Herbal, Natural and Organic Products – Are They as Good as They Claim to Be?

A lot of you ask me about “herbal” product suggestions for curly hair. The words natural, herbal and organic sound extremely mild, damage-free, safe-to-use and appealing which has made all of us rush towards such products.

There was a time I used to do it too – look for green brands, herbal plant based products. That was until I read the truth about them :

1) There are no industry standards or regulations for these terms – A brand using only one natural ingredient in a product could still brand it as natural. The product might contain 1 drop of an oil or 2 drops of some herbal extract and a company can put “natural” or “herbal” on the label without any regulation. Some brands also provide an incomplete ingredients list making it look like there are only herbal extracts in them!

I do not want to name brands, but you know the ones I am talking about here in India.

Non-synthetic ingredients can also refer to natural since it is a substance extracted from mineral, plant or animal product that does not undergo a synthetic process. For eg: petroleum, asbestos. In short, any plant, mineral, or animal by-product is considered “natural”. The product should have had minimal or no processing.

2) There are many natural ingredients that are not good for your skin – Companies want you to think products are safer because they contain natural ingredients, but there are many natural ingredients that can cause sensitivities in people. Bitter almond is a nut that can cause death. I rest my case.

3) “Chemical-free” is not a thing

The word “chemical” might make you think of scientists in white lab coats making potent concoctions in test tubes. But that’s not entirely correct. Yes, those things are chemicals… but so are most other things. Almost everything is made of chemicals! That includes the water you drink, the oxygen you breathe, everything you eat, supplements you take, the cat you cuddle, and yes, YOU. Humans are made of millions of chemicals. The purest water collected from a Himalayan glacier is 100% chemicals (specifically, dihydrogen monoxide). Read more – LabMuffin : Natural vs. Chemical – Which Is Better?

What about Organic?

“Organic” refers to how an ingredient was cultivated – derived from non-genetically modified plants, grown in an ecological way, with respect for the environment without the use of artificial pesticides, fertilizers or any other toxic synthetic matter.

There is no research anywhere proving that natural, organic ingredients are superior to non-organic or synthetic ingredients.

It’s best to read the ingredients list and make an informed choice. Also a conditioner needs more cationic surfactant than “herbal” drops to make a good detangling conditioner – Ingredients to Look for in a Conditioner/ Ingredients to Look for in a Hair Gel

Bottom-line? Unless we know for sure how a “natural/organic” company processes the ingredients, what it puts into each product or unless we make everything from scratch at home, we should stop falling for these marketing gimmicks and be informed consumers instead!