If your dog has ever been sprayed by a skunk, you probably know that tomato juice is truly man’s best friend. 

But tomato juice has a more human application: It can rescue hair that has been damaged by chlorinated swimming pools. 

Light-colored hair can take on a greenish tinge from pool chlorine and other chemicals. If you find yourself with green locks: 

1. Apply pure, organic tomato juice to your hair.
2. Leave it on for 15 minutes, and rinse with water.
3. Shampoo and condition normally.
4. Treat hair more than once, if necessary. 

Say goodbye to one of the few bad ways to “go green!”

I wash my hair each morning. It’s long, curly and tends to get oily. 

You may think I wantonly go through a lot of organic shampoo and water, but I have a hair-healthy, water-saving routine that gets the job done quickly and effectively: I simply use less shampoo, and I focus on cleansing my scalp. 

It’s an approach endorsed by Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in Vallejo, Calif. 

“When we wash our hair, we tend to use too much shampoo by washing the entire length of the hair, rather than concentrating on cleaning just the scalp,” she confirms. 

“In addition, how often you wash your hair should be based on how oily your scalp is. If it’s oily, you might need to wash it more frequently than someone with a dry scalp. However, most of us are probably overwashing our hair and can save some money by using less shampoo.”

African-Americans should wash their hair no more than once a week, Dr. Mirmirani says, as their hair and scalp tend to be much dryer. Overshampooing can further dry out the hair and scalp.

“I recommend that you choose a shampoo formulated specifically for your type of hair,” she says. (Needless to say, we recommend a natural or organic shampoo that’s free of harsh chemicals and dyes.) 

“If you color your hair, then select a shampoo designed for color-treated hair,” Dr. Mirmirani adds. “It is gentler than regular shampoo and can help extend your hair color. But if dandruff is a problem, then try a shampoo formulated to fight dandruff. 

“The key is finding the product that works best for you,” she concludes, “and avoid the temptation to spend more than you have to.” 

Suggested Reading 

• Stressed-Out Hair
• Want Beautiful Hair?
• Natural Hairbrush Basics
• A Natural Solution for Hair-Pulling?

Pick up any beauty magazine, and you’ll likely find an article on buying the right hairbrush. Unfortunately, the information is often wrong.

Let’s start with basic physiology. Hair is a fiber—one whose structure and integrity must be protected if you want lush locks. Our follicles produce these fibers, which are composed of hair keratins: fine, tightly packed structures covered by a protective cuticle.

Think of the cuticle as the shingles on a roof, which form a barrier atop the underlying structure, suggests Paradi Mirmirani, MD, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. When damaged, the cuticle will break apart, exposing those inner fibers. You’re probably familiar with the result: frizzy, flyaway or dull hair.

Choosing the right hairbrush helps you protect the cuticle. While some hairstylists promote boar-bristle brushes (organic and nonorganic) as the best option, Dr. Mirmirani says they’re a bad idea.

“Boar-bristle brushes, which are quite expensive, put a lot of friction on the hair because the bristles come into contact with hair against its natural grain,” she says. “This can cause a considerable amount of damage.”

Dr. Mirmirani recommends using inexpensive plastic brushes with wide-spaced needles. Plastic, however, often contains PVC, so I avoid the animal bristle/plastic problem with my eco-friendly Earth Therapeutics Natural Wooden Pin Brush (see photo, above).

Suggested Reading

• Want Beautiful Hair?
• Stressed-Out Hair
• Organic Skin Care Solutions
• Real Beauty 101