By Julia Edgley

I like to encourage my clients to go 100% natural but it can be difficult. The reason for this – hair care!  This was the first change over I took on board and I have pretty much come to terms with the mammoth task! It is not the easiest to adapt to but once you do, not only your health will benefit, your hair will thank you for it!

When changing hair products you have to keep in mind that to have beautiful locks does take work. Once you have found the routine that works for you, it’s a piece of cake!

A brief note on why hair care can be difficult.  After years of using sulphates and products with cones (silicone), your hair has been repeatedly damaged and this damage has been camouflaged by the cones. After the cones weigh down your hair – styling products are then needed to hide the effects of the cones, creating the illusion of volume! These products need to be washed out, so back to sulphates which further dry out your hair which again need to cones to hide the damage. As you can see, this is a vicious circle. Once you step away from this process, only then can you see how much damage has been done and the first 6 weeks of changing to green hair care is spent on trying to undo and repair. Of course, the longer your hair, the harder this can be. Shorter hair styles have an easier job. After this, you will see your “real” hair! For years, I was convinced I had very straight hair and spent blood, sweat and tears trying to get the curly beach hair look. After going 'green', my natural waves appeared.

So let's talk about – A natural detangler.

This is for anyone who has hair but of special interest and to those who have medium to very long hair.

After washing, we all know that touching wet hair without love and tenderness, leads to damaged and broken hair. Wet hair becomes very elastic and stretchy. Brushing wet strands becomes over stretched and like an elastic band, can break. What we need to use is a detangler. This helps to smooth the cuticle of the hair strand, so that a large tooth comb (add this to your shopping list) can glide through your hair without causing damage. This can be achieved naurally.! The use of chemicals need not be used. Let's take a look at the ingredients of a branded detanger:

Water , Glycerin , Amodimethicone , PPG 2 Methyl Ether , PEG 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil , Benzyl Alcohol , Polyquaternium 11 , Fragrance , Panthenyl Ethyl Ether , Panthenol , Polysorbate 80 , Disodium EDTA , Aminomethyl Propanol , Citric Acid , Cetrimonium Chloride , Trideceth 12 , Methylisothiazolinone...

So what is the natural one wonder ingredient? Aloe Vera gel! Actually there are two, aloe vera gel and apple cider vinegar, but in this article we focus on our friend Vera.

So why is Aloe Vera so good?

I discovered the benefits of it while I was researching porosity and why coconut oil was damaging my hair. This research introduced me to aloe vera gel as the perfect product for smooth, soft and shiny hair. Aloe vera is slightly acid but this acidity smooths the hair cuticle making it easier to detangle.

As a result of this the smoother hair cuticle locks in water aka moisture, into the strand. A lot of people think they have dry hair and apply creams and oils which can either further dry the hair or weigh it down. The problem may actually be high porosity meaning the water part of your hair evaporates too quickly leading to brittle hair. Using Aloe Vera as a detangle will lead to increased hydration over time. However, apply to hair that lacks its water element and it will further dry the hair out.  Apply to wet hair only!

So while on my travels in California, I found a natural Aloe vera in a spray bottle making it super easy to apply to the hair, which is an added bonus. You may need to search online to find one.

Here a few photos to show my own results after using Aloe Vera. In the first image on the left my hiar is dry and frizzy.  It had been brushed and a treatment was used. In the second photo, I applied the aloe vera gel to my hair after washing and left it to dry naturally.  There is a significant improvement after using the Aloe Vera spray. No straightener or styling was involved in the second photo.

Do give Aloe Vera a go and let me know how you get on.  We are all different, so if you have any questions, do ask. Contact me HERE.

Edited by The Riviera Woman.

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