What we wash our hair with should be taken just as seriously as what we put on our skin, as well as what we put into our bodies. Many chemicals in conventional shampoos dry out our hair, degrading the natural oils, healthy shine and quality of our natural hair. This can cause all sorts of scalp and hair problems, including loss of hair. Given the porous nature of our skin, many chemicals are also absorbed into our bodies and over time accumulate contributing to various health problems. The most common and quickly noticeable are of course various skin irritations and allergies. This is why on our journey to optimal health, every health conscious person should consider using the most natural shampoo available to them.

Over the past few years, while trying different so called “natural” shampoos and testing their efficacy, I enjoyed comparing the quality of their “natural” ingredients, and have come across many varying in quality natural products. Although I have tended to stick to a local company – Green Beaver – and their shampoos for the most part as the best choice for me thus far, I am always on the lookout for the best possible options. I therefor also enjoy trying and comparing other options to help you decide what may be best for you. One of these was the Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Shampoo.

I became a huge fan of the Thursday Plantation tea tree oil after experiencing the amazing benefits of it on my skin. Being someone who lives and spends most of their time in a natural environment, I regularly have insect bites, scrapes, etc. Therefore, during one visit to a local health food store I noticed that Thursday Plantation also made a shampoo, that was advertised as natural, mostly organic and it happened to be on a great sale. After quickly scanning the ingredient list, I decided to buy it and try the shampoo.

Thursday Plantation is an Australian company that was founded in 1976 by Eric White, and continued on with by his step-son Christopher Dean. The family company has a passion driven story with respect to its roots and becoming the successful, worldwide renowned company that it has flourished to be. Today, Thursday Plantation is part of Integria Healthcare, a leader in science based natural healthcare.

Tea tree oil has astounding and scientifically proven health benefits specifically for the skin. It is used as a natural healing alternative for things like psoriasis, sores, eczema, ringworm, various rashes and also everyday problems such as cuts, stings, burns, pimples and other skin infections. Therefore a shampoo with pure tea tree oil can be beneficial for those who suffer from dandruff, scalp irritations or infections, as well as for all those who simply want to benefit from the health promoting benefits of tea tree oil.

In terms of properties, the shampoo has a claim to “clean and revitalize” hair. It is suitable for frequent use, however it is not recommended for chemically-treated hair as tea tree oil has solvent properties and may make the color fade faster. It is vegan certified and not tested on animals. It is also a GMP – good manufacturing processing assured – product. It is locally produced in Australia.

The shampoo contains no SLS, parabens or other harsh chemicals or preservatives, which are traditionally found in conventional/commercial shampoos.

In terms of ingredients, the pros are that the shampoo is 100% naturally derived, made with 72% organic ingredients and has lots of natural plant ingredients. The downside is that it does contain several moderate hazard ingredients, like coco-betaine and the lemon-like fragrances. Coco betaine, a derivative of cocamidopropyl betaine, although naturally derived goes through chemical processing that can make the ingredient a possible allrgen/irritant. Although it is by far not the worst shampoo in the natural personal care category, it is also not the best and more natural options exist.

The overall product is not listed in the Cosmetic Database (yet), however, individual ingredients and their ratings give a quick overall representation of how it ranks as a natural product. (See full ingredient list below.) The shampoo has already been reformulated since the 2006 version (the database has the old formula listed/), which had a simpler, but somewhat worse ingredient list.) The information in this review is based on the 2012 ingredient list found on Canadian labels.

In terms of scent, the shampoo smells like one would expect tea tree oil to smell. Therefore, it has a more herb-like medicinal fragrance. Whether one finds it pleasant or not, depends on one’s preference for different scents. I personally like the scent of tea tree oil, and enjoyed the fresh herbal scent, rather than having it be fruity or flowery. The scent is obvious, but delicate and not too strong or overwhelming in my opinion. It does not linger on hair to the effect of making it smell medicinal, or anything like that.

In terms of how it worked, the shampoo definitely has natural shampoo properties in that it does not lather excessively like chemical commercial shampoos. The lather I found is just enough to work the shampoo through one’s hair. I used it on my fine, long and straight hair, and my husband used it on his thicker, curly hair. Both of us were pleased with how it performed. I felt it cleaned my hair well and rinsed off easily also. I didn’t have any particular positive or negative feelings in terms of its efficacy. It did not dry out my hair, or induce an oily effect. The shampoo did what I would expect it to do and overall I did enjoy using it.

Conclusion

In the end, this is a great shampoo for anyone who wants to take advantage of the tea tree oil ingredient benefits. There are many other shampoos on the market that infuse the name “tea tree” into their names, but do not come close to being as natural as this one. The only exception are the Dr. Bronner’s products with tea tree oil, which are even more outstanding in their natural qualities.

Again, it is not the purest quality natural shampoo, but it is good and worthy of consideration for the tea tree oil benefits. It is especially useful for people with various skin conditions as tea tree oil has excellent anti-fungal properties. As for me, while I may enjoy this shampoo yet again in the futre, for the most part I will continue to be on the look out for the most natural, safe, pure and simple options possible.

Ingredients

(Plant ingredients are italicized)

  • Organic Aloe barbadensis leaf juice
  • Water
  • Coco-Betaine – *(5 – moderate concern)
  • Decyl Glucoside – *(0 – low concern)
  • Organic Chamomilla recutita (chamomile) flower extract
  • Glycerin – *(0 – low concern)
  • Melaleuca alterifolia (tea tree) leaf oil
  • Xanthan gum – *(0 – low concern)
  • Organic Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil
  • Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar gum)
  • Lonicera caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower extract
  • Lonicera japonica (honeysuckle) flower extract
  • Citrus aurantifolia (lime) oil
  • Organic Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil
  • Linalool – *(4 – moderate concern)
  • Limonene – *(6 – moderate concern)

* Safety Rating based on Skin Deep Cosmetic Database

Packaging

The shampoo comes in a soft plastic tube-like package, which is fully recyclable once product is finished. The regular size is 200mL (6.8 fl oz).

Price (as of this posting)

Availability

  • Widely available at grocery, pharmacy and health food stores across Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand
  • Widely available at many online stores for Canadian, US and international shoppers (see examples above)

The Good

  • 100% naturally derived ingredients
  • 72% organic ingredients
  • Good scalp and hair health promoting plant ingredients
  • Benefits of pure tea tree oil
  • Pleasant, delicate scent
  • No parabens
  • No harsh preservatives
  • No artificial colors
  • No SLS or other sulfates
  • Vegan friendly
  • No animal testing
  • Fair price

The Bad

  • Contains some moderate hazard ingredients