Is there a dirty way to clean your hair? Actually, yes. Artificial fragrances, phthalates, and parabens abound in our haircare. These are ingredients shown to be irritants, hormone interruptors, carcinogens, etc. When I first started my efforts to reduce my exposure to harmful chemicals, the shampoo selection was slim. I probably tried five or six different brands over the past few years before settling on a few products that not only work, but are also safe. The brands that didn’t work shared a similar problem, they didn’t clean my hair. When you’re talking about a shampoo, that’s kind of important.

I should point out that I have extremely oily hair. When I compliment a friend’s hair and she says, “Thanks! I actually haven’t washed it in days!” I’m totally flabbergasted. (I think one friend in particular knows I’m talking about her here!!) I absolutely have to wash my hair every day, preferably in the morning. If I shower before I go to bed, my hair will start to look a little greasy by lunch. On multiple occasions, my mom has mistaken my greasy hair for wet hair, and that was probably about 36 hours after washing it.

All that being said, the past few years have seen a lot of new brands who are focused on making healthy products and are transparent about ingredient screening. If you’re unsure about the products you’re currently using, try searching for them in the Skin Deep section of the EWG’s website. If they’re in the database, you’ll see a score between 0 and 10 (10 being the worst). If they aren’t in the database, you can look up the individual ingredients.

Here are some of my favorites:

Beautycounter’s Clean Everyday Shampoo and Rinse Everyday Conditioner are both excellent and you absolutely can’t beat Beautycounter’s stringent ingredient screening. Because of the harsh chemicals Beautycounter leaves out, both products are great for color-treated or dry hair. The conditioner goes a long way and I will probably use 2-3 bottles of shampoo before I finish the conditioner. (FYI: I’m a consultant for Beautycounter since I love the products and mission!)

With my hair being as oily as it is, I find that I need something a little stronger if I’m washing it the night before. When that’s the case, I use Kiss My Face shampoo. I’ve tried all three varieties, and they all feel pretty much the same to me. If you’re looking for one to soak up the most oil, you should probably try the Big Body variety, but I use the Whenever more often.

Finally, when I’m too rushed for conditioner or if my hair seems especially knotty (sidenote: why is my hair so knotty all of a sudden?? Ever since I had Will, the back of my hair is in a perpetual tangle), I spray on Honest Conditioning Detangler after I shower. It’s light enough that my hair doesn’t get greasy, but it’s effective for getting out knots. I imagine it would be a life saver for parents trying to comb out kids’ knots!

Unfortunately, I can’t help you out when it comes to styling products because I don’t use any. My hair is so flat right now since I’m at the height of my “postpartum shed.” Seriously, at the end of every shower my drain has enough hair to make wigs for a family of small animals.

Do you have any safe hair products that you love? Or are there some bad ones that you simply can’t bear to get rid of?

**If you haven’t done so already, like my Beautycounter Facebook page. In addition to sharing news and info on healthy and safe products, I post promotions and deals! I’ll be raffling off a free hand cream to a Facebook fan this weekend.**