5 Body Positive South African Instagrammers You Should Follow

So, you’ve probably seen or heard the phrase “body positivity” floating around a lot lately. But what does it mean, and are you excluded if you aren’t ‘plus-size’?

Body positivity is unlearning the idea that only certain bodies and physical appearances are worth acceptance and praise, and instead recognizing that all bodies are equally valuable. It’s about looking within and deciding what feels good and healthy for yourself. It’s about allowing others to do the same and understand that you deserve to live in your own body without prejudice from others.

Listen: We’re all humans, and we’ve all been affected by the world around us. World media struggles with the concept & can often get it wrong, but it’s great to see magazines like Seventeen agree to stop airbrushing models and Women’s Health vow to ban “drop two sizes” and “bikini body” from its cover titles.

All you can do is try to be kind to yourself, recognise that the ideal of ‘perfection’ is unrealistic & that nobody can achieve it. If you’re feeling like you need a bit of a pick-me-up, we’ve rounded up our favourite South African Instagram babes who are rocking the body-positive messages.

1. Lesego “Thickleeyonce” Legobane

Thickleeyonce, who was one of the celebs who stripped down for the Marie Claire naked issue penned a letter about body positivity.

“Dear body, I cannot believe there was a time I disliked you and felt uncomfortable with how you looked…I cannot believe how I mistreated you and let society condition me into believing you were not worthy.”

Lesego has been a voice for ‘fat girls’ worldwide. Advocating complete self-love and standing up to the haters, making waves within the modelling world, walking the runway for Woolworths and working with international brands like Calvin Klein & more.

2. Kgothi “Iman” Dithebe

Embracing her African roots & a distinct birth mark, Iman is body positive #goals! Using her platform and modelling career, Iman is redefining beauty standards in South Africa.

“Dear women… All shades are beautiful, your flaws, your imperfections, your scars. Beauty is not one shade! Or a fair skin. Never let society try to define you because by being yourself you are bringing something that was never there before! So next time you think of something beautiful don’t forget to count yourself?. #modelwithamark”

3. Alex Beazley

Alex’s relatable approach to getting healthier and more confident in your own abilities has helped many who were tired os saying “I’ll start on Monday”. She aims to help change the lives of women all over the world by creating a platform that is diverse, encouraging, informative, honest and mostly relatable.

“Chubby girls club ❤️? For those of you that don’t know, humans aren’t the only ones who struggle with their weight. My cat Maggie, sadly doesn’t have a ”I’m full” function ?? yes it’s funny and cute but far from healthy…it knocks off 3 years of their lives if it’s not sorted out quickly ? so here’s to getting fit and cute together ??? #lifesapeach”

4. Michelle Mosalakae

Breaking stigmatism attached to Albanism, rising star, Michelle is tearing down barriers in her industry becoming Revlon’s first ambassador with Albanism! Her partnership with Kotox and the #periodornotshecan campaign is empowering women across the country to embrace their feminine power & pride.

“Never apologize for being phenomenal! We are mothers, teachers, CEO’s, artists, innovators, we are leaders, and every great leader has shed blood, there is no shame. There is no shame in being in pain (take care of yourself), there is no shame in needing to be alone, there is no shame in being a work of art!”

5. Claire Vögeli

Enjoying every aspect of life & loving herself for it, Claire shows us that we can love our bodies nomatter where we find ourselves. As a mentor with the South African College of Applied Psychology, we’re more than confident her influence will have a ripple effect.

“The way I see it, a woman’s body is not one of those cookie cutter, ginger bread man silhouettes. There is NO one size fits all. The way I see it, a woman’s body is a force of nature. A million seasons in one. Bumps and curves like a rough cut diamond. I see these “imperfections” as quirks and that your body is made to be 1 of a kind.”

Body positivity is about working toward a world where everyone can live in their bodies as they please while receiving the same respect, representation, and opportunities as everyone else. So explore why you feel the way you do about your body, decide based on those factors what the correct decisions are for you, and be kind and empathetic toward other bodies.

May 3, 2019May 9, 2019

Losing My Hair Was The Best Thing That Happened To Me

My name is Katrien and I am the new CEO of Faithful to Nature. My team have encouraged me to share my story with you, in the hope that its uplifts and inspires those that are feeling challenged in anyway.

Growing up in an Afrikaans, conservative society it was impressed upon me from a very early age that getting married and having children was of the utmost importance. It appeared this was only achievable as a girl if you were Barbie pretty and

very thin. Like many girls I grew up with body, food and self-esteem issues. I was always competitive, trying my whole life to be a better version of myself and to be the best. It’s exhausting. You never really reach a stage of contentment. Once you achieve one goal you just reach further.

After many years of working on this, at the age of 34 I reached I point where finally I felt pretty. I had Botox, fillers and hair extensions, and I was very hungry.

What I didn’t realise, even though I always tried to be a good person at heart and kind to those around me, is that I was testing myself badly.

I never measured myself by the standards I had for others. I measured myself against a different crazy set of standards whereby only my appearance, performance and my great career counted. My heart and my mind were left undervalued and uncared for – especially after years of working 12-14 hours days. It was hectic, working 14 hours a day and squeezing lash fills and gym in between.

When It All Fell Out

At the age of 38, I was working in London as head of brand for Vodafone UK. I was very proud of what I had achieved, but moving to a new country all alone and having to perform at your max and look your best was becoming incredibly stressful. At the end of my time at Vodafone I started getting very tired, I used to always wake up early, like 5am, pray, run and then work a 12-hour day. I couldn’t do it anymore. I was exhausted all the time.

My hair started thinning, I had lesions(sores) on my head and in my ears. But I could still hide it, so I carried on. In the space of 6 months, it all finally caught up with me – all my hair had fallen out and I was covered in sores from my scalp down to mid-waist. I looked sick, tired and disgusting.

Then I was made redundant at Vodafone. What followed was the most traumatic 2 years of my life. Stuck in the UK not being able to work, waiting 18 months for a VISA that didn’t come. I ran out of money, I lost everything, including my hair, any self-esteem I had left, and sadly many friends. When you struggle and suffer, sadly friends sometimes think this is contagious, so they step away. I also became super sensitive and was in complete victim mode, so I also made some mistakes. I was in a very (very) bad place. Everything I had built my life on was gone.

Growing From Strength To Strength

Fast forward to returning to South Africa, needing to look for a job. Most of the sores had cleared, so I was OK to do interviews with a wig and lots of makeup. I saw the opening at Faithful to Nature and applied. I remember looking at Robyn (founder of FTN) on social media and I made the gut choice to go wigless – completely bald by now – for the interview with her. I just knew she would appreciate the authenticity. I was extremely grateful that I got this position.

When you lose everything, you are forced into introspection. You are forced into humility, authenticity and appreciation. For much of my journey I looked at my past, fabulous (although at times very superficial) life, and longed for the days where I had beautiful long hair, was thin and had a great wardrobe all propped up with Botox, lashes and hair extensions. I started to realise how wrong my approach to self-worth was.

At Faithful to Nature, I wore my wig in the beginning, scared of not being accepted. One afternoon after a long week, I just took the wig off, it was itching and hot and irritated the remaining sores on my scalp. A colleague said, “You look beautiful without your wig” and then another and another. Everyone started giving me advice on products and treatments. In about a week of internal struggle, I showed up at the office, walked into the warehouse with no wig. The staff started clapping.

What a very special moment, one I will treasure for the rest of my life. The joy I found in authenticity. They appreciated WHO I was, not WHAT I was. I have never put the wig back on.

I started using products from Faithful to Nature, such as Fire Tonic, turmeric tablets, collagen, shea butter, and CDB oil to name a few. My health started improving significantly. In January this year I did veganuary and my skin and health improved even further.

At the end of February, I was finally diagnosed correctly with Lupus which is an auto immune disease. The reason eating vegan made me healthier is that meat based products are like poison when you suffer from an auto immune disease. CBD oil has been proven to even alleviate symptoms of AIDS and cancer, so not strange that it improved my health significantly. I also have a heart condition and suffer from very bad circulation, something the CBD also fixed – no more swollen feet or bags under my eyes!

I now use conventional medicine in addition to all the wonderful natural products. My skin has cleared completely, and my hair is slowly growing back. I have gained weight from the conventional medicine and it bothers me, but I would rather be healthy than thin.

The strange thing is – I’m almost sad to get my hair back. It allowed me to be vulnerable in a way I am naturally not. It also allows you to see if others are sincere. I could not have dreamt for a job that would have supported my journey to self-discovery of authenticity, truth and health any better than FTN has. What a privilege. I am grateful every day for the struggles I have had, and I can look back and know that even though it has been unimaginably tough, I am all the better for it.

January 22, 2019

Back to our Roots: Herbal Hair Dyes

Humans have been making use of Mother Nature and all her natural secrets for thousands of years, from the air we breathe to the nutrients we gain from the foods she provides. One such natural gem is different plants and their ability to dye our hair and skin. Two such plant dyes, and the most well-known ones, are indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) and henna (Lawsonia inermis), which are still used today as effective hair dyes and conditioners. And as only Mother Nature can provide, it is now becoming more widely known that these plants not only colour and condition hair but also benefit the whole body.

Henna maintains the acid-alkaline balance of the scalp that helps to eliminate dandruff, itchiness and premature hair loss. It binds to the keratin protein in hair and colours hair by coating each strand in a protective film. This seals and repairs the hair cuticle, reducing breakage and giving hair a lovely shine.

Henna is not only good for hair though, it can be used to cool burns and sooth ringworm, eczema and fungal infections. Indigo has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to treat depression and to detoxify the liver. A simple paste made from its leaves helps heal sores and ulcers.

When henna and indigo are used together, they work synergistically to dye hair in rich shades of red to black.

Of course, our quick fix culture puts a higher demand on, well, everything. The same is true with hair dye. Chemical hair dyes came about as a solution to this quick fix desire and have been around for just over 150 years. Chemical hair dye has fast action and colour reliability; especially when covering grey hair, but these come with a price of possible health problems and allergic reactions.

However, as we move into a time when we realise that our health is the one true thing that we have full control over, and as we create awareness around those things that are harmful to us, more people want to switch to healthier options to colour their hair. These options include 100% herbal hair dyes (which rely on henna and indigo to colour the hair) and low chemical hair dyes that have been formulated with the lowest possible concentrations of chemicals.

It helps to be informed about hair dye chemicals so that the best choices can be made. All chemical hair dyes contain one or more of the Para-dyes. This is unavoidable unfortunately. Chemicals such as para- phenylenediamine and M-aminophenol are Para-dyes and will trigger adverse reactions in anyone sensitive to this group of chemicals. Choose a low chemical hair dye that has the lowest concentrations of Para-dyes possible.

Common hair dye chemicals which you can avoid entirely are ethanolamine, all the resorcinol chemicals, toluene chemicals, naphthol and ammonia. These are known carcinogens and hormone-disruptors and have no place on our hair!

Luckily, we are able to bring you a 100% herbal solution to any hair colouring desires with products like Love My Hair. The certified organic 100% Herbal hair dyes contain no chemicals at all, just henna, indigo and five wonderful Ayurvedic herbs to colour and condition your hair and scalp. The Low Chemical hair dyes contain only seven chemicals in extremely low quantities, as well as five certified organic Ayurvedic herbal extracts.

Using herbal and low chemical hair dyes has many advantages. There is no doubt that using plant extracts to dye and condition our hair not only nourishes our hair and scalp, it also helps to reduce the chemical load on our bodies and the environment. This can only bring good health!

How the Cape Town Drought Saved my Hair: A Quick Guide to Oil Training

5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Hair Healthy

5 Champion Oils for Anti-Ageing Hair Care

August 24, 2018August 24, 2018

How the Cape Town Drought Saved my Hair: A Quick Guide to Oil Training

If you struggle with greasy hair, you probably tend to wash your hair at least every other – if not every single – day. You also probably tend to envy those lucky humans who are able to stretch their washes to every three-to-five days.
Well, guess what? Even you can be one of those lucky humans! All you have to do is ‘train’ your hair to comply. Sure, it sounds crazy, but it’s totally possible!

WHAT IS OIL TRAINING?

To be quite honest, when I first encountered the term ‘oil training’, I found it rather odd and perhaps not the best way to describe what it really is.
Be that as it may, ‘oil training’ is the widely-accepted term for the process of helping your scalp adjust to fewer washes per week. Ideally, you’d cut it right down to only one.

WHY DO IT?

If you are washing your hair 3 – 7 times a week, you might think this is a great way of keeping it squeaky clean. However, what you’re actually doing, is depleting it of all the natural oils and, so doing drying it out. Especially if you’re using commercial shampoos and conditioners that are full of sulphates, silicone and other damaging chemicals.
Your scalp’s natural reaction to this barrage of cleaning is, of course, to produce even MORE oil to help lube up your locks and keep them healthy. What we end up seeing here is a vicious cycle of note!

WHY I STARTED OIL TRAINING MY HAIR

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always battled with hair that seemed to get greasy way quicker than anyone else’s. Some days I’d wash it in the morning and, upon returning home after school/class/work, it would be flat and plastered to my scalp once again. While most often I’d wait till the next morning to give it another wash, sometimes my disgust would be so great that I’d just lather it up again in the evening. The other thing about my hair is that I really have a lot of it, which obviously makes regular washing a real pain in the butt, not to mention a strain on trying to be water conscious, as well as economical on my shampoo and conditioner spending.

So, when Cape Town’s water crisis hit and we were all limited to 90-second showers, I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. How, on earth, was I going to wash-rinse-condition-rinse my hair so quickly every day? It was impossible and far too much to ask. Fortunately, I had also just started freelancing around this time and mostly worked from home, which gave me a little bit of leeway as far as looking on point every day was concerned.

So, I decided to try stretching the days between washes. I started by skipping my wash every second day. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty damn hard. For the first two weeks, it felt like I was really letting myself go. However, by week three, I noticed that my hair actually appeared a lot shinier, healthier and resilient to grease. It was generally also a lot easier to handle.

Then, I discovered dry shampoo and skipped another in between. Within a month or two, I was down to about two washes a week and my hair simply thrived!
Since it’s pretty chilly at the moment and I haven’t been doing too many sweaty workouts (I know, I know), I’ve managed to whittle it down to one wash a week. However, as soon as warmer weather returns, I’ll probably be back to my usual two.
Apart from the fact that my hair is undoubtedly much healthier and happier than it was before, cutting down on washing it daily or even every second day, has saved me loads of time, water and probably also quite a bit of money.
Which brings me to the next point…

WHAT ARE THE BEST PRODUCTS TO USE WHEN I WASH?

Since you’re going to be cutting down quite a bit on the amount of product you use, you can afford to invest slightly more in shampoos and conditioners that will really benefit your hair.
Fortunately, we have loads of amazing hair products that will feed your hair instead of damaging it. Right now, in fact, we’re running a special on our Naturals Beauty Shampoo & Conditioner, where you get 30% off when you purchase both.
If you’re afraid you might be tempted to wash in between, why not also stock up on some Desert Dust Dry Shampoo?

Finally, if you still find your hair to be slightly greasy after a wash, try rinsing it with some apple cider vinegar (ACV) after. ACV has naturally high levels of acetic acid and a pH level close to that of human hair. Because of its antimicrobial properties, it can also assist in fighting minor infections that may lead to itchiness or build-up.
All you have to do is dilute the ACV in a few tablespoons of water and then pour the mixture over your head after shampooing and conditioning. Work it evenly into the scalp, wait a few minutes and then rinse it out. It should help keep your hair soft, clean, supple and shiny.

Get healthy, lustrous locks with these three natural hair hacks.

Need a quick-fix? This dry shampoo will help to make your hair look less greasy.

For more tips on how to keep your hair healthy check out this article.

June 29, 2017August 20, 2018

5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Hair Healthy

Whatever the weather there are many conditions that impact the condition of your hair. Dry and cold weather elements deplete the hair and scalp of vital moisture. This can result in brittle, dry hair that seems to have lost all life – not to mention the often irritated scalp. Here are five simple ways you can protect and pamper your hair to maintain your healthy, luscious locks.

1. Keep Your Hair Hydrated

With the sun beating down while the cold wind whips it around, your hair takes a bigger toll than you might realise. In winter months it is important to keep your hair extra hydrated, which can easily be achieved by applying a treatment to your hair weekly, such as a hair mask. Using a hair and scalp oil is also greatly beneficial, such as coconut, jojoba or castor oil. These oils can also be used before washing to coat your hair, so your shampoo won’t be stripping away too much moisture from your strands. It is also extremely important to drink enough water during winter, as most of us don’t, because hydrating from the inside is your best defence.

2. Provide Extra Breakage Protection

The elements are already causing havoc on your hair, so it’s a good idea to avoid putting it through any more stress. This is not easy when that very same weather forces us to cover our hair from the rain and wind with hats and beanies. A great way to avoid the dreaded hat hair is to first wrap your hair in a silk scarf, and then cover with our cute, cosy beanie. Silk is very kind to your hair (and skin), will not allow any breakages, and will actually keep your hair styled and silky. Switching your bedding to add silk pillowcases is a great way to limit hair breakage, as is using a heat protection product when drying or heat styling your hair. You should also lower the heat on your hair dryer and straighteners to lessen the possibility of heat damage.

3. Invest in a Humidifier

With freezing, whipping winds outside and the heat turned up anywhere there is a heater or air conditioner; your hair will surely feel the frizz in the colder months. Indoor heating especially perpetuates the problem of dehydrated, lifeless, frizzy and unruly static-electricity-riddled hair. Though humidity might seem to be something to avoid, having a humidifier on in your home in conjunction with indoor heating will keep the air at even moisture levels, and in turn keep your hair and skin hydrated. You can also throw some essential oils into the water for a little aromatherapy.

4. Regularly Trim Your Tresses

Split ends are even more important to tend to during winter, to avoid further damage and breakage to your tresses. It is ever important to keep up with regular trimming of your hair during the colder months, and every 6 to 8 weeks is the best time frame to give your ends a light trim to remove and reduce the chance of dry, split ends.

5. Get With the No-Poo Trend

Shampoo strips your hair and scalp of natural oils along with the dirt it accumulates. Since it is colder, and you are spending less time outdoors and with your hair out, it is the safest time to take the no-poo challenge seriously and minimise the amount you wash your hair. Switching to a natural, more moisturising shampoo is also a good idea, as the chemicals and fillers used in commercial brands add to the depletion of moisture and weaken your strands. Allowing your hair and scalp to stew in its own juices for a bit is greatly beneficial to your hair and scalp health and will enhance your other efforts to keep your locks luscious.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Hero or Villain?

Our green team is so excited about the arrival of the HAIRPRINT range – a completely natural colour restoration system for greying hair. We’re one of the few online retailers in South Africa to stock these coveted products, and of course, that means we’ve reviewed the ingredients to make sure they meet our green policy.

These hair care goodies are made with a blend of carefully selected natural ingredients, including velvet bean, diatomaceous earth and – hydrogen peroxide?

This is one ingredient that often stops green-minded shoppers in their tracks. Surely, a substance with “peroxide” in its name has no place in a truly natural hair product?

Well, let’s take a closer look at this often misunderstood ingredient, and you might start to see it in a whole new light.

What is Hydrogen Peroxide?

Peroxides are compounds that contain an oxygen-oxygen single bond in their chemical makeup. They are known for having a bleaching effect on organic substances.

Hydrogen peroxide is the simplest peroxide; a compound with the formula H2O2. In its pure form, it’s a clear liquid that’s slightly thicker than water.

What does Hydrogen Peroxide Do?

Hydrogen peroxide has antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal properties. It acts as a multi-purpose natural cleaner and disinfectant and bleaching agent. The release of oxygen creates a reaction that causes foaming, and this helps to break down dirt, bacteria and bad odours.

Hydrogen peroxide is used as an ingredient in eco-cleaning products like ProNature Mould Stop, and Apothecary Oxygen Bleach, as a natural alternative to chlorine bleach.

Is Hydrogen Peroxide Safe?

At first glance, the name “hydrogen peroxide” sounds pretty artificial. As green-minded consumers, we tend to use the rule of thumb that any ingredient with a long, complicated or artificial-sounding name should be avoided. And while this rule generally serves us well, it can occasionally be misleading.

Sometimes a complex name is simply the formal scientific term for a really natural substance. Examples include:

Acetylsalicylic acid = aspirin
Methyl salicylate = wintergreen oil
Sodium hydrogen carbonate = bicarb (baking soda)
Dihydrogen monoxide = 2 hydrogen atoms & 1 oxygen atom = good old H2O or water!

Similarly, hydrogen peroxide, or H2O2, is a substance made up of 2 oxygen atoms (which have a single bond like all peroxides) and 2 hydrogen atoms. Simply put, it’s a combination of oxygen and water.

Do we find hydrogen peroxide anywhere in nature? Absolutely! This is a naturally occurring compound that can be found in trace amounts in rain and snow. This is caused by rain and ozone mixing in the upper atmosphere.

Hydrogen peroxide is an unstable substance, which breaks down readily into water (H2O) and a single oxygen molecule. This single oxygen molecule is a strong oxidising and disinfecting agent. This is what gives hydrogen peroxide such effective cleaning properties.

Did you know? The human immune system produces hydrogen peroxide, and uses it to control bacteria and viruses. Hydrogen peroxide is also naturally found in the hair follicles.

Now, we realise just because something is naturally occurring doesn’t automatically mean it’s harmless. Many substances are safe only in small, controlled amounts, and this is also true for hydrogen peroxide.

A concentration of over 35% hydrogen peroxide in a solution will be strongly corrosive. These higher concentrations should be handled with care, and only used at safe dilutions. It’s also recommended that only food-grade hydrogen peroxide is used in these cases. (For more on this, have a look at our Food-Grade Hydrogen Peroxide from Gaia Organics.)

Hydrogen Peroxide in HAIRPRINT

Firstly, HAIRPRINT doesn’t use hydrogen peroxide as a bleaching agent. The ingredient is used as a catalyst to activate certain plant-based ingredients in the formula.

The concentration used is very low – between just 1% and 1.5%. In comparison, conventional hair dye products typically use a significantly higher concentration of 6-15%.

What’s more, the hydrogen peroxide in HAIRPRINT starts to dissipate as you mix the product, and will already be disappearing by the time you apply it.

This is a great example of how hydrogen peroxide can be used to create a reaction that helps a natural product do its work – in a completely skin-safe, hair-friendly way. The HAIRPRINT formula is designed to be hypoallergenic, and suitable for those with chemical sensitivities.

We hope this has been an eye-opener to just how clean and green hydrogen peroxide can be in the hands of eco-friendly businesses.

February 4, 2016

Magical Properties of Pomegranate Seed Oil

There’s a miracle secret to lusciously gorgeous skin and hair that comes from the natural treasure of little seeds nestled in the heart of glowing ruby red fruit.

Pomegranate seed oil is a nutritious and rich ancient cosmetic and a symbol of health, fertility, and eternal life that is being validated by science and is used in many beauty products because of its potent ability to rejuvenate skin and hair while being faithful to nature at the same time.

Pamper yourself a little with a beauty elixir from one of the most romantic fruits around – just take a look what it can do for you:

1. Reverse skin damage: Keratinocytes

These are cells found in the outer layer of your skin and pomegranate seed oil stimulates them. The reason this is great beauty news is that keratinocytes help rejuvenate your skin and reverse skin damage. Say hello to the natural anti-aging potion for more youthful appearance.

2. Non-Greasy: Deep hydration anyone can use

Because pomegranate seed oil penetrates so deeply and effectively it doesn’t make the skin greasy and clog pores. It goes to where you need hydration most and can even be used by those with skin problems such as acne. It’s extremely healing so can be used to remedy dry and cracked skin and to alleveiate skin issues such as psoriasis and eczema.

3. Anti-inflammatory & Anti-aging: Punicic Acid

Pomegranate seed oil contains a magical compound, a new essential fatty acid to know about – punicic acid. It’s also called omega 5 and it has been found to reduce inflammation, fend off free radicals and show cancer fighting abilities. It also helps thicken your skin and improve elasticity making it useful for scarring.

4. Beautiful Skin Texture: Pro-estrogen

Pomegranate seed oil contains a form of pro-estrogen which is compatible with your natural hormones, and its hormone supporting and balancing effect has an amazing effect on skin texture.

5. Firmer skin: Collagen

Pomegranate seed oil is extremely rich in antioxidants and helps boost collagen production and we all know how important collagen is for that firm, youthful look.

Moving onto your hair…

6. Glossy Locks: Hair Food

Pomegranate seed oil is very nutrient dense, with all its anti-oxidants and vitamins such as vitamin C it has a stimulating effect on your scalp, increasing circulation, strengthening your blood vessels and encouraging hair growth. It also revitalises dull brittle hair. How about a wonderful scalp massage?

7. A Healthy Head: Anti-pruritic

Pomegranate seed oil clears away buildup and debris and flushes out dirt and bacteria on your scalp which can stunt hair growth. It also has what is called anti-pruritic properties, which means it can help cure conditions such as psoriasis and scalp eczema, soothing and alleviating redness, inflammation and itchiness.

8. A balanced scalp

A healthy balance of scalp oils and pH is essential for your hair to be its non-greasy, shiny best. Pomegranate seed oil creates a balance in pH level of your scalp and balances out excess oil production.

9. Hair Tonic

It’s a great hair tonic and you can mix it up with carrier oils such as coconut or almond oil to create a penetrating deep treatment to give your hair a real treat.

10. Good hair days

It’s a wonderful hot oil conditioning treatment for your hair, detangling, taming frizziness and as it penetrates deeply into the shaft, it gives your hair a soft, glossy shine. Simply smooth a few drops through your hair with your palms.

As with all precious and potent elixirs, a little goes a long way.

sku8594-royale-100-pomegranate-oil-large — **Royale Pomegranate Seed Oil 25ml, R259**

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Tell us how you have benefited from the magical elixir of pomegranate seed oil in the comments section below. Or simply share your own beauty secret. We love to hear your tips and tricks!

With love from Faithful to Nature

July 10, 2015January 25, 2019

5 Champion Oils for Anti-Ageing Hair Care

From disastrous haircuts to delightful highlights, sexy styling and whimsical hairdos, as you go through life, your hair is a part of you that constantly allows for new expression, colour, and style. As you get older though it also begins to go through some changes of the more involuntary sort, caused by changes in your hormones and a slowdown in your body’s rate of renewal in general, as well genetic factors.

As we pass our forties our hair can become finer and more limp, dull and brittle as the follicles start shrinking. The colour can also change – darkening or greying due to changes in melanin.

These days as we are becoming younger older people, your age doesn’t need to mean that you give up on lustrous healthy locks. And you don’t have to wait until you go purple either. There a number of things you can do for a shiny mop you can be proud of, amongst them some super plant oils that make superb, natural, non-toxic hair treatments and are renowned for their splendid anti-ageing, growth-enhancing hair benefits.

Take a peek these fantastic anti-ageing hair care oils, and some tips for renewing your hair’s lost and sumptuous youth.

Our Top 5 Hair Care Oils

When you want to give your hair some special loving care that will blow it backwards and give it a new lease on life, you can’t go wrong with natural oils. They’re one of those beauty secrets that just work because they are naturally suited to your body. Your skin and hair just love healthy oils, because they are nature’s version of your very own body oils. By using natural oils to anti-age your hair, you also avoid adding the excess burden of more additives and toxins.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been prized since ancient India for its ability to boost hair growth and health, and still holds its own.

Boosts hair growth: Antioxidants and nutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin K and iron, will coax back your hair’s softness and lustre.
Stimulate blood circulation in the scalp – you can spoil yourself with a coconut oil head massage too.
Conditions: Fatty acids bind to hair protein, protecting both the roots and strands from breakage. Lauric acid easily penetrates the hair shaft to smooth it.
Hydrophobic: it repels water and helps your hair retain valuable moisture, also protecting it from heat.
Smooth: an excellent treatment for dry brittle hair and those frustrating frizzy hair moments.
Anti-Dandruff: The various fatty acids present in coconut oil are effective for dandruff.

Encourage Hair Growth with Coconut Oil

Warm coconut oil by placing a jar of warm water, don’t destroy its precious structure by microwaving okay?
Dampen your hair with warm water
Apply oil to hair and directly to roots with fingertips
Massage
Cover with Shower cap or towel and leave for up to half an hour, or even overnight

Baobab Oil

Our next hair hero is from the fruit of our quirky local friend the Baobab Tree.

Shine: Although it’s oil, its effect isn’t greasy. It moisturises your hair and gives it a lustre that will brighten your day
Deeply penetrating: Baobab penetrates your hair deeply, so it has a wonderful effect on elasticity and suppleness
Hair food: Vitamin E protects hair from environmental damage and has an impressive fatty acid profile that creates a protective film on the hair’s surface. This detangles and shines your hair as it seals in moisture
Fragile dry hair: All the nourishing and protective properties mean that Baobab oil is particularly excellent for fragile, dry and damaged hair

Castor Oil

Don’t think horrible thoughts about being made to down a tablespoon of castor oil. This stuff is good and really works well for thickening and plumping your hair back to happiness.

Increases hair growth and controls hair loss with Ricinoleic acid and omega- 6 essential fatty acids which accelerate blood circulation to the scalp, encouraging the growth of copious thick locks
Anti-dandruff and anti-bacterial properties fight off the beasties such as dandruff
Smoothes frizzy hair and split ends: Because it penetrates so deeply, it smooths the hair cuticles and helps to make quite a dramatic difference in the little hair foible of frizziness, helping regain lost shine and texture. It can doctor split ends too
Natural conditioner and moisturiser: Castor oil leaves a coating on the hair shaft that locks precious moisture in
Apply some castor oil in your hair at least 15 minutes before using a shampoo. Leave this on for half an hour before a thorough wash

nautica-castor-oil — **Nautica Cold Pressed Castor Oil**

Argan Oil

Argan oil is sometimes called liquid gold and is wowed by hairdressers as a magic bullet for hair, whether as a nourishing treatment, or for styling it to a smooth, flawless finish.

Essential fatty acids and nutrients: Argan is a fount of fatty acids and vitamin E, the usual skin and hair suspects, which do amazing things for damaged, dry, coarse or unruly hair
Frizz: Its most popular application is smoothing that frantic frizz down, for shimmering flowing, manageable hair
Antioxidants: Boosts scalp cells and encourages them to produce healthy hair as well as regrowth
Style: Argan tames your hair and makes it easier to manage and style. It absorbs easily doesn’t leave a greasy residue. It makes hair oh-so-soft and shiny
Conditioning: locks in moisture and protects your hair
Healing: good for dandruff and also can help reverse the damage done by artificial chemicals
Non-irritating

Some Argan Style

Give your hair an immediate gloss and tame your frizz by smoothing a pea-size amount of argan oil through it when you style.

Shea Butter

Shea butter rounds off our champions with a potent punch in the young hair department. Shea butter is a wonder for restoring hair growth and shine.

Growth: Shea butter stimulate hair growth
Rejuvenates the scalp and so promotes super-thick fast-growing hair
Remedies falling hair
Conditions with fatty acids and is rich in vitamins
Non-clogging and Soothing for dandruff and dry scalp
Vitamin A: supports healthy hair oil production

Treat your Hair

Melt some shea butter and working through your hair. Cover with shower cap or towel and leave on for 30 minutes or longer. Wash out with a natural shampoo.

Some General Anti-Ageing Hair Care Tips

Good Nutrition

Hair is one of those things you can feed from the inside and out. Firstly make sure you get plenty of:

Protein
Silica found in cucumber, mango, green leaves, beans, celery and also in the herb horsetail
Zinc is high in pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts and eggs
Vitamin A is needed by the body to make oily sebum which provides a natural moisturiser and conditioner for a healthy scalp
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex, encourages hair and scalp health found in nuts, brown rice and oats
Also, make sure you have enough iron in your diet

Once your hair is out there, there are taking care of and maintaining it on the outside is the next step. Hair renewal is a bottle away, and not only that, there are natural solutions that are pure natural goodness. Harsh chemicals in many hair care products build up on your hair, and worse, can be absorbed into your scalp, creating more damage by interfering with your hair’s own natural functioning.

Water

Use a water filter on your showerhead to avoid excessive minerals and chlorine.

Washing

Washing your hair too often can lead to dried out hair and an imbalanced scalp
Don’t overburden your hair with too much shampoo
Use a good non-toxic shampoo that doesn’t dry out your hair
Be gentle with your hair when it is wet as it is more fragile, detangle it gently with a wide tooth comb while it has conditioner in it

Drying

Use a less damaging ionic hairdryer if you are going to heat-style your hair.

Colour

Like never before, there is a choice of some lovely and effective non-toxic natural hair dyes for you to brighten and flatter your beautiful face with. Choose colours that are softening and suite your skin tone.

Here’s to many a happy hair day!

Back to our Roots: Herbal Hair Dyes

How the Cape Town Drought Saved my Hair: A Quick Guide to Oil Training

5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Hair Healthy

August 18, 2014

The Mane Issue: Magical Natural Hair Care Treatments

Whether you rock bouncy curls or super-straight tresses, bangs, braids, a perky pixie cut or a gorgeous natural afro – your “crowning glory” needs gentle natural care to stay in tip-top condition. Our green team has put together some “magnificent mane management” tips and tricks – including five fab hair care recipes you can use at home. Continue reading “The Mane Issue: Magical Natural Hair Care Treatments”

July 30, 2013

Naturalmente Experts Share Advice & Tips On Conditioning Your Hair

When we shampoo our hair we are cleansing our scalps and hair, in the process we open the cuticle layer of the hair shaft. For some, with short or fine hair, to leave it open is not a problem as this will give more volume, however for most the hair is screaming for some help to feel soft and get a comb through. This is where conditioners and especially treatments come into play!

Conditioning your hair has never been more essential or effective than with Naturalmente. With the help of essential oils Naturalmente subtly works on the above aspects, while soothing, moisturising and balancing the scalp, which will lead to a decrease in hair loss.

The balancing essential oils penetrate the scalp to brighten hair and purify an oily or flaky scalp. Fennel has estrogen-like properties, called phytoestrogens, which have been proven to naturally correct imbalances that cause aberrant hair conditions. Aloe is great if you suffer from hair loss or even dandruff. Sandalwood restores the normal balances of hair and scalp and repairs hair damage. Yogurt promotes hair growth and makes detangling easier. You can even prevent frizzy hair with the help of yogurt.

Fruit Acids break down fatty acids for a clean, clear scalp. These are but a few qualities that essential oils have to offer to scalp and hair.

While the cuticle is open, one can deeply nourish the hair and close the cuticle layer. This is the main purpose of conditioners, to close the cuticle layer allowing for easier detangling when wet and more shine and nourishment when dry.

With this in mind 2 in 1 products are not the best option for the hair and scalp. They are a contradiction….

Whether fine or thick, wavy or straight – we all need to hydrate the hair and scalp from time to time as well as strengthen the internal structure.

The purpose of conditioners or treatments is to work on the following:

Elasticity – this is the strength of the hair and how mush tension can be applied. The more damaged the hair the worse the elasticity. The Aloe & Sandalwood treatment conditioner is a strengthening multivitamin for deep weekly treatments or regular use.
Porosity – this is the ability of the hair to hold and release water. The more porous the hair is the quicker it will dry and the less it will hold water or colour and tend to be dry. Fennel & Geranium Treatment conditioner is deep moisture for treatments or regular use.
Sealing the cuticle layer – the closer the cuticle layer is to the hair shaft the shinier and silkier the hair will be. The lower the PH of the conditioner the more effective it will be in closing the cuticle. The Fruit Acid Conditioner and Yogurt & Millet Conditioner will bring moisture and strengthening properties, yet their core function is aesthetic – to close the cuticle and soften the hair.

With conventional conditioners one often cannot go anywhere near the scalp without looking oily way to soon before the next wash. With Naturalmente you can condition, moisturise and nourish your hair and scalp without leaving any residue or build up on hair or scalp.

The Naturalmente hair creams are organic, full of essential oils and contain no silicones, for this reason not coating the hair and actually allowing the healing of essential oils and plant ingredients to penetrate and do their work.

So in a nutshell:

Fennel & Geranium is the moisture factor, and Aloe & Sandalwood the strength. Leave these on the hair and scalp for 5 minutes, 30 minutes or even the entire day! Curly hair loves all the hydration in the Fennel & Geranium as a leave in cream keeping dry, unruly hair at bay. Short, coarse, unruly hair can use the Aloe & Sandalwood as a leave in cream.

Even though the sealing conditioners aren’t nearly as intense as their counterparts, they will leave your hair feeling soft and smooth. Then there is the shine factor and their main function, for this reason the sealing conditioners have been created to use as often as you wash.

Fruit Acids is minty and light, so perfect for finer hair or to stimulate the scalp. Yoghurt & Millet, dubbed ‘good enough to eat’, is thick and heavy so ideal for thicker hair. Rinse these beauties straight off or leave them in for some minutes, even feel free to use them without washing to give the hair freshness and new shape.

Finer hair types that may prefer no conditioner at all can get their nourishment either from a treatment shampoo or leave in Aloe & Chamomile Tonic Spray. This product is great and can also help to detangle long fine hair – a great all-rounder for hair and scalp. The chamomile will calm any situation while the aloe repairs.

Knowing the difference between treating and sealing, deep penetrating nourishment of the hair or just smoothing the cuticles, is as simple as that.