Nappy Hair

The way our hair looks in soceity these days so important. It is part of who we are and how we are perceived by society. It is for this reason most of us try to make our hair as manageable as possible. Men cut their hair short, some shave it off just to keep it manageable. Women choose hair extensions, wigs, braids as a means of keeping their hair manageable.Most of the users on my site have said that not only do they want hair products that makes their hair manageable but they want it to be natural, they want to be sure that they are not adding chemicals to their natural hair.

Consumers today are also more educated and aware of health concerns associated with products that they use everyday. They not only want the products to work, they want to ensure that they are using products that contain natural ingredients and that won’t mess up their hair. In addition to getting natural  ‘made’ ( I probably should say harvested)  hair products consumers want it to be affordable and available. Natural products today are very expensive and at times hard to come by. The internet (part of why I have this site-information) closes this gap between consumers and where they can get natural hair products. Users more often than ever are online trying to find solutions and other users reviews on most hair products- instead of having to try the products themselves.

While shoppers at times are willing to fork out some serious money for natural hair care products, many marketers are worried what consumers are buying are not actually natural. Eileen Sheets, managing director, of Bioforce USA said in an interview that they have “noticed a profusion of products featuring all manner of nutraceutical and botanical ingredients that pander to the consumer.  Many of these, however, have infinitesimal amounts mixed in with the lauryl sulfates”. I know that sounds like a lot but to me it sounded like to ensure we are using the right products we do need to understand some of these chemical terms.

As consumer interest in natural hair products, and natural hair styles grows  in leaps and bounds, the huge conventional personal care companies have rushed to get a piece of the action and make an easy buck in the process. Often, this means the addition of a small amount, of one or two herbal extracts are added to a totally conventional product. Then, the marketing and selling points on those products focuses on those minute amounts of natural ingredients in the product. To help prevent such cheap marketing methods and green-washing, the Natural Products Association (NPA) created a certification program in May 2008 for natural skin and hair care products. To merit the NPA seal, a product must meet strict guidelines: made of at least 95 percent truly natural ingredients, not contain ingredients with any potential suspected human health risks, not use processes that significantly or adversely alter purity or effect of the natural ingredients, they must also use ingredients that come from a renewable and plentiful source, and only use non-natural ingredients when viable natural alternatives are unavailable. This is a good thing for all of us.  A more detailed list can be found on their website (link above). So if you have the time or resources please look out for their seal when purchasing products. That said, many companies are already on the bandwagon of using all-natural ingredients in their formulations.

Liz at Nappy Hair Products