Step 1: Identifying the skin condition as dermatitis

When I first got the little itchy, red, rash on my leg, I wasn’t sure what it was. Was it a fungal skin condition? was it eczema? or some kind of rash? To try and clarify things, I looked through some photos on google images (you may need a strong stomach for google imaging skin conditions! – proceed with caution! lol!). After a thorough bit of google research and seeing several photos that looked exactly like what I had, I was fairly confident that what I had was dermatitis (in my case it was probably brought on by a combination of dry skin and, according to the location of the rash, Traditional Chinese Medicine would locate it on the Liver channel, which may be to do with feelings of frustration and irritability which are things I had been experiencing at the time the dermatitis came up).

Step 2: How I found a natural remedy for dermatitis

Once I knew what the rash was called (“dermatitis”) I just googled “natural treatment for dermatitis” and the first helpful article that came up was a great article on home remedies for dermatitis, and it suggested in point number 1 to try using high quality, organic, virgin, Coconut Oil (sometimes also called coconut butter since it’s solid at room temperature in colder weather). I had some at home already (I use this one by a company called Tiana which I usually buy to use in my cooking: links on Amazon – Amazon UK; Amazon USA), and it felt to me like a good, gentle product to try so, I gave it a go.

NB In picking a coconut oil, I think it’ a good idea to get one in a GLASS container, not plastic, because glass helps preserve the purity of the coconut oil better. There are some theories that plastic may leach plasticy chemicals into the product, especially with very fat-rich products like coconut oil.

Important note: In rare cases, some people may be sensitive to coconut oil, so make sure you are not sensitive to it before use.

Step 3: Treating my dermatitis with coconut oil / butter

I applied a small amount of coconut oil to my rash, and the cooling feel of the oil on my skin was immediately soothing and relieved the itching. I massaged the oil in gently, loving the coconutty aroma. I applied the coconut oil about twice a day (morning and night) for the first few days – sometimes more than twice a day if the area was particularly irritating / itchy. Every day it looked better and better and after a little over 2-3 weeks, it was completely gone.

The way I look at it, I think a good guide to know if the method is helping, is to see if you can see any improvement after the first few applications. If it feels better, I continue, and if it feels worse, I stop and look for other possible methods of treatment.

- – -

Other things I did to help the situation:

Alongside the coconut oil application I also took some nutritional supplements to help the situation. I took zinc picolinate (22mg) once a day (this one on Amazon UK; Amazon USA), and vitamin C (500mg) once a day (this one on Amazon UK, Amazon USA), since these are both nutrients that are helpful in skin healing.

Other methods I tried before coconut oil which I didn’t find as helpful in my particular case:

• - Essential oils (I tried melaluca alternifolia when I thought that whatever skin condition I had was fungal, and I also tried applying lavender and geranium, but none of these helped much in my case)
• - Homeopathic remedy: Urtica Urens (seemed to have no effect in this particular case)

- – -

I hope that reading about my experience is useful to someone out there. I’m not qualified to give advice on how to treat medical conditions so this isn’t advice of me telling you what you should do – it’s just my report of what I did in helping myself. : )

- – -

Disclaimer: It is always prudent to seek professional guidance from a qualified medical practitioner with all matters concerning health. It is the responsibility of each individual person to do what feels right for them. The author of this article takes no responsibility for the health choices made by readers of this article.

Any links to Amazon in this article contain my affiliate code to help keep this website running, but other than Amazon, I have no affiliation or sponsorship of any kind with the particular brands and products mentioned in this article.

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

- – -

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