My Personal Clean(ish) Haircare Routine
Last week I hopped on for a little Instagram Q&A goodness…and WOW I was shocked by how many hair-related questions there were:
“I swear your hair grows so fast??? How???”
“More tips on how you go so long between hair washes”
“Any natural shampoo recs?”
“What is your hair routine?”
And finally, “Would you ever write a natural haircare blog post?”
Okay, okay—I hear ya, I hear ya! (NOTE: When I say I listen to your requests, I truuuuuly do listen and love to give you the content you want!)
…But honestly? I was hesitant to write a post on clean haircare becaaaause:
I am not a hair guru whatsoever! I’m just an average gal who likes her hair healthy and lookin’ good…but like, I still struggle operating a curling iron almost 3 decades into life????
Despite what people might expect, my haircare isn’t ~perfectly~ nontoxic (*audience gasps!*), but we’ll cover that in a minute. :)
I am verrrrrrrrry simple when it comes to my hair. Like most things in my life, I am not interested in a time-consuming, 83724983729-step routine. I prefer very few products (that work very well) and keeping it quick, easy, effortless…and effective!
Basically—I want my hair to look good and feel healthy with as little work as possible. :)
Does that sound good to you? Then keep reading!
why you should consider upgrading your current haircare routine
Okay, hear me out—though my haircare may be simple, holy cow is it good. My hair has TRANSFORMED over the last few years after making the switch to nontoxic products. I have always had healthy-ish hair. It was fine. It was good. It was normal hair…but now? My hair is SO healthy. It grows soooo freakishly fast (about one inch per month. seriously.) I can now go at least four days between washing my hair (I used to get greasy wayyyy faster). My hair color retains so much longer.…basically, in a nutshell, my hair has never been healthier.
And that is allllll thanks to saying buhbye of the incredibly toxic, synthetic drugstore shampoos and conditioners I was using. (Yes, even the “good” and “fancy” drugstore brands). I had no idea how bad those are for your hair. These cheap products quite literally create a layer of buildup around each hair strand. (If you haven’t already looked up the “hair scrape test” on YouTube, do it. So gross.) These are mainly from synthetic silicones added to the shampoo/conditioner to make your hair feel slick and soft, but in reality they are hydrophobic, meaning meaning they repel water. Why does this matter? Because when you wash hair, these silicones cling to hair and don't easily rinse off as they are repelling the water instead of dissolving in it. The end result is a layer of build-up surrounding each individual strand, creating a layer of gunk that inevitably blocks healthy hair because nourishing ingredients and moisture can’t penetrate that layer of buildup and are unable to nourish the actual hair strand, resulting in hair that never feels truly “clean,” grows slowly, doesn’t retain color, gets greasy quickly, etc.
I had no idea about anyyyy of this, but once I switched to natural products, the difference was clear. I was getting rid of yeeeears of synthetic buildup, my hair was finally getting what it needed, and it completely improved. Ya know when your hair stylist would try to convince you to buy nice products, but you just thought they were being salesy? Nope. They were right.
Actual footage of me CONSTANTLY debating if I should chop my hair or keep growing it out. Ever since it started growing so fast, I have gotten WAAAAY more bold with constantly chopping it because I know it’ll grow back so fast, ha! Also, remember that time that I chopped 10 inches off my own hair on quarantine???? Goooood times.
my approach to natural haircare: it’s not about perfection
The truth? I am a little less rigid on finding perfectly nontoxic haircare items than I am items that go directly on my skin or that I clean my house with. Why is this? Here’s how I think about it: deodorant, makeup, or body lotion is directly applied to your skin and typically sits there for houuuuurs as you wear it, allowing it to be absorbed slowly and steadily on your skin throughout the day.
On the other hand, shampoo and conditioner are really only on your physical body for 3–5 minutes while you lather up…and then you rinse them out. This leaves less time for your body to absorb the potential toxins. While I still try verrrry hard to make my hair routine as naturally-based and pure as possible, it just seems a little less “high stakes” to me in the clean beauty world compared to products that I apply directly to my skin and wear for longer durations.
So yes, while I could technically wash my hair with plain Castile soap (tried it…nope) and do an apple cider vinegar rinse (also tried it…also nope), the truly 100% natural products like this did not work for me. While they were maybe less toxic, I wasn’t getting the results I was looking for whatsoever. My hair felt completely stripped of oil, my hair color was fading quickly, my hair was greasy. Just, nope.
Soooo with time, I decided I was willing have a little compromise in my haircare for products that are maybe not 100% nontoxic but were more like 90ish% nontoxic and work really, really well. They are still SO much better for my hair (and my health!) than the traditional drugstore brands I was using, and they get the job done!
Soooo for me, it’s allllll about finding the best, most natural haircare options that *actually* work.
And the result is the following small (but mighty!) list of my haircare favs!
1. primally pure dry shampoo:
10/10 would recommend to a friend. Actually, scratch that. 15/10 would recommend to a friend. If you want to go longer between hair washes, look no further. This is a 100% all-natural dry shampoo that truly gets rid of alllllll signs of oil/grease. I was a little hesitant to switch to a powder dry shampoo since I was so used to spray versions, but I have never looked back. It absorbs oil + grease so well and doesn’t give me that sticky gross feeling that my dry shampoo sprays would. Also, bonus! This is sooo amazing for texturizing hair and volume. I have very soft, fine hair and this product gives me that va-va-va-volume and texture that I love! Also, yet another bonus—I love it for traveling since it’s not a liquid and can be packed into my carry-on. Clearly, I’m obsessed. Highly recommend. (And whyyy not throw in another bonus: you can save 10% when you enter KATE10 at checkout!)
DRY SHAMPOO PRO TIP: Don’t wait until your hair is greasy to apply it! I put dry shampoo in on day 1 of freshly washed hair. By getting ahead of the grease, you can go sooo much longer between washes. This is one small tweak that will make such a difference if you struggle with oily hair!
2. this natural salt texturizing spray:
Remember how I said my hair is super fine and soft? In addition to the dry shampoo, I spray this natural salt spray after I shower to add body, texture, and grip to my hair. I don’t know quite know how else to describe it, but if you want to liven up your hair and add texture, this is kind of like “salty beach hair” in a bottle, ha! I really like this product + the pep it gives my locks. Also, that ingredient list—so pure! This is a pheeeeenom natural product.
4. my fav [mostly] clean shampoos and conditioners!
Alright, alright, alright (Matthew Mcconaughey voice). Below, I recapped 5 different options for clean(ish) shampoos and conditioners. Again, these are NOT fully 1000000% nontoxic (like doing an apple cider vinegar rinse, for example), but these are soooooo much cleaner than what you will see on the traditional market: naturally derived products, essential oils, pure soaps…. alllll the good stuff :) I went through and listed these brands that I have experimented with (ranked in order) in terms of how well they work and how clean their ingredients are! Enjoy!
#1 Monat: Yup, really. As with every brand like this, some people LOVE it, some people hate it, but all I can do is speak from my own experience, and I can gennnnnuinely say my hair has never grown faster, retained color better, or been healthier than from monat products. The truth? I started using them literallllllly 3 years ago in 2017, but have been a little embarrassed to tell all of you that I used this brand (ha! never want to be “that girl”). Buuuuut, since you guys have asked so much about what I use for my hair— I also want to be honest. and that means that, yes, I do use monat. *low key blushing and embarrassed* I personally first tried it because my hairstylist used it during my appointments, and my hair was always sooo soft whenever I left the salon. So, while that was my experience— is it for everyone? I don’t think so. I’ve seen some reviews online that some people haaaated it! I never want to give a “bad” recommendation, but again, all I can speak to is my own personal experience— and I can honestly tell you I’ve loved it. So, first things first, I want you to feel literally ZERO pressure to try them, but I thought it may be nice to read a review on the monat products from someone you know and trust :) Again, I am just sharing my own experience and how this worked for my type of hair (straight, light brunette, quite thick, semi-rough texture). It may not be the right fit for you or your hair, and that’s perfectly okay (I have 4 other clean shampoos and conditioners listed below). Otherwise, I’ll just give you the basics on monat and break it down below becuase I know I was sooooo skeptical and had 3924802389 questions before I bought them, ha! Holla at me if you have ANY questions— I always want to be a resource for ya! Again, I’m just speaking about my experience and will give you as much info as I can— if it seems like a good fit, great! If not, I have 4 other natural shampoos/conditioners waiting for you below! I want you to find what works for YOU :)
Here’s the basics on Monat:
Okay, first thing that I always ask: how clean are the ingredients? I was actually so impressed (and, um, surprised) by how quality Monat’s ingredients were in terms of being nontoxic. As you know, I am quite picky with the products I use—and I kind of expected Monat’s products to be “greenwashed” (AKA less clean than they were claiming). But actually, their ingredient list is verrrry rock-solid. While they aren’t perfect, they are a HECK of a lot better than the drugstore brands I was using and actually do a great job of using naturally-based ingredients. Am I going to sit here and tell you it’s 100000% nontoxic and perfect? No. But, for how well they work, it is personally worth it to me that they are not 10000% nontoxic. Maybe for you, you want a cleaner option, even if it doesn’t work as well! For everyone it’ll be different! You do you! :)
Alright, we have allllll heard it: “lather, rinse, repeat.” But, like ACTUALLY—this is the Monat washing technique. Monat secret is to shampoo TWICE. The theory behind this is that the first wash removes buildup, and the second deposits the good ingredients onto the hair. I thought that was a load of bologna at first and only washed once because I’m stubborn AF….. but eventually I started washing twice and was like oooooh, I get it. That is when the magic really happened. If you end up trying, I highly highly recommend washing twice!
Going off of the washing technique, start small! You need waaaaay less product than your traditional shampoo/conditioner because the ingredients are so concentrated in these bad boys. What I do? put a quarter-size in my palms, add a touch of water, and really work it into a mini foam in between my hands before I put it in my hair to help it go far. Of note: monat is sulfate free (woot woot!), but with annnyyyyyy sulfate-free shampoo, you will not get the same foamy feeling (sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are what gives traditional shampoos allll of those suds). While going sulfate-free is sooo good for your health, you just have to prepare and adjust for a different sensory experience! Just know that the lack of lathering is not an indication of effectiveness.
The products last foreverrrrr. At least 4 months for me (most of the time 6ish) because a little goes a long way. Also, these products allow me to go soooo long between washes so I am tangibly using less product because I am washing my hair less.
I’m just call it how it is: their products are a bit more expensive than I had EVER spent on my hair (I was more of the $4 herbal essences kinda gal, you feel me????). Not going to lie, it was SO WEIRD to *invest* in my hair products for the first time. Like, I’m spending MORE than $10 on my shampoo????? But then I read that they had a 30-day money back guarantee if I didn’t like it…soooo I went for it, and YUP. I finally understood why people invest in their haircare.
Lastly, it works. Holy cow, does it work. From my personal experience, it took my hair a few weeks to adjust (as that layer of old buildup on my hair was breaking down and washing out) and I wasn’t convinced I loved it, but once I transitioned, holy cow, my hair has never grown so quickly, been so soft, retained color so well. Again, this is just my experience. I know some people have HATED it, but personally 3 years in, I have had a great experience! Obviously, I’m not sure how it will react with you and your hair (we are all so different!), but I just wanted to share my positive experience in case you were curious about these products :)
While I recommend taking the Monat product quiz to get the best choices for you, here are some of my fav Monat goodies:
My ultimate favorite is the 2-in-1 black shampoo and conditioner. Not only is it one of their cleanest shampoos on the EWG toxicology scales, but holy holy holy, I LOVE this product soooo much. If I could only use one hair shower product for the rest of my life, it would be this. Hands down. I totally recommend starting with this one item and seeing if you like it. It’s a shampoo and conditioner in one, and it makes my hair grow so fast and I love how energizing and refreshing the mint essential oil feels on my scalp. (I often don’t use a conditioner with this, but will put the tiiiiiiiiniest bit of this leave-in conditioner in after the shower and it’s the perfect amount of moisture.)
I also love the color-protecting shampoo and conditioner for my brunette hair. This one scores as a 5 on the EWG toxiciology records so it’s not perfect— but since it allows me to go longer in between dying my hair, that seems sooo worth it! I incorporate this about once every 10 days or so just to upkeep my color. (They also have a blonde hair option!)
Renew shampoo and the smooth conditioner is a classic, can’t go wrong option in my opinion. The renew will really help you moisturize and get rid of allll that buildup that was on their strands, and the smooth conditioner is just a classic, consistent, holy-cow-my-hair-is-so-soft option.
The rejuveniqe oil….. wow. I use this as a scalp treatment weekly and this is thee thing that I contribute my fast growing hair too. I used to always think that hairmasks should be alll about the ends of your hair, but actually healthy hair starts from the ROOT. By focusing on the scalp, I have noticed such a difference in my hair. All I do is just put a few dropper at my roots, rub it in, and let it sink in before washing with shampoo and conditioner. It smells like a dream and my hair so darn soft after. This is definitely more of a splurge, but wooooow, I hiiiiighy recommend this if you are looking to grow your hair out or just have shinier, healthier locks! Also, if you are growing your hair out—HIGHLY recommend the rejuvabeads split end mender. It’s actually bananas how well this helps broken split ends.
Wanna get your hands on it?
Up to this point, I’ve just been recommending it to close loved ones (hi, mom and besties!), but I finally decided to share it with the whooole Foundation Blog crew, just in case you are looking for a new, natural-based shampoo to try out.
And while I do know a few friends who are absolutely crushing it selling Monat… I, personally, am by no means trying to “make it” in Monat. I’m just a girl who wanted the 30% off discount on some v quality, naturally-based shampoo. Then, bonus! If someone is interested, I just share my referral link (like right now *wink*). If they want it, great! I’ll get a little commission kick-back! But if not, no biggie. Because, believe me, my life’s work is not selling shampoo…I definitely wouldn’t be working so hard to get my doctorate if that was the case. ;)
If you are interested, you can take the quiz to find out which products are best for you + your hair. There are different membership options that give ya discounts—I personally became a VIP (15% off) first and then a market partner (30% off) later on just so I could get cheaper product just for myself, but there is ZERO pressure to do either of those. You can just buy the products with no strings attached and enjoy! (Also…peep that 100% refund if you are not fully satisfied after 30 days). If you are gonna go for it (yay!), I would SO appreciate if you used my ID when you order if/when they ask for it (3984538). It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but you’re directly supporting The Foundation Blog, and I am truly grateful!
#2 Rahua: Okay, moving onto non-monat brands because there are other great options out there, and I’m gonna dig into ones I have personal experience with! :) Rahua is a fannnnntastic haircare option. I liked it and used it consistently before Monat. I would say this brand felt like my old shampoo and conditioner—it did the job, worked well, and I was happy with it! If I didn’t love Monat so much, I probably would’ve stuck with this brand (I feel like Monat actively improves my hair, while this brand more so kept my hair same-old, same-old status quo instead of transforming it). Also, the reason this gets one of the top ranks here: it performs sooo well on the EWG toxicology scales and has beautiful, nontoxic ingredients. Overall, a great option for clean haircare! Enjoy!
#3 Innersense: This brand also worked pretty well for me, but it didn’t rank as well on the EWG toxicology scales as Monat and Rahua, so that’s why it didn’t get the top spots. Remember the goal: as nontoxic as possible while still getting the job done. This got the job done, but wasn’t *as* clean as the two brands I’ve listed! It’s still muuuuch better than your traditional drugstore shampoo and is a great option to consider!
#4 Trader joe’s tea tree shampoo: This is a GREAT cheaper option! It’s a bit more drying than the previous brands I’ve mentioned, but for its price point it’s a good option. This is what Adam uses for his hair! I looove how “fresh” this feels—the tea tree and peppermint feel so invigorating on the scalp. In a nutshell, there are much better options for your hair health, but I personally haven’t found any better options at this price point.
#5 Dr. Bronner’s: Another option for a less expensive price point. This is what I used for a while as a shampoo. It was fine, but I felt it stripped the natural oils in my hair and didn’t nourish my hair like a nicer shampoo would. A lot of people swear by this, but I personally found it a bit harsh. While this wasn’t my favorite, it did last foreverrrrr and is multi-use (even though I don’t use it for my shampoo anymore, I do still use the almond scent as my body wash!).
Liiiike, I’m not kidding—my hair grows SO. FAST. since switching to monat products. This is one year of growth….
4. my best-kept hair secret, collagen:
Mmmmm, if you’ve been reading TFB for awhile—it’s no secret I am obsessed with collagen.
Before I get into its hair-growing superpowers, lemme tell ya about all the other phenomenal stuff it does for your body. Collagen is GREAT for your gut, joints, hair, and nails. It is a unique protein that is mega helpful in terms of connective tissue (think elasticity and flexibility). This is particularly beneficial for your joints and gut…but alllllllsooooo for the fun things like having youthful + plump skin, fast-growing hair, and long + strong nails.
I first bought collagen in September of 2017 annnnd, wow. My hair. My eyelashes. My nails. They have all grown so fast and so strong since regularly incorporating collagen into my diet. I mix it into my morning coffee/matcha every morning, and that seems to do the trick!. So easy and has such an impact on hair health…it is absolutely crazy what your body can do when you give it the right tools. My favorite brand of collagen is this one! Many collagen brands have a kind of weird flavor, but this one dissolves sooo well and is truly tasteless!
5. My fav ways to style my hair:
Most days, I am just a throw a headband in or toss it up into a pony gal. But on the days where I do want to do a lil somethin’ somethin’, I use this straightener. I use it for both straightening and curling my hair. And, if you’re one of my fellow straight-haired girls that have their curls fall out after 2 hours, PLEASE consider this flat iron. I spent years convinced that my hair was just not meant to curl—then I went down a YouTube + Google rabbit hole and saw this straightener mentioned a few times for curling straight hair. The reviews drew me in, I purchased on Black Friday, and I love. it. My curls will last 2–3 days now when they used to last 2–3 hours. Definitely an investment, but I 1000000% put my stamp of approval on it! Enjoy!). Another way I loooooove to style my hair (with no heat!) is by wrapping my damp hair around my bathrobe tie before bed (yes, really…..). I made a lil tutorial video here that you can watch. It’s SO easy and such a fun way to add curls to your hair with zero damage involved :)
6. I mean, you knew I was going to say this…. *wink*
It just wouldn’t be the foundation blog, if I didn’t remind you that alllllll external beauty things start with our internal state. The state of our skin, our hair…. it often starts with how we are nourishing ourselves, hydration, managing stress, and taking care of ourselves.
We gotta start with the fundamentals.
I know it’s so easy to skip this step and go straight to the secret hacks and special products and whatnot, but never underestimate the power of this simple, foundational choice: eat real, whole food + drink a boatload of water, and watch your body transform. If you want to see your hair transform, first focus on simply nourishing your body with whole, pure food, eating healthy fats, having good proteins, and you’ll find that your appearance (and hair) will follow suit. I firmly, firmly believe that our external transformations happen first internally (physically, mentally, and emotionally). *Steps off Foundation Blog soap box*
now…. one last thing before you go.
long hair kate or short hair kate??? 😆
Lololol forever making you all vote on Instagram for the long hair / short hair debate. Do you agree with this result?
to wrap it up:
Okay, there ya have it! My tried + true hair products—products that are as clean as possible, but have to get the job done. While I know I could use 100% natural and pure haircare, they were not jiving with my hair whatsoever. By giving myself a little grace, I’m almost 3 years into my 90ish% natural, pure haircare and the results are unreal.
With all things nontoxic beauty, I’m a FIRM believer that any change is better than nothing. It’s OK to start small! You don’t have to be perfect on day 1! I just wanted to remind you that cleaning up your beauty products does not have to be an overwhelming all-or-nothing journey whatsoever, and it’s okay to start small—because every little change that you make, every single toxic chemical you eliminate, every product upgrade does make a cumulative difference for your health. Soooo I just wanted to give you permission that one by one, gradually, and gracefully you can clean up your products—and that includes your haircare. :)
I hope this post helped you be less intimated by clean haircare + will nudge you further towards the hair of your dreeeeeams. :) Enjoy, beautiful! (Okay, one last thing: What topic would you like me to cover next? Comment below! As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I truuuuly listen to the topics that get recommended, and I’d LOVE to hear from you, friend!)
have a few more minutes of reading time?
here are some more posts for y-o-u!
