

Repeat after me: healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp.
For years, scalp care has been a beauty trend worth watching. It's said to have originated in Japan 10 years ago, and only now have the scales tipped it into 'global phenomenon' territory. (If that's true, Australia is incredibly late to the scalp care party, but we're thankful for the invite and happy to be here).
Forbes even recently named it amongst the biggest beauty trends of 2021.
Listen: You Beauty is the podcast for your face, but in this ep, we're extending that to include your scalp! Post continues below.
The scalp care trend has given rise to new conversations around plant-based beauty products – and their gentler, antioxidant-rich ingredients that nourish the scalp's natural state, instead of working against it.
Traditional shampoo and conditioners come loaded with ingredients you’d be wise to ban from your shower caddy, like parabens, SLES and triclosan.
These harsh chemicals basically act as skin irritants, which can leave our scalp, face and hands red, itchy and dehydrated. So when used on our hair too, we're left with strands that are overly stripped, super parched and feeling like straw. They completely strip us of our natural oils (sebum) needed to keep us hydrated and healthy.
Basically: huge nope.
SLES alone even form a residue at the hair follicle, which impedes the growth of your hair.
This is why natural haircare is tapping into the plant-based powers of botanical actives to support shiny, healthy hair; the way nature actually intended it to be.
Vegan shampoo and conditioners we keep hearing about, like from OC Naturals' range are free of animal-derived ingredients and nasty chemicals (like parabens, SLES, ALS, mineral oils and plenty more) – and doesn't skimp on salon-smooth, nourished results. Sign us up.
Their Silky Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner uses certified organic moringa oil and lotus flower extract, and the formula is clinically proven to work wonders on taming frizz-prone hair.
Each bottle is only a cheeky $3.50 too. Boy, would we love to put it to the test.
So we did. If you're contemplating making the switch like us, first we had to know if this plant-based alternative lives up to its promise to deliver frizz-taming, silky smoothness. We asked our Mamamia You Beauty Panel to try the OC Naturals Silky Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner for a few washes, and tell us their honest thoughts.