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The latest natural haircare trends as revealed by Clicks Curlversations
After experiencing Clicks Curlversations for ourselves, here are a few of the natural haircare trends 'The Citizen' picked up on.
Woman with natural hair worn in twists. Picture: Unsplash by Leighann Blackwood
One of the many casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic was Clicks’ annual natural hair event, Clicks Curls and in 2020, many a natural-haired South African woman wept about the fact that they wouldn’t get to come face to face with the brands the retailer had to offer the country’s natural haired community.
Cue Clicks Curlversations – the retailer’s answer to Clicks Curls in a world with Covid-19 safety protocols.
Hosted in person at The Venue Melrose Arch and online, the event showcased the latest additions to their natural hair product offering, while offering vendors a chance to introduce themselves to audiences.
The event also featured haircare masterclasses hosted by a range of personalities including Boity Thulo and Sinovuyo Mondliwa, alongside a number of haircare professionals.
After experiencing Clicks Curlversations for ourselves, here are a few of the natural haircare trends The Citizen picked up on.
Less sulphate and sodium
The biggest focus of the natural haircare industry is products, specifically, their ingredients and as the industry gravitates towards certain ingredients, it tends to deviate from others.
According to various haircare websites and resources, sodium chloride (commonly known as table salt) has been used as a cheap thickener in shampoos and conditioners containing sodium lauryl sulphate.
“Sodium chloride may also be the cause of dry and itchy scalp in addition to hair loss,” said hair expert and restoration specialist, Dr Robert Dorin, medical director of True and Dorin Medical Group in an entry on Style Caster.
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Sulphate (sometimes spelt “sulfate” on packaging) is the ingredient that causes your shampoo to foam up when you add water to it and rub it through your hair.
This has been found to strip the hair of the good oils that it naturally produces on its own so some manufacturers have also deviated away from including it in their product formulations.
Edible products
Now before you go and try to use your conditioner as a dip, it should be noted that these are still hair products and are therefore not necessarily consumable. However, a lot of the products on sale at Clicks contain such natural ingredients that you would be able to taste some of the products.
This is of particular interest to people who prefer their haircare products as natural as possible without necessarily having to make them themselves.
This includes products like those in the Alodia range which is a black-owned family brand made in the USA. Alodia was founded by Dr Isfahan Chambers-Harris, a mom of three with a background in biomedical sciences.
Another brand that has embraced more natural ingredients is Sof’n Free, which not only debuted a new product range but new packaging as well for a range of products containing ingredients like avocado, honey and cannabis.
All things mint and cucumber
The last trend we noticed comes from how popular mint and cucumber seem to be these days.
A few years ago, avocado and olive oil were all the rage but they seem set to be replaced by cucumber and mint.
Brands like Aunt Jackies (another US-based brand) have new ranges containing these and other refreshing natural ingredients.
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