Natural/Organic Shampoos=Hard Hair?

africa

africa

Member
Hey ladies,

So I have been staying away from sulfate poos for over 2 years now (except after getting a relaxer because of the neutralizer) and have only been using natural/organic shampoos.

They ALWAYS make my hair hard!!! My hair feels stuck together and like a brillo pad afterwards. I always rush to slap on some conditioner after I wash and do not even manipulate it. I've been thinking that it was okay because at least I wasn't using any sulfates. Now I am starting to wonder... It must be doing some kind of damage for my hair to be feeling like that. It's almost like its' drying out my already dry hair more. Maybe I should go back to sulfates because none of them ever made my hair feel like that.

Has anyone else had this experience or have any thoughts about this?

I have tried Aubrey's products, Jason Naturals, & Avalon and a few other brands I can't remember...all with the same effect.

thanks,
Africa
 
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Yes, I've also experienced this, but since transitioning I'm starting to realize that my natural hair is "ok" with the natural poo, but my relaxed ends hate it. The only one that seems to work "ok" is Jason's Sea Kelp poo, but it's still "some-timey".

My hair REALLY likes natural conditioners, but the poos are still trial and error for me. I've pretty much given up on the quest for the finding the perfect natural poo, at least until I eventually cut off my relaxed ends. :ohwell:

When I don't feel like dealing with the natural poos, I'll use just a dab of regular poo and dilute it with water in a bottle.
 
ugh they're horrible!

Giovanni 50:50 shampoo sucks... i tried it, planning to switch to organic shampoos and I went right back to Nexxus. it was awful!!

I do love the natural conditioners though, very detangling
 
Kitcian_tician: I might try using sulfate poos diluted and see how that works. My hair loves natural conditioners too, but their poos make my new growth feel hard too.

Anky & Carlita: I'm glad that I don't have mutant hair that is the only type not to like these natural poos. Does Dr. Bonner make other poos/cleansers besides castile soap that you use?

Does anyone know why natural poos can have this effect for some people?
 
Hi Africa,

Have you tried Elucence Moisture balance shampoo? It's not 100% natural, but it's pretty close. The sulfates are mild and very low on the list of ingredients. (And it's sodium myreth sulfate from coconut oil and olefin sulfate from minerals.)

I've tried just about every natural shampoo out there, and they leave my hair hard, too. The only one that is 100% natural that doesn't is Jason Sea Kelp. (Elucence leaves my hair silky after my shampoo; this does not, but it's not as bad as the others.)

Also, how often do you clarify?

A
 
I use Giovanni Magnetic Shampoo with really good success.

I also only wash once, some people do twice, but since I use very few oils in my hair once works just fine for me.

-A
 
I had the same problem I went out and bought these expensive Natural/Organic hair products only to find that they didn't work for me, I always hear that they are better for your hair etc. But I never had a problem with hair growth or breakage maybe shedding, and I still had that when I used these natural/organic brands.

But I came to learn that if it ain't broke don't fix it, because I know that I can't use what everyone else does and what works on mine might not work on another.Just like Shea Butter, Alot of Naturals swore by Unrefined Shea Butter, I purchased a huge container of it, But my natural hair did not respond to it at all, it did not keep my hair soft and it seemed a little greasy to me. But I tried EQ Mango Butter and my hair is soft and not greasy.

But I guess it depends on the person and their hair as tro what kind of affect it will have.
 
Hi Aileen, I haven't tried Elucence shampoo but I love their conditioner. I don't clarify very often...usually once a month or once every two months. When my hair is in braids (usually 1/2 of the year), I never clarify. When I do clarify I use Avalon's Lemon Clarifying Shampoo which will now stop!!! I also use VO5 Kiwi Lime Clarifying Conditioner every now and then. I'm considering using stronger clarifying conditioners to wash/clarify my hair now...if they're out there. Any suggestions?

NappyParadise, I agree with the if it ain't broke don't fix it. When I started with the no sulfates I didn't know what was broke...I just wanted my hair to be better and was just trying things people said was good for the hair. But this natural/organic poo stuff is definitely broke and is not working for me. I know that now.

I've been looking at the board and see so many ladies with long, healthy hair that do use sulfate or mild sulfate poos. So why should I hold onto this natural stuff just because they're supposedly better. I feel like tossing them out right now.
 
Hi Africa, and welcome to LHCF!

I have tried a couple different brands of natural shampoos, and find that my hair feels a little stripped when I use them, so I try to always follow them up with a moisturizing deep conditioner. Another option is to add a little oil to the shampoo just before applying it.
 
aileenadq said:
Hi Africa,

Have you tried Elucence Moisture balance shampoo? It's not 100% natural, but it's pretty close. The sulfates are mild and very low on the list of ingredients. (And it's sodium myreth sulfate from coconut oil and olefin sulfate from minerals.)
Click to expand...

I swear this is the best shampoo I've ever used.
 
AO made my hair hard. Currently I'm rotating Giovanni Magnetic and Jason Shaman shampoo. The giovanni triple treat wasnt bad either. The 50/50 didnt really do anything overly great for my hair. If you have waxes, silicones or build up on your hair,it can make a difference, so you may need to clarify also.
 
I've tried the Giovanni Triple Tea Treat Shampoo with great success. That's the only organic shampoo that has consistently softened my hair.
 
So it looks like the Giovanni triple treat is doing some good for people. I'm really disappointed in Aubrey Organics. I thought they would be the bomb and healthy for my hair because of their anti-synthetic articles and great conditioners.

Balisi, Thanks for the warm welcome...I might try adding oils to the ones I have left so I don't end up wasting the shampoo I have.

I'm thinking of ordering Elucence now and giving the triple treat a shot. I see how one can become a product junkie now.

Sigh...:ohwell: Choices, choices. I guess that's part of being a newbie...finding what works for your hair. Hopefully I don't damage the hair I have in the process of finding what works.

Does anyone know of good clarifying conditioners??:Blush2:
 
If you go to places like whole foods you can find many of the shampoos and conditioners in sample sizes. I know I hated spending all that money on AO just to get hard hair. I relegated them to body washes and shampoos for my combs/brushes/makeup brushes.
 
i tried giovanni 50/50 and i returned it the next day!! it dried out my hair and made it hard. ive been using burts bees baby bees shampoo bar for about 6 months now.
 
My hair doesn't like the natural shampoos. They feel weird in my hair. The Jason's rosewater conditioner worked really nice the other day in my hair.
 
This is a great post because so many natural shampoos are hit or miss. I feel like i have tried all of them with little success.

Aubrey Organics - 2/10
Burts Bee Rosemary Shampoo Bar - 5/10
AO Aloe Essence Shampoo - 3/10
Gary Nulls Heavenly Shampoo - 6/10
JASON Sea Kelp - not sure yet

I just decided to go with an Aveda shampoo and call it a day :ohwell: .
 
I experience the same thing too.

But now that have about 2" of new growth, when I wash, I realized that the relaxed portion responds very differently to the natural shampoos than the natural portion. The relaxed hair gets hard and stiff and the natural hair just "brushes it off" and stays soft:lachen:.

But in any case, the stiffness doesn't last long because once I put the conditioner in (usually Aubrey's Organic) and leave it in for a few minutes, the relaxed AND natual hair gets really silky and easy to comb through.

Edited to add: I only use diluted shampoo on my hair. I have been doing this for about two years now after learning about it on the Crown and Glory website.
 
mzjones said:
I experience the same thing too.

Edited to add: I only use diluted shampoo on my hair. I have been doing this for about two years now after learning about it on the Crown and Glory website.
Click to expand...

I second that. I've found that when I go for the lather by adding more shampoo in after the first squirt or do a second wash the shampoo leaves my hair a bit dry. But when I dilute it, there's no problem.
 
africa said:
Hey ladies,

So I have been staying away from sulfate poos for over 2 years now (except after getting a relaxer because of the neutralizer) and have only been using natural/organic shampoos.

They ALWAYS make my hair hard!!! My hair feels stuck together and like a brillo pad afterwards. I always rush to slap on some conditioner after I wash and do not even manipulate it. I've been thinking that it was okay because at least I wasn't using any sulfates. Now I am starting to wonder... It must be doing some kind of damage for my hair to be feeling like that. It's almost like its' drying out my already dry hair more. Maybe I should go back to sulfates because none of them ever made my hair feel like that.

Has anyone else had this experience or have any thoughts about this?

I have tried Aubrey's products, Jason Naturals, & Avalon and a few other brands I can't remember...all with the same effect.

thanks,
Africa
Click to expand...

Yes, Yes and Yes. I've tried a number of them and they all make my hair feel like straw. I used to do an oil treatment beforehand but now I've found a great shampoo from the Body Shop (Honey Moisturizing) it doesn't contain SLS and it doesn't strip.
 
JASON All Natural Biotin Shampoo works well on my hair---does not make it hard at all. I just ordered JASON Sea Kelp Shampoo and I am hoping that it will work just as well as the JASON Biotin.
 
I just used nature's gate shampoo a few hours ago and it dried my hair out horribly. It felt like a used a strong clarifying shampoo.
 
taraglam2 said:
JASON All Natural Biotin Shampoo works well on my hair---does not make it hard at all. I just ordered JASON Sea Kelp Shampoo and I am hoping that it will work just as well as the JASON Biotin.
Click to expand...

Co-sign. Jason's Biotin has done really well on my hair and Sea Kelp has too. I agree that AO poos are HORRIBLE, and Giovanni's are iffy, but Jason's poos have done me right thus far.
 
It seems like a lot of people have trouble with these shampoos. Ekomba, thanks for bumping up the thread. It seems like it's been helpful for a lot of people.

I tried Elucence Moisturizing Shampoo and it makes my hair feel a lot better...Clean and Soft---not hard! It's still feels weird for me since I've been with the natural ones for so long. Somehow I feel like I am hurting my hair even though its' not quite the case. I have also started using Creame of Nature and a clarifying conditioner by Avalon. I'm trying to see what fits best with my regime. So far, so good with these products.:wacky:
 
africa said:
Hey ladies,

So I have been staying away from sulfate poos for over 2 years now (except after getting a relaxer because of the neutralizer) and have only been using natural/organic shampoos.

They ALWAYS make my hair hard!!! My hair feels stuck together and like a brillo pad afterwards. I always rush to slap on some conditioner after I wash and do not even manipulate it. I've been thinking that it was okay because at least I wasn't using any sulfates. Now I am starting to wonder... It must be doing some kind of damage for my hair to be feeling like that. It's almost like its' drying out my already dry hair more. Maybe I should go back to sulfates because none of them ever made my hair feel like that.

Has anyone else had this experience or have any thoughts about this?

I have tried Aubrey's products, Jason Naturals, & Avalon and a few other brands I can't remember...all with the same effect.

thanks,
Africa
Click to expand...

Hi Africa,
the reason these shampoos make your hair hard is because your hair is being detoxed of the chemicals found in regular shampoos. This first hurdle is always the worst and most people give up, but it is worth sticking it out. When your hair becomes accustomed to the shampoo after about 6wks you notice the difference and they really start to work wonders.

MeechUK
 
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