Last week, I went over a few ways you can go green with shampooing and conditioning your hair. This week, in Part 2, we'll talk about some green, homemade styling products.
Part 2
Heat protection
It's always a good idea to use a heat protecting spray or serum to help keep your hair from getting damaged. However, most store-bought products contain numerous chemicals that are not good for you or the environment (read more about that in Part 1). Luckily, there's an alternative that works just as well to protect your hair from heat styling: Coconut oil.
You don't need much... Just the smallest amount, warmed between your fingers. Apply the coconut oil to the ends of your hair (Careful: if you use too much and get it too close to your scalp, you could end up with a greasy look). Comb or brush through and style your hair as usual.
If you cannot find coconut oil locally, you can order good quality oil online:
Hairspray
This is the green, homemade hair styling product I'm most excited about. It took me a long time to make the switch, but when I learned how easy it is to make my own at home, I couldn't NOT do it. All you need is sugar and water. Here's how to make your own green homemade hairspray:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 4 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- rubbing alcohol or vodka (optional)
- essential oils (optional)
Directions:
- Bring 1 cup water to a boil.
- Dissolve 4 teaspoons sugar in the water.
- Let it cool for at least a half hour.
- Optionally, you can add a couple drops alcohol to preserve it.
- Add a few drops essential oils for scent if desired.
- Pour into a fine-mist spray bottle and shake.
- Shake before each use.
I only had a small spray bottle on hand, so I adjusted the recipe to fit the bottle I had. I'm not sure how long this will keep, so you can either add alcohol to the spray, or keep it in the fridge. If it starts to smell funky, simply whip up a new batch.
Does it work? Yep! I have found that it works just as well as store-bought hairspray for everyday use. For heavy duty wear, I'm not sure how long it lasts, but if you decide to try it for a fancy wedding updo, please share your experience in the comments below.
And no, you won't get bees or any other pests swarming around your head. Commercial hairspray is much sweeter-smelling than this recipe.
More green products
I don't usually do a whole lot with my hair other than curling or straightening it for work, but here are a few other ideas you can use to replace your store-bought hair styling products with greener alternatives:
- Hair gel. I'm not personally a hair gel type of gal, but a while ago, I came across a recipe for homemade gel that also uses only two ingredients: flax seeds and water. Here's how to make flax seed hair gel.
- Texturizing spray. If you crave beach-type waves, try swapping half the sugar in the hairspray recipe above with salt. Spray and scrunch as usual.
- Pomade. Tame flyaways with a creamy hair pomade made of half coconut oil and half shea butter (or try each of these ingredients on their own). Use sparingly, though - a little goes a long way!
- What are some other hair styling products you have swapped with chemical free versions, or would like to replace? Please share in the comments section below.
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**Disclosure: Although this post may contain affiliate links, all opinions are my own.
Your challenge: This week, consider getting rid of one of your hair styling products and make the switch to a chemical free, homemade alternative.
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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during
which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to
lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**
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