Natural Hair Care

I recently noticed my very first white hair, sticking straight up out of the top of my head. The. Top. It was oblivious to the texture and typical growing pattern of the rest of my hair. I mean it was sticking straight up. I panicked, plucked out the hair and immediately scheduled an appointment with my stylist to get my hair colored. After a few rounds of chemical processing (not to mention several hefty bills and the purchase of some if-y products to maintain the color), my hair was falling out and breaking. My hair is very fine and thin, so this was a disaster. It left me examining my initial reaction to that rebellious white hair. I mean, it was kind of awesome and I think grey hair and natural aging in general is beautiful. What was I so worried about? I decided to embrace my age and the changes in my hair. However, I had already paid good money to have it professionally damaged and was now facing the consequences.

No Poo

Always on the lookout for clean and natural remedies, I came across the idea of “medieval hair care”. Basically, stop shampooing it. Yes, I’m serious. The idea is that if instead of washing your natural hair oils (sebum) out, you can redistribute said sebum down the hair shaft, naturally conditioning and protecting your hair. As I mentioned, my hair is very fine and if it is oily, it shows. Though I had some doubts (smell, appearance and overall cleanliness primarily), something about this idea struck me as compelling. Our bodies produce protective oils for a reason and if we wash them away too often, our bodies will respond by overproducing these oils.

I decided to give it a go and the results have been phenomenal. My hair recovered from the chemical treatments like a champ, it stopped falling out, I now have hardly any breakage, and the greying has stopped. I’ll share my new and improved hair care routine as well as some suggestions for adapting it to different hair types. It’s more economical, more gentle and more natural. I feel completely confident that the products I’m using on my head are beneficial to the rest of my body and contribute to my overall health. My hair is happy.

What to Ditch

I’ll begin with what I stopped using and why. Namely, shampoo and conditioner, heat styling, hair dye, chemical styling products and my plastic brush. I love a great haircut, and will definitely get my hair professionally cut again at some point. For now, I’m curious as to how this approach to haircare will affect growth so I’m holding off. I do fully intend to give up hair dye for good and to embrace what nature gifted me. I already touched on the downside to using shampoo and conditioner, mainly throwing off the balance of protective hair sebum. I do cleanse my hair regularly and will get into that next.

As far as chemicals for the hair and skin go, THROW THEM AWAY! If the ingredient list is a whole paragraph long, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, seriously, throw it out. Our skin is porous, it absorbs what we put on it. Using chemical beauty products puts extra demands on the detoxification systems in our bodies and can cause a whole slew of problems. If you take one thing away from this, stop using dangerous chemicals on your skin and hair (it wouldn’t hurt to stop eating them as well)! If you don’t want to dive fully in, there are many clean beauty products available and apps to help you choose wisely. The Think Dirty app is great.

Brushing & Dry Shampoo

So, how do I keep my hair clean? First, let’s talk about brushing. Clean your hair like a cat. Only use a brush instead of your tongue. This is one of the biggest changes in my haircare routine and the benefits have been substantial. To protect hair from breakage, there are a few things to consider. First, don’t brush your hair when it is wet. It’s weaker overall when it’s wet and it is more difficult to feel the breakage as it’s happening. Secondly, detangle gradually. Start with your fingers to gently pull tangles apart. Then use a wide tooth comb and gradually move to finer and finer toothed combs. I use 3 wooden combs (one is double sided). It is important to use wooden combs and brushes. Wood can pick up oils from the scalp and effectively move them down the hair shaft. Plastic does not do this. When I’ve removed all the tangles, I brush with a boar’s hair brush. Boar’s hair brushing is great for removing excess oils and debris while stimulating lymph. If your hair is very thick, curly or dry, proper brushing alone may be enough to keep your hair looking clean between weekly or biweekly cleansing. You may even want to add a few drops of jojoba or argan oil to the ends of your hair when you brush. Jojoba oil is light and very similar to our natural hair sebum. If your hair is fine or oily (like mine!) I recommend adding dry shampooing to your routine. There are many products on the market that I’m sure work great. I personally make my own because it is so very easy. I use arrowroot powder and cacao (to darken it). That’s it! If your hair is light, just arrowroot powder will do the trick. I like to use a barber’s brush to apply. Another good option is to use a powder spray bottle.

Cleansing & Conditioning

In addition to daily brushing and dry shampooing as needed, I cleanse my hair in the shower every couple of weeks. When I first began this routine, I cleansed every week. After about 2 months, my scalp started to better regulate oil production, and I was able to go longer between cleansing (about every 2 weeks). I have two different methods for cleansing my hair and I alternate between the two. The first is aloe vera. I use the cleanest aloe vera gel I can find and completely saturate my hair and scalp with it at night. I wait for it to dry, wrap my head with a silk scarf and sleep with the aloe in. In the morning, I rinse it out in the shower. This method is just perfect for my hair type. The aloe both cleanses and conditions, leaving my hair super clean and soft. You could also apply the aloe in the shower like a conditioner, let it sit for a few minutes and rinse it out. I’ll do this in a pinch, although I notice it works much better if I leave it overnight.

The second method for cleansing is using clay and apple cider vinegar. I usually do an overnight oil treatment the night before I wash with clay and vinegar. This is the deep conditioning treatment. The type of oil and amount you use will depend on your hair type. It took me several tries to hit on the right blend for my hair, but what works best for me is a blend of jojoba oil, argan oil, castor oil, aloe vera and rosemary and tea tree essential oils. Each of these oils has its own benefits and the amount of each will depend on your hair. Castor oil and rosemary essential oil are great for stimulating hair growth. With any essential oil, dilute, dilute, dilute! A few drops go a long way! Castor oil has a huge range of health benefits and can be used in many ways. It is especially great for hair! This is a very viscous oil, so if you have fine hair, it is HARD to get it out. For this reason, I only use a small amount of castor oil in my blend (1/2 teaspoon or so). Dry or curly hair on the other hand, will just soak it up so you can be more liberal with your usage. Jojoba and argan oils are great choices for all hair types due to their similarity to natural hair sebum. I use about twice as much jojoba and argan as castor oil (about 1 teaspoon). Tea tree and lavender essential oils are good options if you are prone to dandruff or an itchy scalp. You only need a drop. I dilute the oil mixture with about 3 teaspoons of aloe vera. This is a great way to modify the mixture for fine or oily hair while still receiving the benefits of the oils. If your hair loves oil, you don’t need to add aloe at all. When I’ve saturated my hair and scalp with my oil mixture, I wrap my hair in a silk scarf and leave it in overnight.

After your oil treatment, you’ll need to wash out the excess oil. I make a watery clay mixture with ¼ cup of clay and ¾ cup of water. I place the mixture in a squirt bottle to apply to my hair and scalp in the shower. Because my hair tends to be oily and I alternate this method with aloe cleansing, I use bentonite clay, which is quite astringent. If you prefer to stick to the clay cleansing method only or your hair tends to be dry, I recommend using rhassoul clay instead. This method works best if you wait several minutes after application to rinse it out. I usually do this process twice. After rinsing the second round of clay mixture out, I apply about ½ ounce of apple cider vinegar diluted in 4 oz of water and rinse it out. Even my fine hair does well with the application of a few drops of jojoba oil to the ends of the wet hair after the treatment. If your hair is dry, thick or very long, you can use up to a teaspoon. If I’ve overdone the castor oil and my hair still looks a little oily after the clay cleansing, a little dry shampoo takes care of it. I also keep emergency bottles of a clean shampoo and conditioner. There are times when they're called for. Especially if you have kids. I work out regularly so if I get sweaty in between washes, I just rinse my hair out in the shower. Just water does wonders!

Herbs for Topical Use

You may want to utilize herbs in your hair care routine more often than you want to do your oil treatments. This could be as simple as adding a few drops of essential oil to your jojoba or argan oil when you’re brushing. My hair does better if I don’t add a lot of oil, but I still want the benefits of using herbs. What I’ve found works best for me is hydrosol or an herbal infusion. Hydrosols are made by extracting medicinal oils from plants by steam distillation. It is the same process used to extract essential oils, but essential oils are separated from the distilled water. In a hydrosol, the essential oils are left suspended in distilled water. I’ve created a hydrosol specifically for hair care with my organically home-grown lavender, rosemary and chocolate mint. You simply spray it on your hair and leave it in. It smells great and leaves no oily residue. Another great option is to make an infusion for topical use. I like to use 1/2 oz of sage and 1/2 oz of rosemary to a quart of boiling water. Pour the water over the herbs, cover and steep for 4-8 hours. Strain the herbs and use the infusion as a spritz when you're done brushing or as a rinse in the shower.

Supplements

I would be remiss to discuss natural hair care without addressing some common deficiencies which can lead to hair issues in the first place. If we are unhealthy in general, this will show up in our appearance. So as with most things, proper hydration, a nutritive diet, self-care and stress reduction are key. There are a few supplements I recommend that can address hair health and be a great addition to any hair care routine. One is vitamin D. There are many factors that contribute to the production and assimilation of vitamin D. Your doctor or naturopath can test your vitamin D levels and make supplement recommendations as needed. We need sunshine! Make sure you spend at least 20 minutes outside every day.

I also recommend periodic mineral loading. I like to use comfrey, horsetail, diatomaceous earth and MSM. I make a point to limit the number of supplements I take in pill form. Taste buds provide information to the rest of the body as to what to do with the substance that was just ingested. By taking a pill, this important step is skipped, and the supplement is less effective. I use loose comfrey and horsetail and slowly extract these herbs with spring water. I make a big batch with about an ounce of each herb and ½ gallon of water. I simmer the herbs at a very low temperature for about 40 minutes, then strain. I store it in the refrigerator and drink about 4 ounces of the decoction once or twice a day. I add in food-grade diatomaceous earth powder and organic MSM crystals with each dose. Diatomaceous earth is anti-parasitic, so you’ll need to start slowly with this one. I started with ½ teaspoon in water and gradually worked up to about a tablespoon. If there are parasites living in your body, you may experience a period of “die off” when you start taking this supplement. This could manifest as changes in your bowel movements, headaches, muscle aches, sleep disturbances or lethargy. It is temporary and you want those buggers out of your body so stick with it if you experience any of these symptoms.

I mentioned that I do this periodically. Take breaks from your supplements! Everybody is different and I highly recommend listening to your body’s signals. This could mean 2 weeks on and 3 weeks off. It could mean a month on and a month off. It could mean 5 days on and 2 days off. If you are experiencing die-off, you may initially want to start with 4 months on and 2 months off. This will absolutely depend on your body and what works best for you! I like to continue the MSM when I take breaks from the other supplements because it does wonders for systemic inflammation. However, I still take at least one day off a week. Our bodies are magnificent, and we probably don’t need to be taking handfuls of supplements on a regular basis. I think of supplementation as an opportunity to give my body some extra support as needed.

Stinging Nettle

I am a big fan of drinking an infusion of nettle leaf on a regular basis. This is not specifically for hair, though it is so rich in minerals that it will certainly provide a benefit. To make an infusion, use 1 oz of nettle leaf to 1 quart of boiling water and steep for 4-8 hours. Strain out the herb and drink 1/2 - 1 cup a day. I think of this one more as a food than as a supplement so I only take breaks if I accidently run out. I recommend this particular infusion for all sorts of issues, including seasonal allergies and bone loss. I can't stress enough what a wonderful addition this is to any health routine.

Styling

The final topic I’d like to touch on is styling. As I mentioned, I’ve completely cut out heat styling, which has been an adjustment, but I think it is well worth it. In general, hair will be healthier and grow faster if it is worn back. There are so many cute and fun updo’s I encourage you to experiment with. Wearing hair back helps to protect it from environmental toxins and snags and your hair will thank you for it! If you want to show off your luscious locks, with a little planning, you can achieve the look you’re after without using heat. Many of us have hair that will obey the shape we give it when wet and we can use this to our advantage. I like to curl my hair, so to do this, I start the night before. I go through my brushing and dry shampooing routine when my hair is dry. I then wet it with my hydrosol or herbal infusion (plain ol’ water works too, just spray it on rather than wetting it in the shower) and then I wrap it around my robe tie and let it dry. In the morning, it looks lovely. I’ve noticed several products on the market for creating heatless curls as well. If I do decide at some point to switch up my color, henna is a natural dye that nourishes and protects the hair rather than damaging it, so I plan on going that route. I hope this is helpful and I wish you good luck on your journey to healthy, happy and beautiful hair! Cheers!