So for May, I’ve got a real treat for all of you that love organic and natural beauty products. The wonderful folks at Innersense sent me their haircare line to review. I’ve got a ton of fun products for all different kinds of hair types, so let’s get to it.
First, let’s start with a little bit about Innersense Organic Beauty:
“Nature is at the Center of Innersense Organic Beauty. Our products are crafted from pure, certified organic plant ingredients your hair will love. Enjoy the hydration, moisture, shine and color protection only pure nature can provide and fall in love with the beautiful truth of innersense organic beauty.”
Who doesn’t want nature to make their hair pretty and shiny? It’s so much better than when machines do it.
“Innersense products are handcrafted from a rich combination of carefully selected certified organic and biodynamic plant extracts, rich in emollients and nutrients, high in antioxidants. Our products are built to restore hair’s natural balance, leaving it healthy, full of body and shiny.”
Am I the only one who gets excited when I hear the word “antioxidants”? I think it tricks my brain into thinking I can undo all the damage pollution from the Lincoln Tunnel has done to me.
It’s also important to note that Innersense is a certified green company, for those of you looking at beauty companies that are into environmental sustainability.
Now my hair is naturally red, thick, wavy and currently so long it’s bordering on sister wife territory. It’s prone to tangles, frizziness and I often get dry scalp (maybe a little TMI on the last one). Just so you have a reference point for my product experiences.
Color Awakening Shampoo
(Retail: 8.5 oz: $24.00; 32 oz: $60.00)
Description: “A gentle cleansing therapy for color-treated hair, this formula creates a gentle bath for the hair and scalp. Sunflower seed oil, a natural anti-oxidant, protects color from fading and leaves hair naturally clean without residue or dryness.”
Verdict: Love!
This shampoo had a wonderful citrus scent that I adore. It didn’t irritate my sometimes sensitive scalp and had a nice lather (which is hard to come by with many natural shampoos). It also didn’t weigh down my wavy hair like other brands have. My hair isn’t color treated, so I can’t speak to it’s properties in that regard, but it definitely felt gentle. This one was a winner for me.
Color Radiance Daily Conditioner
(Retail: 8.5 oz: $26.00; 32 oz: $68.00)
Description: “Formulated to nourish color-treated hair with natural proteins, aromatic oils and flower essences, this beautiful formula prevents build-up and includes sunflower seed oil for color protection..”
Verdict: Great for folks with Color Treated Hair
My first impression on this was the scent – unlike the light citrus of the shampoo, this had a heavier floral scent. For me, it was a bit too strong, but I could see other people really enjoying it. This conditioner did a fabulous job of making my thick knotted hair, soft and manageable, but I noticed that when I used it every day I got a bit of build-up that weighed my hair down. I offset this by using a clarifying shampoo. I think because this is made for color-treated hair, it may be a bit strong for my natural locks, but it really did a remarkable job of getting the tangles out of my hair. I think this would work amazingly well for folks with color treated hair, so if you’ve got a fab dye job, you may want to try this conditioner out.
Harmonic Healing Oil Soothing Treatment
(Retail: 1 oz: $22.00; 4 oz: $65.00)
Description: “A rich blend of sacred healing oils and flower essences, this product is ideal for soothing dry skin and scalp. With certified organic safflower and evening primrose oil, and the healing properties of sacred tamanu oil, this luscious oil is rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and antioxidants. Its anti-inflammatory properties make it ideal for deep tissue massage and dry or irritated skin.”
Verdict: Like!
I’ve tried a lot of scalp oils and products and I really liked this treatment. It smelled lovely, (whereas other natural brands sometimes just smell like cooking oil) and it wasn’t super greasy. I haven’t tried it for my skin yet, but I really like that it’s multi-purpose as well. My favorite scalp treatments are scrubs and I’d love to experiment with combining this treatment oil with some salt to exfoliate.
Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Natural oils, fragrant herbs, flower essences and a touch of honey leaves hair perfectly balanced and ready for any style. The natural orange blossom fragrance makes this a refreshing delight for all the senses.”
Verdict: Like
This has a lovely scent, wasn’t too heavy, and left my hair soft. It didn’t really make much of a dent in my frizziness, but it left it feeling refreshed.
Curl Control Quiet Calm
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Certified organic shea butter sets and hydrates curl while rice bran oil and oat kernel extract combines to protect hair when blow drying smooth.”
Verdict: Like
This had a soft scent and wasn’t harsh or heavy on my hair. I don’t blow dry my hair often so I didn’t get to try this out as much as the other products, but I really like having a natural product I can use to protect my hair against heat styling.
I Create Hold Styling Gel
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Take control and embrace your style. Certified organic honey acts as a natural resin; organic rooibios tea adds antioxidant protection, while rosemary extracts crate incredible shine.”
Verdict: Okay
I’m not a gel person, I’m much more of a sea salt spray, let it dry, bohemian type. This gel wasn’t super heavy or tacky like some can be, but it didn’t work so well with my normal wavy style. I imagine it would work better with other hair styles and textures.
I Create Volume Volumizing Lotion
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Add lift from roots to end with certified organic honey and aloe. Wheat germ amino acids combined with eucalyptus provide moisture and nutrients to improve elasticity and shine.”
Verdict: On the Fence
My hair is already thick, so I’m not sure I’m the target audience for this. I’m also accustomed to volumizing products that give a big bang and this one is a bit more subtle. I think this is a product suited for folks with thinner hair.
I Create Finish Finishing Spray
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: ”This versatile spray, provides hold and manageability. Aloe and rice proteins provide moisture and strength, and certified organic lavender soothes the senses.”
Verdict: Like!
I’m not much of a hairspray person. And I hate, hate, HATE stuff that makes your hair hard or sticky. This is a lighter hairspray so if you want to beehive your head, I don’t think it’s going to work, but for less aerodynamically challenging hairstyles I think it works well. I like that it doesn’t harden my hair or smell like a chemical factory.
A couple products they sent me were more suited for short styles, so I couldn’t really try them out, (nor did I know anyone with suitable hair) but there’s no reason I can’t share some info on them with you all:
I Create Inner Peace Whipped Crème Texturizer
(Sale Price 3 oz: $16.20)
Description: ”This crème will leave any style peacefully texturized throughout the day. Certified Organic shea butter and fruit oils are whipped with wheat protein to condition and strengthen hair, while sunflower seed extract prevents color from fading.”
I Create Inner Reflection Finishing Polish
(Retail 3 oz: $18.00)
Description: ”Add control and reflection to any style. Shea butter, wheat grass an sunflower seed extract condition hair and protect color form fading.”
Overall: Hit!
Except for the Color Radiance Conditioner, whose scent was a bit strong, I thought the products all smelled lovely. They were natural but not overpowering. Since I’m fairly no frills when it comes to styling, my favorite product was the Color Awakening Shampoo which I’d gladly purchase on my own. The styling products all come in really generous sizes and with most of them, a little product goes a long way so even if you are paying $20ish for a bottle, it will definitely last you awhile. I’d love to see Innersense expand the line a little more with a conditioner with the same scent as the Color Awakening Shampoo, an exfoliating scalp treatment and a sea salt spray.
The products all have a very natural feel to them and if organic beauty is important to you, this is a great line to check out.
How important is it to you that your beauty products be organic or natural?
Lisa Preziosi 