This Is Naked, Naturally

Let’s talk hair.

I was born with curls. Lots and lots of curls. Got it from my dad and passed it on to all but one of my kids. After living with curly hair for almost half a century, I know quite a bit about it. I know that curly hair is different than straight hair.

In my quest to have hair that behaves, I have educated myself in the chemistry of hair. No, I was not a science whiz in school. In fact, had I known then that learning about chemistry could help me with things like lotion, creams, serums, shampoo and conditioner, I’d have actually studied and passed with a grade higher than a “D.”

Anyway. Due to this mass of ringlets on my head and the awful things that most commercial hair products do to it, I have learned a great deal about the ingredients that go into shampoo and conditioner. One of the troubling things I have learned is that it’s nearly impossible to buy a really gentle, non-damaging product for your hair. Well, until now.

I recently got a sample of naked naturals Shampoo and Conditioner. This stuff is different for a few reasons. Primarily, and most important to me, is that the shampoo has no Lauryl or Laureth Sulfates. What is that and why does it matter? Well, these are harsh detergents that most shampoos use. These surfactants give most shampoos their big bubbly suds. People tend to think that it’s the sudsing that makes the hair clean. Not so. You can achieve just as much cleansing from less sudsing – and less harmful – cleansing agents. When I make my own shampoo, I use Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Decyl Glucoside. My shampoo doesn’t suds as much as commercial products but cleans wonderfully. So imagine my delight when I read the ingredient list of the Naked Natural Shampoo and found Cocamidopropyl Betaine as one of the surfactants.

Granted, this natural shampoo didn’t suds as much as some others but it did suds more than the one I make myself. And it cleansed my hair and scalp as well as any I’ve tried. The sample I recieved was for color treated hair, which my hair is not, but it still worked well. I’d love to try the moisturizing line, though.

I’m also careful about the conditioners I use on my curly hair. I know some curly heads use a lot of silicone based products but I prefer to stay away from silicones. In fact, after shampooing and conditioning my hair, I massage in Monoi di Tahiti oil and let my hair dry naturally. The problem has been finding a conditioner that doesn’t make my hair feel “coated” like so many do. I was pleasantly surprised that the Naked Naturals conditioner left my hair soft, tangle free and yet feeling, well, natural! I don’t think my hair has been this shiny and manageable since I was a kid. Now that’s a big deal.

The thing that really set these hair care products apart was the ingredient Keravis, a plant protein that has been shown to make hair up to 3x stronger. As I age, my hair becomes more and more fragile. This is just what I need to strengthen my hair.

According to the Naked Naturals website, the products contain no animal by-products, no DEA or TEA, synthetic fragrance or harsh chemicals. I don’t necessarily object to animal by-products although I know others do. Synthetic fragrance usually gives me a headache so the light lavender scent was a welcome treat.

My only real objection to the product is the term “natural” but that’s because I don’t like those kinds of buzz words. After all, poison ivy is “natural” but I wouldn’t use it on my hair or skin. Likewise, chemicals are not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I would challenge anyone to define “natural” in respect to beauty products.

Despite that one small gripe, I really love Naked Naturals line. I’m not planning to make any more of my own shampoo or conditioner for a while, choosing instead to buy the full size of the Moisturizing line of Naked Naturals. My curls are happy and that’s what really counts.

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