Do you think natural hair care products is all hype?

[nerdography]

I use what works on my hair, which is usually conventional products. Leave ins are the only natural product I use because they work best on my hair.

 

[Blessed&higlyflavoured]

I agree with DoDo

Some of the natural remedies are superior such as coconut oil as a pre poo for dyed and damaged hair.
But when it comes to heat and proteins I want High end stuff to protect my hair. I think once I grow out my damage I could possibly start using completely natural products but I find they're either too harsh ( the shampoos) or not strong enough ( the deep conditioner).

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

I use them because they work on my hair. It's really that simple.

 

[NaiyaAi]

My hair doesn't like 100% natural products (and neither does my wallet), but it's really picky with most conventional products too. The best thing that ever worked on my hair was mixing my own products using both natural and manmade ingredients that I knew for sure my hair was going to like.

 

[Healthb4Length]

My hair likes variety and I am a mini PJ so it works out for me. I'd love to buy natural products 90% of the time but sometimes I can't bring myself to pay $20 for an 8oz leave-in, that's were the cheapie products come in handy. Eventually some beautiful, thick haired naturals will claim some natural products to be HG status and I cave...

Some natural products are Worth it though---Aubrey Organics and a slew of natural vendors creating some awesome stuff that don't cause rashes on my schizo skin and scalp. Everyone is different though, some chicks can have unicornical lengths using .99 cents shampoo and conditioners.

 

[HeavenlySkies]

Nothing works for my hair so it's pretty much all the same to me. I jumped on the no sulfates mineral oil thing and can't say my hair has done any better without them. Pretty soon I'm gonna stop looking at labels.

 

[Lymegreen]

I used salon products for years and my hair struggled. Switched to natural and my hair made a complete turnaround.

I'm relaxed as well and prefer natural hair care products.

 

[sparkle25]

It is hype - but it is useful hype.

Most bss mnoisturizers are laughable on natural hair. "Natural remedies" such as coconut oil and shea butter have been shown through scientific study to have superior qualites to what we often fnd on shelves at the bss- petroleum, lanolin, and mineral oil.

Avocado oil penetrates hair - the amount of it available in most commercial brands is negligible.

Coconut oil penetrates hair, protects against protein loss, replenishes the lipid barrier, and prevents hygral fatigue in hair - again in order to reap these benefits you are better off buying straight coconut oil and leaving it in your hair overnight before a cleanse to reap the full benefits.

Olive oil also penetrates the hair and shea butter is superior to petroleum when it comes to transepidermal water loss in the skin.

Natural ingredients especially when used to retain moisture have gained legitimacy in the scientific community and in many ways can be superior to refined ingredients.

The issue comes in when we are looking at coating and restructuring agents. Retaining moisture is one side of the coin when it comes to hair care it keeps hair pliable. However when you want strength, an easy combing session, and heat protection; that is where hydrolyzed proteins and silicone come in. That is where high end silicone conditioners come in.

That is where the labs and white coats unfortunately make their appearance; and when I want results in this area (strength and protection rather than moisture) I turn to high end salon brand conditioners.

You can never really get away with cheap unless you want very specific and very easily rendered results like 'slip' (such as in aussie moist) or you are purchasing basic natural ingredients for moisture retention (such as shea butter or coconut oil).

Very useful post. I don't understand what you mean about the high end salon brands for protein and conditioners. Are you saying that you don't believe the natural products work well for protein treatments and detanglers? I'm not challenging you, I find your post very interesting and just want to understand what you mean. Also isn't it said that silicones actually block out moisture? So basically anything that you put on your hair after putting cones on will not penetrate the hair? That's what I thought cones did but I could be wrong.