Healthy Hair Tips

Finding a shampoo and conditioner duo that ticks all the boxes – natural, organic, ethical, cruelty-free, sulphate-free – is hard enough. But then when you add to the mix – one that leaves your hair looking and feeling like you just walked out of a salon – well, that’s almost nigh on impossible. Because let’s be real for a moment, there’s most often a compromise when searching for a completely clean and irritant-free shampoo and conditioner. They either contain sulphates (that are known irritants to the scalp) or they leave hair looking and feeling greasy (no thank you) or they have lovely botanicals in a soup of pseudo-naturals (i.e. not at all natural).

When searching for hair care for the Be Genki shop, it was most certainly one of the most challenging and time consuming tasks to-date. I washed my way through numerous brands, over numerous years. And I’m so glad I did, as we now have four options that tick all of those boxes, including the most challenging … delivering head-turning, shiny, luscious locks that bounce with health.

Get ready to meet your new best hair care friends.

Living Libations

LIVING LIBATIONS seabuckthorn shampoo and shine on conditioner : VIEW

LIVING LIBATIONS true blue shampoo and conditioner : VIEW

Tips from Nadine Artemis, founder of Living Libations

“Your hair is a reflection of your internal health, and what you eat today will show up in your hair. Eat healthy fats. A diet rich in olive oil, flaxseeds, chia seeds, wild-caught cold-water fish, and walnuts will give your hair a super softness and a high-gloss sheen. Eat enough protein. Hair is made of protein; and if the diet is deficient in the full spectrum of amino acids that constitute complete proteins, then your hair will suffer for it. Ingest culinary creations rich in omega-3 fatty acids, iron, vitamin B12, and zinc, which are important for strong hair and a healthy scalp. Brittle hair is sometimes caused by a biotin deficiency. Organic, free-range eggs are rich in protein, happy-hair fats, and B vitamins. Dark-green leafy vegetables are good sources of vitamins A and C, which the body needs to produce natural hair oils that keep the hair soft and shiny. Gluten is less than the best for healthy hair. It blocks nutrients from absorbing through the gut and into the bloodstream to nourish you. Reduced nutrition and inflammation of the gut and hair follicles from gluten sensitivity may cause shedding. Gluten and non-fermented soy (as well as radiation, bromide, mercury fillings, and other things) can put your thyroid in a tailspin. An under active thyroid is often the cause of dryness, thinning, or loss of hair.”

“Cosmetic store and salon products, including those that tout “natural and organic” on the label, usually contain thirty or more synthetic ingredients. Some of these substances strip natural oils from hair and scalp leaving both seriously dry, while others leave behind a heavy-waxy build up guaranteeing bad hair.

“The more damaged the hair is, the higher its negative atomic charge, and softening, smoothing, and shining synthetics are drawn to that negative charge. If there is a lot of damage you might see a lot of buildup on the hair. More seriously, many of the ingredients are detrimental to health.

“You can have a good hair day every day, and the first step is improving the products that you put on your hair.

Cria Hair 

Cria Hair is the organic solution for hair loss, thinning, brittle, over-processed hair & itchy scalp. Cria’s patent pending formula powerfully combines only 4 organic ingredients to give you a healthy scalp that leads to healthier, stronger, shinier hair. When you first apply Cria to your scalp, the organic ingredients balance out the PH so your scalp is neither too oily or too dry, stimulate the hair follicles so you can experience healthy, new hair that lasts.

CRIA hair and scalp booster : VIEW

CRIA pure women's shampoo + conditioner : VIEW

CRIA pure men's shampoo + conditioner : VIEW

Calia Natural

CALIA moisturising shampoo + conditioner : VIEW

CALIA hydratimng shampoo + conditioner : VIEW

Tip about Silicones from the folks at Calia Natural

"What are silicones anyway? Silicones are a type of polymer (a.k.a large molecule) that behave similar to plastic. In hair care products specifically, silicones provide a "protective coating" around the hair to help provide added softness, reduced frizz, and shine. Sounds great right? Well, not really ... While silicones do not pose a threat to our physical health, they can seriously damage the hair over time.

"Experts say that the real issue with silicones is that they cause build up on the hair, and create a residue that blocks moisture from getting into the hair shaft. They act essentially as a waterproofing agent. Over time, your hair not only appears dull, but it gets dehydrated and weak from a lack of moisture. This can impair all of your hard work put into achieving shiny, hydrated hair.

"From our point of view, silicones are their own worst enemy. If the whole point is to add a "protective coating", that in reality damages your hair over time, wouldn't we all be better off not using them in the first place? The answer is most definitely yes.

"The great news is, you can achieve tangle-free, frizz-free, shiny hair without the use of any kind of synthetic ingredient! Our advice? Ditch the silicones. Rather than adding a false protective coating to your hair, provide it with the love and care it deserves by making the switch to natural hair care products!

"Care for your hair for the long-term. Trust us, it's worth it. Calia products help your hair shine exactly like it's meant to in nature!"

Moroccan Natural 

Several years ago Moroccan Natural founder, Carole Fraser, had more than just a ‘bad hair day’. Her hair was frizzy with terrible split ends, wouldn’t hold its colour and had just turned on her. In a desperate bid to bring it back to life Carole browsed the internet and put 10 items into her basket; a shampoo for dry hair, a mask for splitting hair, something else for breaking hair and another for dry hair. Just as she was about to hit the ‘checkout’ button, when she was hit by a big flash that said ‘Stop! These are all chemicals and it is chemicals that have done this to your hair’. She called her Guru in Canada – Jacques Lee Pelletier – and he suggested that she try some Argan Oil from Morocco – that is how she discovered the amazing, wonderful properties lurking in each drop. Not only did it bring back her hair to the condition it was years previously but it also got rid of the psoriasis that she had on her legs for the last 14 years. And so in 2010 … Moroccan Natural was born. 

MOROCCAN NATURAL African liquid black soap : VIEW

MOROCCAN NATURAL argan hair treatment : VIEW

Also in Beauty + Wellbeing Tips