So in case you haven't heard me talk about it yet, there's an amazing company I was recently introduced to called Radiantly You. They make all natural and organic personal care and cleaning products. Many of their items are things that I have in the past made from scratch myself. I'm a huge fan of simplicity. Every product they make has only a handful of natural, simple, nourishing ingredients. These are pretty much the types of items you use on a regular basis - toothpaste, deodorant, laundry detergent, etc. The products are not only completely toxin free but many of them actually have a DE-toxifying effect. That's what this post is about!
Most commercial hair care products, even your shampoo and conditioner, which are supposed to cleanse your hair, are laden with harmful chemicals. Despite what the shampoo commercials illustrate, I can assure you, they are not making your hair healthier! After a lifetime of using these products, our hair and scalp have pretty much developed a toxic, co-dependent relationship with the products we use. The shampoo strips hair of its natural oils, and then because it dries your hair and scalp out, you have to use a conditioner which just lumps a bunch of chemical-oil compounds onto it to moisturize and soften it again.
So, I was pretty excited when a friend of mine messaged me one day asking if I'd be interested in trying the "hair detox" with the Radiantly You bar. I said yes, of course! I had been hearing some of my friends talk about it, and was definitely curious to try it out. I had heard of other "no poo" (i.e., no shampoo) methods before, such as simply washing with Baking Soda and Vinegar, but that never sounded very appealing to me. The day my Tea Tree Shampoo Bar arrived, I literally squealed with joy. Seriously, ask my husband.
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| My beloved shampoo bar! |
I took some notes about my observations during the detox experience. Here goes:
Today is day 1 of my hair detox! Thoughts after my first and only wash:
1. I LOVED how well the soap lathered! This was one of the reasons I never wanted to do
the baking soda and apple cider vinegar "no poo" method - because I seriously enjoy
the foaming/lathery feeling during a shower.
2. I have the tea tree bar and it smells awesome not too overpowering, just enough
to make it very refreshing and pleasant.
3. My hair felt SUPER squeaky after I rinsed it out… like you could rub your fingers
on it and literally make the squeaking noise.
4. I brushed it after and let it air dry - and it feels really, really soft!
5. I know today is only day one so things may get a little weirder with my hair over
the next few days as the detox continues. :)
Day 7 of my detox. The past few days my hair felt a little bit waxy when it was wet.
While dry, it was feeling just big and frizzy. Still loving the smell and lather of it.
And I love that I'm detoxifying my hair and moving into a natural way to care for my hair!
Day 14 - My hair detox is done!! This past week, I decided to add a rinse of apple cider vinegar after washing with the bar. I had heard some other ladies suggest this step, saying that it really softens the hair.
I wasn't excited about the smell, but I cannot even believe HOW soft it made my hair feel!! To combat the ACV smell, I would spray it after my shower with a homemade fragrance of mine - water with a few drops of lemon and lavender essential oil. Smells amazing!
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| No additional products, no styling. This is exactly how my hair looks, air-dried, post-detox!! |
So now I'll be transitioning to my normal hair washing cycle, which is just to wash every other day. And I just received my Mango Coconut Conditioning Shampoo Bar in the mail as well so I cannot wait to try it out. Most of the ladies I know who are post-detox say that they switch between bars every other wash. I'm pretty excited to have the conditioning bar now because it smells waaaayyyy better than ACV! :)
I feel like my pictures don't really do the transformation justice. The most dramatic way I can tell the difference is how it feels. My hair feels so, incredibly smooth, soft, and healthy. I've never felt it this healthy before. I can't stop running my hands through it, just because it feels so great. I don't have to do any styling or add any extra product to it to make it look better.
So, are you ready to take the challenge?? Are you ready to detox your hair-care?
Do it!!
And let me know when you do - I'd love to hear your experience.
My next post is actually going to give some guidance, details, and tips to doing the detox, so if you're interested in this, or are already doing it, check back for that post. Lots of helpful hints!
*Full disclosure: during my detox process, and as a result of trying a handful of other products as well, I fell in love with this company and became an IWG with Radiantly You. That said, I truly would never recommend a product that I did not 100% love and feel was beneficial to others.
