Peter Lamas’ Naturals Collection may just have your recipe to solve all your hair woes. Avocado, rice, soy, and pumpkin are just some of the nourishing ingredients found in his products. Here’s a look inside his new line, which by the way is paraben-free and sulphate-free.

Soy Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner ($18.00 each): Restore and strengthen chemically treated, dry, weak or damaged hair from root to end with this set. This nourishing, ultra-hydrating formula, enriched with Amino Acids, Panthenol, Aloe and Dynsonyl detangles and prevents split ends and fly-aways. Hair will appear more lustrous and healthy after a single treatment!

Rice Protein Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner ($18.00 each): Naturally thicken and volumize hair by strengthening and expanding the diameter of the hair shaft with peptides, proteins and amino acids. Thin, weak, lifeless hair becomes noticeably more luxurious—bringing back volume, lift and bounce.

Wheatgrass Purifying Shampoo ($18.00): Detoxify and cleanse your hair without stripping hair of necessary moistures. The unique combination of Wheatgrass, Chlorella Vulgarus Extract and Phytic Acid removes excess oil, chlorine and mineral deposits from hair and scalp while Moringa Seed Extract shields your gorgeous tresses from environmental stress.

Peter Lamas Naturals’ Collection is available at Planet Blue, Studio BeautyMix at Fred Segal, Pharmaca, select Whole Foods locations or by visiting www.peterlamas.com

With the help of 2,008 readers, who voted at www.naturalhealthmag.com for their favorite products and a group of esteemed dermatologists, 25 of the year’s best products have been selected.

We are proud to announce the following winners in the hair category:

SHAMPOO
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lavender Mint Moisturizing Shampoo

CONDITIONER
L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Color Care Moisture Conditioner

HAIR COLOR
Natural Instincts Champagne Indulgence Collection

HAIR STYLING PRODUCT
Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Smooth Vitality Smoothing Crème

For those PGHers who color their hair at home, you know that the kits usually provide you with a rich conditioner to use after applying color to protect your hair and help the color stay vibrant.

EverPure was created out of that same concept. It promises to keep your color pure even after 32 washes. The 100% sulfate free line means that no harsh, stripping ingredients will come in contact with your locks. The tip of the iceberg? EverPure goes beyond protecitng your color with three different formulas in their line: moisture, smoothing, and volumizing.

Beautiful, long lasting color plus a free aromatherapy session? I’ll take it.

Visit L’Oreal Paris for more info.

Source: au-beauty.glam.com

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of articles about the no-poo theory, like this one today on MSNBC.com. Seems like it’s really starting to catch on. The idea is to stop using shampoo to achieve healthier, more manageable hair.

We all know that we shouldn’t wash our hair everyday to prevent stripping our natural oils. But now, hair stylists and dermatologists are saying we shouldn’t use shampoo at all.  Some believe that doing less to your hair is more.

If you’re considering adopting the no-poo way, you should know that your scalp is going to need some time to adjust and that your hair is not going to look or feel normal for a couple days. Also check out the San Francisco Chronicle’s No-Poo Project before you start for some more insight.

I’m actually thinking about trying my own no-poo experiment. Anyone else with me?

JPP – or John Paul Pet – offers high-end salon grooming products for your pet. The shampoos and conditioners are all-natural and actually tested on humans first (hehe). They also make wipes for your pet’s ears, eyes, paws, teeth and gums.

Also over the weekend, my family got a new pup. Here is Riley, their new 10 week old Golden Retriever. He’s the sweetest most delicious thing ever! Maybe he’ll get to try out JPP.

The cucumber and green tea fragrance smells delicious and the gentle formula leaves my hair feeling fresh and revitalized. Definitely PGH worthy!

When I wash my hair with this stuff, I must admit that it is very therapeutic (do I sound cheesy or what!). It’s true though. The clean smell and creamy texture make for a nice shampoo-experience. I recommend for normal to dry hair.

Have you tried this product yet? If so, leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Photo: Hairstylediva.com

Cowashing is a term that means washing your hair with conditioner only. I probably do this 2 times a week to make sure I’m not stripping my natural oils by overwashing.

However, we curlies have to be careful of cowashing. Because we use products like gel and mousse, cleaning just with conditioner can make our hair feel dirty and weighed down.

The Beauty Brains has a great post all about cowashing. Check it out here.

Sulfate-free refers specifically to the anionic surfactants sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium lauryl ether sulfate. (Not even going to try to pronounce these!)

These cleansers are very strong and can be quite harsh for delicate, curly hair. This is especially true for those with chemically processed or dry, damaged hair. (This does not apply to any of the sulfosuccinate cleansers, which are much more gentle detergents, and which are not sulfates, strictly speaking)

Wondering if you should switch to a sulfate-free shampoo? Consider giving the Organix line a try. But first, check out this great post from The Beauty Brains. Their Bottom Line:

Sulfates are used in many personal care products and are some of the most effective ingredients you can use for cleaning. They often get bad press and the Natural crowd hates them, but they are perfectly fine ingredients. They’re what all of the Beauty Brains use.