Oh am I excited to do this review! We all know how much I LOVE Living Libations natural skin care and body care products, and I’m happy to report their hair care line is just as good.
For over a decade I feel like I’ve been on a never-ending journey searching for good natural hair care products. And it’s not only because I like using natural products, but for the sake of my skin, I prefer avoiding hair care products containing silicones and sulfates that clog my pores and give me breakouts and rashes.
I’m prone to getting rashes and breakouts on my chest, back and shoulders. It was only when I started using less hair styling products containing silicone did I start noticing a significant difference in my skin.
It was easy to stop using hair styling products containing silicones. But finding quality shampoos and conditioners without silicones and sodium lauryl sulfate that wouldn’t dry out my scalp and hair was very difficult. There’s plenty of options out there, but unfortunately a lot of all-natural shampoos and conditioners can be really disappointing, some have even destroyed my hair.
My biggest complaint about natural shampoos and conditioners is that they don’t wash hair very well, or condition it. Some shampoos and conditioners irritate my scalp, don’t rinse out properly, are difficult to apply, and can make hair coarse and frizzy. But despite them no working so well on my hair, natural shampoos and conditioners don’t irritate my skin or give me breakouts like mainstream hair care products do. So I keep trying new products, endlessly looking for something that will work.
This has been an ongoing challenge, if something works well for my hair, it gives me breakouts. Or vice versa, it dries out my hair but I’m rash-free. I want BOTH good skin and good hair.
Living Libations Hair Care Review
I’ve known about Living Libations hair care products for a long time, but I was always quite reluctant to try it. I was always afraid it would be disappointing like many of the other natural hair care products I’ve tried. Plus, I could never decide which shampoo and conditioner to buy. I finally went ahead and bought the Seabuckthorn Shampoo and Shine On Conditioner.
After using them for several months, I was thrilled with the results. Finally I found a natural shampoo and conditioner that’s good on my hair, and doesn’t have breakout-causing silicones and sulfates. The standout benefits was a much healthier scalp, stronger hair, much less breakage and split ends, and no breakouts or rashes from the products.
Once I finished the shampoo and conditioner, I continued buying more products from their hair care line. I was curious to see how the other products would perform. It’s now been a few years I’ve been using Living Libations hair products. I’m happy to report I still love and use the products, and have tried and tested the entire line.
Living Libations Hair Care Products
Seabuckthorn Shampoo & Shine On Conditioner
The Seabuckthorn Shampoo and Shine On Conditioner were the first Living Libations hair care products I tried, and I loved them. The shampoo and conditioner have a light herbal scent. Like the name, this shampoo and conditioner is all about giving you shiny healthy hair.
The Seabuckthorn Shampoo washes your hair thoroughly while still being gentle on your scalp. My scalp can get irritated pretty easily by shampoo. Natural shampoos in particular tend to make my scalp flaky and itchy. But not this one. In fact, this is the first shampoo I’ve ever used that I don’t even need to double cleanse with. I only need to wash my hair once with the Seabuckthorn Shampoo and my scalp and hair are thoroughly cleansed. I really like that because my scalp is clean without over-washing or drying out the lengths of my hair.
The Seabuckthorn Shampoo does lather quite a bit (a lot more than most natural shampoos I’ve tried), and rinses out easily. It’s not a nourishing shampoo, so it’s not designed to moisturize or coat your hair, it just gently cleanses it. Because of that, I would recommend using the Shine On Conditioner with this shampoo. If you have very short or fine hair, you might be able to skip the conditioner, but if your hair is normal or thick – I would definitely recommend using a conditioner with this shampoo.
I also use this shampoo as a body wash in place of regular soap. My skin loves it. Something in it is very soothing, and it helps keep bumps, rashes and breakouts I’m prone to away.
The Shine On Conditioner appears to be a thick conditioner at first, but once you apply it on your hair, it feels pretty lightweight, and rinses out really easily. It took me a while to get used to this type of conditioner because I’ve always used heavier and richer conditioners that leaves a coating on my hair (like conditioners filled with silicone).
I liked that it didn’t coat my hair or leave any heavy residues because my hair and scalp feel truly clean (if a conditioner has a lot of silicones, it traps dirt and debris easily making you have to wash your hair more frequently). Even though it didn’t heavily coat my hair, it does conditioner my hair enough that it doesn’t get frizzy, dry, or unmanageable.
For my dry thick hair, I found using extra conditioner to be the trick to really condition my hair and get the best results. On the instructions it says you can use a tiny amount as a leave-in condition for extra moisturizing, but when I did this, sometimes I would use too much and the extra conditioner left on my hair would make it limp and stringy. Instead, I found just using extra conditioner (like double what I normally would use: 2 tsps instead of 1 tsp), and combing it through my hair, and then rinsing it completely out, gave me the extra conditioning I needed.
If you have normal hair, you probably don’t need the extra conditioner like I do. You can wash and condition your hair as you normally do with these products.
But, if you’re like me and have thick, dry, or colour treated hair – I would recommend using extra Shine On Conditioner when you are conditioning your hair. I also found using their Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask in conjunction with the Shine On Conditioner gave me even better results. I will talk more about the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask further in this review, but I will say right now, if you have really dry or damaged hair, using 1 tsp of the Shine On Conditioner mixed with 1 tsp of the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask will work really well as a deeper conditioner. I find the Shine On conditioner is great as a hair detangler, and adding some of the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask will make it much more nourishing for hair that is dehydrated, coarse, and in need of extra conditioning.
Over the past year I’ve gone through two bottles of the Seabuckthorn Shampoo and Shine On Conditioner. What I love most about this shampoo and conditioner duo is how healthy it keeps my scalp. I’m prone to having a dry flaky scalp, and I find this shampoo and conditioner keeps it really balanced. I find the formula to be quite clarifying but gentle at the same time. Unlike many clarifying shampoos, the Seabuckthorn Shampoo won’t dry out your hair or strip it. You can definitely use it as your regular shampoo and it will keep your scalp and hair healthy. And like the name of the Shine On Conditioner, it really does give your hair a shiny, glossy finish.
This shampoo and conditioner is suitable for all hair types, especially if you are prone to any scalp issues like a dry, flakey, or even an oily scalp. Even though my hair is quite thick, I can see someone with really fine hair enjoying this shampoo and conditioner because it’s gently clarifying, and won’t weigh your hair down.
True Blue Spirulina Shampoo & Conditioner
I was surprised how similar the True Blue Spirulina Shampoo and Conditioner are to the Seabuckthorn Shampoo and Shine On Conditioner. There’s definitely a few things that are very different (like the scent of the products, and the results from using them), but the actual texture, weight, and application of the shampoos and conditioners are very similar.
Just like the Seabuckthorn Shampoo, I only needed to do a single cleanse with the True Blue Spirulina Shampoo to thoroughly cleanse my hair. It’s also a very gentle shampoo, and it won’t condition or detangle your hair, so like the Seabuckthorn Shampoo, I recommend using a conditioner with it.
The True Blue Spirulina Shampoo and Conditioner are protein-rich products, and you will see after using them that they really strengthen your hair and give it added volume. I would recommend this shampoo and conditioner to anyone looking for volumizing hair care products, and anyone with damaged or brittle hair that needs products to help build up your hair, not strip it down.
The True Blue Spirulina Conditioner has the same weight and feel as the Shine On Conditioner, that is, it will lightly condition your hair and works well to detangle your hair. For my dry, coarse, colour treated hair, I use extra conditioner to condition my hair (about 2 tsps), and sometimes I also mix some of the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask with the True Blue Spirulina Conditioner for extra nourishment (1 tsp True Blue Spirulina Conditioner + 1 tsp Honey Myrtle Hair Mask). Like the Shine On Conditioner, I won’t use the True Blue Spirulina Conditioner as a leave-in conditioner because if I use too much, it causes my hair to be stringy and limp. I much prefer rinsing the conditioner out, then leaving it on my hair.
The only thing I really didn’t like about the True Blue Spirulina Shampoo and Conditioner is the scent. It has a warm algae scent (from the spirulina). The reviews for this shampoo and conditioner are awesome, and everyone raves about the scent. But for me personally, I didn’t like it. I much preferred the scent of the Seabuckthorn Shampoo & Shine On Conditioner which is a fresh herbal scent.
Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask
I love the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask. It nourishes and conditions your hair without leaving any heavy residue. I like to leave this mask on my hair overnight and it never transfers on my pillow or gives me any breakouts on my body or face.
As I said in the beginning of this review, most mainstream hair care products with a lot of silicone really messes up my skin. Hair masks in particular are the worst for me because they are so rich in silicone and heavy. They feel good on my hair, but not my skin. So finding a good hair mask without the silicone has definitely been a plus.
I’ve experimented a lot with the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask, including using it as a hair mask before I shampoo my hair (both on dry and wet hair), and also using it as a deep treatment conditioner on it’s own and mixed with the Shine On Conditioner or True Blue Spirulina Conditioner.
What I liked most was using it as an overnight mask the night before I plan to wash my hair. I find this gives me the best results. I much prefer applying it to my dry hair, not wet. I find it absorbs and moisturizes my hair better than leaving it on wet hair.
I also liked mixing it with the other Living Libations conditioners to add extra softness to my hair. On it’s own, using the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask as a conditioner after shampooing worked well at conditioning my hair, but not detangling it. As you know, I have long thick hair. After I wash my hair, I always need to apply conditioner and run a wide tooth comb through my hair to detangle it before rinsing the conditioner out. I found Living Libations True Blue Spirulina Conditioner and Shine On Conditioner works better at detangling your hair, and adding some Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask will make your hair softer and smoother.
Flowers In Her Hair Dry Shampoo & Fortifying Frankincense Dry Shampoo
I normally don’t really like dry shampoos because I find them finicky to use – sometimes they work good, sometimes they don’t. But Living Libations Dry Shampoos I LOVE!
In an emergency situation when I need to be somewhere and don’t have enough time to wash my hair, Living Libations Dry Shampoo can transform a bad hair day into a perfect hair day – instantly.
Unlike a lot of dry shampoos, these are light green in colour, not white (watch my review video above to see what it looks like). What’s good about it being green is it blends into your hair and scalp easily without any white powdery residue. And don’t worry, it won’t make your hair or scalp look green, the colour disappears into your hair. I like this because I can apply it to my hair and go out immediately, there’s no wait time (normally with white dry shampoos I prefer to apply them at night so there’s enough time for them to fully dissolve into my hair and scalp, but in an emergency situation I don’t have that kind of time to wait. This is why this green dry shampoo is so much better).
I also find these dry shampoos really helps to smooth out frizziness and if I apply it at night, the next day my hair has so much more volume, it’s easier to style, and feels smooth.
For best results, I find sprinkling it on my scalp and combing it through my hair before I go to sleep, and then sprinkling a little more on my scalp in the morning works the best. I actually find my hair looks better than when it’s newly washed, and it makes my hair much more manageable.
I would definitely recommend this for all hair types, especially if your hair tends to get oily quite quickly or you want more volume at your roots. Out of all hair care and styling products I’m using, this is one I can’t live without.
Living Libations makes two Dry Shampoos: Flowers In Her Hair Dry Shampoo and Frankincense Fortifying Dry Shampoo. Overall, they perform quite similarly, they’re both a fine green powder, absorb excess oils on the hair and scalp, and add really nice volume to the hair.
The standout difference between the two dry shampoos is the scent and some of their therapeutic ingredients. Flowers In Her Hair Dry Shampoo is made with silk peptides and crushed chamomile and lavender flowers that soften and protect the hair and has a calming floral scent. Fortifying Frankincense Dry Shampoo is made with frankincense resin and an array of essential oils to soothe the scalp and balance excess sebum production, and has a fresh scent.
If you have issues with a dry, flaky or itchy scalp; go with the Fortifying Frankincense Dry Shampoo. If your hair is dry, brittle, fragile or damaged, go with Flowers In Her Hair Dry Shampoo which offer extra moisture and protection.
Scalp Tonic & Crowning Glory Hair Oil
Out of all the Living Libations hair products, the ones I get the most questions about are the scalp oils and tonics, Crowning Glory Hair Oil and Scalp Tonic
Both products are multi-tasking oil blends. They’re designed to be used as a pre-shampoo scalp and hair treatment oil, but you can also use a few drops to protect hair from heat styling, as a well as a finishing oil to smooth frizz and add extra shine and lustre to your hair.
They’re both fluid, lightweight oil blends that are easy to apply on the hair and scalp. They’ll condition the hair and scalp, remove buildup and flakes, and add moisture and shine to dry dull hair.
Out of the two, I much prefer the scent of the Scalp Tonic. It has a really nice fresh herbal scent that complements the hair, and I enjoy leaving it on my hair as an overnight scalp and hair treatment. I also use a few drops on my dry hair to smooth frizz and define waves and curls. I find it to be a very versatile product, using it as a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment, and post shampoo styling.
Crowning Glory Hair Oil on the other hand has quite a strong earthy/lemon scent, but I found it works great for soothing an itchy, flaky, sensitive scalp. Out of the two oils, I found Crowning Glory to be more therapeutic and balancing for scalp issues, but due to the scent, I prefer to only using it as a pre-shampoo treatment, and not for styling or leaving on clean hair. It also has stinging nettles essential oil which is a known herb that can help stimulate hair growth. I normally have fast growing hair, so I didn’t see much of a difference, but I did see a big difference in having a much healthier, flake-free scalp using this treatment oil.
I strongly recommend these hair oils for anyone that has chronic flaky or sensitive scalp, plus if you have dry, coarse, porous, damaged, or brittle hair. The stand out benefit I had from using the Scalp Tonic and Crowning Glory Hair Oil is how much soften, shinier and more manageable they make my hair. I find using these oils as a pre-shampoo treatment adds extra moisture to my hair, and even protects it from the shampoo and washing.
I like using these hair and scalp treatments once a week. The longer I leave them in my hair (sometimes overnight), the more it softens and conditions my hair.
If you want a deeply moisturizing hair and scalp treatment, I recommend applying one of Living Libations hair oils to your scalp, and applying the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask to the lengths of your hair. Leave on for a few hours (or overnight) and then wash and condition your hair. This is a really nice hydrating treatment, it will soften and replenish coarse dry hair and cleanse and balance the scalp.
Seabuckthorn Styling Serum
Living Libations Seabuckthorn Styling Serum is an ultra lightweight liquid serum used for hair styling, defining curls and waves, smoothing frizz, and protecting hair from heat styling tools.
The serum is aloe-based, it’s not oily, thick or sticky. It’s actually quite fluid. I use a generous amount on my wet hair to help define my natural waves and tame frizz as my hair air-dries.
What’s nice about this product it’s very lightweight, it won’t make your hair crunchy or stringy. This is especially good if your hair is fine, or you are looking for a lightweight styling product that adds definition without weighing your hair down.
But, if you are looking for a styling product that offers a strong hold (like a hair spray or a traditional hair gel), this might be too lightweight. If you have thick hair and a lot of it, you might find the serum is too light and liquid, or you need a lot of product to get the styling you desire.
Out of all the Living Libations hair products, I’m on the fence with this one. It’s probably because my hair is thick, coarse, wavy/frizzy and it needs a denser, more nourishing styling product to define my waves and smooth frizz. (These days I’m using Innersense Inner Peace Whipped Cream Texturizer which is a great finishing product, it tames and smooths frizz, gives waves and style more definition without being greasy or sticky). I find Seabuckthorn Styling Serum is better suited for someone with normal or fine hair that needs something that is weightless, doesn’t coat the hair or leave any heavy, waxy or oily residues.
Natural Hair Brush
Living Libations Natural Hair Brush is one of my favourite products in their hair care line.
I love this brush. It makes my hair shiny, smooth, and soft.
It not only brushes and detangles hair without breakage, but it also gently exfoliates and stimulates blood flow to the scalp, keeping it clean and flake-free. Plus, if you tend to get oily around the scalp and roots of your hair, this brush helps move the oils down the lengths of your hair, which softens your hair and keeps your scalp clean and healthy.
All around this brush is excellent, and suitable for all hair types.
If you tend to get a flaky scalp, I suggest using Living Libations brush with one of their hair oils, like the Scalp Tonic or Crowning Glory Hair Oil (apply the oil to your scalp, massage it in, leave on for at least an hour, and then brush your hair and scalp with the natural brush). Together they’ll lift and remove build up, dead skin cells, flakes and sebum, and get your scalp clean and healthy again.
If your hair gets a lot of frizz like me, after washing/conditioning your hair, brush your wet hair with Living Libations hair brush from root to tip. It will help smooth the hair shafts and your hair will be so much smoother, softer, shinier, and much more manageable when it dries.
I love this brush, and can’t recommend it enough. It’s a must try!
What about you?
Have you tried any of Living Libations hair care products, and if so, which ones?
Also, I’d love to know if you too have made the switch to natural hair care products that don’t contain sulfates or silicones, and if it’s made a difference in your skin or hair? (please let me know in the comments section below).
Shop Living Libations Hair Care
Living Libations is now available at Inspire Beauty. Take 15% off your first order, use code: inspire15 at checkout. Click here to shop the entire Living Libations hair care range.
18 Responses
Hi Sheri,
Thank you for sharing your impressions of Living Libations hair care products. Very interesting that it gave you itchy scalp. Most natural hair care products give me terrible itchy scalp too, but for me the Living Libations products were fine, no scalp issues what so ever, in fact, I found it helped keep my scalp flake-free and healthy. We’re all different!
I have Calia hair products on my list of things to get. My parents are coming to visit from Canada next February so I’ll have them bring it over. Since you’ve used both Living Libations and Calia, which do you find to be most conditioning for your hair? Also is there a shampoo and conditioner from their line that you liked the most and would recommend?
Hi Natasha,
With the Calia, I seem to gravitate more toward the Purifying shampoo and conditioner for dry hair. Next is the Hydrating (this scent is my favorite). One of my daughters really loves the Balancing. I’ve tried all of their shampoos/conditioners and they all perform very well and quite similar, but I notice a little bit of an added benefit for my hair personally with the Purifying for dry hair. I live in a very dry climate and have salt and pepper hair so I need the moisture. However, with all that said, I’ve been using the Living Libations more lately. I really do like that too. The personal downsides seem to be lessening and really don’t bother me … and I really like the positives. So, now I probably will re-order in the future. But the Calia is really great too, so it’s nice to have a couple of healthy brands from which to choose. I look forward to hearing what you think of the Calia!
Thank you Sheri for letting me know your take on the different products in Calia hair care range. I will definitely make an order next month so my parents can bring it over in February. I know we’ve had lengthly discussions about how our hormones affect our hair, it’s been interesting because lately my hair is going back to being curly again! It’s funny because after I gave birth to my first daughter Luna, my curly hair went wavy/straight and became super soft and smooth (instead of porous and coarse!). Now after giving birth to my second daughter Skye, my curls are coming back and my hair is becoming much thicker and coarser again. I feel like I’ve come full circle! It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months and once I stop nursing. I’m also glad to hear that the Living Libations Shampoo & Conditioner is working better for you now.
How well does living libations perform in very hard water?
Any residue?
I have very hard water here and I never noticed any residue on my hair from the Living Libations products. The shampoo and conditioner weren’t hard to rinse out or anything.
Does livinglibations hair products help with hair loss/hair thinning?!
I think mine is thinning due to the health of my scalp and possibly DHT.
I want something that is going to help with that!
Hi Melissa,
The Seabuckthorn shampoo is quite clarifying which could help with your scalp.
Have you had your iron levels checked, and your thyroid? Sometimes it’s an internal issue causing hair loss and thinning, and best to make sure you don’t have any deficiencies or imbalances that could be causing it.
Hi Natasha
Have you used the hair tonic or hair oil from Living Libations? Is one preferable if you have dry and itchy scalp? Also, can the honey myrtle hair mask be used on fine thinning hair, or would it be too rich you think?
Hi KC,
If you have dry itchy scalp, I would go with the Crowning Glory oil and do a treatment weekly where you coat your scalp with the oil, and it in for a minimum of 1 hour, or longer (even overnight), then wash your hair with shampoo. Oil is really good at breaking up build up of dry skin and sebum.
As for the hair mask, it’s not a rich oily mask. I would say it’s more hydrating. It should be fine for fine hair because it rinses out pretty well. No oily residues. But if your hair is really fine and you don’t tolerate most conditioners, I wouldn’t use it.
Thank you for your reply Natasha. I will be purchasing the oil and tonic to do an experiment and get back to you on how it goes. Will the oil do the same thing as the mask since they are both treatments?
Thanks again for your advice,
Yes, please let me know how the products work out for you. Go with the oil, it will treat your scalp whereas the mask is more of a conditioning hair treatment.
Hi there, do you know if the sea buckthorn shampoo and shine on conditioner are safe for color treated hair?
Hi Jacqueline,
All the Living Libations hair care products are safe for colour treated hair including the shampoos and conditioners.
Hi Natasha, which L Libations shampoo and conditioner might work best for thick, slightly coarse, quite dry, shoulder-length wavy, dark brown hair? It needs softening, shine but not strengthening. Many thanks and best wishes, CKG
Hi Catherine, great question. I recommend the Seabuckthorn Shampoo, and for conditioning coarse hair, I recommend mixing the Shine On Conditioner with the Honey Myrtle Deep Conditioning Mask. On their own, the Living Libations conditioners aren’t super moisturizing (they’re good for fine or normal hair, but probably not nourishing enough for thick, coarse hair or dry hair). I find mixing the Shine On Conditioner with the Honey Myrtle Mask makes it a lot more hydrating and nourishing for hair that needs softening.
Hi again Natasha, thanks so much for your reply. I wondered what the Ph is of LL shampoos and conditioners are? Haven’t tried the products yet.
And can the LL Shine on conditioner be used after other shampoos? I need to use a detox shampoo – have an organic one, as I’ve used an oil treatment – only 2 drops of camellia oil but too heavy – before washing with shampoo and conditioner containing essential oils. And mistakenly too much conditioner too – combed right through my hair from bangs to ends – scalp now drier and hair- thick, wavy, coarse – now dry and a tad sticky when wet. Many thanks again !
The Living Libations Seabuckthorn Shampoo makes my scalp flake! 🙁 It was incredibly expensive (here, in the UK) so I’m upset at wasting so much money on it!
I have a recommendation of something you can try that might help — try diluting the Living Libations shampoo. This is a trick I learned from a hairdresser friend that works great whenever a shampoo is too strong, drying or causes flakes (also great for anyone that has very dry, damaged or brittle hair). Dilute the shampoo with water before using it, it’ll make it much more mild on the hair and scalp, but still cleansing. Also, the Seabuckthorn Shampoo can be used as a body wash, but must also dilute. I hope this might help!