I'm natural. Do I need to detox?

Q: Hi! I've been natural for 6 years, do I need to detox? I use a natural co-wash conditioner that I got from a health food store, so I should be ok, right?

A: 

It doesn't matter if you've been “natural” for 6 days, 6 months, 6 years, or 60 years – the term “natural” is unregulated and therefore means nothing. It is easy for any company or corporation to put the word "natural" on a product, because there is no qualification of that term legally. This is why we are a USDA certified organic company. Our hair wash falls into the "made with organic ingredients" category because there is a good bit of clay in the hair wash, and since clay is an inorganic substance (a mineral), it cannot be called "organic." That being said, all ingredients of every USDA certified organic product must comply with the National Organic Program's list of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. So no random, toxic chemicals can be put into an otherwise "organic" product. Also, the clay we use is not irradiated (treated with radiation) or chemically treated in any way. Remember, with USDA organic products the actual ingredients of the products and also the method by which the product is made must comply with the national standards.

If you want to learn about the different labeling categories of USDA organic certification, check out this post on our Organic News Blog.

If you want to see the National Organic Program's list of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, thisis the link to it.

If you want to see a comprehensive list of USDA certified organic companies, see thiswebpage from the USDA National Organic Program website.

Something else you may find helpful is our own Healthy Person's Guide to Personal Care Ingredients. This web page helps identify commonly found chemical ingredients in lots of conventional shampoos, conditioners, styling products, etc. These are the things you want to avoid!

Last, but not least, you should pick up the bottle of the conditioner you are using and look at the ingredients label. Check to see if any of the nasty chemical compounds from the webpages above can be found on it. Also, see if the actual conditioner itself is certified by an organic certification company (a company can label ingredients as organic without the end product being considered organic). Also, not every product from a company may be certified organic, so you have to inspect each product individually and carefully to ensure its safety for your health and the health of those around you. If the conditioner is not certified organic, then it is not organic and therefore not "natural." Remember, if you need help conditioning or styling your hair while using our hair wash, our Pure Earth Hair Wash is compatible with only USDA certified organic oils and butters. So if that conditioner you are using is not a USDA certified organic product (remember, the USDA is a government agency), then yes, you have to go through detox.

Also, it's important to note that health food stores do not carry exclusively organic, or even truly natural, foods and products – especially in the body care section. So I still highly recommend that you get out your "natural" conditioner (remembering that the word "natural" has no real meaning since it is not regulated) and read the label to see what is in the conditioner. As we say here: "If it doesn't have the [USDA organic] seal, it ain't the real deal!" Our hair wash is compatible with only USDA certified organic styling products, so you can't use other products with it unless they have the official USDA organic seal on the label.

I am including here two more links. One is to our online Hair Wash instructions that are more in depth than the ones sent with your package. The other is to our Hair Help Blog which has lots of great information about detox, hair styling, and conditioning. When using our hair wash, you do not want to use any chemical dyes, conditioning, or styling products. It doesn't matter if you're going through detox or if you finished detox. No matter what, no chemicals should be used on your hair because then you will have to detox again. Remember, the steps outlined in our hair wash instructions (outlined as day 1 wash your hair this many times, day 2 wash it this many, etc.) is just the beginning of detox. Detox, depending on your personal hair history and how often you wash your hair, can last from two weeks to longer. At no point should you revert back to a chemical conditioner because then you'd have to start detox over again.

My child's hair became damaged by swimming in a chemically treated pool. What should I do?

Q: I am writing about my 10 year old daughter's hair.

It's been such a pain to brush her hair, it's all tangled up, and my mother keeps using junk on her hair, so I'm really trying to fix her hair problem.

This summer, we spent some time at a public pool (I know, GASP haha). Well, her hair was really damaged from the chemicals in the pool, and her hair never has seemed to recover (and our last visit was in September and it's now March).

She was getting her hair cut recently, and we found out that she has damaged, fine, hair. Her hair felt filmy, like built up residue was just never getting rinsed off. They suggested using a "clarifier" (a couple times a week) on her hair, maybe something with a little tea tree oil in it (though I haven't really researched this avenue, yet, I figured I'd come to you, first). I tried using Shea butter as a detangler, but it left her hair kind of stringy and oily looking (maybe I used too much?)

I went back to your website, and saw the blog on hair. I did the fragrance- free wash gentle gel wash with a vinegar rinse (as detailed in Step 5 of the Hair Wash Instructions). The results were immediate and AMAZING! So much easier to brush, and it seemed to leave her hair a little shiny. Well, my question is this: how often should I use the fragrance-free gel wash and vinegar rinse? Should I use it every day? Or a couple of times a week? Should I use any mud on her hair? If so, which "flavor?"

Also, when I use the gentle gel bath wash on her hair, do I want that to "lather" up? or just kind of massage it through?

Thank you for any advice or information you can give me.

A:

Thank you for your kind words!

Regarding your questions, many people have used our Gentle Gel and the vinegar rinse as their daily hair cleansing routine for years. You can certainly feel free to use it as frequently as needed. You can also try our Cool Mint Body Wash in place of the Gentle Gel in the hair washing process as, unlike the Gentle Gel which is super-fatted with organic jojoba oil, the Cool Mint has no added super-fatted oil. Some folks with fine and/or straight hair prefer having no added extra oil in their Hair Wash. You could even alternate between the Gentle Gel and the Cool Mint washes. FYI, the Gentle Gel doesn't really have much in the way of foaming capability as it contains no coconut oil – it is a traditional

true castile. Coconut and/or palm oils are the oils that can give a castile soap a sudsing effect, though it is important to note that this sudsing effect has no relation to how a real soap product cleanses. Our

Gentle Gel castile is primarily made from organic extra virgin olive oil and olive oils do not support much foaming. However, even without high lather the olive oil castile is very gentle and effective, and is an excellent cleansing choice for those with infantile, or sensitive, or dry or mature skin.

You can also certainly play with the Hair Wash! For fine, straight or thinner hair, our Fragrance-free or our Cool Mint Hair Wash formulas are the best options.

Unfortunately, pool chemicals and conventional shampoo chemicals can, as you've seen, permanently damage the hair cuticle making the hair very susceptible to splitting, breakage and tangling. Folks with fine hair don't often do well when conditioning with oils and butters unless just the tiniest amount is used. So, literally, use perhaps just one drop or two of an organic oil or butter rubbed between the palms of the hands and massaged or combed through the hair to help smooth splitting, damaged hair.

Truly though, the best remedy for people with finer, straighter and/or thinner hair (and everyone else, really!) to maintain healthy-looking hair is to stay away from chemical hair products (yes, there ain't

nothing natural about "all-natural" shampoos) including shampoos, hair bleaches and dyes, perms, etc.

Oh, and try to avoid swimming in pools treated with chemicals. (There are some pools out there that use salt and/or UV light to keep the water from being overrun with bacteria instead of using the conventional toxic pool chemicals.) To protect one's body and hair from toxic chemicals attacking the hair and skin and to help to prevent some chemicals from penetrating the body, we have often suggested the following:

1. Wear a bathing cap when swimming – there are some natural rubber ones out there.

2. Apply some of our Moisture Cream or, for even more protection, try a touch of our Cocoa Butter Body Creme (which contains organic beeswax and no added fragrance!) to the hair before swimming to help repel the water laced with chemicals. After swimming, to remove any chemical residues and excess Moisture Cream or Body Creme, cleanse the hair (and body) using one of our yummy Body Washes and vinegar rinse method, then repeat the process and/or use the Pure Earth Hair Wash as the second or third cleansing step.

3. Apply our Cocoa Butter Body Creme with organic beeswax to the face and body – all over as a gentle preventative/protective barrier – before swimming to help repel the water laced with chemicals. This has the added benefit of being moisturizing for the skin.

How will I know when my hair is fully detoxed? How long will this take?

Q: How will I know when my hair is detoxed? How long will this take?

A: 

The time it takes to complete the detox period varies greatly from person to person. For some, it could be as little as a week, but for others who have very damaged hair from the use of synthetic chemical products, the process could take much longer. During the detox, your hair may feel very funny. It is normal for it to feel sticky, dry, limp, static-y, heavy, and/or greasy. With a little patience, however, your hair should start to feel like it did when you were a kid - soft, manageable, natural. For tips on speeding up the detox process, see number 5 of our Hair Wash Instructions.

I used to use chemical relaxers in my hair. Will your Hair Wash work for me?

Q: I used to use chemical relaxers in my hair. Will your Hair Wash work for me?

A: 

Yes, given your desire to transition to completely natural hair cleansing, you could certainly use our hair wash, however, we're certain that your hair has sustained permanent damage from the relaxers, the coloring, and from the surfactant-based shampoos that you have used in the past. It is important to note that unless you have had ALL of the old, damaged hair cut off, your detox period will be longer than the average person with less chemically-treated hair. For best results, you should closely follow all of our instructions and recommendations as detailed in our Hair Wash Instructions, especially the information outlined in numbers 5 and 6.

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?? It's Up to You!!

Q: I was wondering, I just started using your Hair Wash and I am in the middle of detox. I wanted to know if after the detox period do I have to wash my hair everyday or once a week or how often is recommended?

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A: Generally, for most people, the more frequently one washes their hair in the beginning days of starting in with the Hair Wash "mud," the more quickly the detox progresses. As everyone's hair is different -- longer, shorter, thicker, finer -- and because so many folks may have used many different plastic polymer styling and conditioning products, or chemically-treated their hair, the detox period can vary widely -- a few days to several weeks. Typically, the more natural a person's hair and the fewer conventional-type products used, the quicker the detox.  After the detox period is over, please feel free to use the Pure Earth Hair Wash as often as you feel the need to have clean hair. I.e., simply wash your hair whenever it feels dirty. 

What to Do about Flakes

Q: I've been using the Hair Wash for well over a month and have just started noticing white flakes on my hair line above my forehead. It does not itch. Is this left over residue? Am I using the product incorrectly?

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A: Regarding your question, we have three thoughts:

1. You are still detoxing and this flakiness may be polymers coming off your hair and scalp. It is normal to experience some flakiness while you are detoxing.

or

2. You have a dry scalp and might wish to consider doing the conditioning oil treatment described in our Hair Wash instructions perhaps once or twice per month, or try massaging a drop or two of one of our Super Emollient Moisturizers into your scalp after washing if your hair is not too thin or fine. You could also use an organic apple cider vinegar/water (1 part vinegar, 2 parts water) rinse a few times per week or after each washing to help balance your flaking scalp.

To read about the recommended conditioning with our Super Emollient Moisturizer treatment, see paragraph two in number six in the Hair Wash instructions article:  http://www.terressentials.com/hairhelp.html 

or

3. You may need to try out a different hair wash flavor. Sometimes the organic citrus waxes found in the Left Coast Lemon and Lavender Garden flavors are too heavy for certain hair types. Try the Cool Mint or Fragrance-Free, as these contain no citrus waxes. If you are already using the Cool Mint or Fragrance-Free, maybe you need more moisture. Try the Sultry Spice, Lavender Garden, or Left Coast Lemon.

See number 2 of our Hair Wash Instructions for more info about which flavor to choose for your hair type.

What Can You Do To Clean Up An Oily Hairline?

A note from a new customer with her hints for removing extra oil from her hairline

I just wanted to write and say how wowed I am with your hair mud wash!  I've only been using the Hair Wash for a week and I can already feel a difference in my hair. I had been using a $30 salon shampoo for my long but oily hair, and the first time I did the hair detox I couldn't believe how much gunk was in my hair. My hair looked really dull, but I did it again the next day, and after washing it again today, I can really see a difference. My hair has tons of body, and dried naturally (without the blowdryer) in a gorgeous beachy, natural shape. I am going to buy a few bottles for my friends who also struggle with greasy, limp hair.

Side note: I also put some around my hairline while my hair was dry, for about five minutes before I showered. I'm hoping the clays will absorb oil and help keep my forehead clear of blemishes; it certainly feels good and is a nice added step to washing my face at night.

What's Good for My Hair??

Information about using our Hair Wash along with natural oils

Q: I have just started using your Hair Wash. If I use a little pure almond oil on my hair, would it slow down the detox process?

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A: Completely natural, and unaltered cold-pressed single base oils such as organic almond, organic cocoa butter, organic sunflower, organic coconut or organic jojoba (for example) make excellent hair and scalp conditioners and hair smoothing agents, and are perfectly compatible with our Hair Wash during the detox and after. We recommend trying out our Anointing Body Oils on your hair. They have a certified organic cocoa butter base and smell heavenly!

Do I Really Need to Do the Detox??

Information about detox if you've been using natural hair products

Q: I have been using only natural/organic shampoos for the past 6 months. Do I need to do the complete detox as recommended in your flier that came with the Hair Wash?

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A: For best results, we do recommend completing the detox as outlined in our Hair Washing instructions, as you most likely have not been washing your hair with USDA organic hair cleansing products.

Our Hair Wash instructions article provides you with much helpful information and tips on how to use our Hair Wash and our other organic products for long-term healthy hair maintenance.

Life Without Synthetic Conditioners: It's Not Impossible!!

Information about coarse or thick hair and the detox process

Q: I've been using your shampoo for about a week now (and I followed the detox directions when I got started). I have very thick, wavy, coarse hair. The idea of not using any conditioner seemed ridiculous, but I tried it. But it looks like it's not an option for my hair. There is absolutely no way to get a comb through my hair if I don't condition it. I have been using your Cocoa Butter Body Oil, since that's what you recommend for hair, and it only helps a little. I'm really concerned, because I have to comb it out when it's wet, and I'm starting to see some breakage on the ends (I just had a haircut, and normally this takes weeks or months to develop). Do you have any suggestions for my (currently unmanageable) hair?

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A: Please go back to our detox instructions, the complete long version on our web site, and read number five again -- speeding the detox. This step is a very important step, especially for folks with long, thick or damaged hair. Using the Body Wash for a few days and the dilute vinegar and water conditioning/detox rinse can really help such hair types in the early stages of the detox, and with your thick/coarse hair, your detox will likely take a few weeks.

You can also use the vinegar and water rinse as we describe in number five, as needed, along with and after using the Pure Earth Hair Wash as frequently as you'd like, and continue to use a bit of the Anointing Oil for smoothing, if desired. This should help you get through the detox more quickly.

First Time Users - Read This!!

Information about ordering the correct amount of Hair Wash for the detox process

Q: I'd like to try your Hair Wash but I've never used it before. Can I just buy a 2 oz. trial bottle to see if it works with my hair?

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A: Our Hair Wash is NOT a shampoo and does not work like a shampoo. We're sorry, but simply ordering a 2 ounce trial bottle will not be enough Hair Wash to complete the Detox Protocol properly. When you read our Hair Wash article you will see that we recommend, at minimum, one eight ounce bottle of Hair Wash to get through the detox. We really want you to use our product correctly so that you will have a good experience with it. It is very unique, with no bubbles, no soap, and no lather.

Please do read our article for guidance on selecting the proper formula for your hair type and, in addition, be sure to read number 5 -- speeding the detox -- for very important information about the washing and rinsing process for getting through the detox more quickly.

Choosing the Best Hair Wash for Your Hair is a Necessity!!

Information about choosing the correct Hair Wash for your hair type

Q: I have been using your Fragrance-free Hair Wash and am still in the detox process. My hair is long, fine, and curly and it tends to be dry and frizzy. It seems like the Fragrance-free Hair Wash makes my hair feel very weighed down and I can't seem to fully rinse it out. I ordered the Lavender as well to try to see if that works better. I like it better than the Fragrance-free but it seems to really weigh my hair down and it seems like there is a bit of residue still after rinsing. Can you recommend anything that I should do differently to keep that from happening?

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A: Our Lavender Hair Wash is formulated for folks with thick, wavy or curly hair, that may be dry on the ends. It is usually too heavy for daily use for folks with thinner and/or finer and/or straighter hair types.

It appears that daily use of the Lavender Hair Wash is too moisturizing for your hair and scalp. You could try alternating the Lavender Hair Wash with the Fragrance-free or Cool Mint formulas and following the instructions in number five in our Hair Wash article for the Body Wash deep cleanse once a week or more frequently, if desired. However, it just may be that the Lavender is too moisturizing for your needs and your best Hair Wash formula is the Fragrance-free (or the Cool Mint).

Give It Time!!

Information about hair problems during detox

Q: I have been using your Hair Wash for about a week now. I am having a few issues and wanted to get your opinion. It seems like by now I should be seeing some benefits and I don’t feel I am. My hair feels dry, stringy and unruly. About how long should I give it? I really want to commit to the product but am wondering if it is the right thing for my hair.

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A: In reading your letter, from what you are describing, we know that you are in the beginning of the detox and that, most likely, you have not seen our Hair Wash instructions article. Relax! What you are experiencing is such a common detox condition, it is outlined in detail in our Hair Wash Detox Protocol!

We can certainly offer you some guidance with your detox. First, though, you really must read our excellent, detailed Hair Wash instructions article. It truly is best to read the entire article and, in particular, please be sure to read numbers one, four, five, six and ten in the article. You'll be surprised at what you read and are sure to experience an "Ah-ha!" moment when you've read through the article.

Using Hair Wash with Colored Hair?? It's Possible!!

Information about using our Hair Wash if your hair has been color-treated

Q: I am very interested in switching over to Terressentials. I have read through your site and my only concern is that my hair was recently colored in an effort to take it back to my "normal" color. I don't plan to continue coloring it but it will be quite some time before the colored hair grows out (my hair is below my shoulders). Should I wait until the colored hair is grown out? Or can I start using your Hair Wash sooner than that?

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A: You can certainly start using our Hair Wash now -- no need to wait! First, though, do be sure to read through all of our excellent, detailed and highly informative Hair Wash article to learn about how our Hair Wash work: what to expect, selecting the proper hair cleansing formula for your hair type, speeding the detox, the special deep cleansing Body Wash treatment, conditioning the hair, etc.

Please also do note that the longer and thicker one's hair, and/or the more chemically-processed, the longer the detox.

Our recommendation? Read and follow the Hair Wash detox protocol instructions, be patient and enjoy!

Truth: It will get better!!

Info about how hair should feel after detox

Q: Thank you for providing so much detail on how the clay hair wash should be used. My question is related to what kind of result we should expect to see at the end of detox, which is not specified on the Hair Help page.

According to your website, the mud hair wash will remove all the chemicals that create the fake healthy look. What will the detoxed hair look like? Will your hair wash product repair and strengthen the detoxed hair with long term use? If I don't have the fake smoothness or the fake shine, will I ever get a real shine or real smoothness? Will my hair get stronger and shed less? Or will I just get the miserable truth about how my naked hair really looks?

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A: The hair care industry phrase that you used in your email -- "repair and strengthen" -- is a phrase used to describe what a hair care product is advertised to do for one's hair. It is a common personal care industry romantic marketing phrase used to allude to the process of coating hair (that has been damaged/weakened by chemical processing) with plastic polymers to reinforce degraded and broken hair. Emotional and/or aesthetic adjectives such as "texturizing", "shine ingredients", "proteins", "volumizers", etc., are often used in place of the more accurate industrial/technological phrase "plastic polymer bonding agents" in an attempt to distance the customer's perception of the ingredients from what they actually are -- synthetic chemical plastics.

Your understanding of the hair detox is fairly accurate, although your comment about getting "the miserable truth about how my naked hair really looks" might be a little extreme. : ) If your hair has not been bleached, permed, straightened, dyed, or otherwise chemically- damaged, your hair is likely to have minimal damage from the shampoo detergents that you have used. The more natural one's hair (and the shorter one's hair), the shorter the detox transition, and the more likely it is that one will be satisfied with the look and feel of the hair without all of the synthetic plastic coating agents. As everyone's hair is different, widely so, and as an individual's hair care product choices and treatments vary greatly, it is not possible to predict each person's level of satisfaction with his or her hair after going through the detox. We'd like to share, however, that our Pure Earth Hair Wash line is definitely very popular with many thousands of happy, and long-term users.

An interesting opportunity that one may choose to experience after moving away from washing one's hair with detergent shampoo products is to not use any detergent shampoos, or conditioners, or styling products for a year or so and then, as an experiment, wash your hair with a conventional detergent shampoo. You will then get to experience how unnatural and, frankly, freaky the polymers feel on your hair. Feeling the polymer coating agents on your natural -- "naked" -- hair, after being away from them for a long time, is a truly bizarre feeling!

When one follows the instructions in our Hair Wash article on our web site, and takes care to be patient, most folks have a smooth transition and enjoy the hair washing experience, and the good results with their hair.