Your Guide to Eco Conscious Hair Care for Ocean Lovers: 

If you’re an avid diver, beach babe or somewhere in between you know that saltwater, sun and chlorine takes a toll on your hair. Repeated exposure can leave your hair feeling dry, brittle and damaged. How are we supposed to have that gorgeous long flowy mermaid hair and actually live the mermaid lifestyle? We’ve reviewed a few eco conscious hair care brands that will not only protect and revitalize your locks but are eco conscious so you won’t be hurting the ocean by using these products either! 

The Coconut Smuggler: Reef friendly certified, smells like a tropical dream and protects your hair and skin, what more could you want? 

Coconut Smuggler uses natural ingredients such as:

•  “Plant-based oils coat the hair, locking in moisture and preventing saltwater from stripping the cuticle.
• Vitamin E and nutrient-rich oils combat the oxidative stress from sun, salt, and surf.” 
  
• Aloe Vera helps rebalance and gently re-acidify hair after exposure to alkaline saltwater.

In their feeling nauti shield! Bonus: Coconut Smuggler is a small woman-owned business based in California and donates 1% of profits to the ocean. 

Our favorite things about the Coconut Smuggler products:

• Easy to apply spray bottle design
• Smells great
• Can be used on hair or skin 

Got Kook

Got Kook offers a hair mask that protects your hair not only from saltwater but also UV! Using natural ingredients such as 

• Coconut Oil
• Caranauba Wax
• Shea Butter
• Bentonite Clay
• Aloe Vera

In their hair mask! Got Kook’s mask is also reef safe certified and boasts and 8 hour protection window. 

 

Our favorite things about Got Kook’s products: 

• 8 hour protection 
• UV protection

 

How Can I tell if my products are Reef Safe?

 

Photo by QUI NGUYEN on Unsplash

It’s always important to read the label and check your product’s ingredients! Here are some of the most common hair care ingredients that are a red flag:

1. Sulfates (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate)

Sulfates can strip your hair of its natural barriers and oils you need for healthy hair. They are also toxic to marine life in high concentrations.

2. Silicones (Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane)

You may be familiar with silicone in other items and as you may have guessed… it’s doesn’t degrade which is a big problem that can cause build up in waterways and ocean sediment disrupting the ecosystems. 

3. Parabens (Methylparaben, Propylparaben and more) 

Parabens are synthetic preservatives that can negatively impact wildlife hormones and are toxic to coral larvae.