29 May What Are The Basic Needs of Your Hair?

To have beautifully healthy hair it is important first to understand the basic needs of hair. Why ask Jason from the Naturalmente Team to share some insights on the necessary steps of hair maintenance that so many of us take for granted or understand so little about.

There are 4 basic elements which contribute to healthy, lustrous & soft hair: Cleanse, hydrate, nourish & seal.

Cleansing shampoos can be used every so often to gently remove residue caused by atmospheric pollution, hydrating and nourishing both come in the form of shampoo and intense treatments which can be used in a myriad of ways & sealing conditioners can be used often to give shine and detangle hair.

If you are moving from a chemical based shampoo/ conditioner to organic hair care products the hair in most cases will need to be gently cleansed of all silicone build up to enable it to receive moisture and protein, the scalp also needs to be freed of any residue build up and balanced.

A cleansing shampoo like Rosemary & Lavender (medium to thick hair) or Citrus (medium to fine) will gently cleanse off any silicone residue from the hair, while an intense treatment like Fennel & Geranium Deep Hydrating (moisture) or Aloe & Sandalwood Solution Pac (protein/ repair) will balance the condition of the hair during this first phase and make the ride from regular chemical to organic hair care as smooth as possible.

After the initial period of cleansing (usually 1-2 weeks depending), or in the case that you already use organic hair products  it is possible to wash with a treatment shampoo such as Fennel & Geranium or Aloe & Sandalwood, with a ‘quick on and off’ sealing conditioner for regular use – Fruit Acids or Yoghurt & Millet. The treatment conditioners will then be used only once a week and left in for 30 minutes or the entire day!

Now that you have a better understanding of the hairs basic needs and a few guidelines, use your own judgement to decide what products suit your hair. Factors you can take into account besides the hairs texture and density are frequency of washing – regular washing would usually dictate a treatment shampoo whereas washing once a week could mean a cleansing shampoo is the one for you. The best advice I could give is to build up your collection of Naturalmente products so you may give your hair what it needs at any given moment.