If you’ve decided this is the year to clean up your act, it may not include washing your hair as often, it seems most of us are washing less, in fact a Nielson report showed that sales of shampoo fell by twenty-three million pounds in the UK last year, they say it’s because less people are smoking, and more women are working from home so they don’t bother to wash their hair. The trend for longer hair also has an impact and interestingly as beards become more popular, sales of razors have dropped too.
Shower products and soap have gone down in popularity too. I’m delighted to read this, not because I’m merely mucky but because I do believe most people use far too many skincare and haircare products which are harmful not just for the skin, but also for the planet. For years, the trend was to shower and wash hair daily but thankfully it seems that’s changing.
Leading organic hairdresser Tabitha James Kraan advises against washing hair too frequently especially with conventional products as the detergent is very drying for the hair, she says many people are literally washing the life out of their hair, she sees clients with dandruff or psoriasis who are exacerbating their problems by using strong products containing synthetic chemicals which stimulate the sebaceous glands creating an over oily scalp.
Tabitha recommends buying good organic shampoo and not expecting it to foam up, she says “Lather is actually a problem for the hair because it over chelates it, which leaves the cuticle open and the hair more tangly”.
She is also a big fan of hair oil to put back in some nourishing moisture, try her Organic Scented Hair Oil www.tabithajameskraan.com and for a really deep conditioning treatment try the unique blend of seventeen different nourishing herbs and oils in the Herbal Hair and Scalp Oil from Samol Herbal. You can leave it in overnight (just use a towel to save your pillows). Samol Herbal also make a one hundred per cent natural Herbal After Shave and Beard Oil to pamper the hipster in your life. www.samolherbal.com
Don’t forget the dry shampoo, so that you can still look and feel great between hair washes, opt for an organic one from Tabitha James Kraan.
There are some simple DIY recipes too, for a basic shampoo for dry hair – whisk up 1 egg yolk with a 100-ml herbal infusion, (such as chamomile tea) and massage it well into the hair. ‘Chamomile tea’ also makes a good hair rinse especially for blonde hair. You can make a simple conditioner with half an avocado, a teaspoon of jojoba oil and the yolk of one egg.
I’m sure you can think of lots of other concoctions too, keep me posted!