Cruelty Free, Toxin-Free Haircare for Curlies and Coily's : Oyin Handmade
I love cosmetic products with a compelling backstory. I recently got caught in a spiral watching YouTube video after video about an eponymously named cosmetics brand that is created from the essence of the flowers grown on the founders farm… in picturesque Vermont… while the founder raises her three gorgeous children and I think (in my mind) she was invited to Gwyneth Paltrow’s wedding. A story like that just makes me want to buy the product you know? All natural and wholesome ingredients grown on a farm? Sign me up.
When I came across Oyin Handmade, a comprehensive skin and haircare line for, (as the founders put it) highly textured hair, (I love that term) I found another special story. The line was created in 2001, by Jamyla Bennu, a lifelong self-declared naturalista and ingredient-conscious consumer, to answer her quest for natural and organic products for her hair.
After looking through the catalog of products I am impressed. The family-owned, operated, and manufactured products (not in Vermont but hey -) are made from natural, organic, and food-grade ingredients. The Oyin Handmade system of haircare is pretty simple.
Cleanse (Shampoo)
Condition
Moisturize
Seal
Style
Oyin Handmade is affordably priced and contains all the necessary creamy products to ensure that your curls and coils are never tangled and dry again. Tousled loves the sound of Oyin Handmade products like Ginger Mint Co-Wash and Honey Hemp detangling and moisturizing hair conditioner. Sounds like restoration and perfect curls in a bottle.
Curly and coily haired women and men ( aka Hair Type 3 and Hair Type 4) need a great deal of moisture to seal in hydration and maintain soft manageable hair. The real role of moisture is in mitigating damage to hair during handling. This means that hair growth can be retained because there is less damage to the strand. Note, there is no set formula for maintaining moisturized hair - you’ve got to come up with what works for you and you alone. However, the first step to great curls and coils are ensuring that your products are not only toxin free but also totally safe.
What does totally safe mean?
Shortcut to knowledge alert: Look for products that are marked cruelty-free! Usually, but not always, products that are certified as cruelty-free (think Leaping Bunny) do not contain the kinds of harmful toxins and chemicals that are the enemy of perfect curls and coils. Great news! Oyin Handmade also claims their products are cruelty-free as well as being moisture focused.
Let’s talk a little bit more about cruelty-free products. Long time friend of Tousled, Michelle S. was the first who brought our attention to the need to leave more mainstream products behind and be conscious of choosing cruelty-free products . Personally, before Michelle sat me down, I never thought about how hair products got tested, have you? Well then, let me give you another …
Shortcut to knowledge alert: Traditionally, rabbits, cats, and even dogs (I’m a dog lover) are subjected to chemicals to test our products. Did you know, lab animals are kept in small cages and often wind up maimed, blinded, or killed after these tests??? This is shocking!!! Fortunately, a growing list of countries (37 to date) have begun to take a stand against this kind of cruel testing by either banning or severely limiting the sale of cosmetics that contain ingredients tested on animals. In 2013, the European Union fully implemented a ban on the sale of all cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients tested on animals. Hooray!
Oyin Handmade is cruelty-free, contains no petroleum, no silicones, no sulfates, no parabens and no non-nourishing fillers aaaaand its affordable! WHOOT!
Have you tried Oyin Handmade? Are you trying to get into toxin free and cruelty-free products for your highly textured hair? What are your favorites? Let us know what you think of going cruelty-free or toxin free in the comment section below.
