A Review of Intelligent Nutrients Organic Haircare

Intelligent Nutrients was founded by Horst Rechelbacher, the creator of the famous Aveda brand. The company aims to revolutionize the haircare industry by creating a professional-level line of products that is based entirely on organic, food-based ingredients. The company is backed by both the USDA and the UK Soil Association as being certified organic. Theirs is a noble cause, and a necessary one as well, considering the fact that commercial and salon haircare products are some of the most toxic items in the beauty industry. But I have to say that Intelligent Nutrients has not quite reached its goal yet. Here is a review of some of the products I've sampled from their line.

Organic Hair Cleanser. This is specifically called a cleanser because it won't lather up your hair very much. It has wonderful, antioxidant-rich ingredients, which include apple water, coffee seed oil, red raspberry, black cumin, and red grape. It also has a delectable citrusy herbal scent. I wish I could give a better review of it, but the fact of the matter is, because there's barely any lather, I had a difficult time getting my hair and scalp sufficiently clean with it. I know that many organic products purposefully avoid stripping vital oils from skin and hair, but this cleanser was so weak that I wasn't even able to work it through my hair. Perhaps the ingredients do make hair stronger, but not exactly cleaner.

Organic Hair Conditioner. This is probably my least favorite product in the line. After I used it, my hair felt sticky. Not sticky as in, "I just put on hair spray" sticky, but my fingers kept getting caught while I was trying to work it through my hair. It lacks dimethicone, which is the synthetic ingredient that most conditioners use to make hair slippery and tangle-free. Since dimethicone is a coating silicone that sometimes clogs pores, its absence is not a bad thing; however, it is obvious that the natural ingredients the company used to substitute it (oatmeal, apparently) were ineffective.

Organic Spray-On Detangler. I do actually like this product a lot. Perhaps Intelligent Nutrients were aware that this product would be necessary after the use of their conditioner. It is actually very effective for combing tangles and knots out of long hair like mine. And it has a very unique fragrance, almost spicy but at the same time very lightly sweet.

Organic Perfect Hold Hairspray. This is one of the more effective products also. Instead of using complex polymers to hold hair in place like other hairsprays, Intelligent Nutrients' hairspray uses acacia gum. This is water-soluble, unlike the polymers in commercial hairsprays that can coat lung tissue and build up over time. I would use this product very carefully and sparingly, however, because it does have a strong hold, and too much of it will definitely make your hair stiff.

Organic Volumizing Spray. I only found this product to be moderately effective. I would say it's basically a weak version of the Perfect Hold Hairspray. It's good for accentuating curls and waves, but only mediocre for giving volume to thick, straight hair like mine. It's made using aloe vera, milk protein and acacia gum, and it has a peppery smell similar to that of the detangler and hairspray.

Organic Finishing Gloss. This is also one of my favorite products from this line. It's too often the case with finishing glosses that my hair gets weighed down, because it already has a tendency to be oily. But this gloss is so light that it does the job without making my hair greasy. It's also free of dimethicone, which may also account for its lightness. Ingredients include jojoba, sesame and shea oils.

All in all, if you would like to try this company's products, I would recommend using their styling products only, and use something else for washing and conditioning your hair. Perhaps these products work better on different hair types, or people with shorter hair. You can find them on the company website, www.intelligentnutrients.com.