True Nature Botanicals Shampoo & Conditioner

True Nature Botanicals shampoo & conditioner

This is a product launch that I wanted to make time to write about because since my first time using it, I was hooked. True Nature Botanicals just launched a hair care duet* that cleanses my hair beautifully, leaving it as smooth as silk, shiny, and fresh-smelling. If you see these two products getting generous media coverage these days, it’s because they are worth the hype.

The two products are a shampoo and a conditioner, and they are not targeted exclusively for one hair type. Although this may seem confusing, I believe that they could work for most hair types, because they cleanse the hair very well, but are absolutely not stripping/drying. I have fine, currently color-treated hair that lacks volume (I don’t have a lot of hair), so my main concern when it comes to hair care is to find products that remove excess oil properly, give some body, and optimally, a lil’ lift at the roots. I usually find that “clarifying” shampoos work best for me.

I will say upfront that I did not find this duet to be exactly clarifying/volumizing (not loads of volume), but they make my hair look shiny and healthy in a way that I have not seen it in some time. Here are the benefits that I observed:

  • deep, yet gentle cleansing – the TNB shampoo removes any trace of dirt, oil and product residue without making my scalp feel stripped and irritated;
  • shine – oh my! My hair has not been as shiny as this in a long time;
  • silkening effect – my hair looks and feels more smooth than before I started using these two products;
  • stronger hair?! – it may be too early to say that my hair is stronger, but that’s what it looks like. Also, I have been losing significantly less hair than usual.

And here are the things that these products do not do for my hair:

  • not much lift at the roots. Let me clarify this point: my roots do look clean and my hair does not look weighed down, but it does not give me much volume at the roots.
  • not detangling – even after using a generous amount of conditioner, my hair does not de-tangle easily.

One question that I foresee some of you asking me is: how does this compare to the Rahua Voluminous Shampoo and Conditioner? Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I always go back to the Rahua Voluminous Shampoo, always. I am going to shock you a bit now; I may not go back this time. Although the Rahua Voluminous Shampoo is a great shampoo for thin hair that lacks volume and gives nice body, I find that the True Nature Botanicals Shampoo makes my hair look shinier and healthier, and seems to extend the time between washes, which is pretty awesome.

Lastly, the scent. Clean, fresh, and slightly citrus-y. True Nature Botanicals actually discloses their fragrance ingredients in the ingredient list: citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, viola odorata (sweet violet) flower/leaf extract, mimosa tenuiflora bark extract. It’s absolutely not overpowering and does not linger, but my hair does smells fresh even after a couple of days. Keep in mind that I live in a tiny, beach city where I am not exposed to much pollution; I would probably be washing much more frequently if I was home in Napoli.

These are the ingredients lists and a couple of facts about some of the ingredients that I wanted to chat about.

Shampoo.

Camellia sinensis (green tea)*, water, sodium lauroyl methyl isethionate, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, camellia oleifera (seed) oil*, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder*, citric acid, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate, TNB Signature ScentTM [citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, viola odorata (sweet violet) flower/leaf extract, mimosa tenuiflora bark extract], phenethyl alcohol, ethylhexyglycerin *organic

Conditioner.

Camellia sinensis (green tea)*, cetearyl alcohol, water, TNB Signature ScentTM [citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, cananga odorata (ylang ylang) flower oil, viola odorata (sweet violet) flower/leaf extract, mimosa tenuiflora bark extract], cetrimonium chloride, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, camellia oleifera (seed) oil*, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, panthenol, gluconolactone, biotin, dimethyl sulfone, aloe barbadensis leaf juice powder*, tocopherol, rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, equisetum arvense extract, phenethyl alcohol, ethylhexylglycerin, ascorbyl palmitate *organic

I loved spotting green tea oil as the first ingredient in the list. That means that it is present in high percentage, even higher than water, which is usually the first ingredient in shampoo’ formulations. I assume that this may be the reason why it makes my hair feel stronger and healthier. In case you are not familiar with the benefits of green tea, please read about the benefits of green tea in this post. I was unable to find studies that document the benefits of green tea specifically for the hair, but I would not be surprised if it was found to be a “miraculous” ingredient for hair as it is for health in general. Green Tea is packed with nutrients that heal and protect the human body cells.

One thing that I wanted to point out is that it contains cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine as surfactant of choice. You guys know I am not a chemist, but I do look up any ingredients to try to understand how they work and what they are good for. This is derived from coconut, but to my understanding, once it is processed, it becomes a synthetic conditioning agent that is also anti-static. However, I found nothing to panic about with this ingredient; it is mild, helps to get the job done (it helps to get a nice lather) and does not seem to be irritating at all. Personally, I am okay with using it, but FYI there is not much research available for this ingredient. Based on the research available, the EWG Database has given this ingredient a score of zero (not suspected to be toxic). If you have a different opinion about it, or if you have more knowledge about it, please leave me a comment below, I would be very interested in hearing it.

Meadowfoam seed oil. This is an oil extracted from the meadowfoam plant that is meant to moisturize the hair without making it look greasy. It also makes the hair look more brilliant and has great oxidative stability¹, which makes it a good option for color treated hair according to John Davis², director of AG Hair Cosmetics.

Price-wise, these are high-end hair products. Each bottle contains 8 ounces of product and they retail for $30 (shampoo) and $32 (conditioner), but I do find that I need to use less product than I am used to with Rahua Voluminous, and the packaging (bottle with a pump *applauses*) allows for careful dosage, so it turns out to be more convenient. I expect the True Nature Botanicals shampoo and conditioner to last a bit longer than what I am used with Rahua.

If you want to try these hair care products you can either purchase the duet (here) or you can purchase shampoo and conditioner individually. You can find them at the True Nature Botanicals official website here. If you have never ordered from True Nature Botanicals you can receive 10% off your first order, so make sure to take advantage if you want to try these hair products.

I am pretty sure that you will hear me talking about these more in the future.

¹https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=84244
²https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/the-beauty-of-meadow-foam/

*PR sample

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