I made an emergency trip to my local health foods shop a few weeks ago after running out of shampoo.
I picked up the Faith in Nature Neem & Propolis Shampoo and the Seaweed & Citrus Conditioner.
I have used them for the last three weeks or so and to be honest I have really mixed feelings about them.
The shampoo is (mostly) great - it lathers well so I get a good wash without having to do it twice. I like the smell, sort of like earthy floral, it doesn't weigh my hair down and it keeps my hair less oily for longer. Those are the positives. My negative? Scalp irritation.
My hair is really thick so rinsing shampoo out can sometimes be a struggle and very occasionally I don't get it all out so get a bit of a flaky scalp. These are usually on rushed days and it really doesn't happen that often.
I noticed that my hairline was a bit flaky the first time I used it so put it down to a rubbish rinse. The second, third and fourth time it happened I knew it wasn't me.
I tried to take a photo of my hairline but I just couldn't get one that showed it up well. I've said scalp irritation but it's not particularly itchy, just flaky.
When I bought the shampoo I did a very quick scan of the ingredients and finding no SLS, I bought it. Looking at the ingredients now I can see that it has Ammonium Laueth Sulfate. After a bit of fishing on the internet, I found an article on The Green People's website which says that although ALS sound similar to SLS, their molecular structure is significantly different and do not have the same potential to irritate the skin. The molecules are larger than those of SLS and are therefore considered to be milder and safer alternatives. Read the full article here.
ALS may be a safer alternative but it still caused me a huge problem. This will be added to my list of ingredients to avoid.
Compared to the shampoo, the conditioner was really nice to use and I didn't have an problems with it. I found it a bit runny but it did appear to do a good job at conditioning my ends so I'm happy with it and will use it again. I still use my avocado oil as a pre-conditioner so I find that I don't need as much of an intensive conditioner as the oil works so well.
Which shampoo & conditioner do you use?
Hello Jen,
ReplyDeleteNice review, but how do you know that the problem is really caused by ALS and not by any other ingredients?x
Hi Audrey,
DeleteThanks for reading :)
Of course my reaction could be caused by one of the other ingredients. My assumption for the reaction being caused by the ALS was because I'd not used a shampoo with it in before and associated the foamy lather to my flaky scalp. It is something I will be looking into more as I hunt for a replacement shampoo :)
Thank you for taking the time to comment! X
Oh that's a real shame! Usually Faith in Nature are all natural or vegetable-derived so I'm quite surprised ALS was in the Neem shampoo. I quite like neem oil, so this was a shampoo I had on my radar to try in the future. I currently use Dr Organic Manuka Honey shampoo & conditioner it's lovely! :-) I have used the faith in nature seaweed & citrus shampoo, which has a surfactant derived from coconuts which is really mild, and I loved it. Glad to hear the conditioner was nice :-) Merry Christmas dear xx
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and reading! The ALS does say it is vegetable derived on the packaging but I don't have particularly sensitive skin so this ingredient was the only thing that really stood out for me. I'll have to do some more research into shampoos next time!
DeleteI've heard good things about the Dr Organics hair range. I have a Holland & Barrett fairly close by so next time I'm in I'll have a good mosey at the range.
Have a very Happy Christmas xx
I have used Faith In Nature in past and my absolute favourites are Rosemary or Chocolate shampoos/conditioners. Sad that you did not get on with them but it could be something else in the shampoo/conditioner not just ALS. At the moment I alternate Madara and Weleda shampoos/conditioners.
ReplyDeleteI've had samples of the Faith In Nature hair care but I've never been impressed by it to purchase full size. Faith in Nature isn't the cleanest for ingredients but it is better than some others out there. For a while I was using products with ALS but I gave them up as I'm pretty convinced it causes me skin irritation same way as SLS does
ReplyDelete