men long hairstyles
Mens Long Hair - Organic Hair Care as an Alternative
- Last Wednesday evening I got back to my place after a grueling nine-mile bike ride through the foothills. Tired and lathered in sweat, I jumped in the shower for a much needed scrub. This was quite relaxing considering my eyes were still burning from the sweat and my skin and hair were uncomfortably littered with salt crystals. Routinely, I reached for my "Costco special" shampoo, glopped a heap of the viscous ooze into my hands and proceeded to assail my hair with it until my scalp was numb. As I toweled up and began to dry my hair I suddenly came to a conclusion: My hair looks like hell and feels even worse after every time I wash it. As a man who exercises all too much and correspondingly washes his hair a lot, I realized that my run-of-the-mill shampoo just wasn't cutting the mustard.
- As a conservative estimate, I would say that I have A LOT bad hair days, so I decided it was time to give my hair a new game plan. Of course I had no idea what this game plan was, so I turned to the internet for some research. After sifting through numerous articles, most of which were disguised advertisements, I was blessed with some mana from heaven: a summary on organic hair products on a website called Dressy Tresses. Yeah, so it may have been targeted towards women, but hair is hair, am I right? This article gave me some great ideas on how I could solve some if not all of my hair dilemmas.
- The first question that I wanted to answer was, "Why does regular shampoo leave my hair coarse and unmanageable?" It turns out that most household synthetic shampoos and conditioners contain several ingredients that are harmful to your hair: sodium lauryl sulfate and phthalates (don't worry, I can't pronounce it either). These ingredients are commonly used because they greatly add to the cleaning, foaming, and emulsifying effects of the shampoo.
- Though organic shampoos do not contain anywhere near the amount of harmful ingredients, they too should be used in moderation because they have the potential of being an allergen or other catalyst that could increase your body's sensitivity to the environment. As current trends follows, more and more people are deciding against synthetics and are siding with the good ol' Mother Nature. Organic shampoos are no miracle cure for coarse hair but they can make a delightful difference in the overall health of your hair. This means stronger, better looking hair, less dandruff, and superior styling.
- Before going out and buying organic shampoo, here's something to note. There are two types of what the USDA considers natural hair care products. One will be labeled with "made with natural ingredients" and the other with "organic." The only difference between the two is that the former contains only 70% natural ingredients while the "organic" product contains at least 95%. Also, be sure to check the back of the product for its hydrosol content. Hydrosol is merely water that has been steeped in flowers and herbs but it's used by manufacturers to artificially boost a product's natural percentage rating. Though hydrosol is a natural ingredient, it is inert and has no redeeming effects on hair.
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