My shampoo confession

[mrsbabookaloo]

OK, so I need to offload my guilt here and declare publicly that I have given up on eco-friendly shampoo.

I've been using it for years, have tried various types, have been paying 8 quid a bottle for green people stuff and my hair never feels clean and always looks crap.

I have very thick greying hair with a tendency to frizz and the other day I threw ethics to the wind and bought chemical-laden L'Oreal-produced, Fructis frizz fighter and I'm sorry to say my hair looks and feels 100 times better.

I know I shouldn't care more about my hair than about the parabens and sodium laureth sulphate but I'm sticking with it.

I don't have a car, a microwave, or a tumble dryer, don't wear make-up or perfume, use all eco-friendly cleaning products, I recycle and compost....PLEASE can I be let off, oh ethical livers?

hah ha ! you need chemicals really !

Have you tried the Tesco's Bnatural range. they are free from parabens and other nasties and seem to work well. Does means giving money to Tescos though!!

Burt's Bees is the best shampoo I've ever used, much bettter than any big name one that I've tried, and it's paraben and sls free. Aveda was pretty good too. They're both pretty expensive, but I find Burt's Bees shampoo lasts for ages.

You are Absolved m'dear.

OK, when I've finished my bottle of evil, I'll try the other ones you've suggested. Thanks!

Have you tried Lush Daddy O ? In fact all their hair care is really nice, and makes my hair look great. Its light on the chemicals too.

But hey, you have to have a little eco guilt in your life !

Thanks moony - you've got the credentials to absolve me, I think!

I didn't like Lush, I tried two of their shampoos and neither did much for me. I'm pretty sure that one of them had SLS in it too.

I don't think my conditioner is particularly green though, I use Aussie 3 minute miracle.

OUCH at 8 quid. Have you tried Faith in Nature, it is not too pricey and goes a long way & I think actually works.
I'm impressed by their bubble bath too which I bought with a wince (£4.80 I think it was) for dd because there wasn't any cheap stuff to be had in town but has lasted at least 6 times as long as the £1 bottles and the bubbles are better too.

Daniel Galvin Jnr stuff is v good,as is Tisserand

MAS, are those last 2 eco-friendly?

Takver, think I've tried Faith in Nature and not been impressed.I may revisit though.

Come to think of it, maybe it doesn't do it for curly hair? I have a feeling my friend with fab curls doesn't like it at all.

Alright, if we're into confessions.....I can't get enough of Soap & Glory products! Oh the shame.

Full of parabens, un-eco chemicals and probably DDT as well, but I LOVE IT!

I live with the green shampoos, but I cannot give up the chemical-laden conditioners. I have hair that sounds a bit like yours and gets into a total tangle and none of the eco-friendly conditioners I've tried (some of which are stupidly expensive) have worked at all.

I also can't live with the 'natural' hair colours. They just will not cover my grey.

Second the Aveda recommendation - your hair sounds a bit like mine, and their products are great for me.

I don't think more expensive shampoos are necessarily more expensive per wash. Burt's Bees is £11 a bottle, but I only use 2 bottles PER YEAR and I wash my hair at least 5 times a week. I tried JASON at the beginning of the summer and I couldn't believe at how much I had to use to get a lather, and then it was much too drying for my hair anyway. I suppose the biggest problem with the expensive ones is that it's an expensive mistake if you buy a bottle and you don't like it.

Yes, I found JASON to be one of the worst. That's the thing, bran, I haven't tried them all, but I hate to buy something and try it and then if it's no good, I have yet another bottle hanging around the bathroom making me feel bad.

I'd send you a little bit of my Burt's Bees to try, but it's the wrong type for you if you have thick hair.

I know what you mean about bottles hanging around the bathroom, it drives my DH insane that there's so much stuff there that I don't use. I must sort myself out to offer some of it FFP on here.

MOP is fantastic.

I wasn't keen on MOP (I really have tried lots of shampoo ). It was too drying on my hair when I tried it at home, but strangely it was pretty good at my parent's house where the water is very soft. Obviously it's almost as much to do with what the water is like as what the shampoo is like.

What's MOP?

MOP

They do tester-sized bottles for about £3.50 on their own website so you can try with minimal guilt if you want. The one I've tried before is glisten.

Mixed greens is really nice, as is lemongrass.

I could have written the opening message - love natural skincare and body products but just haven't found a good, more natural shampoo and conditioner and end up using Pantene or some other chemical laden rubbish which actually do a reasonably good job!

I have tried Aubrey Organics, Green people, Pure Nuff Stuff, Naked and Faith in Nature and am too currently using some L'Oreal products which do make my hair feel clean and nice.

Have used MOP glisten before and found it to make my hair too greasy.

Have made a mental note of Bran's Burts Bees recommendation - Bran - don't know if you remember but I got some Akamuti Shea Mandarin Butter based on your recommendation - and I love it, it is gorgeous and my new favourite product - already used one tub!