THE DO'S & DO KnoTs of Natural Hair care

        Spring is upon us and summer is not too far behind, and so we must continue with our NATURAL HAIR CARE REGIMEN. Many naturalistas have questions on what products they need to use. I’m going to help all of you to narrow down your search by telling you what ingredients you need to look for so that you won’t waste your money going thru an array of shampoos, conditioners or styling products. While some products may appear natural because they use the word “NATURAL” it does not mean that it is. No two products are created equal. Here is a list of the DOs and DO NOTS when it comes to ingredients you should look for and a list of those you should shy away from.

Natural Hair DOs

1. Products w/natural oils (can be purchased from your local natural health store/found in natural haircare products)*

• coconut
• carrot seed oil
• grape seed oil

   2.  Natural Butters

• shea butter
• cocoa butter 

    3.  Food derived proteins and essential oils *

• lemon
• orange
• geranium
• lavender
• vegetable glycerin

Natural Hair Do NOTS (these ingredients are synthetic and prevent moisture from entering the hair shaft)*
 Stay away from products that contain:

-Parabens (methyl-propyl-, butyl-paraben, etc)
-Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate (SLS or SLES)
-Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly)
-Propylene glycol
-Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethalnolamine (TEA)
-Imidazoldinyl, urea and diazolidinyl urea
-Silicone
-Ethxylated ingridients (those starting with PEG- or ending with -ETH

READING LABELS CONCERNING HAIR PRODUCTS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS READING LABELS ON FOOD ITEMS.  PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO HEALTHY HAIR =)  Here is a video on my haircare regimen that perhaps you can use as a guide =) Enjoy