Help/Advice for green hair care? Please see details.
Asked by
evegrimm (
3714
)
October 9th, 2009
Although I recently was “no-poo” (that is, I only washed my hair with baking soda/water and vinegar/water), I found that my hair built up some sort of residue over time, especially on the back of my head (not the roots).
I did some research and eventually switched to a sea-salt based shampoo, but in the interim, I used a store bought shampoo with all the nasty ‘cones and SLS and whatnot. While I was using the store-bought, my hair was fine—no build-up, easy to manage, shiny, etc.
However, after I switched to the sea-salt shampoo, and a few showers, my hair began to develop that same residue again.
Vinegar rinses don’t work for this problem (I tried).
Any advice? Am I doomed to using commercial shampoos? If so, can you recommend some good, all-natural, free of nasty things shampoo that smells good and isn’t hideously expensive?
(I don’t use product or conditioner in my very thick, naturally somewhat-oily hair.)
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22 Answers
Try not to wash your hair as often if you aren’t already doing so. I myself don’t wash my hair at all and have it clean itself on its own.
@Samurai, I usually only wash my hair every third or fourth day, and if I go longer than that, my hair starts to smell. Although I understand where you’re coming from, it’s not really a viable option for me. Thanks, though!
@evegrimm That’s pretty good by taking the few days break.
To go without washing your hair and have it actually clean itself you have to not wash your hair for a few (6) weeks or so for it to start. At that time the smell will disappear as well with the itchiness. I don’t know if I should recommend that to you though, its nice having nice smelling hair.
By having green hair it could mean that you have copper pipes, or swim in swimming pools a lot.
Prairie Naturals is pretty good, I’ve used that for a while now. I use the Wild Rose moisture balancing shampoo. And then I recommend the Giovanni Organic spray leave-in conditioner (smells so lovely). I don’t like PN’s conditioner.
I would never do the no-poo thing…there’s natural and then there’s being a cavewoman.
<< Totally thought you meant your hair was green. :P
To be fully “no-poo” you have to use distilled or purified water, since tap water usually has chlorine and floride added.
@YARNLADY, do you think it is the added minerals that causes buildup in my hair?
@all: LOL. My hair isn’t actually “green”, but rather I’m trying to “go green”. Guess I should have specified! :P
@lostinyoureyes, where do you purchase Prairie Naturals shampoo?
Drugstore.com sells natural and organic products… there’s a tab for it. There are user reviews available for many of the products.
@evegrimm got it at a local organic grocery but you can probably get it at Whole Foods or something.
one of the shampoos i use is Avalon Organics. they have a nice lavender shampoo that is organic and smells really like pure lavender. i got it at costco but it’s at whole foods, also.
also at whole foods is their store brand, “365,” and it’s like 32 ounces for about $4. it’s also a lavender blend, i don’t think it’s organic but whole foods has pretty good store brand stuff.
i can’t imagine not using shampoo. like someone said earlier, there’s natural and then there’s cavewoman. where i live, if i didn’t use conditioner, my hair would feel like straw. i also like coming out of a shower and smelling like i just took a shower, not smelling like nothing.
Are you blonde?! I asked because it’s not written anywhere. If you are bleaching your hair I have heard that if you wash your hair with tomato ketchup it will take the green out of it. You should avoid tap water because of the chemicals in it and use a shampoo specifically for your colour; go to your salon and see what they can provide.
@Webzilla i believe she wants to “go green” in her hair care regimen, not deal with green hair.
@syz, thank you…I thought I clarified that a bit earlier in the thread.
@jca, did you have a good experience with Whole Foods house brand shampoo? (There’s a WF about ½ a mile up the street and if you liked them, well, I’m going for a walk! :D)
I, too, thought you must have green-colored hair, but I thought you did it on purpose and wanted to know how to keep it bright.
You could try making your own shampoo (and conditioner if you ever decide to use it. Here is a recipe:
You need:
1 empty bottle
3 cups of soap flakes (which you can get almost anywhere)
Water
Essential Oil of Lavender
Essential Oil of Rosemary
Directions:
Mix the soap flakes with the water and then add 4 drops of each oil.
For conditioner, the ingredients are probably already in your house.
You need:
1 empty bottle
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of baby oil
Water
Directions:
Mix the above ingredients together and you’re good to go!
Then this site discusses how green you might want your shampoo to be, with comments on what points different people look for.
My sister, who is a Buddhist and a vegetarian, has used Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint Soap for years.
@evegrimm : take a walk!! it’s good quality, like i said the price is right, and the smell is nice lavender. the ingredients are right, too. hey, if for some reason you don’t like it it’s only $4 you spent. it makes my hair look good, too.
I, too, am trying to green-up my beauty routine, starting with my hair.
I’ve tried making my own shampoo, using a similar recipe to Darwin, only with castille soap instead of normal soap flakes.
Also, L’Oreal has a great EverPure shampoo without sulfates. You can find it at most drug or grocery stores, and it has different kinds to suit your hair.
If it’s not to your liking, Aveda is definitely a good choice, as most of their proceeds go towards environmental protection or fair wages for workers in third world countries. Their products have plant-based sulfates that won’t strip your hair and ingredients derived from flowers and grasses. I use the Aveda Smooth Infusion. You can find them online if there’s not an Aveda retailer near you, but they run pretty steep as far as price goes.
@evegrimm My husband works at an organic herb company. They are quite knowledgeable about these things. You can give them a call and ask them this question and they might have a good answer for you. I know they do sell shampoo so you can always order it over the phone if you like what they say. (BTW me or hubby get nothing from promoting his place of work, we just really think they are good at what they do). They take calls and orders from all over so it doesn’t matter where you live.
Mountain Rose Herbs
GREEN HAIR REMEDY THAT WORKS
When I was on a swim team,
swimming in a chlorinated pool every day,
my blonde hair turned GREEN !!!
My Coach, who had been an Olympian,
advised me to treat my hair the following way,
AND IT WORKED AND GOT ALL THE GREEN OUT !!!
Take several ASPIRINS,{ at least six },
and dissolve them in quarter cup of warm water.
Work this solution into dry, but clean hair.
Leave solution on for a good half hour or more.
Wash hair with a white or clear colored shampoo and
condition with a white or clear colored conditioner.
Pantene puts out a shampoo for WHITE or GRAY hair that
claims to clean away residues.
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