Have you been duped by the cosmetics industry? Do you suffer from acne, eczema, psoriasis or rosacea? And can’t figure out how to get rid of it? What foods can you eat for strong, shiny and healthy hair?
Check out this video on holistic hair care for answers! P.S. There is a surprise ending!
Food Babe’s Holistic Hair Video Notes & Extra Tips:
- Your skin is your largest organ! What you put on your hair, is absorbed into your blood through your scalp and face. Nurture it, be kind to it, and most importantly LOVE it!
- Eat foods that have a rich source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids & all the essential amino acids like chia seeds, hemp seeds and flaxseeds. Your hair is made up of protein, getting all the essential amino acids will help it get stronger and grow more lustrous.
- Silica found in cucumbers, cabbage and celery are great to improve elasticity of hair preventing split ends!
- Joy McCarthy, a registered holistic nutritionist recommends to eats lots of dark leafy greens like Kale that provide Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Iron which are critical for healthy, strong and shiny hair. She also says to eat lots of legumes too! Brittle hair is often caused by a deficiency in biotin which is found in beans.
- Choose hair care products fragranced with natural smells from essential oils, herbs, fruits and vegetables.
- Sleep on a silk pillow – not only will this help you prevent bed head – it will help you get less wrinkles on your face.
- Have you tried searching for the hair care products you use on EWG’s cosmetic database cosmetic database? I did and was saddened to learn so many popular hair care brands were rated 8-10!
- Try to pick hair care products that are all below a rating of 3 on the EWG cosmetic database.
- Check all your hair care products individually for safety. Don’t assume if you use a certain brand, your product is safe. Many companies have products across the spectrum from really safe and natural to horribly deadly.
- Stop relying on fancy marketing and celebrities to choose brands.
- Vote with your dollars! Stop supporting companies that are harming the environment, your family and most importantly your own body with crazy chemicals!
- What works for me, may not work for you – there are so many great natural products available now, you WILL find some that suit you. It might take you some time navigating through the “old” world of natural beauty! God knows, I’ve been through several trials and errors.
Here are my absolute favorite holistic hair care products below -
John Masters Lavender Rosemary for Normal Hair
John Masters Organics Evening Primrose Shampoo For Dry Hair – I love this shampoo because I have to wash my hair more often than I like. Oh the sacrifices for HOT YOGA! I am also a “Vata” Dosha – so I have a tendency to have dry skin and hair.
John Masters Organics Two in One – Zinc & Sage Shampoo and Conditioner – Great for the men!
John Masters Organics Lavender and Avocado Intensive Conditioner – I love this stuff. It makes my hair smell like candy. An avocado based dessert infused with lavender for your hair 
John Masters Organics Rosemary & Peppermint Detangler Conditioner
Argan Oil – Make the switch, stop using chemical laden Moroccan Oil. 100% pure argan oil works just the same making your hair smooth, frizz free, shiny and dry faster.
Giovanni Direct Leave in Conditioner – By far my favorite leave in conditioner. I love this stuff – I can wash my hair at night, leave this in and not dry it at all. My hair ends up looking fabulous with little to no effort in the morning!
Aubrey Organics Hair Care
Avalon Organics Hair Care
Saffron Rouge - Great overall safe cosmetics online store that I use frequently to learn about new holistic products.
(By no means do I want to manipulate anyone into buying these products. It costs a hefty junk of change to run this website – If you do end up buying anything and use the links above, I will get a small kickback that will directly go toward keeping Food Babe up and running! Thank you for your support in advance!)
Want more?
Check out my past posts on safe cosmetics -
Be a Drug Store Beauty Drop Out
So Fresh and So Clean Skin Care Tips
Got questions?
Ask them here or Join my Facebook Fan Page!
XOXO,
Food Babe
I am desperately trying to find a hair color product that is both safe and looks good. I have tried a couple of the ammonia-free, all-natural and they just look bad and dry out my hair. Do you any suggestions?
Unfortunately I don’t have much experience with natural dyes, as I have never colored my hair before. I will ask around to my resources for more advice. In the meantime – Check out this link & brand options – have you tried any of these? I would love to know which products to avoid when the time comes! Thanks for stopping by!
http://www.treehugger.com/style/salon-quality-100-natural-hair-dye-by-advanced-cosmetic-technologies.html
* Aveda: Uses green tea extract to oxidize the dye, along with essential oils and plant extracts.
* Ecocolors: Contains flax oil and flower essences with little ammonia.
* Herbatint: European import, uses no ammonia.
* Naturtint: Good DIY option if you’re going it at home
Also Beware – those that claim no PPD (chemicals that adhere color to hair) typically use lead or mercury instead
I am a hairstylist and use Davines. We have a new ammonia free hair color. I need to do a little more research myself, however, the A New colour uses carotenoids- vegetable pigments, vegetable melanin, and monoethanolamine replaces ammonia.
We also have a Naturaltech line of treatment shampoos and conditioners that are paraben and sulfate free. The shampoos and conditioners definitely come with a price but I don’t have enough good things to say about them.
Vani, you have beautiful hair! I am proud to see that you are taking good care of your hair without using many artificial chemically loaded hair products. Your grandma used to massage my hair with warm gooseberry mixed with coconut oil every Sunday before washing. I had knee length hair before getting my first haircut!
Keep up the good work!
Thanks Mom! I’ll have to try that gooseberry coconut oil trick! I want to grow my hair even longer to look just like yours! Love you for the encouragement!
Your mom is so presh!
Vani,
Thanks for the post! I have tried holistic hair stuff before, but I had trouble getting it to wash out of my hair, but I will definitely try your suggestions. Also, I had a question…what kind of laundry detergent do you use? I was thinking about how you said when you lay on your pillow the chemicals from your hair care products can enter your blood stream, so I suppose that would also be true for what you wash your clothes/sheets with? Weird question I know, but just curious!
Great question!!! Yes – the products you wash your clothes with totally matter and absorbed into your skin! Just like hair care – it can be trial and error to find the right detergent. I love Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent. You can find it at Target, Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Home Healthy Market, etc. I like to order it on the internet because it is cheaper!
Awesome! I’ve been wanting to try Seventh Generation for a long time! I am definitely going to pick some up soon! Thank you!
I have a hearing problem and had trouble hearing your video. Will I get everything from the written part?
When you recommend products, are you able to get everything from Earth Fare? It would be a help if you could tell us where you find products (such as that date sugar which you seem to recommend.
Thanks. Would also help if when we chose the recipe tab at top of website we could get any recipes you have written previously. I also do not like using Facebook and wonder if questions and answers can be done thru a website of yours. I am new and trying to learn how to maneuver your blog. Think you do a great research job and trying now to take all links to obtain past info.
Carol – I’m working on the recipe section to make them more searchable and easier to navigate. Thanks for the feedback. Have you seen the “shop” portion of my site? http://foodbabe.com/shop/ – I include links to products that I use on a regular basis that you can get from Amazon online. Many of the products you can find at Earth Fare, Healthy Home Market and Vitamin Shoppe. The date sugar is available at most natural food stores. If there is another specific item in question – let me know and I’ll see if I can help you. Good Luck Carol!
Best shampoo ever…baking soda and water. I won’t be buying shampoo anymore.
Coincidentally I just got samples of Frederic Fekkai in the mail yesterday. I won’t be using them. Thank you so much for the informative post! After viewing your video, I looked into some of my natural products and I was surprised to find that many of those even contained harmful ingredients.
Psoriasis is a genetic skin disease which is actually an immune disorder. Let’s be clear, it is not caused by shampoo. One could argue that different shampoos and products could aggravate it, but that is not proven, and has not been my own experience. Please don’t simplify the disease or spread misinformation about it.
Also, psoriasis has been around since biblical times, long before there were chemicals and shampoo.
I use primarily Melaleuca brand cleaning products and laundry supplies. Have to looked at their ingredients? Would love your opinion!
I have a whole category on my blog dedicated th the subject:)
http://www.howtohairgirl.com/category/no-poo-journey/
Care of the hair and care of the scalp skin may appear separate, but are actually intertwined because hair grows from beneath the skin. The living parts of hair (hair follicle, hair root, root sheath, and sebaceous gland) are beneath the skin, while the actual hair shaft which emerges (the cuticle which covers the cortex and medulla) has no living processes. Damage or changes made to the visible hair shaft cannot be repaired by a biological process, though much can be done to manage hair and ensure that the cuticle remains intact.*`
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After reading your beauty posts I was shocked to go home and find my body lotion to contain multiple chemicals and even yellow5, red, and blue artificial colors! And the lotion is white for Pete’s sake!!! I went whole foods and spend about the same amount I would have spent on the chemical crap at target and instead got a large bottle of natural Shea and coconut butter lotion( fair trade, non GMO Shea and coconut) with like 6 ingredients in it….so much happier and my skin even feels better after a couple of uses. It really does make a difference and it doesn’t have to break the bank all the time.
Long time reader, first time commenter
Katie
Hi Katie – thanks for sharing your story. Good for you! So glad you like your new lotion…