Acquired Aesthetics: ELAVA Botanik

I spent my teenage years – and my teenage dollars – dying my hair. I’ve tried every color that compliments my skin tone, and a number that haven’t, either on purpose of by accident. (FYI: Jen should never have blue hair again. Ever.)

Luckily, I also kept my hair fairly short, from a blunt bob to a one-inch pixie, so I never had to deal with the horror stories that some of my friends did. “I bleached it too much, and it started breaking!” “It went through so much processing that it finally turned to mush…” “The damage finally got so bad that I had to cut it all off.” During the pixie era (which was adorable, let me tell you) I went to my $15 stylist every six weeks. Split ends? What are those?

Once I started letting my hair grow, I stopped coloring it. My natural color is quite pretty, actually, and for years I left it alone.

Then, of course, I just had to dye it. Then bleach it…then dye it again. The last time I put color in my hair was for a review of Bigen Permanent Powder Haircolor. Though Bigen stuck to my hair like an overzealous girlfriend (which was exactly what I wanted) it also left me with some seriously damaged ends.

Let’s all pause to laugh at the fact that the eco-friendly hair dye damaged my hair.

Okay, moving on.

So pretty. So damaged.

Since then, I’ve done more cutting, less dying, and some extra…preparing. You see, I’m growing my hair out again. And then, ladies and gentlemen, I’m dying it. Again.

Here’s my color inspiration (though mine will be toned to fit my complexion):

Image via Tumblr. I would love to credit the photographer if he/she will contact me!

Intense, right? It’s going to be awesome, let me tell you. But it’s also going to leave the ends of my hair plotting some serious revenge, unless I do my damnedest to take care of it before and after it’s colored.

You know what that means: time for a new shampoo!

ELÄVÄ Botanik was kind enough to send me a bottle each of their Mango Shampoo and Conditioner for review, no strings attached. I was worried, because the last time I tried an eco-friendly shampoo my scalp went from happy to itchy, and I had to stop using it. (My head is not Christmas, full of little white flakes and wonder.) For the first week I held off…flakes still falling…but then my scalp let go all its resentment for the drama I’ve been putting it through. The flakes disappeared, my hair felt softer, and I could suddenly dry my hair straight instead of “messy” or “windswept” to disguise the damage I’d done to it.

Whoa.

ELÄVÄ Botanik is a food-grade hair care line. Every product is made of 100% natural, certified organic fruit pulp – it even has a “Fresh Until” date on the bottle!

Firmly planted on the belief that what goes on our bodies should be as pure and environmentally-responsible as what we put in our bodies, ELÄVÄ Botanik launches a line of hair care that takes natural and organic to a new level.

Instead of simply using botanical extracts, ELÄVÄ creates their products using whole, organic foods. This allows for a greater degree of natural absorption of the kinds of things our hair naturally wants to utilize. Think about it this way: is your body going to get more nutrients from eating fresh foods or processed crap? What about your soaps: does your skin feel better after washing with natural shea butter, or using a chemical softener? It’s the same concept.

“We’re proud of the fact that our products are perishable because this reflects our guarantee that they are made with only fresh, ripe, organic foods—It’s real food for truly beautiful hair.”

- Julian Huxley, founder of ELÄVÄ Botanik

The entire line of ELÄVÄ shampoos and conditioners is meant for color-treated hair, and each of their three shampoos and conditioners caters to a different hair type. The mango shampoo and conditioner are perfect for my fine hair, but they have products for thick, dry and damaged hair, too. I definitely give ELÄVÄ Botanik my seal of approval.

To learn more about ELÄVÄ Botanik, you can visit their website, or follow them on Facebook. Wish me luck on the new hair color!

Tags: conditioner, elava botanik, hair care, natural shampoo, organic hair care, review, shampoo

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