The Gentle Shampoo Your Hair Needs
Adopting a gentle approach to your shampoo is kinder to both hair and the planet. Here’s how to choose the right one for your hair
In the past, we may have applied any old ingredient to our hair without a second thought, but all that’s changing as we collectively start to recognize just how beneficial a gentle hair care regimen can be. Naturally enriching elements are what’s in these days – with good reason. By tapping into the wealth of natural ingredients our planet has to offer, you’re left with strong, glossy and healthy hair thanks to ingredients that tend to take less of a toll on both your locks and the planet. Here we look at some of the gentlest, kindest ingredients for your hair, and how you can incorporate them into your beauty routine today…
The best gentle shampoo for softer hair
To boost moisture and seal it in for soft, manageable hair, ultra-hydrating coconut oil is a great choice. It’s an ideal ingredient for coarser hair as well as finer, brittle strands that break easily thanks to natural ‘good fats.’ You already eat them in food like avocado and, well, coconut oil, but your hair loves them, too. Coconut oil offers a medium-chain fatty acid called lauric acid, which has a unique structure that’s easily absorbed by the hair to deliver deep moisture. It can also reduce protein loss, keeping your tresses looking sleek and healthy for longer.
Try it in…Love Beauty & Planet Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang Shampoo
The best gentle shampoo for more hydrated hair
If your hair is particularly thirsty, you may worry gentle ingredients won’t pack enough of a hydrating punch. Not true! Again, you want to incorporate good fats into your cleansing routine, as all hair types, from thick to fine, soak them up. The high fatty-acid content of murumuru butter, for instance, allows it to penetrate strands and prevent breakage. Healthier, stronger, and more hydrated hair the gentle way…count us in!
Try it in... Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter & Rose Shampoo
The best gentle shampoo for oily or greasy hair
Struggling with oily, greasy hair? We’ll let you in on a little secret: your hair could probably do with a gentle detox. Product buildup is a leading cause of excess oil on the hair and scalp, but ingredients like Australian tea tree oil are amazing for cleansing and revitalizing on a deep level. Tea trees (fun fact: they are actually tall shrubs rather than trees) grow naturally in Eastern Australia and are loved the (beauty) world over for their purifying properties. One wash and your hair will feel cleansed, gently detoxified and volumized, too.
Try it in... Love Beauty and Planet Tea Tree Oil and Vetiver Shampoo
The best gentle shampoo for protecting hair
Your hair deals with a lot every single day – heat styling, pollution – so it’s important to do what you can to protect it. Hemp seed oil, made by cold-pressing hemp seeds, is a kind but effective solution. It naturally lubricates each strand from root to tip with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, preventing shedding or breakage. You may already be familiar with omega-3 supplements, and applying it directly to hair is super effective, too. Then there’s argan oil, or ‘liquid gold’, which has been used for centuries in Morocco. It’s also packed with fatty acids and punchy antioxidants that penetrate the hair shaft to condition and protect against dryness and damage. These good fats also provide a much-needed buffer against the ravages of heat styling and coloring. If you’ve always struggled to find an ingredient that leaves your hair strong and silky, look no further.
Try it in… Love Beauty and Planet Hemp Seed Oil & Nana Leaf Shampoo or the Argan Oil & Lavender Shampoo
The best gentle shampoos that offer natural herbs and spice
There are some natural ingredients that make us think of fragrance or food rather than hair care: sandalwood is uplifting, ylang ylang is exotic and kombucha, well, great as a drink. But these ingredients can do so much for a frazzled mane. Sandalwood is an ancient remedy for sunburn, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, but it also moisturizes and protects your hair and scalp. Ylang ylang stimulates sebum production, which improves the texture of hair, leaving it less brittle. Detoxing kombucha, meanwhile, contains anti-oxidants (hence the drink), and fighting free radicals can reduce inflammation, calming an irritated scalp while balancing oils.
Try it in… Love Beauty and Planet Black Tea Kombucha & Red Ginger Shampoo or Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang Shampoo
Gentle beauty tip
Want to cut back on water but zone in on nourishment? After shampooing, apply your conditioner, turn off the shower and sit in the warm, steamy bathroom for a few minutes. The steamy heat opens hair cuticles for deeper absorption, while using less water. Everybody wins.