For me, natural and ecological hair care means making an active choice for improved health and a cleaner environment. By carefully choosing which products to use for hair and body, you can contribute to this. For me, it's about the entire mindset of reducing product consumption to use fewer but better products that are naturally good for both me and the environment. By reducing the number of unnecessary chemicals in the bathroom, you help prevent them from being washed down the drains where they would otherwise end up in the oceans. The entire chain is connected, which is why even the choice of shampoo and soap is so important.
How do you get started with natural & ecological hair care in the easiest way?
The easiest way to start with natural and ecological hair care is to simply take action and just begin. Many people overcomplicate it and think it should be difficult, which it isn't. Choose a good hair soap and start washing your hair - it doesn't need to be more complicated than that in the beginning. To quickly and easily find the right soap for your specific hair, the soap guide is available to help you below.
Soap Guide
Should you think about anything special in the beginning?
In the beginning, you should make it as simple as possible so that you don't experience it as difficult and troublesome and therefore quit. The first thing you tackle should therefore not be advanced rye flour washing, but start simply with a good hair soap. There are both smaller sample soaps and the soap guide that you can find above to help you find the right one.
Keep this in mind to succeed with your natural hair care:
Find the right soap: As I mentioned before, the soap guide is a fantastic help, but I want to highlight the soaps Nässla & Björk and Rasul & Ringblomma a bit extra since they are perfect for those who are about to start or have recently begun with No-Poo. The reason is that they have a deep-cleansing effect, suit oily hair, and are simultaneously gentle on the scalp. This is exactly what hair that has just transitioned from strong surfactant shampoos needs.
Mechanical cleansing: Unlike conventional shampoo, it can also be good to pay attention to the fact that you may need more mechanical cleansing with solid hair soap. This doesn't need to become advanced or complicated - the only thing you need to think about is to massage the scalp thoroughly and really work in the soap with your hands.
Now I'm curious, what does no-poo mean?
For many, thoughts about no-poo are a lifesaver for hair and skin problems. The mindset is also helpful for those who strive for fewer chemicals in everyday life. No-poo is an abbreviation of the English "no shampoo," but is also a play on words – being without "crap" (poo).
Can you experience problems?
Some people can experience problems when they switch from conventional shampoo to natural hair soap. The scalp has gotten used to the shampoo's strong surfactants and our natural fat production of sebum has been disrupted. This means that some may experience problems during a transition period before the scalp has adjusted back to natural fat production.
For many, natural hair care works immediately. Especially children and people with short or untreated hair rarely experience problems.
Transition Period/Weaning
A scalp that is accustomed to conventional shampoo produces a large excess of sebum, the scalp's own oil. The scalp does this to compensate for our regular washes with strong surfactants that remove the natural sebum and dry out your scalp. As a result of sebum overproduction, your hair is also experienced as greasy after a very short time.
You therefore wash your hair with strong surfactants again to remove the oil, and so you're caught in a vicious cycle with conventional shampoo.When you then switch to ecological and natural hair soaps without strong surfactants, the production of sebum/oil decreases to a normal level and your scalp becomes more balanced.
The transition period that some experience in the beginning occurs when the scalp needs to adjust from conventional shampoo with sebum overproduction to a balanced level with ecological and natural hair care. During this time, hair can feel oily and greasy because the scalp hasn't had time to adjust and is still overproducing sebum, even though you're no longer adding the strong surfactants that remove the excess.
The transition period varies between different people and can last from about 2 weeks up to six months, while many don't notice it at all. If you find yourself in a transition period and feel that you have too much oil/sebum in your hair, you can use Rasul hair detox.
When did you start with natural hair care yourself and why?
I started using solid soap for my hair myself some time after I began making my own soaps. In the beginning, I used my soaps only for the body and hands, then later for hair as well. The reason was that my husband's scalp problems disappeared when he switched from "stronger shampoos" to my solid soaps, and when I saw what a big difference natural hair care could make, I transitioned as well.
I started selling soaps about 14 years ago, and back then the soaps were more moisturizing and intended for the skin. Since starting the company, I have developed my soaps so they suit all different people and needs. Everyone should have the opportunity to find a good soap for both hair and body, regardless of whether they have sensitive, dry, or oily skin and scalp.
How often should you wash your hair?
I think you should extend the time between washes as much as possible since it's good for your hair, scalp, and the environment. Sometimes it's enough to just rinse through your hair with only water or acid rinse. A good start is to reduce washing to 2 times per week, eventually every 4th or 5th day. It may sound scary to have such long intervals between hair washes, but once you've switched to natural hair washing, the oil production in your scalp will become more balanced. This means you won't need to wash your hair as often as when you were using strong surfactants.Until your hair has adjusted, you can use different methods to hide that your hair is greasy. For example, you can put your hair up, wear a hat or scarf, use dry shampoo made from arrowroot or potato starch, or simply accept a "bad hair day" on certain days.
Are you thinking about making your own dry shampoo? Don't miss the blog post with the DIY recipe for both light and dark hair, featuring organic dry shampoo techniques.
What is your product "Rasul - hair detox" good for?
Rhassoul clay is a washing clay and hair detox that works excellently for cleansing out residues from previous hair products when you want to switch to no-poo. It's good to do a treatment with rhassoul clay even before you start with solid hair soap to cleanse and prepare your hair for more natural hair care. You then reduce the risk and/or length of the transition period that might otherwise occur in the beginning.
Rasul hair detox also works well to alternate with your regular hair soap if your hair starts to feel lifeless or extra oily. This is because the washing clay makes hair soft and shiny and provides increased volume.This is because the washing clay makes hair soft and shiny and provides increased volume.
Do you need to use any conditioner with natural hair care?
Many people manage well with just hair soap and therefore don't need anything else in their hair washing routine. However, if you feel that you need to give your hair extra care, you can use hibiscus acid rinse to get a conditioning effect.
What is hibiscus acid rinse and why should you use it?
An infusion (tea) of organic hibiscus leaves that has a low pH value (acidic) and works excellently as a very fragrant rinse after hair washing. Rinse cooled tea over your hair - if you have longer hair, let it soak in a bowl with the acid rinse before pouring it over your hair. Whether you need to acid rinse your hair after soap washing depends mainly on whether you have hard water where you live and on how damaged your hair is from sun, blow-drying, coloring, perming, careless brushing, etc.See the acid rinse guide below.
Hair's negative charge attracts the positive ions from tap water (especially hard water). The soap's negative charge wants to bind to the positive ions, and the acid ensures that the positive ions are rinsed away together with the soap.
If the water is soft, however, and your hair is neither treated nor particularly damaged, you might not need to do an acid rinse at all.
Acid Rinse Guide
There are many different hair oils and treatments. What do you recommend for dry winter-weary hair?
First and foremost, I recommend using a more moisturizing soap in winter than what you used during summer. During the cold and dry winter period, you can, for example, use the extra nourishing soaps Shea & Avokado or Lavendel, both of which contain shea butter.
Besides using a more moisturizing soap, you can care for your hair by brushing it. When you use a brush, the hair's natural oils are distributed through the hair and out to the lengths.Brushing also cleanses the hair of dust and dirt while stimulating the scalp so that sebum production increases. Therefore, brush your hair several times a day during the winter months.
To then give your winter-weary hair extra care, you can do various hair treatments. Usually, you already have everything you need for a treatment at home in your pantry and therefore don't need to spend unnecessary money on expensive chemical treatments. For example, make a nourishing egg and avocado treatment or a lovely mixture of honey and oil. You can easily create your own home spa!
If you have really dry hair ends, you can use argan oil or a tea seed oil. Remember to avoid heavy oils in your hair as they easily weigh it down. Apply the oils to damp hair after showering or in the evening before you go to bed. The oils can also be used on other dry areas of the hair and even on the scalp as a beneficial treatment - then you just have to be prepared for slightly greasier hair for a while.
Wooden Hair Brush
A plastic hair brush often has small spikes that wear on the hair. A hair brush with wooden bristles detangles well and is gentle on a sensitive scalp. A wide-toothed comb is good for detangling knots - preferably do this when you shower and acid rinse.
A brush distributes sebum/your own oil from the scalp out to the lengths and provides good care for the hair. It also removes dirt and dust, which gives shinier and healthier-looking hair. Remember to dry brush your hair often.
Can you mix natural and non-natural hair care products?
Yes, I think you can do that, but you should avoid the worst offenders like silicones and strong surfactants (SLS, SLES). For example, if you feel that you really need a conditioner, then you should do that, but choose one that is completely silicone-free since they are otherwise really difficult to wash out.
What does your own hair care routine look like?
I tend to get oily hair easily, so I use the Rasul & Ringblomma soap when I shower. I try to extend the time between hair washes, and if my hair gets oily in between, I use my own dry shampoo that I've made with cocoa and potato starch, but it works just as well with cocoa and arrowroot.
I keep the dry shampoo in a powder compact and use a powder brush to apply it. See the recipe in the fact box. When I "panic-use" the dry shampoo, I quickly part my hair into different sections and apply it where the hair is greasiest.Otherwise, I use it in the evening before I go to sleep so that my hair and scalp can absorb the dry shampoo thoroughly.
Sometimes I also do a Rasul hair detox if I have extra oily hair - this happens about once a quarter. Then I use a Hibiscus acid rinse about once a month.
You can also think about washing your pillowcase more often if you have oily hair, because when you sleep at night, the pillowcase becomes oily and then gets back into your freshly washed hair the next night. Another tip from me is to put your hair up during the night to get more volume during the day. Then you also get your grease spot on the pillow under your hair, and the oil doesn't end up in the lengths. I do this because I have slightly oilier hair. My daughters, however, who have dry hair, apply water and argan oil to the ends and braid their hair for the night so that it gets less wear when they sleep.
Which is your favorite among your soaps and why?
There I choose my fragrance-free variants. Those are the ones I like best because I think that "clean without added fragrance" smells good! Perfumes and fragrances often become a problem for many people, and from an environmental perspective, the fragrance-free ones are best. We don't need to walk around smelling different fragrances all the time - instead, you can choose a few skin care or hair care products that have fragrance if you want.
For example, you can choose a beautifully scented soap for hair and body and then keep the rest of your skin and hair care neutral.
Finally, what makes your soaps unique and why should someone choose them?
The soaps are authentic – they are handmade on a small scale in Sweden from organic and natural ingredients, and there is great craftsmanship in the creation itself. They help your skin and scalp feel good, and you make a conscious choice for the environment.
Original post written by Sara Mårtensson, founder of Lapland Eco Store which has been part of Glimja since 2021.
