Nature Inspired

Hello, short hair! It’s been years since my hairstyle wasn’t past my shoulders, but after months of feeling like I could never get it to look the way I wanted to (plus that 45 minute blow dry time!) I finally decided to chop a bunch of it off. I know many who went short and instantly missed their long hair, but this girl is feeling no regret at all: I’m loving my lower maintenance do that also makes me feel more put together!

In perfect timing, I was also recently invited to try out Matrix’s new line of paraben, sulfate, silicone, and artifical colorant free natural hair products. As someone who’s been wanting to explore more natural beauty I was excited to give Biolage R.A.W a try. I’ll be honest: right off the bat there was a large part of me that questioned how “natural” a line hair products from a big retailer could possibly be, especially since there were some ingredients listed that I didn’t know how to pronounce. So I looked into it.

As I dug deeper into the line, I found this page: a thorough ingredient list of what’s in Biolage R.A.W products, where it’s from, and why they chose it. I learned that the line ranges from 70-95% “natural origin”. The brand considers an ingredient to be of natural origin if it’s unchanged from its natural state, or has gone through processing but still retains more than 50% of its molecular structure from the original plant or mineral source. Not perfect, but I also don’t understand much of the science behind formulas and what’s required. So to me, this is a very good start. And you have to appreciate the transparency!

As a bonus, Biolage R.A.W. shampoos and conditioners are produced in a facility deeply committed to sustainability and ethical practices. The product itself is 95% biodegradable, and the bottles – which look more like green juice bottles to me – also happen to be 100% recyclable and are made up of 100% post consumer recycled materials in the first place.

So, most importantly: how did they fare? I’ve been using the “Uplift” shampoo and conditioner, which is supposed to add volume thin hair, for the past few weeks. My hair isn’t thin by any means, but I wanted some extra oomph and volume for my shorter locks and with these products my hair hasn’t fallen flat.

With the shampoo, I noticed right off the bat that it doesn’t “sud” very much. I’m okay with this, but I know some people prefer their shampoo to be more sudsy as it somehow indicates that it’s cleaning your hair. But I normally shampoo 2-3 times a week, and this one has kept my hair feeling fresh enough between washes to sustain this. In the conditioner, a main ingredient is kaolin clay. Clays help hair feel shiny and thick in a natural way, and this one felt rich and nourished my hair.

The most outstanding review, though, definitely came from my husband: last night, he told me out of nowhere that “the natural shampoo you got is pretty awesome. It makes my hair feel nice”. For a guy whose idea of a good shampoo is one that also doubles as a body wash, that means a lot!

Overall, I think this is a great line to try if you’re wanting to veer toward natural, raw hair products but not quite ready to fully dive in, since it’s accessible, effective, and doesn’t feel like too big of a change on the hair. I receive a lot of beauty products and it takes a lot for me to continue using something until it’s finished, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this one ended up empty!

This post was created in partnership with Matrix. Opinions are my own.

ps. Thanks to Roberto Sousa of Nadio Albano Style Co for working your magic on my hair! The cut was not sponsored or gifted – I highly recommend Roberto if you’re looking for someone new.