Raechele Cochran Gathers, MD We hear a lot about harmful hair care ingredients that we need to steer clear of. But what about the ingredients that we need? Many people are aware that sulfates can dry your hair, and products with greases like mineral oil and petrolatum can coat your hair and make it drier. But what about the good restorative natural hair products ingredients that you should be looking for?
9 Restorative Natural Hair Product Ingredients
It is super important that you become good at reading product ingredient labels. Beware of ingredient labels that are loaded with chemicals and ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. Often, the best ingredients and the most restorative natural hair product ingredients are those that come straight from mother nature.
1. Rosemary Oil
Besides it’s relaxing and soothing scent, rosemary oil has been shown to grow hair. In fact, in one head to head comparison study with minoxidil (also proven to grown hair), rosemary oil performed just as well. Rosemary oil aromatherapy has even been used help treat alopecia areata hair loss.
2. Vegetable Glycerin
Vegetable glycerin is a natural humectant. That means that it attracts moisture/water from the environment and helps to hold it in your hair. When used with other oils that seal in moisture, vegetable glycerin can be a nourishing and restorative natural hair product ingredient. Derived from plant seed oils like palm, coconut and soy, vegetable glycerin can help bring moisture to brittle and damaged hair. Because glycerin can draw moisture from your hair in very dry climates, products with vegetable glycerin should also contain other moisturizing and hydrating ingredients.
3. Coconut Oil
While many oils are good sealants, coconut oil is thought to penetrate your hair shaft and help strengthen your hair from within. Coconut oil makes an excellent prepoo for the hair. The light sweet smell of coconut oil makes it nice for an aromatherapy scalp massage, and its penetrating properties can strengthen your hair prior to washing and blow drying.
4. Shea Butter
Shea butter is an amazing hair conditioner and sealant. It can help to seal in moisture to keep your strands soft and moisturized. It can make your hair more elastic and help to define curls and waves. Derived from the shea nut, shea butter is a restorative natural hair product ingredient because it contains various fatty acids such as oleic, stearic and linoleic, and is an antioxidant and can decrease inflammation. Using fair trade shea butter can help support the amazing and hardworking people that work so hard to harvest this nourishing and wholesome product.
5. Clay
Clays are amazing at ridding your hair of toxins and buildup. Both bentonite and rhassoul clays are excellent restorative natural hair product ingredients. These clays can help cleanse the hair, reduce scalp irritation, define curls, and make your hair softer, smoother and shinier.
It’s easy to make your own clay wash or hair mask, as shown a video in this post. If you don’t have the time (or inclination!) to make your own clay wash, there are several great ones out there. Carol’s Daughter Rhassoul Clay Sulfate Free Shampoo uses rhassoul clay and aloe vera juice to gently cleanse your hair of impurities without stripping it and while still leaving your hair soft.
6. Water
When you’re looking for restorative natural hair product ingredients, water should be pretty high in the ingredient list—if not first! Without proper hydration, from both inside and out, your hair will be brittle, dry and will break off very easily. It’s important to give your hair elasticity from within by making sure that your hair products contain water, and that you’re applying water to your hair on a regular basis. If you’ve got chronically dry hair, you might want to look at nighttime hair spritzing, which can really help with improving your length retention.
7. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is a light and nourishing oil that penetrates well, so it’s incredible for dry hair, dry scalp and brittle tresses. Rich in vitamins A and E and essential fatty acids, avocado oil is a wonderful hair emollient, helping to smooth the hair, reduce breakage, and improve shine. The amino acids in avocado oil help to strengthen your hair, and because avocado oil is so light, it spreads over your hair easily, without making it too greasy or heavy.
8. Amla Oil
Amla oil, derived from the Indian Gooseberry, is a key component of ayurvedic hair care. Used by many to help grow and strengthen the hair, amla oil is also a powerfully restorative natural hair product ingredient. Amla oil has been used to help with dandruff, increase shine, and some even claim that it helps darken the hair and reduce graying. In one study, amla oil was found to slow down an enzyme that can lead to hair loss, and many people therefore use it for hair growth. You can read more about using amla oil for healthier hair and find out how to make your own amla oil here.
10. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
There are so many ways that ACV is awesome for the hair. By balancing your hair’s pH, ACV can help to smooth and flatten your hair’s cuticle, therefore making your hair smoother, shinier and less prone to tangles and breakage. It also helps reduce moisture loss and helps with length retention. Apple cider vinegar also has both antibacterial and antifungal properties, and many people clam that it helps improve dandruff and scalp irritation. If you want to learn how to incorporate ACV rinses in your healthy hair routine, check out this post for a useful video. dpHUE makes a travel sized ACV rinse that you can take with you if you’re traveling. It’s a nice way to cleanse, detoxify and rebalance your hair and scalp without lugging around a huge bottle of ACV or using hash shampoos on your hair.
ACV rinses won’t change your hair’s natural porosity tendencies, but if you’re a high porosity girl, it will help to flatten your cuticle. By bringing your hair back to a more natural acidic pH, ACV helps your hair stay moisturized longer and makes it less prone to dryness.
