Why Sustainable Haircare Matters

In a world where climate change is a daily concern, we all need to make a concerted effort to focus on sustainability. The food we eat, the modes of transportation we choose, and the products we buy impact our world, and haircare is no exception.

The Importance of Sustainable Haircare

Like most people, you probably have a bathroom cabinet full of clean skincare products and a shower stacked with various hair products. Clean skincare is exploding in popularity, and haircare isn't far behind. Indeed, according to a recent report, consumer interest in plant-based haircare increased by 31.1% in 2021.

Overall awareness of our impact on the planet is fuelling this growing demand. As people take more responsibility for their environmental stewardship, they seek sustainable hair care that aligns with their values. Most haircare products immediately wash out in the shower, but they still have a far-reaching global impact on land, sea, and air.

Your haircare choices matter. Single-use plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles generate significant landfill waste, which can negatively impact the land due to the lack of sustainably sourced ingredients.

And it’s not just plastics – haircare products can contain microplastics, and when you wash your shampoo down the drain, the microplastics go down, too. The estimated 3,755 tons of microplastics from personal care products in the ocean have a disastrous effect on the marine ecosystem. Combined with the other common haircare ingredients flushed into the oceans (such as parabens), marine life is constantly under threat. 

Aerosol hairsprays also damage the ozone layer due to the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the product. In recognition of this damage, the USA passed the federal Clean Air Act and banned aerosols with CFCs in the 1990s.

Hair care products often contain palm oil, which contributes to habitat destruction and deforestation. Unfortunately, many shampoos and conditioners use palm oil as a hydrating ingredient, meaning our routine hair washes play a part in deforestation. Palm oil also has multiple different ingredient names, which complicates things and is highly misleading to consumers. 

Given this kind of impact, it’s evident that sustainable haircare is vital for healthy hair and a healthy planet. It’s simple to take the steps necessary to create a clean haircare routine.

How to Make Your Haircare More Sustainable

Here's how to get started on revamping your haircare to make it more eco-friendly:

● Do your research: Look up company websites to learn more about their commitment to sustainability and how they put it into practice.

● Read labels: Look at the ingredients in your hair care and ensure they're free of fragrances, sulfates, parabens, petroleum, mineral oil, and other elements harmful to the environment. Instead, look for sustainable natural botanicals, vitamins, and other beneficial ingredients.

● Check the packaging: Look for recyclable or refillable product bottles to reduce waste.

● Watch your water usage: Too much time in the shower can drain the planet's supply of this precious resource, especially if you live in an area affected by drought. Use a dry shampoo to stretch out your days between washes. 

What Are the Best Sustainable Haircare Products?

Select high-quality products that:

• Contain natural and clean ingredients and bio-engineered botanicals to reduce the burden placed on our planet.
• Avoid problematic ingredients like parabens, sulfates, heavy metals, mineral oil, and unnecessary solvents, emulsifiers, or preservatives.
• Reduce packaging waste with recyclable containers certified eco-friendly by a reputable agency. Refillable bottles are another good choice.
• Come from companies dedicated to sustainability and bold initiatives such as going carbon-neutral or zero-waste.

Harsh chemicals like parabens and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) can seriously harm your hair and follicles. Sulfates can cause many hair problems, including excessive dryness, scalp irritation, fading color, and sometimes even hair loss.

Vegan haircare is a desirable option for people who want a cleaner solution. Vegan hair products are free from animal-based materials and their producers never engage in animal testing, which makes vegan products 100% cruelty-free.

Vegan haircare products can work exceptionally well when the company ensures the use of only the best ingredients. Vegan actives are typically more nurturing for your hair, so they won’t strip your strands of luster or leave your scalp irritated or dry.

Vegan hair products are ideal for your hair because they help maintain shine, clean the scalp, and nourish locks for extra volume and bounce. Plus, they’re better for the environment than typical mass-produced shampoos and conditioners. You have the reassurance that you are taking the best possible care of your hair while also caring for the planet. 

With the growing interest in vegan haircare, many beauty manufacturers advertise their vegan formulations right on the product packages. Always read the ingredients on the label, but remember that some products that sound non-vegan (such as biotin, which is heavily present in milk) may also have plant-based alternatives. For example, you can derive biotin from food sources such as berries. If you have any questions about an ingredient's origin, contact the company and ask about the provenance. The company should answer your question easily if it's a genuine vegan haircare product.

Augustinus Bader: Our Priority Is Sustainable Haircare That Works

At Augustinus Bader, our haircare products are the ultimate combination of clean beauty and clean science. Our overarching commitment to sustainability forms the foundation for all of our product lines. With over 30 years of research into scientific solutions for creating the cleanest haircare (using powerful botanicals, vitamins, and advanced technology), we remain on the cutting edge of sustainability by using post-consumer recyclables and ECOCERT/COSMOS-certified glass in our packaging. 

COSMOS is a worldwide certification that hair care is environmentally friendly, uses natural resources responsibly, and avoids GMOs, among other benchmarks.

We offer a complete range of haircare products, from The Shampoo to The Scalp Treatment. Choose the products you want and create a routine that conditions, strengthens, and nourishes hair from root to tip. Our customer service team can answer any of your questions about our sustainability efforts and direct you to the products that can give you the best results.