Green Your Beauty

Products for the ‘Scalp Therapy’ Category

RATING:5 TREES
Product Link:

I love my new shampoo! I bought mine at Whole Foods and it is available on the Aubrey Organics website.

PROS:
+ completely natural
+ good for irritated scalp
+ pleasant smell
+ vegan
+ product is biodegradable
+ can be ordered in a larger side, more eco-friendly
+ made my hair manageable and shiny!
+ minimal, recognizable incredients

CONS:
– consistency (see below)
– packaging: won’t stand upside on its own

INGREDIENTS:
Deionized Water, Coconut Oil-Corn Oil Soap, Soap Bark Extract, Yucca Root Extract, Carrageenan, White Pine Bark Extract, Organic Lemon Peel Oil, Calaguala Extract, Cade Wood Essential Oil, Organic Evening Primrose Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

FINAL VERDICT: This shampoo fits the natural bill inside and out. It is supposed to be based on an ancient Mayan recipe. Those Mayans sure knew how to wash hair is all I can say! My scalp is extremely sensitive and is prone to irritation and itchiness from other chemical-laden shampoos. While I did not care for the leave in conditioner by this brand due to the smell, I have been wanting to check out their other products for awhile after being drawn to the simple, minimal, ingredients. I am a fan!I used it two days after my vinegar rinse and my scalp feels great, even after blow-drying my hair out for 30 minutes which usually results in itchiness!  The smell is kind of similar to Aveda products but not as strong and overwhelming. It helped get rid of the vinegar smell, which usually lingers in my scalp for a couple days after I do the rinse. My bf likes it as well, which is saying a lot! I may have him try it soon. I rotate this shampoo with a slightly less natural Avalon Lemon one and am pleased with the results. It really gets rid of buildup and results in lots of volume. The only negative is the consistency and appearance. Because this is natural, it is colored a mucky brown and does feel kind of strange when you put it on in the shower. It takes slightly longer to rinse off as well. If you are not into using natural shampoos, this may turn you off. Be careful that it doesn’t stain your shower as well. All in all, I highly recommend this product. I am looking forward to trying the primrose and lavender scalp shampoo at some point as well!

Thanks Aubrey!

RATING: 2 Trees
Product Link:

I bought both the shampoo and conditioner on the recommendation of some friends. They also have good reviews on drugstore.com and are easy to find (got mine at Whole Foods). I was pretty excited as stress and sensitivity were taking a toll on my poor scalp. I wasn’t quite ready to go the hippy route of olive oil and/or apple cider vinegar, so I thought I’d give this a go. Reviews are for both products.

PROS:
+ Relatively natural, doesn’t test on animals, makes your scalp tingly (the first two or three times anyway). Tea tree is supposed to be a lice-deterrent if you work around children or in lice infested areas.

CONS: :
– my head still felt incredibly itchy after using this product and I still had quite a bit of flakes.
– the bottles are weirdly shaped on both the bottles, and the conditioner in particular is very difficult to get out.
– if you leave them upside down in the shower, water seems to collect in the cap. Weird.

SHAMPOO INGREDIENTS:
Aqua (Purifed) Water, Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) Oil, Peppermint (Mentha Piperita) Oil, Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Officinalis) Oil, Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) Extract, Nettle (Urtica Dioica) Oil, Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) Oil, Birch Leaf (Butela Alba) Oil, Chamomilla (Anthemis Nobilus Flower), Clary (Salvia Sclarea), Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia), Coltsfoot Leaf (Tussilago Fargara), Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium) Oil, Mallow (Malya Sylvestris), Horsetail (Equisetum Arvense) Oil, Soybean Protein (Glycine Soja), C12 14 Oleifin Sulfonate (Coconut Derived), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Tocopherol (*Vitamin E), Trace Minerals, Citric Acid (Corn), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Sodium Chloride (Sea Salt), Grapefruit Seed (Citrus Derived)

CONDITIONER INGREDIENTS:
Aqua (Purifed) Water, Malaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil (*), Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract (*), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Officinalis) Oil (*), Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Extract (*), Urtica Dioica Nettle Extract (*), Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Flower Extract (*), Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract (*), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract (*), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavander) Leaf Extract (*), Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract (*), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (*), Achillea Millefolium (Yarrow) Extract (*), Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Panthenol, Cetrimonium Methosulfate, Menthol, Polysorbate 60, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexyglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum) (includes essential oil), * Certified Organic (by Guaranteed Certification Services)

NOTE: the ingredients on my shampoo bottle are different than those listed on drugstore.com and include a few different forms of lauryl sulfates (milder but still in the family), which are known to cause drying and irritation. It also ctonains menthol and phoxyethanol, which is a milder preservative, but still chemical in nature. So maybe the ingredients have been updated. The conditioner contains fragrance, (unknown origin which means it is most likely chemical and damaging and/or harsh in nature. It also contains two forms of alcohols which are drying. I don’t know about you, but it seems like it defeats the purpose to put alcohol on an already irritated scalp!

FINAL VERDICT: I would not recommend. You can try it for yourself but I have found switching to a more natural based shampoo (Griffin’s Remedy) and rotating between the hippy apple cider rinses has been such a godsend that I know longer need the help of a scalp shampoo. However, if you find one that is fantastic, please let me know!