I’ve been on a few detoxes in my life, but now I am going on one with a difference. I am cutting back the hair products I use to bare minimum. Recently, my hair has become limp and lifeless and has lost all volume. I was thinking about getting it cut, so I had less hair weighing it down, but I figured that doesn’t really to the root (no pun intended!) of the problem.
There are three ingredients I want to detox my hair from; sulphates, alcohol and silicone. I’m also going to avoid heat on my hair.
Sulphates are the main ingredient in shampoo that causes it to lather up; they’re strong detergents that strip the grease and dirt from your hair. They can be pretty abrasive, stripping the natural oils from your hair and weakening it, causing dry, brittle and frizzy hair.
There are two types of alcohol when it comes to hair products; short chain alcohols and fatty alcohols. Whilst fatty acids act as an emollient (causing smooth hair), short chain alcohols can dry out hair and cause it to frizz up. Seeing as I am way too lazy to research which alcohols are which and then investigate the labels of every product I use, I figured I’ll just avoid it during my detox!
Silicone is used in loads of hair products as it gives the appearance of smooth, sleek hair; thing is it doesn’t actually improve your hair condition, just makes it look like it has. Plus it prevents moisture, protein and nutrients from entering the hair shaft, meaning your hair is actually getting less nourishment! A build up of silicone can cause your hair to break too.
During my detox, I’m going to avoid these ingredients as much as possible. The problem is, is that they’re basically in everything! So I’m going to be massively cutting down on products I’m using. I’ll be replacing my shampoo with baking soda and my conditioner with apple cider vinegar. Which probably sounds really weird, but hear me out. Baking soda is a great cleansing agent, but doesn’t strip your hair of it’s natural oils which means you’re hair will be cleansed but not depleted of nourishment. Apple cider vinegar also cleans hair of any product build up, and due to it’s acidic nature it balances the pH of your hair and scalp, closing the cuticles and causing shiny healthy hair.
As well as ditching the shampoo and conditioner, I’m going to put away my beloved Moroccan Oil too. Moroccan Oil has silicone in, which actually makes me wonder whether it is nourishing my hair or just temporarily smoothing it! I’ll be sticking too pure coconut oil during my detox to give my hair some much needed moisture.
I’ve not decided how long I’m going to stay on my detox for, I’m thinking 2 – 4 weeks as that should give my hair enough time to really detox from any silicone, alcohol and sulphate build up. I’m expecting my hair to look like absolute crap at first, because hair products are cleverly designed to make your hair look great to keep you coming back for more. I think I’ll probably just be shoving my hair up during the detox! But I’m hoping by the end of it, my hair has a lot more healthier and happier. I tried the method out yesterday, and my hair already feels soft and happy!
While it might seem quite an extreme detox to embark on, I’ve actually tried out similar methods in the past. I’ve done the co-wash/ no poo hair washing method for a few months, where I skipped shampoo and only used conditioner when washing my hair. I’ve also washed my hair in baking soda, and with apple cider vinegar in the past, all with good results.
I don’t think using hair products is necessarily an evil, after all they have been created to help our hair look and feel good. I’m just worried that it’s all superficial and I want to give my hair a cleanse so it stops feeling so weighed down with products and crap that might not mean to be there. I’m pretty sure I’ll go back to using hair products afterwards, although if it’s worked well I might be a little more selective in what ingredients I allow!
Have you embarked on a hair detox before?
