I’ve definitely been a sceptic of natural beauty in the past. While I now wholeheartedly embrace natural skincare, I’ve never thought to apply the same principles to my approach to haircare. I haven’t had the greatest hair, so I’m not only picky when it comes to products, but I’m a little pessimistic too.
I think people have a stigma around natural ingredients (me included), with the common misconception being that they don’t work as hard, and since it’s already hard to find haircare that works for you, people often think of the natural element as more of an extra hurdle that they dismiss as not being worth it.
Why I Decided To Take The Natural Haircare Challenge
I have thick hair that’s oily/flat one day, and unruly the next, so I use a lot of non-frizz products and texture sprays to get it looking somewhat presentable. This means that product build-up becomes a real concern. It gets weighed down easily when I’m not being thorough enough with cleansing and it’s not a good look. I wanted a total detox.
The Product
One of the main reasons I chose to use the Sukin Natural Balance range was because it’s completely silicone-free. With one of my biggest hair concerns being product build-up, I knew a silicone-free formula would be a smart way to go as it wouldn’t coat my hair in damaging synthetics.
I also chose to use the Sukin Natural Balance range as the packaging itself is pretty durable and super easy to use. I also love the size – no one wants shampoo/conditioner in tiny bottles, it’s just not practical!
I also love the smell. I’ve always been a fan of Sukin’s signature scent; ever since it was in the first night cream I used – I have good memories from using it. It’s a natural scent that’s made from a blend of essential oils (I can be quite sensitive to fragranced products so this is a win for me).
I do also like the overall look of the bottle, my shower door is clear and guests get a full view of everything that’s on my shelf so I definitely appreciate a pretty package.
Products I used: Sukin Natural Balance Shampoo; Sukin Natural Balance Conditioner; Sukin Natural Balance Scalp Scrub; Sukin Natural Balance Leave-In Conditioner
Week One
The first thing that I noticed was the lather. I’d always had it in my mind that natural products wouldn’t lather so I was expecting a suds-less wash, but much to my delight there was quite a decent lather – about the same amount as from a sulphate-free, non-natural shampoo/conditioner. The issue was that in preparation for a subpar lather, I used way more shampoo than I needed. I really should have just approached it like ‘normal’ shampoo.
Because I’m prone to build-up, I can’t stand feeling like my shampoo/conditioner isn’t washing out of my hair properly and I definitely didn’t get that with this which is a huge plus in my books. I thought I should air-dry my hair the first time around, since it is my usual routine these days. It does take a long time to dry but the frizz usually begins to come out pretty quickly after a wash so it’s the first thing I notice. There wasn’t a difference.
I ended up sleeping with it still a bit wet which can sometimes mean frizz city but it wasn’t too bad. It felt quite soft which is how I know whether or not I’ve done a thorough wash but there was a bit less volume than I’d like.
Week Two
I started to work out how to use the Sukin duo a bit better, and by that I mean I learned that I needed to use less product.
Perhaps it was because of this that in the second week I realised my waves felt slightly more defined and some even looked to be starting from higher up on my crown. I would usually have to curl some odd pieces of hair to even my hairstyle out, but by week two of using Sukin I only had to lightly run a straightener over my ends, which had curled a bit more than usual.
I know it’s not great for my hair when I wash it too often so I took my time to see how long it was before I felt I needed a wash (not how far I was willing to push it, but just tracking when the pieces around my face became too visibly greasy). It was about three days before I decided I needed a wash – standard for me, however, that’s when I’m not doing anything with it. This week I wore my hair up twice which tends to cause my hair to become greasy quicker.
After a couple of washes I could definitely say that this kept my hair clean slightly longer than the previous shampoo I had been using. While I normally wash my hair every three days, it’s often a flat mess by that stage. After using Sukin, I realised it didn’t look too bad on the third day, if I do say so myself.
Week Three
My frizz was still mostly there on the top of my head but my waves were distinguishably more defined, with a few compliments here and there (little did they know I would be reporting back on their praise). On the days in between washes, the amount of frizz depended on what I was doing (e.g. exercising a little more, tying it up a lot, generally touching it), so it had the same amount of frizz as time where I have used other shampoo. On the days where I used the scrub, I had significantly less frizz.
Shampoos just can’t compare to the clean you get from a scrub. Overall, I used the scrub around five times. It’s not too abrasive or stripping which I like. Sometimes scrubs can just overstimulate the glands and cause further oil production which we don’t want around here. The days that I used the scrub, I found myself needing a wash less frequently than every three days.
I think I was using the products wrong initially, due to some biases I had about ‘natural’ products. I was using double the amount I usually would and that wasn’t going too well. The turning point was when I took things back to basics and just treated the products like any others I owned. The results seemed to be much more successful from then on (and I felt very stupid).
This is one of the lighter scalp scrubs you’ll use so it can be used more frequently than other more abrasive formulas. I used it twice a week and I was happy about that. I did find myself using more product than I would some other brands, but that could have been more to do with the placebo of not feeling the heavy grains of salt that I usually feel in a scrub. Plus, sometimes scrubs over clean my hair causing me to need a wash pretty quickly after. Maybe because it was more on the gentler side, I was able to push my wash out by a day to every four days.
I was cautious about adding a leave-in conditioner to my routine. I have dry ends but my roots can get a bit oily and the top of my hair is generally more flat than the rest so I try to amp up the volume rather than slather on creamy products. I was pleasantly surprised by how it managed to make my messy waves look more defined and deliberate. It also added some much-needed shine. However, this one isn’t something I’d pick up all the time just as I don’t really need it as such. I’d say I only needed to apply it about twice a week.
Tip: don’t be swayed by ‘natural’ and feel the need to layer on the product – ten-cent-sized dollop was enough for my whole hair.
The Takeaway
I will definitely continue to use the Sukin natural haircare products. My hair is frizzy but I get a lot of build-up so I’ve always struggled with sulphate-free shampoos; this one is not only better for my hair but I didn’t have to compromise on anything.
It offered a deep clean, was environmentally friendly (the formulas are biodegradable, cruelty-free, vegan-friendly and carbon-neutral) and super hydrating. Plus, it didn’t weigh down hair, most probably due to it being completely silicone-free.
I think we’ve all been trying to become more conscious about our consumption and beauty is a department where we all struggle. The journey to incorporating more natural products hasn’t been as smooth a transition but it has been a worthwhile one.
But I think, at the end of the day, it’s not about blowing anyone’s minds with products that promise the world and then some. If something can meet the standards of my usual products while having all these extra benefits for my hair health and the environment, then I’m sold.
Brought to you by Sukin
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