Episode 223: Utilizing Natural Hair Care

doTERRA: Toxins can be hiding in products that you use every day, like the ones you put on your hair. But there are better options and today we'll discuss how you can incorporate natural hair care into your routine.

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Tricia, thank you so much for sitting down with us today.

Today we're excited to talk to Tricia Doran about natural hair care options.

Tricia Doran: Thank you so much for having me.

Importance of Natural Hair Care

doTERRA: I am so excited to talk about this topic because I think sometimes our hair care is the last on our list when we're thinking about natural products. So, why is it that natural ingredients are so important in our self-care products?

Tricia: Well, our bodies absorb everything in our surroundings, so that goes from the air we breathe, the chemicals in our hygiene products, even the products that we use to clean our clothes. Everything impacts our health either in a good way or a possible threat in a negative way.

So, the more we can make choices to use products that are non-toxic and that are beneficial, the better that will be, because we're either going to be stressing our bodies, while the natural chemicals can actually provide good support with side benefits.

So, that's one reason why I love doTERRA's hair care products is because it's a natural product. We are using them in an environment where our pores are opened up and absorbing, even more so, the things that we put on our skin. And so, it's a great alternative providing something that is beneficial to us so that we can reduce our toxic load on our bodies.

doTERRA: I love that. And I think that's something that we forget is, what we're putting on our hair doesn't just stay on our hair. It goes, it seeps into our scalp.

Tricia: It does.

Ingredients to Avoid

doTERRA: Now, what are some of the ingredients that maybe we should be watching out for when we're purchasing these self-care products?

I think there are some pretty popular buzz words of things to avoid. Phthalates would be one, parabens, sulfate, silicones, and as I looked closer, I really can see like these are very important things to avoid.

Those phthalates are just chemical compounds and they're commonly added to plastics, but they're also conveniently used in a lot of cosmetic and food products. For those plastics, they make the plastics more durable and flexible and transparent, but we don't necessarily want to have that in our products.

The parabens are chemical preservatives that can cause skin irritation. So, why would we want to have parabens in products that go on our skin and our personal products?

Sulfates contain mineral salts that are powerful and they're inexpensive and they're easy to acquire, which makes them so popular. And we've associated what sulfates do to products as being clean, when in reality they're very dirty type of ingredients. Those sulfates make products lather and foam, and we think, oh, lather foam clean.

In reality, those sulfates are doing us a disservice. They have negative side effects on our lung function, our skin, our hair. They actually wash away the natural protection on our skin that our skin and our hair need.

And with our hair in particular, they compromise the cuticle health. They take our hair longer to dry and they leave a negative charge, which is what causes that static or flyaways, and they cause scalp irritation and follicle stress.

So we don't want sulfates in our products. And then silicones are a group of semi-liquid substances that come from silica. Silica's natural, it's what's the main component in sand. But that silica goes through a significant chemical process to become silicone. And when you hear chemical process, you're not really getting something natural, those silica. Form a barrier like coating on the skin and making it resistant to both water and air. So, silicones are hard to wash off.

They can cause breakouts. They get stuck in our pores. They are definitely not eco friendly. They're just cheap fillers for products. So, I think silicones sulfates, parabens and phthalates are the main things that we want to try to avoid.

doTERRA’s Hair Care Options

doTERRA: Wow. I mean, all of that information is definitely enough to make me want to read every single label that I am thinking about buying. And thankfully, doTERRA, which is a trusted company that we are using these products. We have them in our home. We know they're natural. They have options for natural hair care. Can you tell us a little bit about those?

Tricia: Yeah, I've used all of them. I love them all for different reasons. The Salon Essentials, Shampoo and Conditioner are amazing. They're beautiful. Just to look at when you put them in your hand. And I love that they are natural and they clean in a really efficient and effective way.

The newer Protective Shampoo and the Daily Conditioner and the Leave-In Conditioner, they remind me of being at a natural spa. And I like how they tingle and how they lather--in a very appropriate way.

The Shampoo Bar and Conditioner. I had never had any experience with a shampoo bar and conditioner. I was rather skeptical. But they are amazing and I have grown to love them as my preferred shampoo strengthening bar and conditioner in the shower.

Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

doTERRA: And those are new products, obviously, that were introduced at Convention this year. So, let's talk a little bit more about those. Can you tell us about the beneficial essential oils that are in that Shampoo and Conditioner Bar?

Tricia: Yeah, I love looking at the ingredients and thinking, Oh, that's so cool that they put that in there. And that's really amazing that they thought of that. So there's Bergamot Mint, Palmarosa, Patchouli, Rosemary, Japanese Mint, Rose. I believe that the Conditioner Bar also has Cedarwood.

So, these are all great products that help to leave the scalp feeling clean and healthy. And they support the scalp in that way too at the very "root" of our hair products.

So, they have a lot of wonderful benefits in addition to not having those chemicals in those products that I mentioned earlier.

doTERRA: Absolutely. And on top of the essential oils that have those amazing benefits, there are also more, I would say, "traditional" hair care ingredients. Can you tell us a little bit about those?

Tricia: Yeah. Fermented rice water. Apparently, that is the beauty in cleaning the scalp and strengthening not just one type of hair, but all types of hair. And they have a collection of different moisturizing butters. There's cocoa butter, shea butter, jojoba seed oil. And those are very, very moisturizing, which is probably why my hair is so soft when I use them.

doTERRA: Mm hmm. Absolutely. And one of the things I love is that the combination of those moisturizing ingredients and the essential oils, they smell so good, and then your hair just smells good and clean and you know that there's nothing that you've had to worry about.

Tricia: Exactly. They always smell natural. I love that it is a natural smell and not some perfumated and chemical synthetic kind of concoction. But it is truly clean and pure and beneficial. And I love them for that.

doTERRA: I totally agree. Tricia, before we end, I know it's only been a couple months since Convention and the release of these products, but what has your experience with the Shampoo and Conditioner Bars been?

Tricia: Well, we got them at convention, so the first time I used it was at the hotel right after we got them. And at first, I didn't know what to do with it because I'd never used it.

So, I got my hair wet and grabbed the Shampoo Bar and kind of rubbed it on my head. Since then, what I've gotten the habit of doing is, I'll foam and lather it up in my hands a little bit and then apply it to my hair and then also use a little bit of the shampoo.

It's different in that it doesn't create the big lather that a lot of people love. But of course we know that that's got side effects to it when you use that type of chemical in ingredients.

But I used it there and rinsed it, and then I use the Conditioner Bar in the same way. Again, I wasn't sure if I was using it right, but I obviously am. So, it's rather intuitive. You put it on your hair and I would put it on my hands and then let my hands kind of go through my hair as I was working it in. And when I got out, I thought, okay, my hair feels clean, But I noticed something immediately. I could run my fingers through my hair without having to use the leave in conditioner or without having to get a wide tooth comb.

I was able to put my hands through it. It did not feel tangled at all, which I thought that first caught my attention. And then as my hair was drying, I like to just air dry my hair, I brush it and then let it air dry. I found that my hair was so soft. I kept wanting to touch it. And we kept touching each other's hair that day. And, you know, we had roommates and we're like, "Oh my gosh, look how soft our hair feels."

So, those are the two big things that I have found that I love about it, is that it does not tangle my hair in any way. It's really, really lovely in that way and it's so soft. So I've been using the Shampoo Bar and Conditioner for the past several months. My husband's been using it and we both really like it.

doTERRA: That is amazing. And we're so glad that that first experience was so fantastic for you and that group you're with.

Tricia: It was.

doTERRA: Tricia, it has been wonderful to talk to you today to learn about why natural hair care is so important and a little bit more about the new Shampoo and Conditioner Bars.

Tricia: Well, thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure.

doTERRA: Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today.

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