I want to start out by stating: I love doing what I do. Not a day goes by when someone doesn’t join my group or discover my website for the 1st time. And I never, ever know what that next person has to contribute to my eco-friendly, made in the USA mission. One day, not too long ago, out of the blue, a gal named Sarah commented on a shampoo question in my closed group page: ” I notice that preservatives are something you recognize are worth avoiding if possible. Check out Salonsolids- Hair cleansing/conditioning solids delivered in PCR paper tubes you add water to create product. Because of the waterless delivery products can be preservative free! Just 6 carefully selected ingredients!” Her motto: “Six simple ingredients, no harsh chemicals, and salon quality results in environmentally friendly packaging. Most conventional products sold in the salons contain a long list of unnecessary ingredients many of which are chemicals that are toxic to you and the environment. Simply the effective ingredients that serve a purpose carefully chosen combined with healthful essential oils without the preservatives and synthetic fragrance.”
About Sarah & her mission: “As a stylist and salon owner with over 20 years in the business I’ve used the best products available and was not willing to compromise effectiveness. What I’ve learned is that while salon products may give you temporary satisfaction they are not consciously made to be good for you or your hair long term. You may not realize it but hair loss and scalp and skin issues can show up later and you may not know it is a result of the chemicals in the products you’ve been using. When you know better you can choose better. We hope you choose to join with us in taking back your health and creating change.”
This was the 1st time I’d ever heard from her, but she had me pegged: I hate harsh preservatives & avoid them at all costs. I also hate plastic & do my best to seek out alternatives. I was in love with the concept of her product, but of course, things can sound great on paper, but do they really work in real life is the question. She sent me a sample of the shampoo & conditioner.
She set my expectations pretty low in terms of how much lather the shampoo would create.“The shampoo I sent you does not contain any lathering agents but does a nice job cleaning. If you would like more lather I do add sodium cocoyl isethionate to some of my clients custom blends who prefer a lather. My favorite method of use is applying conditioner on ends and then apply shampoo to roots.” The ingredients are simple, yet effective: Made from organic quillaja extract(cleansing agent from chilean soapbark tree), sodium cocoyl glycinate(from glycine), organic cocoa butter, guar gum(from guar plant), + essential oil.
I’ve been using natural shampoos for years, so am pretty used to the lather they create. My expectations were blown away. After mixing one capful of the dry powder (which smells soooo good) with hot water to fill the rest of the glass bottle & then shaking, I had myself a shampoo that was the same consistency of my other natural shampoos, and lathered just as good as them. I honestly could not believe it. My hair is just past my shoulders but super thick, check out the little amount I needed to thoroughly wash my hair in the photo below. I was able to get 5 thorough washings out of that tiny jar, and there are 4-5 refills/ cardboard container so that’s 20-25 washings which will last me several months. Again, no plastic. It says to use within 2 weeks. One thing I do just to make sure I’m not pushing anything is just mix up enough for 1-2 washings instead of 5, since I only wash my hair a couple of times/week.
On the conditioner: I did like the 1st batch she sent, I thought it worked pretty well. It’s best to mix it up & let it sit an hour or so, it thickens up nicely & looks like a normal conditioner we’re all used to. But she let me know she was still tweaking it & would send me a new batch to try shortly. About a week later I received that. She advised using boiling water as the conditioner sample was a pretty solid, waxy chunk. I thought: oh, I’ll just let my tap water get really hot & see how that works (it does get really hot), but I should’ve listened to her. It didn’t dissolve well. A week later I had batch #3 in my hands & it is perfect. The granules dissolve nicely in hot water, and it treated my hair well. It felt conditioned but not greasy. Like the shampoo, it smells WONDERFUL!! Another plus of being a dry powder is it can ship for quite a bit cheaper than its liquid counterparts. The conditioner ingredients: amla extract, brassica isoleucinate essylate & brassica alcohol (conditioning agent from brassica plant),amino acids, + essential oils. She also makes a styler that at least 1 Mama I know has tried, she LOVES it for her curly hair, ingredients: Made from dehydroxanthan gum(from non-gmo xanthan gum), glycine betaine(beet sugar extract), organic cocoa butter, bamboo extract.
My dry head of hair: it feels healthy, light, not greasy or waxy at all. I really, really like it! But do note, my hair has long since went through the detox phase from conventional products. There can definitely be a transitional period, results will vary for all of us depending on what we’re coming from, our hair & water type, etc.
There are currently 5 fabulous scent options for the shampoo & conditioner: orange peel, peppermint, lavender, frankincense, or forest (Douglas fir). She does have it so you have to select a subscription plan, you can select monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. You can cancel at any time with no penalty. Since this is a product used on a regular basis, she wants to make sure you don’t run out! But, you can also buy it from your quarterly buying club order in the future, via me! Yes, that’s right, she will be a new vendor on Feb Eco-friendly USA One-Stop Shop list. In the meantime, you can contact her for a free sample! It means so much to her to get this product into the hands of others who value what it has to offer. So, she’s happy to send samples out to those who want to try it, contact her & tell her I sent you, she’ll send you a sample!
This product has been 9 years in the making for Sarah. I seriously applaud her for thinking outside of the box, having that ‘ah ha’ moment & following through with it. It is not easy to spend a decade of your life thinking about anything, and this is her thing.
You can check out her website here: http://salonsolids.com
And her Fb page here: https://www.facebook.com/salonsolids/
A recent pic (01/17) , I just LOVE this stuff!!
A fresh henna/indigo dye job using Poofy Organics USDA certified organic powders, and a fresh wash with salonsolids shampoo & conditioner!
Eco-Friendly Mama: Safe product recommendations with a focus on organic and Made in USA! 