Innersense Organic Haircare was created by two industry experts; Joanne blends her styling talents to inspire, teach and create, while Greg is the brand chemist, an expert in green and clean formulations with a passion for education. Find out why Joanne and Greg chose to leave the corporate beauty industry behind to pursue an organic beauty range focussed on green and conscious chemistry, along with sustainably sourced ingredients.
Why did you decide to leave behind corporate beauty to start Innersense Organic Beauty?
Greg: Joanne and I both come from decades in “big beauty.” When our daughter, Morgan, was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder at 22 months old, it gave us pause. Joanne started researching labels and ingredients on everything we used in our home, and discovered the array of toxins used in personal care products and food. This process led us to make changes and lead a healthier lifestyle for our family.
We realised our professional and personal values were no longer aligned. It was at this time that I became dedicated to researching natural and organic ingredients to formulate a line of clean and safe haircare products offering salon performance… Innersense Organic Beauty was born. Morgan is now 23 and thriving, and we’ve expanded into the UK to support the global demand for our organic haircare. Joanne and I are excited and personally touched by the worldwide response; to see our products resonate like this means we were on the right track many years ago.
What differentiates Innersense from other natural haircare brands?
Greg: Ingredients, transparency and our self-care approach to organic haircare. We created this brand as a method of caring for the caregiver – that may be the stylist standing behind the chair everyday, or conscious consumers who have made the decision to remove toxins from their beauty products. We love the line “self-care is an act of rebellion”. Choosing your health over what the conventional beauty industry force feeds us is truly revolutionary! And our multiple awards, social media virality and vast community of professional salons, stylists and devoted consumers echo our insistence that green beauty is glamorous.
Transparency is important to us and that’s why you’ll find ingredients clearly listed with each product on our website and why we do not “hide” questionable ingredients in proprietary blends. We also encourage our community to utilise Think Dirty when choosing their personal care products. This third party app rates products on their “dirtiness,” and of course we are squeaky clean. With Think Dirty, you don’t have to take our word for it.
For those new to natural haircare, what steps do you recommend to make the switch easy?
Joanne: Switching to truly organic haircare doesn’t have to involve downtime. I look at it as a time to ease up on expectations, as hair may go through a detox process as our products slowly remove silicones and residues. Conventional haircare gives the impression of healthy hair, when in actual fact strands are coated with plastics and other synthetic ingredients to create the slip and slide feel in hair.
Our products begin removing these toxic remnants starting with the first wash. Subsequent washes will reveal the hair you once loved. It can take a little patience (for most that’s around two weeks) to experience a full detox. The key is to not overwash and to use very little product and lots of water during those two weeks. Our products are highly concentrated and effective. A little goes a long way!
For those wanting to try the range, what’s the must have product for fine hair; oily hair; dry hair?
Joanne: For fine hair, our Pure Harmony Hairbath and Pure Inspiration Daily Conditioner are a must. It’s our most lightweight cleansing and conditioning duo. I recommend this pair for all oily hair types as well. For dry, coarse and thirsty hair, our Allure award-winning Hydrating Cream Hairbath and Hydrating Cream Conditioner are a game changer for weightless hydration. For someone with medium hair texture needing extra hydration or with colour-treated hair, I suggest our Colour Awakening Hairbath and Colour Radiance Daily Conditioner.
Of course, we suggest pairing all of our hairbath and conditioners with Sweet Spirit Leave in Conditioner for an extra touch of moisture. Our cleansing and conditioning trios are the foundation of our line and the perfect place for an Innersense Organic Beauty newcomer to start.
Which three ingredients in hair products do you wish everyone knew to avoid?
Greg: First, silicones! Silicones provide the illusion of hair health by coating the hair shaft with sealants. But over time, the scalp and hair will suffer as silicones will eventually “suffocate” them. Joanne likes to say hair is alive and needs to breath. Silicones basically cut off its air supply.
Secondly, artificial fragrances. They are unnecessary and quite often a trigger for those with allergies and cosmetic hypersensitivities. Innersense Organic Beauty never uses artificial fragrance. Our scent profiles come straight from Mother Nature herself, with ingredients like orange flower, tamanu, monoi and coconut oils, rosemary, sage and lavender (among many). We even have an ingredient blog on the website that sings the praises of these organic ingredients that not only nourish and hydrate hair, but contribute to our beautiful and beloved natural fragrance profiles.
Lastly, “proprietary blends.” It’s where brands often hide their unmentionables. Questionable ingredients, silicones, toxins and more are easily hid under this umbrella and it’s not a fair way to play in my opinion. I encourage everyone to become a label reader and to ask questions of their favourite brands. If you can’t get an answer, that’s probably proof that the brand is cloaking its ingredients. That’s neither cool, nor clean!
Shop All Innersense Organic Haircare | Read More: Meet the Maker of Nuori Natural Skincare
