Before we know it temperatures and the humidity will rise, and our hair and skin will probably get… well, a little off and act out. And to think, we just overcame all of our winter hair problems.

To protect your hair and skin from these environmental factors, it could be beneficial to change up your beauty routine and ensure that you are only using products and engaging in habits that are healthy for you. (Or, healthiER for you- we’ll accept baby steps, too!)

I am personally still learning about ingredients, subjects, recycling and the best ways to help my clients incorporate these practices into both of our everyday lives. Here I will just share what I know and what I have been slowly working towards over the past 5 years of doing hair professionally.

The perks are: Cleaner beauty routines can maintain your skin and hair’s health by protecting it from heavy environmental factors and harsh chemicals often found in mainstream/drugstore products. To begin a clean routine, you’ll need to do some spring cleaning! I mean, I should in more ways than one- but, again- baby steps, right? LOL. Let’s work on getting rid of the products and habits that are weighing you down and could be causing reactions on your scalp and hair that are unfavorable. And your cupboards will be happy, too. Okay let’s start with some basics- the what, the why’s.

WHAT IS CLEAN BEAUTY?

Clean beauty refers to the beauty practices of utilizing clean products that are free of dangerous ingredients (natural or synthetic) that can be damaging to your hair and ruin your hair color, too. Being a color specialist, I can say with confidence that I. Have. Seen. Some. Shit. LOL… Think: chemical reactions that cause bleach and other color formulas to smoke, melt, get watery or straight-up just barely work at all. But, that’s a story for another day.

Anyways, Clean beauty is often associated with natural, organic, and sustainable products. The question usually is, however, are organic hair care products really worth it and if they make a difference and can someone who is on a budget even afford to make switches. My answer is, yes!

If you have read my previous blogs or sat in my chair, you know that I am very conscious and keep an open dialogue about investment costs and maintinence fees. This goes with products, too. Like, do I carry amazing, sustainable, recyclable, vegan, gluten free and clean products- absolutely. Are they prices for everyone’s comfort? No. There’s something for everyone. Only thing as a hair color specialist, is, I only guarantee my color when used with products that I am highly educated on. Point being, I am very against shaming when it comes to accessibility to high end products. But, this doesn’t rule out clean products in general, they don’t have to allllll be a million dollars. One benefit, I will say, though- you def get more bang for your buck with higher end products due to the concentration levels of most.

WHY IS GOING CLEAN(ER) BENEFICIAL?

Clean hair care is beneficial because it makes consumers (us) more conscious of what they are putting in their/our hair and on their bodies. This also helps us hair stylists and beauty professionals not be so exposed to chemicals and harsh ingredients (YES to this!). This awareness makes consumers a lot more educated on what they are buying, and also encourages them to read labels and pay attention to what is put in the products that they buy and how they are made and what it’s packaged in. Also, less exposure to chemicals and allergens overall.

WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE THE SWITCH?

Consider making the switch to clean beauty products — your skin and locks will thank you. There are many benefits to making this change:

Clean beauty products are softer on your hair (& color).
They are non or low-toxic and free of harmful ingredients (Like we said above).
They are made sustainably and with sustainable ingredients. (Better for the environment and better for our next generations future!)
Usually, the packaging is either biodegradable or made of recycled ingredients or can be re-used. (Check, mate! All for it!)
Because the ingredients are so high quality, they are primarily more concentrated formulas and help you save money in the long run as you use less of the product. (They’re made THICC!)
They are good for your health. Remember, anything that is on your skin or scalp is absorbed into the bloodstream! Seriously.
Clean, natural ingredients boast nourishing and restorative properties. (Think: Hair growth & scalp health!)
The ingredients & production practices are more environmentally friendly. (Again… it’s the future we’ll be living in. Let’s take care of it.)

HOW TO IDENTIFY WHEN PRODUCTS ARE NOT CLEAN

CHECK THE INGREDIENTS

Clean beauty products contain mostly natural ingredients that are nourishing and all-around good for your hair and skin. To identify what products are not clean, consult the ingredients list. Avoid any items with these harmful ingredients that are commonly found in mainstream beauty and hair products:

Phthalates
Toluene
Propylene Glycol
BHA & BHT
Fragrance, etc.

CHECK THE PACKAGING

Excessively packaged products aren’t considered clean beauty products as they utilize a lot of material that doesn’t break down effectively. The packaging of these products is wasteful and sits on landfills for a long time, sometimes even releasing harmful compounds. I am still learning about this, but I am on board with trying to reduce this issue.

The reality that I do know, is that products that are not clean are often made with harmful chemicals that can release harmful compounds into the soil and air at landfills. EW.

UNDERSTAND THE LABELS

Products are often labeled with buzz terms like “natural” and “organic” that actually don’t have any meaning (or truth) behind them. Do your own research and consult a clean beauty app or glossary to understand the definition of these different buzz terms and what to look for to ensure that there is some truth behind these words. I started doing this with my makeup recently and it’s really eye-opening.

GET TO KNOW YOUR SKIN+HAIR+SCALP

It is important to get to know your skin and hair type to understand the clean beauty products that will have the best results for you. If you have sensitive skin or damaged hair, it is important to buy clean products that are specially formulated to suit your specific needs. For example: If you have really curly hair, you most likely are not going to want to buy a shampoo with Volume labeled on the front. You will most likely want a smoothing or curl enhancing or moisture boosting formula.

Pro tip/ Rule of thumb:
“Shampoo for the hair you have, condition for the hair you want.”

LET’S DECLUTTER

Reading the labels of your products will definitely help you to declutter your collection as you will be able to identify the products that you should be tossing out. While your at it, get rid of (or use the rest of) any empties and consolidate. I don’t personally think that you need to be even more wasteful and throw everything away. Maybe you can use the rest of it and slowly transition each product at a time. Also, that’s usually easier on the wallet.

EXPERIMENT WITH NEW PRODUCTS

Now that you are getting rid of products with harmful ingredients, take the time to find good replacement products! Start experimenting with new clean products to see which work best for you and are most worth your money. Ask your hairstylist what they recommend. Trial and error, my friends. Ask for samples, too, sometimes stylists have some on hand.

DETOX TIME

By spring cleaning your hair and beauty products, you can give your hair and skin a much-deserved break. The spring cleaning process may even include using no products at all for a day or two a week to give yourself a break. Let your hair get rid of the built-up products like styling gel and spray to help it regain its natural glow. Give yourself a blank slate of sorts. The best way to do this is to incorporate a simple, clean, clarifying shampoo. I love the MAXI.WASH shampoo by Kevin Murphy, The SOLU shampoo by Davines + The COLOR WOW Dream Filter pre-shampoo spray. (It de-mineralizes the hair from harsh chemicals that are in hard water)

Moral of the story

Even if we take baby steps, little by little it is something to keep on your radar to switch to cleaner ways to do our beauty routines. Have any questions, learn something new? Loved or disagree with something? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from you and continue growing together on our clean hair care journey.

all photos were taken by @aspectsofharmony for @jaydenpboutique use code carlie20 for 20% off