Beginning the natural journey to healthy, longer natural hair can be an overwhelming process. Choosing the right products can be costly, time extensive and frustrating with so many options available. Choosing the right products for your hair doesn’t have to be a headache, if you choose your ingredients wisely.
Contrary, to what many companies would like for us to think, most natural hair products use the same ingredients and don’t vary much from product to product. When you learn what ingredients your hair likes and doesn’t like, it will become 100x’s easier to pick hair care products. You will know that if a product contains a certain ingredient high in the ingredient list, it may or not work well for your hair.
Here are a list of 6 must try first ingredients, all of these ingredients are under $10 each and can be mixed and matched to suit your hair type. These ingredients are found in almost every natural hair care product from leave-ins to shampoos!
1. Aloe Vera Juice
Aloe vera juice is a great PH balancer, with a PH of 7 it can soothe itchy off balance scalps and also add much needed moisture to thirsty hair. Aloe vera juice is great as a spritz or as a rinse after using a shampoo with a high PH. You can order aloe vera juice online or get it from your local health food store.
2. Vegetable Glycerin
Vegetable glycerin often gets a bad rap because, it is a humectant and in certain environments it can make hair hard and crunchy. In actual fact, vegetable glycerin when used in certain formulations can be your hair’s best friend. Being that it is a humectant, using it alongside water will help moisturize your hair for days and it’s great in leave-ins on hot, humid days!
3. Tea Tree Essential Oil
If you have scalp problems, let this essential oil become your best friend. One thing that many women complain about is an itchy, dandruff laden scalp. Tea tree oil is a great addition it add to shampoos, conditioners and even alongside carrier oils for a nice scalp massage.
4. Butters
Whether, you opt for shea butter (my love), mango butter or avocado butter, get you a butter and make a mix for your hair. You can use butters as moisturizers (mixed with other ingredients), sealants, etc. The world of butters is endless. You can use them in multiple ways. Buy them in bulk and you can get enough to last at least a year!
5. Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the best oils hands down. You can use this oil in so many ways, it’s unbelievable. Great for oil rinsing, scalp massages, moisturizing, sealing, and as a styling aide.
6. Coconut Oil
Just like Olive Oil this, oil can become your best friend. Great for deep conditioning and as a leave in.
This is just a basic list but, once you find out how your hair reacts to these few ingredients, which are the main ingredients in most natural hair products, you will be able to quickly decide which hair products are worth your money and which ones are not. You may not like an ingredient as a leave-in but, you may love it mixed with your shampoo. Experiment and remember using natural hair products doesn’t have to be pricey or overwhelming! Keep it simple.