Product Review: Conditioners

I've been using more 'natural' conditioners for many years now.  It started after I had been having problems with mild eczema on my skin that wasn't lifting and when I thought I had dandruff but all the anti-dandruff products weren't actually working.  So I started doing a little research and found out about the possibility of some common ingredients in our beauty products being allergens.  As my scalp seemed to be where I was having the most problems, along with down my lower back (where the products runs down when I wash my hair), I decided I would start with conditioners and shampoos.  I should probably explain my hair type first.  As with the rest of me, it's dry and, while I do have a fair amount of it, it's fine and easily tangled.  It doesn't really get greasy though and I can easily get away with only washing it every three days.

So conditioners first.

The first conditioner I'm starting with you unfortunately can't actually get anymore, but it's one I've used and loved for years and now judge all other conditioners by.  I was very sorry when I found out they'd stopped making it and bulk bought it.  It is the Naked Rescue Shea Butter and Olive Oil Intensive Care Conditioner.  While I don't dye my hair and almost no heat on it I still like to use an intensive conditioner as it reduces the frizziness I have a problem with.  I found that this conditioner not only smelt nice, but it also made my hair very soft, greatly reduced the frizziness, and the skin problems I was having on my back went away.  Once it was all used up (I do mean all) I started looking for something new.

The next conditioner I tried was the Kind Natured Nourishing Ylang Ylang & Sage Conditioner.  I picked this conditioner up from Boots as it seemed to tick all the boxes that had made me love Naked products.  It is sulphate, paraben and petrochemicals free and has the 97% natural stamp.  I did love the smell, but the actual product did nothing for my dry hair.  In fact, my hair became even frizzier than before and I definitely had to do an oil treatment afterwards.  I think if your hair was less fine and actually more on the greasy side it would actually suit you, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.  I haven't tried any of their other products, but I might try the Super Shine conditioner.

So I was having a little wander around my local Holland & Barrett and noticed the Australian Organics Nourishing Restorative Conditioner.  This product has no petrochemicals, synthetic colours, synthetic fragrances, or animal bi-products.  I actually really like this product.  It smelt nice, did make my hair feel very soft, and did go a long way to helping with the frizz.  I did still need to use a bit of oil afterwards to help with the frizziness and it wasn't as good as my beloved Naked conditioner, but it was a good substitute.  

I then decided I would try making my own.  I had a little look on google and actually found a good recipe from a YouTuber I'm already subscribed to - Ela Gale.  Ela's does a number of DIY videos so it's definitely worth checking out her channel.  The recipe I tried was the Natural Deep Hair Conditioner as these are the conditioner that seem to work best on my hair and I already had products I needed.  It was very easy to make and smells great, but I'm actually finding it a bit too thick for the type of hair I have.  It's definitely helping to reduce the number of split ends I'm getting, but my hair doesn't actually absorb that much of the product and I end up having to wash my hair at least twice.  Even with this double wash my hair still has some oils left in it causing it to stick together once it has dried.  I have now started using less but adding the Argan Oil Hair Treatment.  This has definitely helping my hair absorb the conditioner more (and it's helping me use up the Argan Oil) along with blow drying my hair a little when it's almost dry.  I still like this conditioner but I think the coconut oil in the recipe is just too thick for my hair type so, when I make it again, I'll swap that out for argan oil or olive oil and see how that goes.

I think I'll keep up with making my own conditioner at the moment as it's actually pretty easy to do and uses products I already have in my home.  I also know what's going into it and that means there's less chance of me having a negative reaction to it.

Is there a more 'natural' conditioner that you use or do you have a favourite DIY recipe?  Let me know  as I'm always happy to try more.