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JAN 27 2017

Finally - Natural Hair Care that's Keu-Approved

I'm always being asked to recommend clean, non-toxic hair care products. The truth is, until now I hadn't found a hair care line I loved. There are plenty of clean and safe hair products out there - just take a stroll down the body care aisle at your local Whole Foods or health food store. I've tried pretty much every green hair care line I could get my hands on, but each one left me feeling underwhelmed. I want my hair products to be clean and safe, but I also want my hair to look amazing and my scalp to feel balanced. I realize this is a tall order, but I refused to settle until I found products that rivaled my favorite mainstream brands.

Boy am I glad I didn't give up, because this past December I discovered WORLD Hair and Skin.

The Backstory
Brian Phillips opened worldSALON in Toronto in 1989, and has won multiple awards both for his styling expertise and the salon experience he provides. He's worked on everything from fashion shows and MAC advertising campaigns to coiffing the heads of celebs like Norah Jones, Jessica Stam and Kim Cattrall, to name a few.

worldSALON is a leader in Canada not only in cutting edge styles, but in sustainable business practices. Brian was awarded the Green Champion Award for leadership in sustainable business practices and progressive work eliminating toxic chemicals in personal care products by  Environmental Defense (Canada's most active environmental action organization).

Brian's eco-consciousness arose form personal experience. He developed a severe case of contact dermatitis on his hands from using in-salon products - chemical perm solution and gel (he promptly stopped offering perms). As he began to look closely at the effects of cosmetics on personal health and the environment, he decided to develop products that were safer for stylists to work with and gentle for clients to use. After years of research and testing, WORLD Hair and Skin was launched in 2001.

Why I Love The Products
1. Clean + safe. They're free of parabens, silicones, sulfates, phthalates, fragrance, color, siloxanes, palm oil, and hydrolyzed wheat protein (which makes them gluten-free), and they're cruelty-free.   Plus, the preservative system is entirely plant-based. All but two of the products (which contain beeswax) are vegan.

2. Luxurious + effective. This is a salon quality line made to Brian's professional standards, which improves the quality of your hair with regular use. And it won't make your color fade (phew!).

3. Multipurpose. Most of the products can be used interchangeably on both skin and hair. This saves me time as well as space in my bathroom and my suitcase when traveling. I love that I can use CLEAN as both my shampoo and my body wash, PROTECT as my conditioner and my shaving cream, BELIEVE as my hair polish and dry skin balm, and the list goes on. Rather than offering a large range simply to sell more product, Brian wanted to create only those products he thought were necessary.  

4. Fragrance-free, but with the option of adding custom essential oil blends (see BLENDS below).

5. Eco-friendly: By reducing the number of products we use, we consume less resources during the manufacturing process and reduce the number of plastic bottles that end up in landfills. The packaging of WORLD Hair and Skin products is reusable and/or recyclable.

The Products + How To Use Them

CLEAN Hair and Skin Cleanser (360ml CAD $29.00)

 

  •  A shampoo and body wash in one that contains very little detergent, and lathers up to remove only the oil and buildup it needs to, without disrupting the body's natural balance.
  • After 2-3 weeks of regular use, CLEAN will eliminate the synthetic chemicals that have built up from mainstream products. The result? Hair with more shine and bounce, and a more balanced scalp that's less prone to itching and flaking.
  • An effective yet delicate skin cleanser that won't strip skin of its protective oils. It's gentle enough for babies' skin, and I use it on my kids as both shampoo and body wash. The big kids use it too (my husband and I).
  • Vitamins A through E, cucumber extract and ivy root moisturize and strengthen hair, while burdock root and calendula enhance shine and make hair and skin feel soft and supple.
  • Serious multitasker: CLEAN also does triple duty as an excellent face wash, a non-irritating makeup-remover and a gentle makeup brush cleaner. Music to this beauty blogger's ears! 

PROTECT Hair and Skin Moisturizer (360ml CAD$29.00)

  • Light, non-greasy moisturizer that can be used on hair as a detangler and then rinsed-out. Contains beeswax and emollients that actually make your hair more elastic over time.
  • For dry or chemically processed hair, use PROTECT as a leave-in conditioner on the bottom half of your hair.
  • I use it as a heat protectant before heat styling and blow-drying. It has officially replaced my not-so-green blow-dry milk by Kerastase. 
  • Light but effective moisturizer for skin that leaves a satiny finish, and is safe and gentle enough for the whole family.
  • Serious multitasker: effective yet gentle makeup remover that won't irritate sensitive eyes, and a moisturizing shaving cream for both men and women.
  • Vitamins A through E, aloe vera and dandelion strengthen hair and skin, while elderflower, rosehip and rosemary refresh and maintain skin and scalp equilibrium.

BELIEVE Hair and Skin Balm (56.7g CAD $29.00)

 

  • A rich salve made from pure organic ingredients that works for hair, scalp and skin. You'll want to have several of these scattered around the house (read on to see why).
  • At worldSALON, stylists use BELIEVE after blowouts to tame flyaways and frizz and add polish and shine to the hair. I asked Brian why he didn't create a hair serum, and his answer was refreshingly honest: "Because BELIEVE does the job. Why create another product to add clutter and expense to people's lives?" Amen to that!
  • Anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal soothing properties from the organic coconut oil reduce inflammation and support cell healing and repair. Vitamins A and E from rosehip seed oil help cell regeneration and promote healthy skin. Essential fatty acids and antioxidants in argan oil hydrate and soften skin and create a protective barrier.
  • This stuff can seriously do it ALL: provides relief from inflammation and irritation including dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, burns, cuts and chapped lips, soothes sun-damaged skin, diaper rash and cradle cap. Apply it to a mosquito bite and it will immediately soothe and reduce swelling. 
  • Makes an excellent after-shave balm.

REPAIR Deep Conditioner for Hair (227g CAD $44.00)

  • An intensive conditioner with a whipped cream texture that can be used daily as a rinse-out conditioner, or weekly as a hair mask for very dry and/or damaged hair.
  •  Rosemary, jojoba and calendula oils help to smooth, nourish snd strengthen the hair while restoring moisture and balancing the scalp.
  • Silicone free! Silicones (found in most mainstream conditioners and serums) coat the hair shaft and give the illusion of shiny, smooth hair. But it's not the shine you want - it's a fake shine from the silicone layer. The shine you want is when the cuticle layer is sealed and light reflects off the hair, which only happens when hair is properly hydrated and healthy. Silicones prevent moisture from penetrating the hair shaft. Over time they attract more buildup on the hair because nutrients from hair products can't penetrate the hair shaft and end up just sitting on the surface. When moisture and nutrients can't penetrate the hair shaft, hair becomes brittle and prone to frizz and breakage.  

Ocean Texturizing Salt Spray (118ml CAD $56.00)

 

  • An organic sea salt spray that adds volume, texture and softness to the hair.
  • I'm so excited to finally have an all-natural root lift and volumizing product! I'm always trying to give my fine hair lots of volume, but couldn't find a green product that worked as well as my David Mallett Spray No.2 Le Volume. Well, now that I've found Ocean, I said "Au revoir" to my not-so-green old faithful.
  •  Organic lavender and rosemary hydrosols, combined with essential oils, leave hair shiny and full. They also balance the sea salt to ensure your hair doesn't feel dry with regular use.
  • The combination of hydrosols and essential oils also balances the hair and scalp with regular use (much like a makeup primer balances the skin) by regulating sebum production on the scalp and midshaft and hydrating dry ends.

UP Natural Holding Spray (180ml CAD $29.00)

  • A sugar-based hairspray that can also be spritzed on before curling or straightening, with twice the holding power of OCEAN. 
  • Sugar is the original style fixative: Brian explained to me that punk rockers mix sugar and water to create mohawks - fun fact! But since sugar can be drying on the hair, Brian added sea buckthorn oil to balance the sugar's drying effect.
  • I also love using it when my hair is up in a bun or ponytail to smooth those shorter hairs at the nape of my neck. I spray UP on my palms and smooth it on those nape hairs to make them lie flat.

BUZZ Hair and Body Polish (113.5g CAD $46.00) 


  • Hair styling pomade that adds hold, body and texture and seals in moisture.
  • Intensive moisturizer for very dry skin, containing emollients and humectants that draw moisture to the skin and help seal it in.
  • Vitamin A from beeswax helps soften and heal the skin, while organic jojoba oil adds shine to the hair and moisturizes the hair, scalp and skin.
  • Virgin coco crème is a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent that heals and protects dry, cracked skin on hands and feet.
  • Use: scrape a small amount of product out of jar and warm between fingers to liquefy before applying.

CANDY Scent for Hair and Skin (12ml CAD $19.00)

BLENDS Essential Oils (5ml CAD $14.00 - $19.00)

 

  • CANDY is a roll-on with a light and citrusy unisex scent that you roll onto your palms and pull through hair to reduce flyaways and add shine. For an aromatherapeutic experience, roll it onto your pulse points and inhale.
  • BLENDS are therapeutic grade, organic essential oils. While all WORLD Hair and Skin products are fragrance free, they also understand that many of us love natural scents. Which is why they created BLENDS: add drops of your favorite BLENDS oils to any of the CLEAN, PROTECT, BUZZ or REPAIR products to create bespoke product fragrances. You can also use them for aromatherapy by adding them to your favorite carrier oil or an aromatherapy diffuser. 

To Sum It All Up...

Since we started using WORLD Hair and Skin products, I'm amazed at how they've streamlined my family's personal care routines. My hair looks and feels so much better too: with the buildup from synthetic ingredients now gone, my hair has more shine, more bounce, and my scalp feels like it can breathe again. I never realized what synthetic buildup was doing until I eliminated it. 

WORLD Hair and Skin offers more than salon-quality products with clean and safe ingredients - although that combination alone is an achievement. It offers a sustainable approach to beauty that respects the consumer and minimizes its footprint on the planet.

Brian and his team have effectively raised the bar for creating truly "green" beauty products. Other green beauty brands take note: you need to up your game!


WORLD Hair and Skin products may be purchased at world.ca (ships to the US + Canada) and well.ca.