By Heather Nicholds
In my last post I went over some natural hair and skin care basics. Now I want to share with you what specifically I do to keep my hair, skin and teeth healthy, clean and glowing.
Well, hopefully my teeth don’t glow too much. At least not without a blue light shining on them.
Before I do that, I just want to emphasize again how important a healthy eating plan is to the health of your hair, skin, teeth and nails. You can do everything right on the outside, but if you don’t have good nutrition on the inside it will show. (Click back to the last post for more info on that.)
Hair
Au Naturel
Phil stopped using shampoo a few years ago now. Our hair really is designed to clean itself. The oils it produces at your scalp are meant to work their way down your hair, cleaning and protecting the strands.
Baking soda and apple cider vinegar
I liked this idea, and it worked for me for a while but eventually left my hair really dry and starting to fall out. I asked a local natural soap maker, and she said that it was probably just too harsh for my hair. So try this method, but be careful!
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Almond or Coconut Oil
A naturopath recommended almond oil to me to use on my hair, and I’ve also heard of coconut oil being used. I found coconut oil way to greasy, even if I just used a little tiny bit on the ends of my hair. Again, these might work for you, but my hair is apparently really picky.
Shampoo and Conditioner
There are getting to be more and more small soap makers – check out your area to see if you can find one. They tend to use natural non-toxic ingredients. Lots of them are jumping on the idea of shampoo bars.
For a brand with a more widespread distribution network, I like the ingredients (and lack of certain harmful ones) in Aubrey Organics’ products. I haven’t actually tried them myself, but they seem to be really successful so I’m sure their performance is pretty good.
Another chain I like is Lush. You have to pick the products marked ‘vegan’ to keep it animal-free, and they do use some SLS and parabens. They’re particularly strong on the low packaging front, and sell tins that perfectly fit their solid products.
Skin
The best way to keep your skin clean while maintaining its natural oils and friendly bacteria is to rinse off with water and scrub with a loofah or something similar to exfoliate. (Exfoliate = rub off dead skin cells and any dirt lingering in your pores.)
When you do use soap (because sometimes you need to, if you’ve been cleaning the grease out of your bike chain or been sneezed on), use one that’s based on ‘saponified’ natural oils. That means that an oil has been reacted with a base to form soap. It could be listed as saponified coconut oil, or sodium cocoate (as an example).
If you don’t use harsh soaps, your need for moisturizer should go down. When I need some (after shaving, and through the winter), my all-time favorite is coconut oil. Just the same organic extra-virgin coconut oil I use in my healthy vegan recipes. I use it on legs, arms and a tiny bit on my face.
Toothpaste
I’m not going to get into fluoride, which is hotly debated, because I’m not a dentist and I haven’t looked too in depth into the research on it. What I have looked at has led me to choose toothpastes with no fluoride, but I leave that choice to you.
The toothpaste I use is a brand called Green Beaver, which is produced in Canada and is toxin- and fluoride-free. Another brand I like is Tom’s of Maine, but check the ingredients because they make toothpastes with and without SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate, a toxin), and with and without fluoride. What are your choices for natural hair and skin care products? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
