The one downfall to going for all-natural and sodium lauryl sulfate free haircare is that you just don’t get that soapy, lathery, squeaky clean feeling. Now, technically, we don’t want our hair to be squeaky clean — that means we’ve stripped it of the natural oils that keep it luscious and hydrated. But for those who use lots of product on their hair, an occasional squeaky clean wash that gets rid of all that built up gunk on the hair and scalp can do wonders for bringing back some serious shine and luster.
In my experience, there are two ways to get squeaky clean hair, without resorting to all those chemical-laden products we used to use.
The DIY Option:
A raw apple cider vinegar hair rinse was one of the first hair DIY’s I ever bravely concocted, and it has never let me down. By now, we all know the magic of raw apple cider vinegar as an amazing tonic for health, digestion, and skin, but it’s uses for hair are just as potent. Due to it’s acidity and high levels of natural alpha-hydroxy acid, ACV is amazing for clearing the hair and scalp of built up product, oils, and dirt, and balancing the pH of hair. This leads to squeaky clean hair that is balanced, shiny, and luscious, without over-drying.
Prep Time | 2 min |
Servings |
application
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- 2-4 tbsp raw organic apple cider vinegar
- 16 oz cold water
- 1-2 drops essential oil see recommendations below
Ingredients
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|
- Mix ingredients together in a plastic squeeze bottle. If you don't have one, any bottle will do.
- After shampooing your hair (with an SLS-free shampoo, of course!), rinse, and pour the entire contents of the bottle onto your hair. I find that tilting my head back and starting at the scalp works best.
- Leave in hair for 1-2 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Since I have particularly dry hair, I like to follow with some conditioner just on my ends, but those with normal to oily hair won't need anything!
What essential oils to use for your hair:
Dry hair/scalp: lavender and/or ylang ylang
Oily hair/scalp: lemon and/or rosemary
Combination hair/scalp: lavender and/or clary sage
Dandruff: tea tree and/or lavender
Hair loss: cedar and/or thyme
The Store-Bought Option:
I’ve been testing the Illumai Biome Hair System, a simple, clean, 3-step haircare system for a bit now, and love how it imparts a squeaky clean, without stripping hair of oils and moisture. The Illumai Biome Hair System is made up of a SLS-free shampoo, lightweight hydrating conditioner, and a protective spray. The three products work together to return hair to it’s natural balance, and restore the delicate biome that keeps hair healthy. The products are each really unique in their consistency how they leave your hair feeling, and the effects get better with each use.
The richly lathering shampoo does a great job of leaving hair truly squeaky clean, by removing product buildup, excess oils, dirt, and toxins, while leaving hair’s necessary oils intact. The conditioner is much lighter and more liquid than the super thick formulas I’m used to, but it works to restore hair’s natural balance without coating it in waxes and silicone, which can cause buildup and dull hair after time. And the protective spray shields hair from environmental stressors and gives it a natural glossy look and feel.
November 23, 2016
My biggest woe is losing my hair. It’s far from balding or anything, but it is a major pain and hair all over!