Why Do Natural Shampoos Make Our Hair Drier?

One or two weeks is the time it takes our body to restore the amount of sebum that the scalp naturally produces. After that time, you will notice the advantages of natural shampoos over conventional ones.

Maybe it happened to you too. Perhaps you have decided to start using a natural shampoo and noticed that your hair is drier. You do not explain the result very well, especially considering the fact that you are using a higher quality product.

In this article, we explain not only why this happens, but also what to do to avoid it. If you follow our advice, you will ensure that your personal hygiene is natural and effective.

What difference a natural shampoo from another that is not

First of all, we must explain what natural shampoos are. Not all products that are said to be natural actually are.

Natural shampoos are therefore those that do not contain any of the ingredients listed below:

• Parabens
• Paraffins, mineral oils, polymers (PEG) and other petroleum derivatives
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES)
• Phthalates
• Silicones in general (polymers, PEG; dimethicone, phenyl trimethicone, cyclomethicone, etc.)

Hence, finding shampoos completely free of these substances on the market today is an almost impossible mission.

Despite this, it is in our hands to choose one that contains the least possible amount of these ingredients artificially synthesized by the cosmetic industry.  Its high concentration is positively known to constitute a potential health risk.

Natural shampoos

Still, shampoos made from natural ingredients such as extracts and essential oils seem to be an even better alternative. And within them, the organic still seem to be to a greater extent.

How the use of shampoos with a high content of artificially synthesized ingredients affects us

We call dirty hair the matted and damp appearance that the accumulation of sebum produced by the scalp gives to the hair. However, on many occasions, this aspect is paradoxically caused by the same products that we use. We are talking, for example, of serums, hair detangling products, fixing foams and gels, and so on.

Beyond its aesthetic implications, the use of these beauty products affect our health. Indicators that something is not going well, could therefore be:

• Progressive irritation of the scalp
• When the skin and hair do not breathe, which prevents their natural regeneration
• Or, the achievement of the effect we seek, but for a day and even for only hours. Rather, we notice how it gets dirty in a short time, which forces us to wash our hair more frequently.
• When the natural and controlled production of sebum is inhibited to the point of leading to an imbalance. We refer to the combination of oily roots and dry and split ends, dull hair, and so on. Not for frequent, it stops being a sign of weakening of the hair.

• When the exposure is very high and these synthetic ingredients penetrate the skin and reach the bloodstream. If this exposure is maintained, it could progressively damage  both the immune and endocrine systems, among others.
• Not a minor issue is the fact that many of them are also polluting and therefore harm the environment.

The transition to a natural shampoo

Conventional products therefore cause a sensation of cleanliness, but at the cost of largely eliminating the natural benefits of our hair.

For this reason, when we stop using them, our hair can appear drier, dull and not very vital. It usually occurs during the time it takes the body to restore the sebum levels that the scalp produces naturally.

If you are patient, in a week or two of using a natural shampoo, you will most likely have hair much more hydrated, luminous and soft. It will be when the need we feel to use products with which we seek to restore the hydration that conventional shampoo removes us disappears.

Sometimes the hair is so damaged that it needs more time to recover. And even sometimes a good haircut is necessary to restore its vitality. In this sense, homemade masks are a magnificent repairing treatment.

Repair treatment

An effective way to ease the transition to the use of natural shampoos is to apply a homemade natural mask to the hair once a week. With it, we promote hair and scalp cleansing.

Ingredients

• 1 egg yolk (2, for long hair)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (48 g)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 15 drops of castor oil
• 10 drops of rosemary essential oil

Preparation

• Beat the ingredients well and distribute throughout the scalp with a gentle massage to facilitate impregnation.

• And, spread the rest until you get to cover all the hair.
• Cover your head with plastic wrap and sleep through the night with this hair mask.
• Wash when you get up. For sure,  you will feel soft, shiny and with more body. Remember that this way you are also enhancing  its growth.

Jojoba oil: a natural serum and conditioner

While our hair is recovering, we can also use a natural conditioner and serum. In this way, we will contribute to hydrating it and giving our hair shine. In this sense, did you know that jojoba oil is very similar to our natural sebum?

Well, since we know, we will put a few drops in our hands. We will apply it from the midpoint of the hair strands to the ends. Try not to touch the scalp. Otherwise, your hair will most likely set out in much less time than you might expect.

This natural ingredient will replace the false and harmful effects of synthetic products while our hair recovers its strength and natural appearance.