YourBeautyClosett

Naked – Mild Shampoo & Gentle Conditioner for Sensitive                                           Scalp

Occasionally I get a really itchy scalp. I’ve visited the doctor about it before and he said there was nothing wrong and just to ‘try using a different shampoo’ - I’ve tried regular shampoo, medicated shampoo and anti-dandruff shampoo, none of which have had any effect. So when I ready about Naked and their natural, gentle products I thought they might be the answer, and I have been trying out Naked Mild Shampoo & Gentle Conditioner for Sensitive Scalp.

Naked launched in 2005 and their skincare and haircare products are all at least 97% natural and contain no parabens, sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) or petrochemicals. All Naked products are made in the UK and their packaging is environmentally friendly. We need more brands like this!

Naked’s website explains that SLS is a common ingredient used in toiletries to make them foam and cleanse. It is widely used by manufacturers because it’s cheap and effective but it can cause everyday skin complaints from dryness to red, tight itchy skin, and can also aggravate more serious conditions like eczema and dermatitis. This is because SLS is a harsh detergent and can strip the skin and hair of its natural oils. Instead of using SLS, Naked’s products use a cleansing and foaming agent derived from apple that is much softer and kinder to your skin.

The shampoo is a clear gel with a lovely smell that reminds me of something from my childhood but I’m not sure what! You need to use quite a bit of shampoo for your first application otherwise it doesn’t give much of a lather, but the second application is much better. I like to give it a really good massage into my hair to make sure I am reaching every single part of my scalp.

The conditioner is a thick white cream, again with a nice scent. I have found you don’t need to apply too much of the conditioner as it is really rich – a blob about the size of a walnut will do the trick on medium-length hair. The scent of the shampoo and conditioner stays on your hair once it is dry, and you get a lovely whiff of it every time you toss your head! Both the shampoo and the conditioner contain neroli which is an oil collected from orange blossoms.

The results

So, you may be wondering how Naked Mild Shampoo and Gentle Conditioner affected my itchy scalp…

First use – After using the Naked shampoo and conditioner for the first time I didn’t experience much of a change. My scalp was still itchy, but it certainly wasn’t any worse than it was before.

Second use - My scalp was still itchy immediately after using the Naked products for a second time, but after around 24 hours there was a slight reduction in the itching.

Third use… There was further reduction in itching after the third use of the Naked products, but my hair did feel slightly greasy and I had to re-wash it. I think the reason for this is that the Naked shampoo is not completely stripping my hair of oils, so I have to accept that I may need to wash my hair more often but that in the long run this will be better for my scalp.

Fourth use… After using the Naked shampoo and conditioner for the fourth time there was still a small amount of itching straight after washing when the hair was damp, but this subsided after 2-3 hours and there was a lot less itching after that.

I think it is going to be a gradual process to completely cure my itchy scalp, but it’s definitely on the road to recovery. It just shows how the chemicals and artificial additives found in regular shampoos affect your hair and scalp. Although I now find I need to wash my hair more often I don’t think it is because the Naked products have made my hair become more greasy… I think it is because my hair and scalp are now behaving naturally, and that the chemicals in my old shampoo was stripping my hair of its natural oils. My hair has also become less frizzy since using the Naked shampoo and conditioner, so that’s got to be a good thing, right?

My scalp problem is gradually subsiding after switching to the Naked Mild Shampoo & Gentle Conditioner for Sensitive Scalp, and I will be throwing my old shampoo and conditioner in the bin (I won’t say what they were, but they were standard high street products and my hairdresser has told me to get rid of them!).

If you have a dry or itchy scalp I would definitely recommend you try Naked’s products. I think they would be great for someone with dry hair too, as the sodium laureth sulfate in regular shampoos really dries out the hair and scalp, whereas the natural products in Naked Mild Shampoo allow your hair’s own natural oils to be present.

Both the Naked Mild Shampoo and Gentle Conditioner are vegetarian and vegan friendly. They are priced at £3.98 each for a decent 250ml size, available from Naked Bodycare.