Chemical Free Hair Products --Your scalp WILL go through a detox!

 HELP!! My hair feels heavy, gunky, and greasy!!!  This is an email or call I get most often!

 Don't give up! You are getting there! IT TAKES TIME! There are many chemicals clogging the pores in your scalp.

 Our hope is that this little flyer (and blog post) will help you stay determined in your quest to become less chemically toxic.

 Our first and foremost recommendation is to use our Bar Soaps. (If you have a handcrafter who make a real bar of soap locally, or you want to try your hand at a real bar soap will work too) We recommend using the vinegar rinse every time you shampoo and for the off days when you are not using soap. I use vinegar every time I shower. It is very balancing to your skin and helps keep the bacteria in check. If you start, soon you will love what it does for your hair. It conditions, and helps clean up your scalp.

That gunky stuff is coming from the pores of your scalp. If you can use your nails and scrape junk from the back of your head. Just think of where it is coming from. Your whole head is in the detox process; not just your hair. That stuff has been building up in there all your life. Now you are getting rid of it.

If you have long hair it can be a difficult switch to Castile shampoos, but worth it. I really recommend cutting hair short, donating it to help others and start with fresher non-chemical polluted hair for best results.  Our Clarifying Shampoo really does help get rid of some of the gunk; but, it is castile soap with decyl-polyglucoside. One of the first “natural” surfactant. I do not recommend it for constant use; but that said; it is better than any alternative in the commercial marketplace.

 Here are the hair care tips I give those who are struggling to switch to liquid castile soaps:

 There is a best way to use our Shampoo and Conditioner. We recommend using the Shampoo for 8 - 10 washings (about 2 weeks; shampooing every other day) before ever using the Conditioner. This is to really start the process of cleaning the chemicals out of your scalp. This is the time when you really need to use the vinegar rinse.

 Most of our newer customers can scrape gunk from the scalp after starting our products. That is chemical buildup coming out. This process will take time. It seems to come in waves. After two weeks; it will lessen. But, those chemicals will take time to work out from the deep dermal layers.

 For the liquid shampoos: A dime-quarter size amount. We have been taught to use way too much shampoo. ...Put this small amount on your fingers; massage into the scalp...not the hair. It goes much farther than you realize. Too much soap can't be washed out easily.  Less is better. Continue using the vinegar; it's amazing what it will do for your scalp, hair, body, feet. Washing your hair more may not make the process any faster. But the vinegar rinse will. It takes time for those chemicals to rise up through the dermal layer. To truly detox takes time....there are no instant cures to detoxing our body; inside or out.

 We suggest using one of our great Bar soaps for your hair; yes, it is great for hair too…and easier to use. Our customers seem to have an easier time with the scalp detox because the bar soaps help to break the gunk down more easily than the liquid shampoos.

 Apply Shampoo two times. Use another dime-quarter size amount (amount depends on how thick and/or long hair is). Too much soap will not work better. It will not get washed out easily and will contribute to the gunkiness. Work from scalp down. Remember, you are cleaning the scalp; not the hair. This is very important with a natural castile soap. You do not need a lot of lather for this. We recommend this even with the bar soap; at least until you are finished detoxing your scalp.

 Vinegar Rinse.  We strongly recommend using a vinegar rinse. This helps get the gummy chemical residue out of your scalp.  Use 1/2 - 1 cup plain white vinegar (apple cider or wine vinegar, if you prefer). After the two latherings, slowly pour and working through hair. Concentrate on the base of the skull. (You can dilute the vinegar with water; but the best results come from using it full strength.) Rinse.

Fly-away Hair after using Vinegar. If your hair seems “fly-away” after using the vinegar; The Whipped Body Butter, Ultimate Body Lotion; Forever Young Face Cream or Oil, Men’s Face Lotion and the Liquid Gold all help control your hair. Just use the left-overs from the palms of your hands after you use one of these.

 Another detoxing method….baking soda:   Mix 2 Tbsp. baking soda in 2 quarts hot water.  Stir to dissolve. Slowly pour on hair. Work through. Repeat several times.  Rinse well with warm water. Follow with a quick vinegar rinse.

 Combing and brushing your hair. Your hair needs the oils the scalp produces. You need to gently brush or comb your hair 25-100 strokes per day. Your hair will respond quickly; looking and being healthier. We recommend using a wood comb; or a natural rubber bristle brush. Some of our customers have found dog brushes have great rubber bristles. Plastic create static and can break hair. This will not cause you to lose hair. You will be stimulating the scalp; waking up the hair follicles and helping the gunk to get out of your deep dermal layers faster. This will really help the detox process. You have been putting chemicals into your scalp for (how old are you?) years...this is what is coming out! It will take time.

 You will have less trouble if you cut your hair short....and let it grow back out. You will have healthy hair growing and will be much better than trying to resurrect dead and damaged chemical laden hair.

I colored my hair with commercial products for at least 5 years before I started using henna and became comfortable with my gray. Gray or silver is to be a crowning glory of our wisdom. God is pleased with our wisdom....we have to stop thinking like the world around us. Continue with the detox and you will be much happier and healthier by next year….enjoy the journey; looking forward not back.

 You will have better scalp and hair if you continue.... using a handcrafted bar of soap. Every soapmaker’s soap is different.  Only handcrafters who make their soaps the “old-fashioned” way can provide chemical free soaps.  We created our own soaps because I could not find a real soap I liked that was pure.  Because their “secret” ingredient is surfactant; Dr. Bronner's Castile Soaps lather really well. But, this doesn’t make for a healthy scalp.  When a company makes product in huge batches for consumer retail; something is lacking. Other so-called Organic companies make compromises to produce huge batches of product that last for years on the shelf. It happened to Avalon Organics, Burts Bees, Jason, Nature's Gate....these all use surfactants and other toxic chemical substances. Check your ingredients against EWG’s cosmeticdatabase.com

We would love feedback on your journey. You can even post your testimonials on our blog page.

Kathleen Hembree, HealingScents.com