Beautiful locks are more than just aesthetic. They are a direct reflection of hair health management. Holistic approaches offer natural hair care solutions that can either harm or foster your mane. If the majority of hair products currently on the market contain harmful chemicals that weaken hair, their repeated use can contribute to more long-lasting hair damage.
On the other hand, products that use natural ingredients not only offset the damage but also offer to heal nutrient-deprived hair. Dr. Julian Neil’s Neil Naturopathic hair products use ingredients that are safe and sourced completely from nature.
Perception Isn’t Reality
As a naturally curly-haired woman, I’ve tried just about every shampoo, conditioner, and styling product on the market. I’m always hopeful that whenever I come across a new brand that it will be “the one.” You know, the one I’ve been searching for all my life. The one that will tame my frizzy coils. The one that will make my mane look just like the model in the ad, in all her waves of glory. You know who she is. You’ve seen her before—she of thick locks and cascading curls that illuminate the sky. If you are old enough to remember the fads of the 80s, you might recall Kelly Le Brock’s famous Pantene commercial, Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful. How could anyone hate her? Everyone wanted to be her.
Come to find out, celebrities have their own hair problems too. According to actress Keira Knightley, years of excessive hair dyeing led to hair loss so severe she wore wigs for five years until it grew back. Supermodel Naomi Campbell also opened up about how she developed Traction Alopecia, a condition that occurs when hair follicles are strained due to hair extensions or tight hairstyles. It’s reasonable to deduce a correlation between using chemical products and rough handling with substantial hair damage. It also makes sense to seek out products that offer natural solutions in caring for and maintaining healthy hair.
The Problem With Most Hair Products
When products boast of adding vitality and luster to your hair, it’s time to vet the accuracy of their claims. Most of the ingredients in hair care products are full of chemicals and toxins. Some of the worst offenders are sulfates, parabens, polyethylene glycols, formaldehyde, and dimethicone. Sulfates are usually the first ingredient listed in shampoos. They’re infamous for turning liquid into a lather, but there’s a price to pay for all those suds. Although a thorough shampoo is associated with a heap of thick, cloud-like foam, sulfates’ impact on health is controversial at best. Sulfates can strip your hair of its natural oils and leave it dry and brittle.
Other products advertise the use of safe ingredients but aren’t even FDA-approved. As a former science editor and author, Ruth Winter, notes in her book, A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, “only an estimated 35 to 40 percent of the companies are honorable enough to inform the FDA of the ingredients they are using.” She explains that many companies use loopholes to suggest they have FDA approval when in fact they don’t. For example, by registering their names with the FDA, they can then say in their ads, “Registered with the FDA.” However, this is misleading as their products haven’t been approved by the agency.
Fighting Environmental Stressors
Like the body, your hair is more than merely aesthetic. Maintaining hair health is a proactive approach to combating the damage caused by the environment and lifestyle habits. Dry hair ensues when too much heat pounds on your tresses or it has too little of the nutrients that help it grow. Dandruff can develop when you’re either not shampooing enough or using products that are too rough on your scalp. Whatever split ends, breakage, or processing your locks have endured in the past, don’t stress. There are natural hair care solutions that can replenish your sacred head of hair.
Dr. Julian Neil created a haircare line that is pretty much dream-worthy. As someone who loves all things natural, health, and science-approved, this is like finding the perfect trifecta. Dr. Neil essentially created a haircare line that acts like medicine for your hair. With one exception: unlike prescription medicine, his naturopathic approach is free of toxins.
Naturopathy Meets Hair Care
With a background in psychology, Dr. Neil’s work began with psycho-oncology. Because his cancer patients had weak and compromised immune systems, he advised them to avoid carcinogens. Yet finding hair care products on the market that weren’t laden with toxins and chemicals was challenging. He eventually changed paths to work as a naturopath and created the first line of therapeutic hair and scalp tonics.
Since Dr. Neil’s products were natural and used toxin-free ingredients, his patients benefited with healthier scalps and stronger, thicker, and shinier hair. This compelled him to share his products with the rest of the world. With over thirty years dedicated to the field of naturopathy, Dr. Neil’s contribution to natural solutions is long overdue.
Neil Naturopathic hair care relies on natural and ancient ingredients that have been used over centuries. However, his approach works differently than the usual brands. For example, most people lather, rinse and repeat as advised with regular hair care products currently on the market. Instead, Dr. Neil’s naturopathic method suggests leaving the shampoo on for a while to let it soak in all the nutrients.
A holistic approach to health includes examining habits that aren’t working. If the majority of hair products contain harmful chemicals that weaken hair, using them becomes an unhealthy habit. Washing with products that only offer band-aid solutions won’t replenish and heal damaged hair in the long term. But Dr. Neil’s approach follows the naturopathic principles of detoxifying, oxygenating, and nurturing your hair. What’s more, healthy hair begins with healthy ingredients.
Top 5 Ingredients In Neil Naturopathic Haircare
Historically, traditional remedies consisted of natural ingredients from minerals and plants. Neil Naturopathic includes the earth’s best elements that support and nourish the hair from the scalp, hair follicles, roots, and all the way down to the hair tip. Each ingredient is safe and made entirely by nature.
1. Bentonite
Known for its many uses, bentonite is found in rocks deposited in the Ordovician to Neogene periods, millions of years ago. Today, clay minerals are recognized for a variety of health benefits. Neil Naturopathic’s Let Nature Heal Root & Scalp Shampoo relies on bentonite clay to penetrate deep into the scalp and offer relief from dandruff and other scalp conditions.
2. Yucca
The yucca plant has been known to improve and restore hair health among early cultures. The Native Americans used the leaves of these indigenous plants for common ailments such as psoriasis, dandruff, and hair loss.
3. Quillaia
Native to Chile, Quillaia Saponaria is a soap bark tree with natural foaming properties. The quillaia bark extract is yet another great natural solution and alternative to chemical foams like sulfates.
4. Keratin
Your head of hair is composed mostly of keratin protein and lipids (fats). This protein is produced by the body and is found in your hair, skin, and nails. It is often used in hair products to replenish the body’s own supply, typically damaged by chemicals or the environment. Supplementing with keratin in your shampoo and conditioner restores the hair’s natural vitality and luster.
5. Oils
Natural oils can also add vibrancy to your hair, but if they’re synthetic or not plant-based, they can cause more harm than good. The Neil Naturopathic collection uses the most trusted oils for natural care. The blend in the collection includes lavender, rosemary, and peppermint oils which can help with hair growth, strength, and shine.
Natural Care For Natural Hair
Spending loads of time and money on hair products that don’t live up to their claims builds distrust. Rather than buying products based on beautiful celebrities or flashy ads, it’s time to go back to your roots.
Healthy hair begins with healthy habits. The more a product sticks to natural solutions, the better the foundation for fostering optimal hair health, vitality, and growth.
Tami Bulmash is a certified Alexander Technique teacher and has devoted the past 20 years to the study, research, writing, and teaching of postural health. She is the author of “iPosture: A Closer Look at the Lifestyle Practices of Schoolchildren” and co-author of Amazon #1 Bestseller, “Heart and Soul”. For more information, visit her website at Body and Posture.
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