In my last three hair-care videos I talked about how to wash and condition your hair. This video I add more products that I use to style my hair with. For those coming to this site from the carnivore diet - the purpose of this article and video is to provide plant-free hair care ideas for people that are sensitive to salicylates, a natural aspirin-like compound. I always recommend eating plant-based when feasible, and using plants for cosmetics. However, when there is so much variation in plants and the way plants are processed, dropping down to an animal-only routine helps someone who is salicylate sensitive to identify what products are causing inflammation. In my case, I was losing my hair with even salicylate-free shampoo, until I switched to only animal products. I'm now able to try out rye for shampoo, and other products, but my safe and default routine is the items listed below.
The first three items are review from former videos:
- Lard/Tallow Soap, in bar or liquid form
I prefer tallow or lard soap bars. I'd get it with goat milk if the combination existed. Check out the hair and soap products in the directory. I order most of mine from Etsy, and get it in bar or liquid form, depending on my needs. If you're looking for vegan options, contact a soapmaker through Etsy to see if they can make you a custom Castile soap or bar soap using sal-safe oils like canola, soy, cottonseed, palm, rice bran, safflower, or sunflower. Let me know too, because if they're making a batch, I'd like to test one out! Soap doesn't have a detergent in it, so this is why it's considered low-poo. When I use my soap, it doesn't overstrip my hair (sometimes I have to wash twice) so I don't need to use a conditioner with it. I've seen parents have good luck pre-diluting the bar soap in a squeeze bottle in water, to make it easier to use in kids' hair. I have had it in my eyes though, and it definitely stings. - Kefir, Buttermilk, or Diluted Yogurt for a conditioner
Most fermented dairies are acidic (about 4-5pH from what I've tested at home). These don't smell like vinegar, and are quite nourishing for your hair. This is what I prefer to use! If you use yogurt - dilute it with water. I can now find kefir without a bunch of preservatives from a nearby farm, but when I lived in the city, I made my own with a kit from Cultures for Health (not-sponsored/affiliated). They also have some for water-only kefir, and I think I've seen a non-dairy one (for oat or rice milk) too. - Egg - as a wash or mask
I've used this many times and it does work as a cleaner! Beat it before you go into the shower, and make sure to use cool water when rinsing it out. Some people are sensitive to protein in their hair, so keep that in mind if it doesn't work for you. I like to use it as a mask and leave it in my hair for about 20 minutes before rinsing out.
The last three items are new and what I use to style and moisturize my hair. - Emu Oil - adds moisture and sleek to your hair. It is lightweight - I like to add this to the ends of my hair. I use this on my face as well.
- Lanolin - MY FAVORITE! This is a great moisturizer and use it all over my body. In my hair is smooths fly-aways and makes my hair shiny and smooth. It gives it a nice "second-day" look on my first-day after washing.
- Beeswax - I use beeswax melted with emu oil and lanolin as a pomade (no recipe yet - it's not perfect). The beeswax adds shine to my hair and is used in popular pomades for this reason.. If it's a little chunky going in, I'll melt in in my fingertips, rub it in, then brush it through with a boar-bristle brush. This is really great to use in humid areas. The beeswax almost makes my hair feel water-proof!
Besides that, I really don't use much of anything else in my hair. I'll use the Free & Clear or Cleure Hair Sprays or Gels, but rarely.