How to avoid shampoo brands that use palm oil
In shampoo, palm oil is used as a conditioning agent that helps restore the natural oils of the hair that are stripped away by the other chemicals present in most shampoos.
In our shopping guide to shampoo we rated 77 brands on their palm oil policy, and below are the ratings for all of them.
Read more
Roughly 93% of the carbon footprint of shampoo, conditioner and other hair products is associated with heating water during use. The remaining 7% is mostly from the packaging.
Running hot water is typically our most energy-intensive activity in the home; so to cut back on your energy consumption, carbon footprint and bills, look for products that help you reduce hot water.
Use dry shampoo
For example a product that could cut your carbon footprint is dry shampoo. Use it once a week to extend the life of your shampoo, or while camping, at festivals, or if your children have hogged the bathroom and you’re late for work.
Dry shampoo saves on average 8 minutes running hot water + 5 minutes blow drying, which means that it:
- Saves approx. 62 litres of water per shampoo
- Saves 1.04 kg CO₂e (carbon emissions)
- Saves 2.25 kWh energy .
It can also lead to cost and time savings. Using dry shampoo once a week over a year saves approx. £80 per household. And it takes less than a minute. It is also very convenient: it can be done anywhere, and is good when you have no access to water.
What’s more, it is good for hair as it doesn’t strip natural oils from the scalp, or make hair brittle through blow drying.
It makes hair easier to style and can give volume. Coloured versions can help to cover grey roots temporarily. It reduces colour-fade due to less rinsing and so has environmental, time, cost and health and safety benefits.
Use leave in conditioner
Another product that can help cut carbon is leave-in conditioner as it also saves water and electricity because the need to apply and rinse regular conditioner is eliminated.
Leave-in conditioner can be used in place of a regular conditioner. It can be especially great for those with fine hair as it provides extra body and makes it easier to style. It also reduces colour-fade due to less rinsing. Leave in conditioner:
- Typically saves 2 minutes running hot water
- Saves approx. 16 litres of water per shampoo
- Saves 0.25 kg CO₂e (carbon emissions)
- Cost savings: removing one rinse cycle each time over a year saves approx. £80 per household,
- Time savings: Saves 1-5 minutes depending on length/type of hair.
Use less and cooler water
Another tip that is good for your hair, your bills and the planet is to wash in tepid water to promote healthier hair and skin. Most of us shampoo too often, using too much shampoo, and in water that is hotter than our skin and hair like. Overly hot water, especially if from a high pressure shower, opens up our pores and then, as well as removing dirt and bad germs, strips our skin of the natural bacteria we have that keep our skin healthy and help us fight bad bacteria. Shower gels and shampoos can be especially harsh on the skin.
Other great eco products are things like low flow showers heads and shower aerators where air is bubbled in with the water, reducing the amount of water used and creating a softer, bubbly shower. These can reduce water consumption by about 50%.
