Going Natural with Human Nature

Back in 2002, a little something called Japanese Ionic Rebonding became the next big hair trend in the USA. I distinctly remember seeing it in an imported magazine and falling in love with the concept (as demonstrated by Reese Witherspoon). I went into all the salons I would pass by to inquire if they had the service, but it was too early that nobody heard of it. One year later, it had finally reached Philippine shores and was one of the most expensive services that could be requested. If done in  a reputable brand name salon, it wasn't uncommon to spend PHP 5,000 - PHP 6,000 for long hair—plus PHP 1,000 to retouch roots every couple of months. No can do for me because it was—and still —downright obscene to spend so much on hair. Just my humble opinion.

In present day 2014, rebonding is still widely availed but not as hot as before. Wavy hair is a big deal right now, so people are obsessed with blowdrying their hair to look unkempt. Um... okay. This also means salons are promoting the PHP 1,000 at any length deal for chemically straightened hair. Sounds reasonable to me, so I've finally gotten it done after over a decade. Ha! Yes, I'm the last person in the Philippines to have joined the rebond army.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="384"] In the hot (flatiron) seat[/caption]

In a nutshell, my salon session took the whole day because of my long hair. The package included a cellophane treatment for cheap, so why not go the extra mile? This was followed by the requisite 3 days of no wet hair, so I was an oily, disgusting mess filled with self-loathing. Finally, I got the go-signal to drown my scalp in shampoo, so this is where Human Nature Natural Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner in Soothing Aloe comes in:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Human Nature Shampoo and Conditioner (center and right, respectively) AND Sunflower Beauty Oil because I was there already[/caption]

The hairstylist was adamant about restoring life to my damaged hair. I was advised to book appointments for regular treatments and to gorge on a good shampoo and conditioner set—emphasis on the conditioner. To see these readily available in Shopwise for PHP 129.75/200mL (shampoo) and PHP 144.75/200mL (conditioner), I could actually afford to give them a try and feel guilt-free about chemicals because over 95% of the ingredients are natural. Promising.

I've been using the shampoo/conditioner set for all of 3 days, so I only have initial impressions so far. The scent is a sweet leafy/aloe that's more evident with the shampoo and slightly less so with the conditioner, though the scent that stays on the strands after the bath is mild and neutral enough that scented styling products can be used without everything becoming overwhelming. It's perfect for me because my Dove Hair Oil already has such a strong smell. The shampoo has something called CREAMFoam that allows for a modicum of lather, but don't fool yourself if you're used to SLS/SLES shampoo. It's simply no match. I've had to use twice or thrice the amount I would normally use with SLS to achieve something even remotely close. On the other hand, the conditioner takes on a slightly waxy texture versus the creaminess in traditional conditioners. Think sap from your sliced chayote/sayote, only with a moisturizing effect.

Sounds bad, but is it really? No. If you really want to distance yourself from chemicals, you'll just have to learn to love it. My hair doesn't feel dirty afterwards, and that's good enough for me. I still intend to use a SLS-containing shampoo once a week as a clarifying shampoo followed by my Creamsilk treatment, so nothing goes to waste. Hopefully, no more hairy mess for me.

Rating is 4/5 because I have to use a lot, so I expect to run out of shampoo faster. If the scent could be improved while maintaining all that natural glory, then that would be great.