Using Hair Wash helps clarify your skin? How does that work?

Q: I have sensitive skin that seems to react to EVERYTHING! What product of yours would you recommend for clarifying my skin?

A: 

Sensitive skin is no fun! Especially when there are so many companies out there trying to sell you chemical-loaded cleansers that will just make your skin react more!

For those individuals with sensitive or reactive skin, we highly recommend our USDA certified organic Fragrance-Free Facial Line. There is even a sampler that you can purchase that has a small amount of the Fragrance-Free Cleanser, Toner, Facial Lotion, and Moisture Cream. We recommend following the instructions sheet in the tester box (which, amongst other things, advises using a warm, wet wash cloth so that the fabric fibers can deeply cleanse your pores). Also, as the instructions say, you only need a small amount of the cleanser to clean your face, throat, and decollete – just a ¼ of a teaspoon will do! We advise using the Fragrance-Free Cleanser for a day or two, then adding the Toner, waiting a few days, then adding the Facial Lotion and/or Moisture Cream. It's normal for some users to not need all the steps, so find out what works best for you!

Also, we strongly suggest that you look into our Pure Earth Hair Wash. Even if you are washing your face with a USDA certified organic product, if you are putting chemicals on your scalp and hair, those chemicals run onto your face while you are in the shower. Since your hair rubs against your face all day, your face is being bathed in chemicals 24/7! For people with sensitivities, we do recommend starting with our Fragrance-Free or Cool Mint Hair Washes. You can learn more about our Hair Wash from our online Hair Wash Instructions. Also be sure to check out the entirety of our Hair Help Resource Guide as it is chock-full of bona fide Terressentials-approved information about our Hair Wash.

We hope this information helps!

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.

Why is my Terressentials product a little different in color, consistency, and aroma?

Q: I've ordered your products multiple times before, and I've noticed that they sometimes are a little bit different in color, consistency, and aroma. Why is that?

A:

Since our USDA certified organic products are made from truly natural ingredients that come from and – in the instance of the clay – are the earth, there is always some natural variation in aroma, color, viscosity or opacity. It takes a tremendous amount of artisan skill to work with the great variety of USDA certified organic and truly natural materials that we receive and attempt to replicate a recipe exactly each time we craft a batch of product. Though it is quite a challenge, we are proud to say that, over the past twenty-two years of crafting our products, we have had much success in maintaining the consistency of our recipes despite the curve balls thrown our way by Mother Nature and we have many loyal, long-term customers who are quite happy with the results of our efforts!

For example, is every single apple the same? Even if you're staying with just one type of apple from one single apple tree, some are more crunchy, some are more sweet, and some are more juicy. Does a loaf of artisan sourdough bread look exactly the same each time you bake one from your treasured recipe? The same ideas apply to the ingredients that we use and the products that we make. Even if we get the same type of ingredient (for example, cocoa butter, clay or lavender oil) it may be a little different in color, aroma or consistency from lot to lot. This doesn't mean that the material is a lower grade, it's just a natural variation. It's important to note that all materials have variations. In particular, organic botanicals vary widely depending upon how and where they grew – the amount of sunlight, rainfall, soil conditions, altitude, time of harvest, etc.

We carefully handpick every single organic ingredient in our products and always search for the highest certified organic quality. We don't and won't make anything but top-notch USDA certified organic body care products with the finest ingredients. After all, we actually do use all of our products ourselves and we don't want anything less than the very best! So don't worry if your newest bottle of Terressentials product is a little bit lighter or darker in color, or a tad thinner or thicker, or the aroma blend is slightly different – it's all good and genuine organic. No matter what, you are selecting an effective product that will be good for both you and the environment.

Oh, yes, and please always do remember to shake your Terressentials product before using it – be it hair wash, body wash, lotion or deodorant – since we do not add any chemical emulsifiers to our products, natural separation may occur. 

I want an answer to a more specific question that isn't answered in the Hair Help Blog or in the Hair Wash Instructions. What should I do?

Q: Hi, I have a really specific question regarding my own personal hair history and scalp situation. I want to get an answer from Terressentials, but I'd rather email than call you guys so that way I have a record of your answer should I need to reference it again. What should I do?

A:

When we get emails from customers, we often run into the problem (as you said) of the customer not giving us enough information on their personal, individual, unique hair history (An analogous situation would be telling someone your stomach hurt and saying only “I last ate this particular food 3 hours ago” as opposed to saying “I haven't felt well the past few days and have eaten these specific things over the past day and tend to get an upset stomach when I eat a lot of this.” It's hard to help someone if you don't have all of their information!).

When you email us, please answer the following questions (and feel free to literally copy and paste this list and fill out your answers):

1. What is your hair type: thick, curly, thin, fine, straight, kinky, curly, wavy, frizzy, etc.?

2. What is your scalp type: oily, normal, dry, sensitive, dandruff/flaky, psoriasis, etc.?

3. What chemical hair treatments have you used: straighteners, perms, bleaches, dyes, etc.?

4. What styling products do you use: gels, mousse, creams, sprays, articulating, smoothers, etc.?

5. Do you blow dry your hair, or use heat to set curls or to straighten your hair?

6. How old are you?

7. Where do you live?

8. What is the source of your bathing water?

9. Do you swim? If yes, where do you swim? Do you swim in a chemically treated or naturally treated pool?

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.

Can I use homemade conditioning oils in my hair while using the Hair Wash?

Q: I like to make my own conditioning oil out of organic cold-pressed, raw coconut oil. Is that ok to use with the Hair Wash?

A:

Organic coconut oil to moisturize one's hair? Sure! Sounds Yummy!

We also highly recommend taking a look at our delicious 100% Certified Organic Super Emollient Moisturizers which are delightful blends of aromatic virgin coconut oil that has been infused with nourishing organic herbs and then blended with heavenly mixes of organic essential oils and organic cocoa butter and sunflower oil! Our divine Super Emollient Moisturizers* are perfect for hair and scalp conditioning and smoothing rough hair. Check them out here .

Our Super Emollient Moisturizers are also wonderful for a warm oil treatment for your scalp and hair. Not only do you get the benefits of moisturizing your hair and scalp, but also you get the chance to wrap a warm, soothing towel around your head for as long as you like. Nothing feels better than that! You can read about the warm oil treatment in Step 6 of our Hair Wash Instructions .  

Also, you should try our 100% USDA Certified Organic Fragrance-free Moisture Cream (which can be found by scrolling down a little bit on this page here ). It is great for styling and conditioning the hair.  

Remember the fact of utmost importance: Only USDA certified organic products are compatible with our Hair Wash! So, hair spray, hair gel, silk protein, and other styling products that aren't USDA certified organic are not ok to use with our Hair Wash!

* Also, please note that our Certified Organic Super Emollient Moisturizers are also great all over your body for super deep moisturizing!

Hair Wash stored in cold temperatures?

Q: Hi! I was wondering if my Hair Wash would be negatively impacted by being stored in cold temperatures. It was accidentally left in a car for a few days (and it's winter). Please let me know!

A: 

No worries! Our Hair Wash is a very stable product and unlike some of our other, more delicate, products, the cold will not be a problem for the Hair Wash at all.

Why doesn't the Terressentials Hair Wash come in a wide mouthed jar?

Q: Why doesn't Terressentials Hair Wash come in a wide-mouthed jar that I can stick my fingers in and scoop the mud out of? It can be hard to get out of the bottles.

A:

Unfortunately, for such a large quantity of a water-based product to be packed in a jar that would require that fingers be repeatedly inserted into the product over several weeks to dispense it demands significant additions of chemical preservatives to maintain that product's stability. As we are a certified organic company, the use of such chemical preservatives is not in alignment with our organic mission or our natural philosophy and, importantly, the use of chemical preservatives in organic products is forbidden by the federal USDA National Organic Program regulations. Also, we are a very small company and packaging options that are available to us in the smaller quantities that we can afford to purchase are limited. After 20 years of business, we have found that the best bottle for the Hair Wash is the one we currently use. However, rest assured, as we do believe in constant improvement, we are always searching for and open to new and improved packaging ideas.

For now, here are a few tips that we can share with you for successful dispensing of the Hair Wash are:

1. Store your Hair Wash bottle upside down (with cap closed, of course!).

2. When the product gets low in the bottle, gently tap the bottle (cap down and closed) against a tabletop a few times to move the Hair Wash from the bottom of the bottle towards the cap.

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's the Shelf Life of Mud??

Q: I recently found four 16oz bottles of your Hair Wash that I must have stacked away four years ago and forgot about them, are they still usable?

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A: We'd recommend disposing of those old products. (tree/shrubbery compost?) For optimal results when using organic herbal hair care products, we suggest purchasing enough product that one can comfortably use up within six to twelve months when purchasing products directly from our web site.

Henna Facts: Useful and Educational!!

Q: I was interested in trying your hair wash, until I discovered it isn't recommended for color-treated hair. I saw where you recommend henna hair dyes, so I did a little searching, since I've never used henna. I learned through a website that:

There is no such plant as "blonde henna", "brown henna" or "black henna". The plant, henna, lawsonia inermis, has only one dye molecule, and that molecule is red-orange.

Chemicals, metallic salts or other dye plants must be added to henna to make any color other than red. These mixes are termed compound hennas.

To be honest, that sounds pretty gross. I'm not a redhead, and have no desire to go red. My natural color is an blah, muddy brown with a whole lotta gray. I went blonde for many years, and recently went back to a medium chestnut brown. Is there a natural henna product that will duplicate that color without all the icky stuff added? Is it safe to use henna after having done chemical coloring in the past?

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A: One of the oldest and most well-established companies that we have found, Lotus Brands, produces reliable and consistent 100% pure botanical and henna powder blends of hair coloring products. Two well-regarded products made by Lotus Brands are their "Light Mountain" or "Color the Gray."

The beauty of using 100% natural plant powder blends to dye hair is that the plant dyes gradually wash out without the problems with "roots." Another big plus is that the plant powders are not damaging to the hair, non-toxic to humans and wildlife, sustainable/renewable agricultural crops, and not harmful to the environment and our waterways when they are washed down the drain. In addition, pure plant dyes are totally
compatible with our Hair Wash!

The information that you found was not accurate. Just as there are hundreds if not thousands of plant dyes that can dye wool (the hair of animals), or silk or cotton fibers, there are many plants that can be used to dye human hair darker colors in many various colors. So, too, as there are many varieties of apples, there are many varieties of henna that produce varying shades of brighter reds to brownish reds. When henna powders are mixed with other pure botanical plant dye powders, one can achieve many unique and rich and natural shades: bright red, dark red, auburn, copper, light, medium and dark browns, chestnuts, burgundies, mahogany, and even black. The Lotus company blends henna
plant powder with other botanical plant powders such as indigo and black walnut shells to get a wide range of colors.

When mixing the Lotus Brands plant powders at home, instead of using just plain water, one can mix their henna with coffee, black tea, chamomile tea, lemon juice, or other herbs or spices for even greater variation and penetration of color.

(However, it is true that there really is only simple botanical method of minimally lightening the hair when sitting in the sun -- applying lemon juice or rhubarb.)

To view the Lotus Brands products and to get the company's contact info for your hair coloring inquiries, take a look at the following useful links:

http://www.light-mountain-hair-color.com/
http://www.lotuspress.com/ltmtn.htm

We do offer their hair colorings in our store and you can order them when you place an order through our web site by requesting a particular coloring brand and color in the comment box of our shopping cart's order page, before submitting your order.

If you have any questions about the henna and its application on previously chemically-treated hair, we do suggest contacting Lotus Brands as they are the henna/botanical hair coloring experts.

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.

Tangled Hair--It's a Thing of the Past

Information about using the Hair Wash with your kids

Q:  I am currently using the Pure Earth Hair Wash on my five-year-old daughter's hair. Her hair is very fragile and breaks easily. The one problem I have is that after I wash her hair it is so knotted that she cries when I brush it out. So I have two questions for you.  What can I do to strengthen her hair--is there another product I should be using?  And do you have something to help with the tangles?
 

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A:  Many people have found that when they massage a dilute vinegar and water  combination (50%v/50%w or even 25v/75w) through the entire scalp and all of their hair for about one minute (after rinsing the mud out of the hair with plain water first), and then rinse the hair again with plain water, provide a nice detangling effect for their hair. Be sure to read number five in the instructions (link below) for more details about this special rinse and about our deep cleansing treatment that we recommend everyone do at least once per month, or more as desired.

Finally, for more extensive information about conditioning the hair, Hair Wash tips, etc., we highly recommend that you please read through all of our excellent, detailed Hair Wash instructions article from our web site.

Good to the Last Drop!!

Information about how to get all of your Hair Wash out of the bottle

Q: I have the large bottle of Hair Wash, and it seems like halfway through the product becomes difficult to get out. I always shake the bottle before each use. Last time I used a knife to cut the bottle in half, scooped the product out and transferred it to a plastic container. It's kind of a hassle. Do you have any other suggestions or feedback from other customers regarding this issue?
 

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A: Here's our insider tip: we usually store our Hair Wash bottles upside down in the bathroom -- with the cap closed, of course! When the bottle is stored upside down we usually don't have any problems getting the product out of the bottle. In addition, on occasion if the mud Hair Wash is a thicker batch, we may gently tap the top of the cap of the bottle on the bathtub shelf while holding the bottle upside down to move the product forward to the top of the bottle for easier dispensing -- voila!

As you are aware, our products are certified organic to the USDA National Organic Program standard and, as our products are certified organic products, we do not use any strong and toxic chemical preservatives as they are not permitted under the organic regs (and we strongly agree with the NOP that toxic synthetic preservatives are to be avoided). Our Hair Wash is formulated with gentle organic herbal extracts and/or organic essential oils that are beneficial for hair and scalp, and that also help to keep the product stable and fresh in the bottle when used according to our instructions. Our Hair Wash was formulated to be used out of a bottle, NOT out of a jar or tub into which one would dip one's fingers. Dipping one's fingers into the Hair Wash product creates potential opportunities for contamination. In the future we ask that you, please, do not transfer your Hair Wash to a plastic tub or jar! Please, just use the Hair Wash out of the bottle as recommended.

A Simple Solution to Sticky Swimming Problems

Info about washing chlorine and/or salt out of your hair after swimming

Q: I love your Pure Earth Hair Wash! I am going with my family to the Caribbean in a few weeks and I was wondering if you had any special guidance for hair washing during extreme exposure to sun, chlorinated pools and salt water. Pools tend to make my hair "sticky". Should I wash more frequently, use an additional wash or switch products while I am there?

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A: Our recommendation is to apply a light coating of one of our 100% Organic Body Cremes to the hair (yes, the hair will be oily) BEFORE swimming. This will put a light barrier on the hair (it is a barrier cream) to help protect the hair from the harsh effects of pool chemicals, or salt and sun. Alternatively, our Anointing Body Oil may be used also, although the Body Cremes are more protective products as they are heavier barrier moisturizers. After swimming, wash the hair normally with our Hair Wash, or follow the instructions in number five (speeding the detox) in our Hair Wash instructions article by washing with one of our Body Washes and a vinegar/water rinse as step one, and following with the Pure Earth Hair Wash as step two.

Of course, the added benefit of following this protocol, in lieu of using rubber bathing caps, is that, in addition to simplifying your toiletries packing for travel, you will have the Hair Wash to cleanse your hair, you will be able to feel refreshed and have fun using one of our delightful organic Body Washes (Cool Mint is especially lively!) to wash the pool chemicals and/or salt/sand off your body, and you will have a yummy, rich moisturizer to protect and soothe your skin from the effects of sun/sand/chemicals. Perhaps best of all, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that you won't be contaminating the ocean with synthetic toxic chemicals.