
UNRELATED: Does anyone know whatever happen to the style icons?
I get really excited when I see one of those articles.
I have been thinking the same thing. What happened to the style icons articles?
leila said in a previous article that the style icon writer is on hiatus. i’m not sure when she’ll be back or if they’re looking for a replacement. i think it was meosha?
I have no clue, but I miss the icons too.
BGLH mentioned in another post that the writer responsible for the icon series recently left to pursue other avenues. So it’s on a hiatus at the mo…
On another article Layla(sp) commented that the person in charge of style icons, Meosha, has moved on and style icons are currently on hiatus
Nature’s Nectar Luv-n-a-bottle detangling conditioner has great ingredients and detangles fantastically.
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Screenshot_2014-06-13-01-30-41-1.png[/img]
Thank you WE WANT STYLE ICONS BACK!!! I have been thinking the same thing nowadays its only controversial topics!! we want girls we can coo over their long, short medium hair please and learn from them.
Honestly, I have also noticed the difference in my hair by using more natural products. Especially for leave-in conditioners. My hair is more moisturized. and Coconut oil leaves my hair soft, and shiny while hair grease just makes my hair feel well greasy and leaves a bad residue on my hand with I touch my hair. Lol. While idk if I will ALWAYS use products that are 100% natural, I make sure to incorporate natural swaps here and there.
What leave in conditioner do you use.
I used the nubian heritage (green label) leave-in conditioner recently and it made my hair really soft. i believe that all of the ingredients are natural. this is the only natural leave-in conditioner that i’ve come across so far.
NON-natural Leave-INs
Cantu leave-in conditoner
Creme of Nature moroccan oil spray leave-in
Creme of Nature perfect 7 leave-in
(i dont use all of these at once. lol. this is most of the leave-ins i’ve used through my journey almost 3 years natural. 🙂 ]
I think the opposite is happening to me. I used to be all about using natural products (I still am), but now I’m curious about the less natural lines. I won’t purchase something that has an outrageously long ingredients list or a warning label about it being flammable lol. But I’ll try samples or small versions of the ones I feel are OK. Cruelty free is also a deciding factor!
I’m just exploring though, at the end of the day I’ll always love natural products– Komaza and Kinky Curly are the bomb!