Spiritual Cookie » Body Care

Organic & Natural Hair Products: Best Natural Shampoos?

SpiritualCookie — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 20:18:59 +0000

I recently researched the best natural soaps and body washes I could find, and am now having a look at organic, natural hair products, namely I’m on the lookout for the best natural shampoo out there: a product that only contains healthy, clean, natural ingredients, that is going to be both good for making your hair look clean, shiny and beautiful, AND is health-conscious and safe for your body.

So without further ado, here are some of the products I’ve shortlisted as some of the better natural shampoos out there, starting from my favourites. As always these is not an exhaustive list since I am sure there are more products out there in the world than I have discovered. If you know of any other great brands, please do share your discoveries in the comments section below

- – -

Miessence shampoos

When I was searching for natural soaps, I discovered the brand Miessence who produce some beautifully clean products that also are really well-received. The downside is that they’re a bit expensive but.. if there’s one thing I’m happy to splash out on, it’s making sure health and safety are optimized. They have 2 main shampoos at the moment:

✿ Miessence: Lemon Myrtle Shampoo (Normal to Oily Hair)
Ingredients: aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice (certified organic) coco glucoside glucoside (= a natural, mild, gentle surfactant and cleansing agent derived from coconut oil and fruit sugar. It has a low irritation score and is safe). d-panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) fruit extract Xanthan Gum (Non-GMO) backhousia citriadora (lemon myrtle) essential oil (certified organic) citric acid (= helps shelf stability. Found in citric fruits and juices, and sometimes derived from corn. Considered safe when used in small concentrations, as it is in most products.) equisetum arvense (horsetail) extract (certified organic) urtica dioica (nettle) extract (certified organic) arctium lappa (burdock) extract (certified organic) rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract (certified organic) salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract (certified organic)
Scent:	Lemon / citrus scent
Extra Notes:	Great, safe ingredients
	The few reviews I’ve read online have been positive saying it does a good job of achieving squeaky clean, non-greasy, healthy, shiny hair, it has a good creamy lather.
	Possible Cons: - Texture is a little watery so runs out of palm sometimes - Harder to spread so you may need more of it so it runs out quicker – expensive - Doesn’t foam up as much as conventional SLS shampoos, but does foam up more on a second pass wash - Expensive
Price:	USD: $24.95for 250ml GBP: £20-15 for 250mlAustralian dollars: $25.65
Places for purchasing:	Miessence website – http://www.miessence.com/shop/en/product/12102/lemon-myrtle-shampoo
	Beautifully Organic (UK) -

- – -

✿ Miessence: Desert Flower Shampoo (Normal to Dry Hair)
Ingredients: aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice (certified organic) coco glucoside glucoside (= a natural, mild, gentle surfactant and cleansing agent derived from coconut oil and fruit sugar. It has a low irritation score and is safe). yucca schidigera extract d-panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) Xanthan Gum (Non-GMO) citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) fruit extract helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil (certified organic) citrus aurantifolia (lime) essential oil (certified organic) citric acid acid (= helps shelf stability. Found in citric fruits and juices, and sometimes derived from corn. Considered safe when used in small concentrations, as it is in most products.) persea gratissima (avocado) fruit oil (certified organic) equisetum arvense (horsetail) extract (certified organic) urtica dioica (nettle) extract (certified organic) arctium lappa (burdock) extract (certified organic) rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract (certified organic) salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract (certified organic)
Scent:	Gentle, soft, hard to define
Extra Notes:	Great, safe ingredients
	The few reviews I’ve read online have been positive saying it is non-irritating, and does a good job of achieving squeaky clean, non-greasy, healthy, super-shiny, volumized, silky hair, it has a good creamy lather (especially on the second pass).
	Possible Cons: - Texture is a little watery so runs out of palm sometimes - Harder to spread so you may need more of it so it runs out quicker – expensive - Doesn’t foam up as much as conventional SLS shampoos, but does foam up more on a second pass wash - Expensive
Price:	USD: $25 for 250ml GBP: £20-15 for 250ml
Places for purchasing:	Miessence website – http://www.miessence.com/shop/en/product/12101/desert-flower-shampoo
	Beautifully Organic (UK)
	There Must Be a Better Way website (UK)

- – -

Aubrey Organics:

This company has a range of shampoos with good ingredients. Reviews can be somewhat mixed in how well they clean the hair, whilst being skewed towards the positive end of the scale. The reviews are not quite as raving as for Miessence from what I’ve seen from a quick look online, but I thought these products are still worth a mention since some people do like them a lot, so here’s the breakdown of one of the more popular Aubrey Organics shampoos:

✿ Aubrey Organics: Biotin Repair Shampoo
Ingredients: Aqua, Decyl Glucoside (From Coconut / Corn Sugar; considered to be safe for use), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (considered to be safe) Glycerin, Glucose, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Extract, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil, Citric Acid, (= helps shelf stability. Found in citric fruits and juices, and sometimes derived from corn. Considered safe when used in small concentrations, as it is in most products.) Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Hydrolyzed Sweet Almond Protein, Glucose Oxidase (=natural preservative; considered safe) Lactoperoxidase, (=natural preservative; considered safe) Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Panthenol, Inositol, Biotin, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Arctium Lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Straw Extract, Polygonum Multiflorum (He Shou Wu) Root Extract, Equisetum Hyemale (Horsetail) Extract, Saponaria Officinalis (Soapwort) Extract, Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract.
Scent:	Gentle, soft, hard to define – perhaps a little orangey
Extra Notes:	Great, safe ingredients
	The few reviews I’ve read online have been generally positive (average 4/5) saying: - It has a nice very light fragrance, smelling earthy and clean, a little orangey - Gives hair volume
	Possible Cons: - Doesn’t lather as much as conventional SLS shampoos - In reviews some people didn’t like how it cleaned their hair – there are mixed reports, some finding it worked well and others saying it left hair oily, greasy, sticky and heavy
Price:	USD: $9.98 for 11 fl oz GBP: £12.44 for 325ml
Places for purchasing:	Amazon.com (link contains my referral code)
	Amazon.co.uk (link contains my referral code)

- – -

Just Natural Hair Care shampoos:

There’s a wide range of shampoos available for different hair types. The reviews on Amazon.com seem to average around 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5; so not as wholy positive as Miessence but about the same as Aubrey Organics. Here’s a look at some of their shampoos:

✿ Just Natural Normal Hair Shampoo
Ingredients: Aloe Vera Hydrosol, Noni Fruit Extract, Papaya Extract, Avocado Oil, Orange Blossom Essential Oil, Amyris Essential Oil, Rice Protein, Chia Seed Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Bergamot Essential Oil, Natural cleansers, (hmm.. what does this ingredient mean?) Geranium Essential Oil, Cellulose, Thyme Essential Oil, Guar Gum, Vegetable Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Banaba Extract, Citric Acid, Panthenol Vitamin B5
Scent:	I’ve seen reviews saying the smell isn’t great for many of their shampoos – not sure about this particular one though.
Extra Notes:	Great, safe ingredients – there’s one questionmark though on what “natural cleansers” means.
	Mixed reviews
	Possible Cons: - Doesn’t lather as much as conventional SLS shampoos - I couldn’t find reviews for this particular shampoo but others from the JustNatural range have had people saying that their hair was a little flat and oily after use. - Some people didn’t like the smell
Price:	USD: approx $25 for 16 fl oz GBP: £12.44 for 325ml
Places for purchasing:	Amazon.com (link contains my referral code)
	Just Natural official website:

Variations of JustNatural shampoo that seemed to get particularly good reviews:
- Just Natural Scalp Shampoo

- – -

My Personal Conclusions:

I’ve been really impressed with the Miessence shampoo reviews so I think that will be my personal first port of call for delving into the world of healthy, organic natural shampoos. I’ll update this article if I have any updates

- – -

Disclaimer: This article is just one girl’s internet research and opinions – it is by no means an ultimate all-inclusive, perfect list. The author takes no responsibility for any results arising from product use from products mentioned in this article.

All Natural Skin Care: Natural body wash & soaps with healthy ingredients‏

SpiritualCookie — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 20:58:27 +0000

It makes sense to me that what you put on your skin is important. When you put a body cream or lotion onto your skin, you can literally see it disappear and soak into your skin, into your body. Current scientific research suggests that most of the stuff that soaks into our bodies is probably the water part of the cream/ lotion, and most of the chemicals are too large to pass through the thick protective outer layers of our skin, but there do exist a small number of chemicals in the world that can pass through the skin, into our bodies – things like nicotine (that’s how nicotine patches work). (There are two great articles I was reading, that look at whether chemicals in products can get through our skin, here and also here). If there is even just a tiny chance that some chemicals in soaps or cosmetics that we use can potentially be slightly absorbed into our bodies, I’d prefer to only apply health-conscious ingredients onto my skin to ensure that whatever gets in will only be healthy ingredients that will be kind to our cells and health.

In a bid to find great health-conscious bodycare products both for myself and for anyone else out there who’d also be interested in finding these, I’ve been on the lookout for the best natural body wash and healthy natural soap options out there.

Here are my findings so far for the best healthy soaps and bodywashes I could find.
(Bear in mind this isn’t a list of ALL the good products out there, just the ones I’ve discovered so far).

- – -

My Favourite Liquid Natural Body Wash Options

✿ Miessence: Sunflower Body Wash
Ingredients: aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice (certified organic) coco glucoside (= a natural, mild, gentle surfactant and cleansing agent derived from coconut oil and fruit sugar. It has a low irritation score and is safe). helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil (certified organic) Xanthan Gum (Non-GMO) citrus dulcis (sweet orange) essential oil (certified organic) citrus limonum (lemon) essential oil (certified organic) citrus aurantifolia (lime) essential oil (certified organic) citric acid (= helps shelf stability and has some exfoliating action. Found in citric fruits and juices, and sometimes derived from corn. Considered safe when used in small concentrations, as it is in most products. If found at the end of the ingredient list as here, it usually signifies it’s used in small amounts.) citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) fruit extract
Scent:	Sweet lemony scent like lemon curd or lemon drops
Extra Notes:	Great, safe ingredients
	The few reviews I’ve read online have been very positive, saying it feels thin, creamy, a little goes a long way, it foams & lathers well, smells nice and feels good on the skin.
	My teacher at Naturopathy College recommended this body wash.
Price:	Approx $18.75 for 250ml
Places for purchasing:	Miessence website
	Beautifully Organic (UK)

- – -

✿ Dr Bronner’s Organic Rose Castile Liquid Soap
Ingredients: Water, Organic Coconut Oil Potassium Hydroxide for saponification process* Organic Palm Kernel Oil Organic Olive Oil Natural Rose Fragrance, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid Tocopherol * Note: Saponification means that either potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide (lye) were used to make a fat or oil into soap. In this process all the potassium or sodium hydroxide are used up so that none should be left in the final end product. My thoughts on the ingredients: look really good to me.
Scent:	It’s meant to be a rose scent but personally I thought it resembled jelly sweets like gummy bears or something. Quite artificial smelling and very very sweet. It doesn’t leave much of a scent on your skin after use apart from a faint soap smell.
Extra Notes:	Great ingredients
	80-90% of reviews I’ve seen are very positive. A very very small percentage of reviews (about 1%) report irritation for sensitive skin, possibly from high pH – may require dilution
	Consistency is very runny / watery
Price:	USD: $16-18 for 32 fl oz GBP: £5.99 for 237ml £8.99 for 473ml £13.99 for 946mlVery reasonable prices compared to other natural, health-conscious liquid body wash options.
Places for purchasing:	Amazon.com (link contains my referral code) NB If purchasing from Amazon, make sure you’re buying from a good seller who doesn’t dilute the product. You can tell by checking that the seal is on the product when it arrives.
	Amazon.co.uk (link contains my referral code)
	Official Dr Bronner’s Website

- – -

✿ Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Castile Soap Made with Organic Ingredients
Ingredients: Water, Organic Coconut Oil Potassium Hydroxide* Organic Palm Kernel Oil Lavandin Extract, Organic Olive Oil Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Lavender Extract, Citric Acid, Tocopherol * Note: Saponification means that either potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide (lye) were used to make a fat or oil into soap. In this process all the potassium or sodium hydroxide are used up so that none should be left in the final end product. My thoughts on the ingredients: look really good to me.
Scent:	Lavender scent. Reviews are positive on the smell. Personally I thought it was a nice lavender smell – quite strong when sniffed from the bottle, but it doesn’t linger on the skin after use so the overall result after use is pretty much like an unscented soap.
Extra Notes:	Great ingredients
	80-90% of reviews I’ve seen are very positive. If purchasing from Amazon, make sure you’re buying from a legitimate seller who doesn’t dilute the product.
	Very runny / watery in consistency.
Price:	USD: $16-18 for 32 fl oz GBP: £5.99 for 237ml £8.99 for 473ml £13.99 for 946mlVery reasonable prices compared to other natural, health-conscious liquid body wash options.
Places for purchasing:	Amazon.com (link contains my referral code)
	Amazon.co.uk (link contains my referral code)
	Official Dr Bronner’s Website

- – -

✿ Ann Marie Gianni: Rosemary Peppermint Body Wash
Ingredients: Aloe vera juice, saponified oils (coconut oil and plant starches/sugars; usually this undergoes the saponification with an alkali like Potassium Hydroxide or Sodium Hydroxide that is used up in the saponification process) aloe vera juice infused with herbs which are: calendula flowers, comfrey leaves, life everlasting flowers, lavender flowers, lemon balm leaves, neem leaves, plantago leaves, rosemary leaves, *olive leaves vegetable glycerin, aspen bark extract, rosemary oil, non-GMO xanthan gum, peppermint oil, rosemary extract.
Scent:	Herby – Rosemary & PeppermintMost reviewers loved the smell
Extra Notes:	Great healthy-conscious, natural ingredients
	>80-90% of reviews were positive. Reviews say it leave skin silky, smooth and moisturized (it’s not drying like other soaps can be)
	Most reviews said it lathers well, but some reviews say it doesn’t sud up well so I guess it’s subjective.
Price:	$34.95 for 200ml(on the luxury products / expensive side)
Places for purchasing:	Ann Marie Gianni Official website

- – -

Candidate Natural Body washes I have yet to write-up and fully research:
- Young Living’s: Bath & Shower Gel selection – seems good upon a quick look
- Dr Woods soaps – seems good upon a quick look
- Natural Way Organics Ultra Mild Unscented Castile Soap
- Natural Way Organics Castile Soap, Lavender

Candidates of “natural” liquid bodywashes I’ve ruled out for myself:
- Lavera body wash products – ruled out because they contain Sodium Coco-Sulfate which is said to have the same risks as SLS, and SLS is said to be dangerous because of risks of possible toxicity and carcinogenicity.
- Rahua Body Shower Gel – ruled out because it contains potassium sorbate which some studies worry may be carcinogenic and / or genotoxic.
- Barefoot SOS Soothing Face & Body Wash – ruled out because they contain Phenoxyethanol (neurotoxin in high concentrations), alcohol (skin irritant), Ethylhexylglycerin (skin irritant).
- Faith in Nature body washes – ruled out because they contain Ammonium laureth sulfate which is very similar to SLS with the same risks, as well as containing a few benzene precurors (eg Sodium benzoate, benzyl benzoate) together with citric acid which has a risk of releasing carcinogenic benzene.
- Weleda body washes – ruled out because they contain carrageenan (although this may be ok for the skin since the molecules are too big to be absorbed, it’s just not ideal in food) and alcohol which can be irritating.
- Tisserand liquid body washes – ruled out because they contain Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (similar to SLS), Cocamide DEA (potential carcinogen), Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA (potential carcinogen), Potassium Sorbate (potential carcinogen / genotoxic), and potential chemicals that have a risk of reacting to give off benzene.
- Akin body wash - contains EDTA
- Earth Friendly Baby body washes – contains sodium benzoate with citric acid which may damage DNA and may lead to carcinogenic effects. Also contains Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate (aka Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, aka MES).

- – -

My Favourite Natural Bar Soap Options

✿ Tisserand: Lavender Blend Gentle Soap (100g)
Ingredients: Sodium Palmate* (=result of saponification of palm oil with sodium hydroxide; generally regarded as safe) Sodium Cocoate* (=result of saponification of coconut oil with sodium hydroxide; generally regarded as safe) Aqua (Water), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Lavandula Hybrida (Lavandin) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Glycerin, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Extract, Tilia Cordata (Linden Blossom) Extract, Sodium Citrate (Used to help control pH of product, as an antioxidant and preservative. Regarded as safe) Linalool (component of essential oils, antioxidant properties, considered safe. In extremely high concentrations some people are sensitive to it in its oxidised form and can have allergic reactions. For this reason there are recommendations to limit how much is used (to maintain low concentrations in products where it’s safe). Allergic reactions are very very rare and only happen if the linalool is oxidised AND at high concentrations. If it’s the last ingredient on the list, it suggests concentrations used are low.)
Scent:	Lavender blend
Extra Notes:	Great, safe ingredients including extra aromatherapy benefits of essential oils
	Positive reviews on Amazon

Price:	$6-9 for 3.5 oz£3.95 for 100g
Places for purchasing:	Amazon.com (link contains my referral code)
	Amazon.co.uk (link contains my referral code)
	Official Tisserand website

- – -

✿ Young Living: Valor Bar Soap:
Ingredients: Vegetable Gylcerin, Saponified* Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Saponified* Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Saponified* Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Lycium Barbarum Seed Oil, Spruce (Picea Mariana) Rosewood (Aniba Rosaeodora) Blue Tansy (Tanacetum Annuum) Frankincense (Boswellia Carteri) Avena Dativa (Oat) Kernel Meal, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract. * Note: Saponified means that either potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide (lye) were used to make a fat or oil into soap. In this process all the potassium or sodium hydroxide are used up so that none should be left in the final end product.
Scent:	Unique aromatherapy scent of Valor essential oil
Extra Notes:	Great, safe ingredients including extra aromatherapy benefits of essential oils
	A tiny bit drying for skin, but not so much that it’s overly off-putting for me personally
	Leaves skin feeling a little bit waxy
Price:	Retail: $14.80 USD (a little expensive for what it is, in my opinion)Wholesale: $11.25 USD
Places for purchasing:	Amazon.com (link contains my referral code)
	Official Young Living website

Candidates of bar soaps I have yet to research further:
- Kirk’s Coco Castile Soap
- OrganicGOLD Virgin Coconut Oil Soap
- PureGreen Naturals: ORganic Coconut Castile Soap
- Aspen Kay Naturals: Aloe Vera & Calendula Soap
- Aspen Kay Naturals Oatmeal Milk & Honey bar soap
- Asutra organic aromatherapy bar soap
- Bali Soap – Natural Bar Soap, Coconut
- Funky Soap – lots of different kinds
- Niugini Organics – Coconut oil soap (only contains 1 ingredient: Sodium Cocoate)
- Friendly Soap – Natural Handmade Shea Butter Facial Cleansing Bar
- Botalife – Pistachio Soap – Traditional Pistacia All Natural Herbal Olive Oil with coconut oil Turkish Natural Soap Bar Vegan 80g (Bittim Sabun)

Candidates of bar soaps I’ve ruled out for myself:
- Weleda bar soaps: ruled out because it contains alcohol which may be irritating, and also because it contains sodium stearate which may be irritating (although both are low risk ingredients)

- – -
Related articles:
Organic & Natural Hair Products: Best Natural Shampoos?

- – -
Disclaimer: Bear in mind that the ingredient lists are accurate at the time of writing this article (March 2016) but ingredient lists can and sometimes do change over time. Also I should note that I am just a layperson who has gathered information from articles I’ve read online: I am not an expert on chemicals, so please view the information in this article just as one layperson’s conclusions based on internet research. I’m sorry to the companies that I ruled out and have said they have products I would not want to use – it is just my personal opinion and there is always a chance that my conclusions are overly cautious. The responsibility for which products each reader chooses to use is solely up to them. Every reader is free to make up their own minds on which ingredients they are happy to use.