Our Top 15 Important Ingredients In Natural Hair Products

Not all natural hair products are the same. One brand may have more of this while another brand may have more of that. Both could be great for your tresses but with varying degrees of ingredients you can only know for sure by trying the product. There is a lot of trial and error on a natural journey and even though most of us try to avoid being a product junkie, we all have been one at some point.

The thing is you don’t know what will work for you until you try it and not everything works for everybody. All you can hope for most of the time is that you find a few products that help to nurture your hair and if you find a gold mine that turns your hair into a diva you sing to the heavens for being so lucky.

There are some top ingredients that most natural hair care products will have in them and if they are really good products they will have them in the first five ingredients on the list.

Always check the back of a product to see where your ingredients fall because some companies might claim to have a great ingredients all over the front of the jar but when you turn it around the ingredients are near the bottom which means they barely have any of it in there. We want to be smart with your purchases naturals so here are 15 of the most important ingredients to look for in natural your hair products the next time you go shopping:

Shea butter* – A master in moisturizing, Shea butter* is high in fatty acids and will keep your hair from losing it’s moisture so using it as a sealant is great. It’s also known to soothe irritated scalps without clogging pores and will naturally soften your tresses.

Coconut oil* – A personal favorite! Coconut oil* is an extremely popular carrier oil that’s perfect for sealing and will add shine while strengthening your strands. It penetrates the cortex so it doesn’t just sit on your hair weighing it down. It’s so great it can even be used as a leave-in conditioner* for thicker hair textures.

Glycerin – Great for winter AND summer, vegetable Glycerin is a humetcant that attracts water to your hair so it’s great for moisture retention as it creates a barrier around the hair shaft.

Tea tree oil* – A potent anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and antiseptic essential oil that is wonderful for a dry, itchy, flaky scalp. A few drops will go a long way so if having scalp issues like acne or dandruff check out shampoos with this amazing ingredient.

Aloe Vera – It’s got moisturizing properties, an enzyme to stimulate the hair follicles so it will promote hair growth and it’s used regularly by hard-core naturals to restore their hair’s pH levels. It will soothe your irritated scalp and treats hair loss so it’s a great ingredient to look for.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil* – A highly multi-tasking oil, it’s great for hot oil treatments, sealing in moisture and softening your strands. EVOO will nourish the scalp and improve natural hair’s elasticity.

Jojoba Oil* – Our scalp produces a natural oil called sebum and jojoba oil* is very similar to and it’s molecular structure or chemical properties are identical. It can be used to balance oil production in your scalp. It’s a humetcant perfect for damaged ends.

Honey – A light humetcanat (and an emollient) with antibacterial properties, honey has a long history as a health and beauty ingredient. Rich in vitamins and minerals, honey has been recently proven to aid in a healthier scalp and hair growth.

Avocado oil* – This wonder oil is packed with vitamins A, D, and E and has more potassium than bananas. It’s great for damaged hair with it’s vitamins and fatty acids that strengthen and moisturizes your strands. It’s perfect for this time of the year because it acts as a natural sunscreen and helps to protect hair and scalp from harmful UV rays.

Castor Oil* – Great for thinning hair or hair loss and another superb humetcant and emollient. It has anti-fungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties so it treats many common or not-so-common scalp irritations and ailments.

Water – The ultimate moisturizer especially when listed first on any product bottle. It’s our hair’s best friend and our hair thrives in a moisture-enriched environment and since there’s no better moisturizer than water itself. Always look for water as a major ingredient when searching for moisture based products.

Argan Oil* – Knowledge about this oil with regards to hair truly came on the scene with natural hair movement but the uses and benefits have made it a new favorite natural oil. It’s great for improving the elasticity of your hair while preventing split ends and combating frizz.

Fatty Alcohols – All alcohols are not the same and are not all drying and damaging. Fatty Alcohols are characteristically derived from natural sources and make the hair smoother by forcing the cuticle to lie flat. Examples: Stearyl alcohol and Cetearyl alcohol.

Rosemary Oil* – Another oil that has become more popular during the natural hair movement is this scalp-stimulating, hair growth oil. It has antibacterial properties so it does cleanse hair and scalp and relieves your scalp of dry or flaky scalp. It’s also great for premature graying!

Hydrolyzed proteins – Silk, wheat and soy are common hydrolyzed proteins and their chemical compounds have been split into smaller units and make them easier for absorption. They help the hair to retain moisture, strength and elasticity.

There you have it 15 ingredients which is more than enough to get you started on your product journey so before you look a the front of the package, check out the back, that is really where all the magic happens.