Green Your Beauty

Products for the ‘Shampoo’ 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:: NO RATING YET/TO BE DETERMINED

I personally do not have any scent allergies but recently my dad inquired and I did the minimal amount of 2-min web browsing. I cannot vouch for any of these shampoos but here’s a list of what I found. I will be straying from my “typical” blog-format on these right now, because frankly, putting up 20+ reviews in 2 days is tiring! Also feel free to do a search on “fragrance free” or “unscented” on this site and reviews matching up will show up. It you have any further unscented products, (no added oils either), to recommend, please do so!

organics shampoo

organics conditioner

The organics shampoo does have sodium coco sulfate. Overall the ingredients look decent though. Earth-friendly/herbal goodness wee!

remedies direct

Sulfate free.

RATING: 2.5 STARS
Product Link:

Until I implement the rating review system, this rating comes via my dad! I have seen this brand available at whole foods. I would imagine it is sold at many health food stores. Right now it is discounted to about four dollars at the health super store.

PROS:
+ fragrance/paraben/dye Free
+ local company in CA! +$ friendly ~$7.00 a bottle!
+ minimal,recognizable ingredients
+ user-friendly packaging

CONS
– contains sodium myreth sulfate*
– contains lactic acid*
– contains sodium hydroxymethylglycinate*
– may not be vegan

INGREDIENTS: Water, sodium myreth sulfate, wheat germamidopropyl betaine, chamomile extract, jojoba oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein, panthenol, potassium sorbate, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, lactic acid.

*Sodium Myreth Sulfate: Rated a 1 on EWG’s hazard scale. It is an inexpensive foaming agent composed of organic compounds with detergent and surfactent properties. May be linked to organ toxicity and irritation.

*Lactic acid: Rated a 4/5 on EWG’s hazard scale. It is a type of alpha hydroxy acid, and may be animal derived. May be linked to organ toxicity, neurotoxicity, and irritation.

*Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate: Rated a 2 on EWG’s hazard scale. It is based on glycene, which is a natural amino acid, but takes synthetic production to get to its current state. It is used as a hair conditioning agent and preservative. May be linked to irritation and can break down to a formaldehyde-like substance. Check out Dr. David’s blog on this!

FINAL VERDICT: This seems like a relatively low-cost product that was not reported to bother my dad, who is usually pretty sensitive. I for one am super sensitive to most forms of sulfates and will not buy shampoo containing them due to the irritating properties. While lactic acid does have a moderate rating, it is not something I personally avoid because alpha hydroxy has been shown to have anti-aging properties and is in a lot of skin creams. It’s also not as much of a risk with shampoos and shower gels because they wash off right away, and not as much gets absorbed into your skin. In short, this may be a good product for you to check out if you are not sensitive to sulfates, don’t mind the lactic acid content, which may be animal derived, or an ingredient linked to formaldehyde. Eek. I was going to give them 3 stars, but they lose a half for that.

RATING: 5 Trees
Product Link:

I discovered griffin remedy upon receiving the shampoo and conditioner for my bday. It is new(ish) and hard to find in stores. So far there has been some limited ability at Whole Foods and Draegers. It also seems to be available on amazon and a couple of other places. Do a google search.

PROS:
+ doesn’t irritate scalp
+ smells great
+ no parabens
+ no sulfates
+ minimal ingredients
+ looks to be vegan, made with vegetable glycerin
+ local Bay Area Company!

CONS:
+ limited availability
+ small bottle/no refill size available

INGREDIENTS:
purified water, coconut oil blend with emulsifiers and sugars, soap wart extract, jojoba oil, MSM, honey, vegetable glycerin, vegetable proteins, grapefruit seed extract, aloe vera gel, vitamin B5, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, biotin, guar gum, sea buckthorn, burdock extract, calendula oil, chamomile extract, comfrey oil, rosemary oil, sage oil, orange essential oil blend.

FINAL VERDICT: The only really unrecognizable ingredient is MSM = DIMETHYL SULFONE, which is reported to be an organic sulfur compound/also sulfant used both in organic and inorganic substance. It is rated a 1 on EWG, which is a low hazard. Other than that, all of the ingredients speak for themselves as totally natural! I highly recommend this shampoo. Random tip if you suffer from dry scalp or dandruff: rinse with apple cider vinegar as needed prior to shampoo! It works amazingly. The smell will linger though, so make sure it’s not before a hot date!

RATING: To be determined!
Product Link:

My dad used these at a couple of hotels that he and my stepmom stayed at. I have used a sample of their dandelion shower gel and thought it smelled lovely, but it doesn’t seem to be available on their website. I have yet to try the hair products.

PROS:
+ zero sulfates
+ no parabens
+ no phthalates
+ no artificial colors
+ no animal testing

CONS:
– there are no ingredients listed on their website and two minutes of web-browsing produced nada.   Hmmmm, something iffy might be going on here….

FINAL VERDICT: This might be a good product to check out, but lack of ingredients listed always makes me skeptical. If I find them, or if anyone else does, please comment!