Hairy Kids

by Michelle

Pure, Natural Cleansing and Conditioning Products

Well, I have to say... this one took me by surprise. I've been dabbling with 'natural' shampoos and conditioners over the past several years, determined to find one that rivals the mainstream professional hair products I've used throughout my career.

The brands are cropping up everywhere now. Decades ago, only health food stores lined their shelves with these esoteric concoctions made with essential oils from mysterious plants. Fast forward into our current age of awareness, and we're being inundated by (perhaps well-meaning) commercial efforts to sell us 'natural' potions on a massive scale. Along with a slew of homespun operations, bottling up their personal recipes for sale.

And I'll admit, I have tried a lot of them.

My search extended as far as Australia, having certified organic products shipped halfway across the world in hopes of finding that gem of a natural product that would prove the purists could compete.

No dice. Shampoos were too 'stripping' and conditioners not at all satisfying to put it bluntly. That is a broad generalization of course, each product line is different. And each has its merits. Some smell really good, some come in a cute bottle with cool graphics on it. But alas, these features don't make up for the basic fact that the products themselves do a mediocre job.

So, to make a long story even longer.... imagine my surprise when I was strolling through my local Saturday Market and happened upon a booth with ladies selling their natural hair product. Okay, that in itself wasn't overly surprising.

The surprise came later, when I used their products. They smell incredible, fresh and pure. And they actually work!

Using Hairy Kids Products

Because I only wash my hair every 3 days, I have to shampoo twice. Yes, I'm one of 'those' people who doesn't feel as though my hair is really clean unless I get a good lather going. So I do a light shampoo to loosen the oils, then rinse and add a bit more to work up the bubbles.

The conditioner is always the kicker for me. My hair is highlighted with bleach on a regular basis and I need a good conditioner to be able to comb it out afterwards. It's also prone to frizz. The Hairy Kids conditioner felt pretty good when I put it on, but there was no WOW factor. I left it sit for a few minutes as I usually do with conditioner and when I reached up to feel through my hair, I think I may have actually uttered a 'Wow!' out loud. My hair felt silky, my fingers ran through it with ease and combing it out was a breeze.

I should mention (since the branding is for kid's hair) that I do have two kids and I use this line on them as well. My eldest son has very sensitive skin so I am careful about introducing new products. He has had no adverse reactions to any of the Hairy Kids products.

Two Things

The one complaint I had initially was that the product is a touch too runny, compared to what I'm used to with most commercial hair products. However, once I got reading through their website FAQ's, I realized that Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulphate (which I try to avoid) acts as a thickener, making products seem more concentrated.

Hmm.... I was aware that it is a foaming agent and the majority of gripes about natural hair products is due to the lack of suds compared to mainstream products. I'm willing to put up with a thinner product and fractionally fewer bubbles if it means not exposing myself and my kids to sulphates.

One last nagging opinion from this forthright femme is that, to me, the name 'Hairy Kids' is just really not that appealing. And it's not at all indicative of the potential of this product line, which works for people of all ages.

It's unfortunate because it probably has and impact on the success of these ladies' venture into the world of cosmetics. And they're actually making something worth trying!

Have a look at their website at hairykids.ca.