Let's talk about what you're putting in your hair.  

We often don't give much thought to the ingredients used in our grooming products, but given how important our hair and skin are to our well-being and appearance, it's of value to know whether or not our favorite products are doing more harm than we might realize.

We are unashamed to talk about our ingredients and how they are sourced. As a matter of fact, we love talking about what we use to make our products. Allow us to make the case for kaolinite. 

Kaolin clay is a common ingredient with uses ranging from cosmetics to food and even pottery. It's been used for thousands of years, and we're proud to craft our products with it. As loose and natural styles grow in popularity, we hope this post can inform you on why we love kaolin so much, and why avoiding its synthetic counterparts is best for the health of your hair and skin.

About Kaolinite

Kaolinite, or kaolin clay, is a naturally-occurring mineral that is abundant, easily accessible, and has been used for thousands of years. It has a history in pottery and both internal and external herbal remedies. It remains one of the best detoxifiers available and is found in nearly every clay face mask on the market. 

Skin Benefits

- Cleanses and Detoxifies: Kaolin is an incredibly gentle, yet powerful detoxifier with the ability to pull impurities from the pores without causing redness, dryness, or irritation. 

- Balances Moisture: Kaolin's gentle yet powerful nature makes it a great ingredient for pulling moisture from oily skin and hair without damaging cells or follicles.

- Styling Benefits: Kaolin offers volume, texture, control, and grit to styling products. This means kaolin based products provide incredible styling versatility. 

Similar ingredients to avoid:

Unfortunately, the list of ingredients you should avoid in general is far too long to fit into this blog post. Below are some of the most common ingredients that you may find in a product instead of kaolin.

VP/VA copolymer - This synthetic polymer is probably the most common copolymer found in matte hair products, but it's not the only one. It provides a dry and strong hold that has little impact on the consistency of the final product. However, it does this by creating a dry barrier over the hair and hair follicles, preventing it from absorbing moisture. 

Silica Dimethicone - This synthetic silicone-based polymer, meant to help powders and creams distribute evenly, can actually damage the skin by creating a plastic-like barrier. 

Vinyl Caprolactam/VP/Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer - This ingredient is another copolymer that creates a dry film over the hair and skin. It's an adhesive, binder, and absorbent, which means it is most commonly found in matte style hair products.

Note:  Moisturizing the skin in a healthy way is accomplished by providing moisture that works WITH your skin, providing moisture from the inside out. Natural oils such as jojoba, grapeseed, and argan penetrate into the skin and hair, providing deep and rich conditioning. However, many silicone and petroleum-based polymers attempt to provide moisture by creating barriers on top of the skin to trap in moisture. This process actually works against your skin's natural rhythm and can cause skin dependencies, dryness, irritation, breakouts, and more.

This is just one of many reasons that O'Douds promises to never compromise on our standards to provide all-natural products that are good for you and good for the Earth!