I’ve always been obsessed with changing things up, particularly with my hair. Since the age of 10, I’ve dyed my hair brown and then back to jet black – multiple times. When I wasn’t dying my hair, I had highlights (in shades across the entire spectrum of the brown family). I’ve also permed my hair more than a few times. Oh and each time I got a wavy perm, I would get a straight perm months later because I couldn’t stand the awkward perm grow out phase. Suffice to say, my hair suffers from chronic chemical abuse. So I am always on the hunt for the next great thing, the magical product that will re-virginize my damaged, thick and course hair.
Enter: Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Pure Luxe Shampoo and Conditioner - this super luxe duo makes my hair fantasies a little more real. But before I discuss the actual products, I have to profess for my love for the Intelligent Nutrients brand. Founded by Horst Rechelbacher (he is also the founder of Aveda, but has not been involved with the brand since he sold it to Estee Lauder in 1997), his utmost goal is to provide his customers with 100% pure, food-based beauty that is safe and completely free of toxic ingredients. He is so adamant about the purity of his products that he grows many of his ingredients on his organic farm in Osceola, Wisconsin. How’s that for dedication to clean beauty?
True to its clean form, the Pure Luxe Shampoo has absolutely no foaming action, so it may take some of you a bit of time to get used to it. Its light and lotion-y, not super heavy, so you don’t feel like you are pouring a bunch of gunk onto your scalp. And for those of you with colored hair, no need to worry about fading: their shampoo is filled with plant actives like cistus oil help provide color retention. Unlike with most moisturizing shampoos, you really feel that your hair is being cleansed thoroughly.
The Pure Luxe Conditioner is similarly light, but extremely effective. After leaving it in for a few minutes, my hair is super soft and my ends are completely untangled. Combing my hair is no longer a strenuous arm workout! And for those with sensitive noses, I should point out that like most clean products, the scent is very green and herbal but it does disappear very quickly.
I particularly love this shampoo and conditioner on the days I blow dry my hair. My hair shaft appears smoother and as a result, my hair looks much sleeker and shinier. And as with any moisturizing hair care product, it is crucial to rinse very well or you’ll be stuck with limp, greasy-looking hair for the rest of your day. This is probably my worst (beauty-related) habit – I forget to do this more than I’d like to admit. I would also caveat that this is probably not your every day shampoo if you have fine and / or thin hair. If your hair falls into either of those categories, I would use this more as a weekly moisturizing treatment, 1-2 times a week max.
Available on the Intelligent Nutrients website.
i live in minneapolis where IN is based and the store/salon is amazing! such a fun place to explore and learn… unfortunately i had a reaction to the skincare products i tried (crazy crazy sensitive skin) so i’m hesitant to try anything else, but i love the IN lip balm!
Horst is such an innovator – it’s awesome to see what he is doing to advance beauty products when he could easily be retired on a beach somewhere.
Oooh – you’re so lucky, I wish I could visit their flagship! Horst is definitely an inspiration in the green beauty world, maybe you have a shot at meeting him in the store someday!
Side bar – if you have really sensitive skin, you might just want to stick with coconut, almond or argan oil for your skincare needs. Honestly sometimes I think that is all anyone REALLY needs…
I wonder if it would work on Black people hair specifically coily curls. That is usually my first question when I come across any hair product. The needs are so different.
Something I need to look into, but natural and food based products are good for all hair type I believe.
BTW, I nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award on my blog. It is just something fun. Visit http://www.thousandmilesfirststeps.com/2012/11/the-versatile-blogger-award.html.
Hmm..I’m not sure. You could probably send them a quick tweet to double check. They seem to be pretty plugged in so hopefully they will be able to give you a good answer right away!
Ooh thanks for sharing this. I have wanted to try IN for a while now! My hair is WRECKED after the beach.
Definitely give it a shot – I think it could work really well for you! You can even order a travel size version on their website to make sure you like it before you commit to the full size.
“chronic abuse” can you really say that if you don’t bleach your hair? C’mon blondes have more chemicals. I would love to try these, I have been using Rahua stuff. Good info. I want to grown my shampoo ingredients on a farm. Oh well.
I love this too. I just use the conditioner with a john masters shampoo and it works well on my dry but fine hair.
John Masters Shampoo has been on my “must try” list for so long, just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Which one do you use?
Hello, I use the bare shampoo. It is essential oil free and really gentle; moisturising but not heavy. I also used the primrose one in the past, which is similar to the bare one but has ylang ylang and other essential oils (it smells similar to the in pure luxe). Hope that helps!
Hi Laura! Thanks for letting me know – I will definitely be adding that one to my list!