All the Hair Products I Use!
Clean beauty can be HARD, and for me, finding clean haircare that I actually liked was the biggest challenge by far. I have curly-wavy hair that I am still learning how to take care of (you think it wouldn’t take almost 30 years to learn??) and I live in a very humid climate. If my hair isn’t given the proper moisture and care, it can look rough to say the least. I will share with you the brands that I have found and love, but just keep in mind that this is very person-specific. What works for me may not work at all for you. I recommend using this as a jumping off point to try new things, and ordering A LOT of samples sizes until you start finding products that don’t make you sad when you have to use them!
Shampoo
There are two shampoo brands that I come back to again and again. The first is drugstore brand, Acure, that has been a staple in clean beauty since the very beginning. They offer 8(!) shampoo options, which is a definite plus for people looking to experiment. I have only used the yellow “Ultra Hydrating” shampoo and mint green “Juice Cleanse Supergreens & Adaptogens” shampoo but the “Ultra Hydrating” one has been a staple of mine for years and years. It does a good job giving my hair the moisture it needs, lathers really well, and it smells good too. The bonus with this brand is the price. For clean shampoo, it is super affordable and easy to get at Target, Whole Foods, and other grocery stores. The second brand is Captain Blankenship. These are more expensive, and you have to order them online, but they work so well for my hair. The smell is fantastic, like the essence of a spa, and the lather is good too. I also love that they come in metal bottles that can be recycled too. Every so often I splurge and order them, and I’m never disappointed. The last suggestion is a shampoo bar that I actually really liked, although I was skeptical at first. The lather is great, it smells really good and does a good job with my curls. I love how long the bar lasts and the fact that there is no plastic.
Acure Ultra Hydrating Shampoo: Amazon ($6-7)
Captain Blankenship Cleanse Shampoo: Amazon ($29), Detox Market ($29)
Odacite 552M Soap Free Shampoo Bar: Amazon ($28), Detox Market ($29)
Conditioner
My brands for conditioner are the same as shampoo. The Acure line has a matching shampoo for every shampoo option. I use the matching Ultra Hydrating Conditioner and it also works wonderfully. It smells like the shampoo, is thick enough to coat all your strands, and does a good job of hydrating my hair. My only negative, and it is small, is that it can be a little hard to squeeze out of the bottle towards the end, and over time the sides of the plastic bottle can sometimes get small cracks. These never go all the way through, and never ruin the bottle, but it’s personally annoying to me. The coordinating hydrate conditioner from Captain Blankenship is good too. It also has a good consistency, but is a thinner than the Acure one, and does a good job of hydrating my hair. The smell is similar to the shampoo and is light and lovely. The downside to this one is that I feel like I need quite a bit of product to get all my hair adequately. I don’t know if that’s because I am over-doing it, or because I have thick hair that just requires a lot of product, but it is something to know. Otherwise, I love it.
Acure Ultra Hydrating Conditioner: Amazon ($7-8)
Captain Blankenship Hydrate Conditioner: Amazon ($29), Detox Market ($29)
Curl Moisturizer
About a year ago I went into a Credo store in person and asked for help with my curls. The sales person was so nice and informative about the different products, and told me with how loose my wavy/curly hair was, I needed a light hydration product. She recommended me this one and I haven’t looked back. I love the smell, and I love how easy it is to just spray on my hair once I am out of the shower. I just make sure to do it over the bathtub because it will make the floor VERY slippery if you don’t contain it somehow (you can probably imagine how I learned that lesson). All you have to do is coat your strands post shower and continue your routine (mine is putting it up in a hair towel and yes, I know, I’m working on it.)
Innersense Natural Sweet Spirit Leave-In Conditioner: Amazon ($26), Detox Market ($26)
Curl hold
In that same visit to the Credo store, she also recommended me this product as the second step after the hydration spray. Sometimes I use it, sometimes I forget, but on those days that I do remember to use it, my curls are noticeably more defined. I love that it is so light and doesn’t weight my hair down or make it crunchy. It’s just a light support for prettier curls.
Innersense I Create Lift Volumizing Foam: Amazon ($28), Detox Market ($28)
Innersense I Create Definition Styling Foam: Amazon ($28), Detox Market ($28)
Scalp massager
This is something I bought after my hairstylist told me the importance of people with curly hair scrubbing their scalp. She said I could also use a cream “scrub” but the thought of having a single product I didn’t have to re-buy over and over was really appealing. I use this with my shampoo to get a better clean, especially because I can’t wash my hair every day and can’t brush it outside of the shower. My husband has used it a couple times as an in-shower scalp massage and thinks it makes his hair softer, so I think it would be great for anyone, regardless of your hair type.
Scalp clarifier
Every so often (like maybe once or twice a year) I use this to get rid of any build-up that accumulated from my products. I don’t like using products like this often because they can be so drying, but as far as clean beauty goes, this one definitely works. If I notice my hair looking dull and heavy, this does the trick and makes it look bouncier again.
Innersense Detox Hair Mask: Amazon ($30), Detox Market ($30)
Hairspray
I struggled with hairspray for so long. I use hairspray every single time I do anything more than work or running errands, and I expect it to work. I’m just going to say it, because you will find out anyway, 99.5% of clean hairsprays are absolutely terrible. They are heavy, make your hair feel crispy (no matter how light you try to spray it) and don’t give you any even coverage, and are stupid expensive. I actually gave up looking for a little while and just kept using my old one because I got so discouraged. I have finally switched, but man was it a hard adjustment haha. The first brand I liked was Innersense. Their hairspray smelled good, wasn’t too heavy, and the mist was decent. The downside is that it is expensive, but so are most of the other ones- at least this one works. The second brand, Andalou Naturals, is one I got off Amazon. It actually works pretty well, is half the price of the other one, but it does not smell good (to me) a little too “forced” citrus for my liking- but the smell doesn’t linger after you spray it, so it’s also one I use regularly. It took longer than it usually does, but thanks to these two brands I was finally able to convert my hairspray to a cleaner one.
Innersense I Create Finish Spray: Amazon ($29), Detox Market ($26)
Andalou Naturals: Amazon ($12)
Dry Shampoo:
There has been a lot of news recently about benzene in dry shampoo. I didn’t know about that chemical back when I switched, but knowing that it is in so many of those products makes me so glad I did. It also explains why so many clean dry shampoos are powders and not sprays. It does take some getting used to, and sometimes a lot of shaking and dispersing to not feel like a founding father, but they work and don’t fill the air with chemicals. The brand I use the most is Captain Blankenship. They recently redid their packaging, but the product works just as well. They even added a dry shampoo for light brown-haired girlies. The powder smells really good, and it truly soaks up the oil, leaving your hair looking refreshed. I have other brands on my “to-try” list, but I haven’t gotten to them yet because it also lasts a really long time (and I don’t use it every day).
Captain Blankenship Refresh Dry Shampoo: Amazon (DARK HAIR) ($26), Detox Market (LIGHT HAIR) ($26)
Heat Protecting Spray:
This spray is great for prepping hair before hot tools. I don’t use heat on my hair very often, but when I do this makes me feel much better about preventing damage to my strands. It sprays easily, brushes in well, and seems to help prevent any damage that would have occurred from heat use.
Innersense Hair Love Prep Spray: Amazon ($28), Detox Market ($28)
Hair Towel:
This one is also more of a supply than a hair product, but in learning about the care of curly hair, I discovered just how important using the right towel can be. I have long, thick hair and a lot of towels aren’t big enough. This one holds all my hair, is easy to use, comfortable to wear and stays put. What more can you ask for?
Silk Pillow Case:
Last one, I swear! I love my silk pillow case. You can get them at difference price points, but my biggest recommendation is to get a true silk one, and not a satin one. There are some 100% mulberry silk ones on Amazon for cheap, and if you want to splurge you can go for the iconic Slip one. When I go on vacation and don’t use one, I notice a difference in my skin and hair, enough of one to make me feel justified in my instance on having one all these years. The silk helps keep your skin and hair moisturized, and minimizes the breakage that can happen to your hair while you sleep. Some people say that silk has anti-bacterial properties that can help minimize breakouts, while I don’t know if that’s true, there is definitely no downside to using one!
Amazon: Save ($24) VS. Splurge ($68)
I hope this helps! There are so many other cleaner haircare brands out there like Rahua, Evolvh and Ceremonia (just to name a few) that I know many people really love. Looking at online stores like Credo and The Detox Market can be great places to browse a lot of options in one location. Whenever I want to try a new product, I always look on both these sites to see what they offer and get ideas of what I want to try first. Don’t worry, happy hair days are coming!