Are 100% natural hair products overrated?

[NaturalBoss]

I won't say 100% natural products are overrated, but a lot of them don't do jack for my hair. But on the flip side there are a lot of synthetic products that ain't worth crap IMO. I use whatever works at both ends of the spectrum....Blue Magic grease, EVOO, whatever.

 

[empressri]

it depends on the individual. some CANT use anything but natural stuff with nothing synthetic in it.

i can use either thing but my hair always fares better with things on the more natural end of the spectrum

 

[fatimablush]

i like natural products but my hair is thick and dense,and when it is long those tiny little jars aren't worth it.i do like to support black businesses but i wish they come out with economical sizes.

right now i use a combination of both. i would like to make my own conditioners. i will see about doing this once i am working full time.

 

[aicramphoto]

i love them...i try to stay away from synthetics because of allergies.

That goes for me, too: I have skin allergies and reducing sulfates have helped tremendously (ditto for the body and facial products). I have stopped using the prescription ointment now.

I just read the labels and look for the best prices.

 

[DesignerCurls]

IMO I don't think 100% natural products are overrated at all! My hair does so much better with natural products. I must say that every natural product doesn't work for everybody so I have found my staples and are sticking to them...plus I make some of my own mixes.

I have used commercially products in the past because they are cheaper and sometime easily accessible. But my didn't seem to like them so I am sticking to what I know.

 

[TrueToHair]

.................................

 

[bronzebomb]

rejuvenation1 What do you mean by powders instead of commercial shampoo? I'd like to try that!

 

[TracyNicole]

Natural products in general are not overrated. I think the main reason some individuals do not have success with an all natural product regimen is because not all natural products are created equal. When using synthetic products people seem more willing to experiment and find what works best but when it comes to natural products the bar is set way too high in some instances. It is easy to believe that if a product is all natural and you hair is natural they should get along just fine, which is absolutely not true. Furthermore, natural products do not have to be expensive.

I didn't have to break the bank to go natural as there are reasonably priced product lines like Oyin handmade but more importantly you can make many things yourself. My hair was equally happy with my Dr. Bonner's baby shampoo dilution, herbal tea as a conditioner and diluted tea with oil as a leave in moisturizer.

It's all a balance between the amount of time, effort and money you want to invest. I believe they are better for my overall health and wellness so although there are synthetic products I like I stick with the stuff that I can eat for use on my hair and body!

 

[TrueToHair]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=497998&highlight=ayurvedic+support

 

[Kurlee]

i love natural products. My ayurvedic powders (amla, brahmi, bringaraj) are all staples. The oils and butters give me great results and the black soap is the business!

 

[BostonMaria]

I won't say they're overrated. Some products claim to be "natural" but what does that really mean anyway? They all have some kind of preservatives.

I'm very particular about the ingredients in my products. I usually look for conditioners with shea butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, silk amino acids for slip. I love Aubrey Organics and so far that conditioner gets two thumbs up from me. I notice a huge difference in my hair when I use CVS deep conditioners vs better/more expensive products found at Whole Foods. Not all organic or natural products work on me. Some just sit on my hair and laugh LOL I don't experiment like I used to.

 

[Curlykale]

Some natural products can be trickier to use because unless you have graduated from LCHF they don't give you that instant, time saver cosmetic satisfaction. from what I understand, labels in natural products don't tell you that

- soap based shampoos only work well with filtered water or acv rinses because otherwise the saponins stick to the dirt of your hair and scalp and to the minerals in the water, giving you tangles, dull hair and buildup (EDIT: this is not the case of other surfactants that are not plain soap, such as cocobetaine)

- butters and waxes, unless mixed to oils in the right percentage for your hair (which is different for everyone), could cause buildup, dryness and sabotate your detangling sessions

- protein ingredients are not supposed to be left in, and they need to be followed up by moisture even if the brand doesn't provide a "2 step"

- some soaps have a too high ph that will raise your cuticles

- the beloved glycerin doesn't work well for everyone and it doens't work well in all weathers, and so do other humectants. In fact, I keep noticing that many of those succesful well known natural conditioners/products don't have it

- natural shampoos aver different: some clean well, others don't

- sodium chloride is salt, some natural products give an amazing performance because of it, but overtime it might corrode your hair.

Once I learned these few things that, I could finally build a natural regimen, go cheap, stick to few things and play the kitchen mixologist.

Non natural products would be wonderful if only:

- there wasn't often that not too good ingredient such as a solvent (I keep finding solvents in drugstore conditioners), something that helps oxidation like a paraben, something drying or something that prevents moisture absorption

- there wasn't often a strong sythetic smell or something irritant

- the good ingredients weren't in a smaller percentage compared to the cosmetic ingredients.

I believe in mixing, tweaking, understanding what your hair needs and giving some concentrated real food to hair (i.e. oil or avocado or anything) at least once a week, no matter what kind of regimen. A regimen that didn't incorporate at least some natural things from the kitchen wasn't as effective on my hair.

 

[iri9109]

yes & no.

i think natural hair products are sort of overrated for the simple fact that lot of this stuff you can make yourself for a fraction of the cost...with the $20 +shipping you pay for a 8oz natural product, you can probably take that money and make double or triple the amount of your own product...that, being said, alot of ppl dont have the time/patience to be mix up their own goodies, so buying pre-made natural products are more convienent, and at the same time they can support small &/or minority owned businesses...

while i think some natural products are overrated (mostly b/c of price), most natural ingredients definitely are not over rated...my hair loves & thrives with water, aloe vera, honey, and natural oils, and ayurvedic powders and i can find most/all those things locally, custom mix them myself and they dont cost an arm and a leg.

eta: i like some cheapie non natural products you can get from the bss/target...and most of the time i spike them with natural ingredients like the ones i mentioned above, so its like the best of both worlds.

 

[nestlequik]

In an effort to be more mindful about what I put in my body (try to eat organic fruits and vegetables, reduce red meat intake, etc.) I try to do the same with what I put on my body so that's why I choose organic/natural products. But when I have a pretty nasty knot in my hair, nothing stops me from grabbing the Mane and Tail detangler to take it out.

Also, since many products use natural ingredients like shea butter, castor oil, etc., I figure why not use the ingredient they base their products from.

 

[MsSanz92]

Definitely. I do think that some people might benefit more from using all natural products, but my hair fares well with most of the things I use, which tend to be stuff you would find in the BSS/Target/Drugstore or salon brands. I do enjoy using some natural ingredients such as oils, honey, glycerin, etc. but there are some natural products my hair DESPISES such as shea butter. I do tend to look for natural ingredients in store products such as oils, shea butter, aloe, etc but I just simply see no point in ordering products that are exclusively sold online or going to Whole Foods to get little jars of shampoo and conditioner for $10-$20 a pop. I'm too poor for that I'm a broke college student! Then again most things that people claim "natural haired women" should use/do for their hair does not work for me (i.e. my hate for sulfate free shampoos and love affair with mineral oil/cone laced conditioners). That's another topic though....

 

[Triniwegian]

No, I don't think so.
They might be a little pricey to some people, but they are an investment. With natural products a little goes a long way and instead of repurchasing products every month or so, I have had my coconut oil for a year (be aware of expiration dates).

When I started using all natural certified organic products I saw a huge difference in my hair. It has blossomed, it stays moisturized, and my curls are very defined.
Another huge positive is that you don't get buildup like you do with synthetic products, therefore I only shampoo every 5-6 weeks, my co-washes does a good job at rinsing out any product so therefore I don't need to wash often and my hair does not lose moisture.

My staples are Coconut oil, Yes to Cucumbers, hemp seed butter, and castile soap for shampoo.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

Not at all. My hair requires a mix. I want all natural because it's better for me (my body) but my hair doesn't always respond well to everything.

Thinning out my stash. Come git it.KCCC, KCKT, AOHR, etc in a lot.

 

[Tiye]

I use a mix of things. Regular shampoo and conditioner along with an assortment of essential and carrier oils that I use on their own or I whip them into products. I also use things like clay or ayurvedic herbs for conditioning treatments. The term "natural" is misleading anyway - everything is natural - chemists don't conjure anything out of thin air using magical spells. Not everything that's labeled "natural" or "organic" is the best thing for your hair. You have to think analytically and do what works for your hair and your pocket book. And one more thing - hair is dead protein and people have maintained butt length hair using dish detergent or bar soap and vaseline. If you're spending a fortune on "natural" stuff for your hair but still eating junk food or not eating well, then you need to reverse those priorities. At the end of the day, diet trumps any hair product.

 

[kim]

Yes, natural products are overrated!!!!!

 

[Imani]

I started using natural based products about 5 months ago and my hair has improved a lot. I did not do it to be health conscious or whatever, to be honest, regular products just weren't working for me so it was out of necessity. Please believe if I could scoop up some cheap suave and it worked on my hair, I would do it with a quickness. I have really dry and porous hair and everything just seemed to dry out or sit on top of my hair.

Its been trial and error with natural products and there have been many i didn't care for, but I have managed to find some that I like. The only non natural product I use right now is Keracare sulfate free shampoo. I also use bee mine shampoos, but i like the keracare better. I use products by Bee Mine, Curl Junkie, Giovanni, and Aubrey Organics.

 

[curlyhersheygirl]

I don't think so. When I started my journey I used stuff I picked up at bss and most didn't work and the others gave me buildup so I switched to natural products and those were hit and miss as well.
What I've learned is what ingredients work best for my hair and now I can look at a product and know whether or not it will work.
Also as someone else said I want to be more aware about what I put in and on my body so I tend to lean more towards the natural stuff.

 

[Lita]

I have combo hair/So I use both...But,I like my oils,leave-ins & gels to be all natural....




Happy Hair Growing!

 

[JollyGal]

OP, when you ask about natural products are you talking about companies that make hair products using natural ingredients such as (traders joe, jason, giovanni)? Or are you talking about natural and homemade products that come from trees, flowers, nuts, veggies and/ fruits (shea butter, evoo, bee mine, indian powders and other homemade lines)?

If you are talking about the former then yes I think they are overrated. I've found that commercial natural products are never really 100% natural and tend to use unnatural preservatives. Sometimes they use clever wording and pictures to dupe customers into buying their natural products. With these types of products its important to read ingredients. I use Aussie moist conditioner to detangle and I am aware of the unnatural ingredients... I'm seeking an alternative that is 100% natural.

If you are talking about products that come from the ground and are homemade or used raw ime, they are not overrated. These products not only help my hair they contribute to my health. I have no qualms about using these products (unless allergic) because I know that they will enter my body through my scalp and benefit my health in some way. Not all of these products work on my hair but experimenting does not cause me harm. They are also cheaper in the long term especially if you like to make your own products and buy in bulk. Another great thing to this is that if a natural product does not work you can always find an alternative with similar properties