The good old traditional shampoo is gradually being dethroned by alternative care products such as low-poo or natural cleansers. What are their specificities? How to use them? We make the point.
Today, the majority of the marks propose less aggressive shampoos like the low-poo or washing care containing natural ingredients. Check these softer alternatives.
The boom of natural shampoos
Known for a few years, natural shampoos are more and more popular. They are appreciated for their softness with the scalp, but also with the hair. Indeed, natural shampoos are free of chemical ingredients, too heavy for the hair and sometimes harmful to health.
Thus, most of them exclude from their list of ingredients parabens, silicones, but also all ingredients from petrochemicals. Generally, natural shampoos have labels and certifications such as the “ecocert” label and are composed, in a very large proportion, of ingredients from plants, sometimes from organic farming.
How to choose it ?
When buying a natural shampoo, it is always better to check the list of ingredients. Green packaging or the use of terms such as “natural” or “organic” does not always mean that the shampoo is natural.
Even if some big brands have their own ranges of shampoos and natural care products, it is preferable to turn to brands known for their ethical and ecological commitment. Most often, they can be found in organic stores or on the internet.
Low-poo and no-poo: specificities and differences
As their name indicates, low-poo and no-poo are hair washing methods from the United States, which advocate “less is more”.
The low-poo consists in washing hair with products containing a small amount of shampoo. Thus, the hair is not attacked.
In practice, low-poo advocates use a conditioner to replace the traditional shampoo. The conditioner contains washing agents, but in smaller quantities than the shampoo. In fact, the hair is washed, but not stripped.
This type of washing is suitable for damaged, very dry hair, and especially for curly or frizzy hair.
The no-poo technique consists of not using conventional shampoo. Instead, the latter is replaced by a sodium bicarbonate wash, accompanied by a vinegar rinse.
The goal of the low-poo, like that of the no-poo, is to space out the washing of the hair. Reducing the number of washes improves the quality of the hair, but also reduces the stress on the scalp.
The little extra: low-poo and no-poo are environmentally friendly and also save a lot of money.
