Terressentials Pure Earth Hair Wash: Thanks, Mike Rowe!

Dixie

As I mentioned in my review of the Terresentials Organic Flower Therapy Detoxifying Facial Cleanser, I first learned of Terressentials on the Animal Barber episode of Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe visited the Terressentials production plant to learn something very dirty indeed - how to make shampoo from mud. At the time the episode aired, I was just starting my transition from straightened hair to natural hair and dealing with a dermatitis reaction to coconut products (which went away when I became pregnant with my daughter THANK GOD), so I was all over a different kind of shampoo like white on rice.

The shampoo, as the name indicates, is made of earth. That is to say, clay. There are no detergents in the formula. How can clay clean your hair, you say? Honestly, I don't rightly know. There are many oil-absorbing products that effectively use kaolin clay so my educated guess is that the Pure Earth Hair Wash works the same way to absorb oil and dirt from your hair without stripping it entirely.

I started with the Lavender Garden scent, as it is recommended by the site for dry, naturally curly hair. Before I opened the bottle, I shook it up very well. Natural products tend to separate, so I wanted to make sure that the essential oils were evenly distributed through the clay mixture. Then, I dispensed it into my hand like I do with a traditional shampoo. It looked exactly like what it is - clay. Even though the wash looked like a pile of clay in my hand, I distributed it in my hair like a normal shampoo. Starting with my scalp on the top of my head, I scrubbed and worked my way down. I found that I had to use a couple of handfuls to cleanse all of my hair, the wash was a little difficult to move around since it has no lather. And then I rinsed.

The result? The cleanest clean that my hair has ever had. After rinsing, there was absolutely no product or excess oil left on my hair. It was CLEAN. The site says that when one switches from traditional detergent shampoos to the Pure Earth Hair Wash, that you will need a detox period. They're right, but I found my detox period was significantly less than stated since I was switching from an organic shampoo. As for conditioning, maybe I misunderstood the FAQs, but they seem to indicate that you won't need conditioner after the detox period. This was not true for me. Since my hair tends to be dry, it was still dry after using the clay wash. So I just used my normal organic conditioner and it was fine.

If you're looking for an alternative to traditional shampoos, this is a great place to start. The Pure Earth Hair Wash is a little difficult to move around in your hair and tends to go quickly because of the amount you use with each wash, but that's true of most non-lathering hair washes. An 8-ounce bottle of any scent retails for $10.75 and a 16-ounce bottle retails for $20.50, which is about what you would pay for any natural or organic shampoo. Before you order, read the FAQ and determine which product is best for your hair, be it curly or straight, fine or coarse. I give this product a 7/8 tentacles, docking one since the wash is quickly consumed.

Rating: 7/8 tentacles