16 Jan Winter Hair, We Care..about these brands that are good for your tresses and good for the planet
The cold winter winds can be brutal and unforgiving, especially when it comes to your hair. Winter makes us long for summer sunshine, high humidity, and the glow of well-hydrated, sun-kissed skin and hair. Instead, we alternate between single digit temps and scalding hot showers, both of which are not particularly kind to your body.
No need to surrender to winter. Combat the cold with beauty brands that are good for you and good for the planet, too. Your hair will never know winter came and went.
Written By: Alexa Smith
Plaine
One of our favorite brands, Plaine boasts its resolution to single-use shower products. All of their products are packaged in aluminum—arguably the best resource for packaging because of its 100% recycling rates and low-carbon footprint as a lightweight material. Plus, you don’t have to worry about it shattering like glass or molding like bamboo. The best part is they offer a refill service (which we love)! When you’ve run out, you can order a refill. Simply switch the pump over, send back the old bottle and they’ll clean it, refill it and send it to a new home.
Everything is cruelty free, vegan, biodegradable and free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates and palm oil.
Plaine is proud of their products and their all-natural ingredients—as they should be. So proud, it’s all right here, clear as can be.
Yarok
Yarok is a fairly recent brand but is growing rapidly. Yarok—meaning “green” in Hebrew—offers seven styling products, all made from the best that nature has to offer. All products are alcohol, paraben, sulfate, cruelty-free, and vegan Try their Feed Your Hold Hair Spray and you’ll be making a difference in the health of your hair and the environment.
Rahua
Rahua is named after the very rare Ungurahua nut found in the Amazon Rainforest, that’s oils possess highly effective restorative properties, especially for dry, damaged hair and skin. On a trip to the Amazon, company Founder Fabian Lliguin was introduced to the miracle oil by indigenous communities there. He returned to the US with the oil, tried it on a client, and immediately her hair was rejuvenated and full of life and vitality. Thus, Rahua began.
All Rahua products are made with organic, natural, pure plant-derived ingredients. All are vegan, nontoxic and free of parabens, sulfates and gluten. Continuing the beliefs of the indigenous that have been using the oil for centuries, Rahua products are processed in accordance with traditional Quechua rituals and processes. The brand is dedicated to creating clean, effective, sustainable and organic products, and strives to aid in the preservation and protection of the Amazon Rainforest and its indigenous peoples.
Truly Organic
Truly Organic believes healthy beauty should be easy and that luxury products 
should be high performing yet gentle. All Truly Organic products are, of course, organic, as well as natural, vegan and cruelty free. Most of their products are toxin, paraben and sulfate free, and made with organic, fair-trade fruits and vegetables.
Not to mention their attractive biodegradable packaging (only available with certain products)!
EXTRA TIPS to stay sustainably beautiful
Opt for waterless showers and fewer showers in general
Water is our greatest resource, so it’s important for all of us to do our best not to waste it. Rather than showering daily, switch to every other day, or every two days. You’ll contribute to water conservation and also help restore some of the natural oils to your hair and body that are typically stripped away with each shower we take.
Try one of the many dry shampoos out there on the in-between days. We recommend those at Rahua (https://www.sephora.com/product/voluminous-dry-shampoo-P407496) or powders like Captain Blankenship Organic Mermaid Dry Shampoo (https://captainblankenship.com/products/mermaid-dry-shampoo), made from certified all-organic ingredients. You can even try certain wrinseless body cleansers, like those at Yuni (https://www.yunibeauty.com/flash-bath-no-rinse-body-cleansing-foam/), if you’re feeling particularly dirty 😉
Support a low-waste salon with natural dye options
Next time you’re at the salon, take a look around to see if they recycle. It may seem small, but consider all the foils, products, paper, plastic, metals and chemicals a salon goes through each day. Every little bit counts.
An eco-conscious salon is not only energy efficient, it’s also equipped with products like any of the aforementioned Davines with all eco-friendly packaging, or utilizes services like TerraCycle .
You may also be able to find a salon that uses natural hair dyes like Natulique that are less harmful than the typical salon brands.
If your salon doesn’t do any of these things, consider asking. If they know their clients are interested in more eco-friendly practices, they may start implementing them.
Use eco-conscious hair tools
Hot tools are a bit tricky. Some professionals recommend steering clear of them altogether, but, let’s be honest, that’s not going to happen. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t choose your tools wisely. Choose lightweight, eco-friendly ceramics with an auto turnoff feature for both safety and energy conservation.
Switch to a sustainable dental routine
The average American will use and dispose of nearly 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime. With our current population resting somewhere around 326 million, that comes to nearly 97 billion toothbrushes that end up in the landfill in a 100-year span. We can do better. We must do better.
Switching to a bamboo toothbrush is the best way to do that. Brands like Brush with Bamboo make toothbrushes from 100% plant-based materials—bristles, handle and packaging—meaning it’s all compostable.
If you’re going to switch brushes, you might as well switch pastes, too. Those pesky tubes are very tricky to recycle, and, depending on your county, might not be recyclable at all. Instead, consider toothpaste tablets like Bite made with organic, plant-derived ingredients and packaged sustainably in glass bottles for easy recycling or reuse.
Bulk up
If you go through shampoo as much as I do (I have a lot of hair), think about buying in bulk. Not only does that limit the number of trips you have to make to the store (lower carbon footprint), but it significantly reduces the amount of waste you accumulate. For example, if you buy a one-liter bottle of shampoo, instead of four to five standard sized bottles, you’ll be consuming nearly 40% less plastic.
Opt for refillables
Many of the above makeup and hair care brands we’ve mentioned specifically because they offer easy refills. Especially when it comes to plastic, because not every region can recycle plastic as easily as glass or aluminum, we encourage you to make the effort to reuse your containers as often as possible. Reduce and reuse do come before recycle, in case you forgot.