Fundamental Chemical-Free Organic Shampoo Review

I've just had the lovely opportunity to try a few products that are available at Earth Turns, who happen to be a very friendly company that carries a variety of really amazing quality products like supplements and natural or herbal products, and even a beauty department. All of the products Earth Turns carry are manufactured under Current Good Manufacturing Process Standards and are natural, safe and effective. I've recently been trying various samples of their product (like the "Relax Already that I recently reviewed) and this new, chemical-free shampoo. 

Before I get into the review for this interesting shampoo, I wanted to take a second to include that Earth Turns has an A+ BBB rating, and at the moment, they're doing free shipping for  US orders! You really can't beat free shipping these days.
 

Fundamental Shampoo is a chemical & SLS-free shampoo with organic ingredients designed to restore hair's shine and body. 

Obviously, as with any natural shampoo, you're going to experience little to no lather. This sometimes means you feel the need to use more product than normal, as I do, so when I dumped an entire hand-full of shampoo in my hair, I was shocked to learn that with the Fundamental Shampoo, that was not necessary! The stuff actually lathers as good as any typical shampoo! So, I kicked myself for wasting so much.

Something I love about Fundamental Shampoo is my hair always smells, feels and looks totally clean, even though I didn't use sulfates to clean it.  The shampoo has a minty scent that does not stay in hair.

 I once thought that natural shampoos that did not contain some sort of harsh sulfate couldn't truly clean my hair. I think we've all been kind of brainwashed as to what the real definition of clean is. It seems we've been thinking that "clean" means stripping all of our skin and hair of anything and everything. If any little natural oil was leftover (which cannot be seen when you first wash the hair with Fundamental Shampoo) is considered dirty.

In fact, my hair feels, looks and smells just as clean as when I use the average drug-store shampoo.

Another plus is that the scent of the Fundamental Shampoo is "acceptable" by either gender (male or female.)

After using the Fundamental Shampoo, my hair was different in texture and appearance. It had more fluff/volume than it normally does, which can be a great thing when hair is flat.

My ends, while they appeared a lot fuller than normal (plus!), they felt a tiny bit drier than they do when I use a good leave-in conditioner, but I made sure to use my leave-in the next night when washing my hair with Fundamental Shampoo  & that helped my ends a lot. I normally always use the leave-in since my ends have some damage, but I skipped when I used the shampoo for the first time because I wanted to be sure I could get the best idea of how this shampoo does. 

I do want to make it clear that I love this shampoo! I really do. My hair actually felt cleaner than it does with other shampoos, and I have been able to skip a day between washes (I normally do that) without my hair looking oily at all the last day. Very impressive.


Benefits of the Ingredients in Fundamental Shampoo
With ingredients like saponified olive oil and coconut oil, the Fundamental Shampoo is nicely moisturizing for hair, and will help with damage and promote shine.

Ginger extract is a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, which makes it great for sensitive skin. Ginger extract may also be a useful remedy for hair loss and can make the hair stronger & healthier. Ginger plus olive oil makes a great dandruff remedy, so since the Fundamental Shampoo contains both, it'll be useful for that too. 

Honey, a natural anti-bacterial is an all-around amazing ingredient for health in general, which is why I try to consume pure, raw honey at least 5 times a week, daily when I can. As for hair, though, honey may be useful for preventing hair loss since it helps hair to retain moisture, and it's conditioning. It also makes hair shiny.

Comfrey Root Extract is an anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, too. It also prevents dryness, is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and may stimulate hair growth. The plant protein Mucilage in Comfrey is a foaming agent, which gives the Fundamental Shampoo a bit of sudsy-ness, it also softens hair.

Grape Seed Extract is an anti-septic and anti-inflammatory that may also be helpful for hair loss. GSE contains antioxidants, which help prevent damage and repair previous damage.

Rosemary Extract, an anti-microbial and anti-fungal with some scientific evidence showing that Rosemary oil may be able to help with hair growth. Rosemary extract will help soothe any scalp irritation and keep it clean while also preventing dandruff

Burdock Root Extract helps promote healthy scalp and hair. The Vitamin A, Mucilage and essential fatty acid content in Burdock helps nourish and strengthen skin and hair. It can also provide relief from itchy, inflamed and dry scalp problems.

What I Love About the Fundamental Shampoo:

• Cruelty Free. Fundamental Earth products have been approved by Leaping Bunny & PETA as cruelty free products.
•  The shampoo contains organic ingredients and vitamins.
•  Is nourishing to hair
• Won't damage hair at all as it's free of toxic chemicals, sulfates, parabens, etc.

• Maintains hair's pH balance.

• Doesn't dry out scalp

I can't say that I would actually go so far as to totally switch to this shampoo at this moment in my life. Mostly just because at $11 something for a full sized bottle, considering how much shampoo my hair uses, it just wouldn't be affordable right now. However, I have checked around and it appears that it's as much as $5 elsewhere online, so I certainly cannot complain about the $11 price for it at Earth Turns, especially with free shipping on top of it. I would certainly jump all over that offer when my usual budget allows just a bit extra spending, though.

Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.

Jonathan Infinite Volume Hair Line

This lovely, trio  is Jonathan's Infinite Volume line, and I just so happened to be lucky enough to get the chance to try all three. And try I have been, for the last month. I've done some experimenting with natural and sulfate-free hair products over the last couple of years, and they just weren't enough for my crazy hair, especially since I like to style it, and my hair does not like to be styled. So, after hearing a lot of great things about Jonathan products, I really wanted to see how these would do for me and my hair.

A picture of the trio without flash. Not the best!

I want to discuss each of the products, so I'll just go in order of my routine, which means I'll start with the Jonathan Volume Shampoo, then the Conditioner, then the Volumizing Mousse. Makes sense, doesn't it?

The Jonathan hair products are very different than what most of us are used to -- drugstore hair products. They all have slightly different qualities, which I'll explain accordingly.

The Shampoo from the Jonathan Infinite Volume Line is 100 vegan and sulfate free. This sulfate-free trend has caught my attention, too. I originally tried several all-natural shampoos and conditioners at the beginning of the year and felt that each of them fell very short for my hair needs... and wallet! Combine the extra time I had to spend just to style my hair with double the product I had to use just to wash my hair and the fact that the price for the natural shampoos are much higher than regular, it just ended up being a lot of extra work, money and time, which in the end, wasn't realistic for me.

So, I thought, since Jonathan has such a good reputation and they actually have a line that would be helpful for my hair type, how can I resist?

Above is a photo I took of the Jonathan Infinite Volume Shampoo. It's white, and doesn't really look like your average shampoo, but I suppose it isn't your average shampoo.

I'm more satisfied with the Jonathan line than the other sulfate-free shampoos I've tried for several reasons:

1. It doesn't seem like the Jonathan Shampoo requires so much extra shampoo just to wash my hair. 

If ever you decide to switch to sulfate-free shampoos, it's important to remember that sulfates are what causes the foaming/lathering action in shampoo. Since that's bascially all most of us have known our entire lives, it is tough and takes time to get used to not having the lathering action when washing you hair. It took me time, but nothing too bad.

The thing is, without the foaming action, it feels like you need to use a whole lot more shampoo in order to cover all your hair, and wash it. Because you don't have the foaming going on, it's easy to feel like you need to use more shampoo, if that makes sense. 

So for about the first week, I was using about triple the amount of shampoo I normally would when I wash my hair. Eventually, I got a little used to it and realize that it doesn't actually take that much to cover all my hair. I just have to pay attention so that I can feel where the shampoo is in my hair. With regular shampoo, the foaminess of it makes it easy to tell if you've covered your entire head in shampoo or if you've missed a spot. It's just something that requires a little adapting to.

Obviously, the way the shampoo feels is a bit different than your average shampoo. It feels and looks like a cream.  

2. Cleans and revitalizes hair  and scalp. 

My hair feels cleaned as well as with any shampoo, so I'm not sacrificing clean hair for safer ingredients. It's easy to worry that a non-sulfate shampoo wouldn't clean as well since it doesn't lather. I worried about this, too, and also that it'd leave my hair greasy or that my hair would become greasy easier/quicker than with other sulfate shampoos. 


 My hair is clean, even though there aren't any foaming sulfates. I think a lot of us have been so used to those ingredients like sulfates in our shampoo, that we worry that without them, our hair won't actually get clean.

I like that about the Jonathan Shampoo -- My hair doesn't feel or look any less clean than when I used average shampoo. It's just as clean, only I'm not damaging it with sulfates, so it can be a nice trade if you look at it that way. 

3. May Help Volumize. 
 Aside from that, what really drew me in was the words "Infinite Volume" as that's a quality my hair desperately needs, when I iron it. 

4. Sulfate Free. Paraben Free. Phthalate Free. Gluten Free. Safe for Color Treated Hair. 

Love paraben and phthalates-free stuff! Parabens and phtalates have been linked to all sorts of health problems, including cancer. So I have made a goal to avoid them in as many products as possible. I've managed to go fully phthalates free personal items and fully paraben-free soaps (by using natural soap only) and it's nice to know that I've finally been able to ditch te parabens and phthalates in my shampoo and conditioner, too!

My Hair Type:

 

Flat-ironed

My hair type is very fine, but airy and poofy with a lot of waves and curl. By "airy" I mean, without doing anything to it (iron, etc.) it's very poofy and instead of having tight or kinky curls, mine are airy  waves, if that makes sense.

Flat ironing my hair takes a good while, but the wave comes out easily. 

When I flat iron my hair, it's very flat and "lifeless." Despite having such big, poofy hair, any time I iron it and then try to style it in any way, it falls flat, no matter what styling tools I use and no matter how much hairspray, gel, mousse, etc. I'm not even kidding!

If I don't iron it, but just add mousse, gel or hairspray,  I'm left with lovely, curly/wavy big hair. But the cut I have doesn't usually allow for that.

Now that you know my hair type, you have an idea of what I'm working with. And if you happen to have similar hair, you may experience just as nice of results as I have using the Jonathan Infinite Volume line. 

The Infinite Volume line says it be "developed with expansion technology," which "utilizes chemical and electromagnetic forces to expand and strengthen the hair shaft creating volume from the inside out."

Smell

I think both the Jonathan shampoo and the conditioner from the Infinite Volume line smell the same. The Thickening Foam has a pretty similar smell, also.


To me, the shampoo and conditioner have a very odd aroma -- like a plasticy scent plus bubble gum. . Smell isn't the most important part of my hair care products, anyways, so I don't mind. 

Once my hair has dried, I rarely get any strong whiffs of my hair from the shampoo or conditioner. It has a subtle scent I sometimes notice if I've taken it down or the wind blows, but nothing strong.

Results

The good news is, I'm able to style and manage my hair just as well as when I was using a shampoo for straightening. As for voluminizing, it does just as well there, too, if not a tad better than other voluminizing shampoos.  My hair hasn't ever really been very effected by any voluminizing shampoo or conditioner, though. But, I do notice it's less stuck to my scalp after I flat iron, and when I've used this shampoo.

It doesn't voluminize to the point of actually making hair any "bigger" or poofier. It's not that noticeable, but it does make a subtle difference that's noticed when you go to style your hair and don't have to spend so much time teasing or back coming for volume.

Ingredients in the Infinite Volume Shampoo

"Expansion Nanotechnology- consists of biopolymers and natural oils that quickly penetrate the cuticle to plump and strengthen the hair shaft.

A cleansing blend of white tea, pomegranate, Hawaiian white ginger and coconut extracts gently cleanses, revitalizes and nourishes hair.

Yerba Mate Leaf Extract- Rich in vitamins A, B, C and E. Provides thermal heat protection and conditioning benefits.

Lemongrass Essential Water - purifies and softens strands.

UVA/UVB/UVC Filters- help to shield hair from environmental damage."

Infinite Volume Conditioner

As you can see, the Infinite Volume conditioner looks quite a bit like the shampoo. They feel similar, too. 

Like the shampoo, the Jonathan conditioner is also 100% vegan. 

One reason I'm fond of the Infinite Volume conditioner (and same goes for the shampoo, too) is it's designed for fine/thin hair. Mine is fine, so it's a great match for me. 

Feel

I had to include that sub-heading because conditioner does have a feel, and it's an important part of the whole process.

This conditioner feels thin and I noticed that the main difference I can tell between it and your average conditioner is that this one doesn't feel slimy! I actually haven't ever known anything but slimy as far as conditioner goes.

I've avoided using conditioner for the most part of my life simply due to the thick, heaviness of it having a tendency to weigh my hair down and also make it staticy. I always felt like it left a greasy residue in my hair (with all conditioners), and if I ever got any on my roots, it's always left it feeling (and often even looking!) greasy. 

Recently, though, my hair has been crying out desperately for conditioner and I had to give in, so back to the slimy, weighed down hair I went. You can imagine my surprise when I used the Infinite Volume conditioner. A much different feel!

Obviously, the Jonathan conditioner doesn't do any of those things: weigh down hair, leave a greasy residue, etc. In fact, it really doesn't feel much like conditioner at all. It reminds me of what it might be like to use a lightweight cream (not greasy lotion) in your hair.

Here you can see the conditioner -- looks like the shampoo, pretty much. The conditioner is a bit thicker, though. 

As for usage, I have noticed sometimes I feel the need to use more conditioner than I normally would, but not all the time. I condition my bangs because they're dried out, and the middle to ends of my hair. The Jonathan conditioner doesn't counteract the voluminizing effects of the products, so I'm still able to have volume, and I don't have to sacrifice my lightweight, fine hair for a heavy, weighed-down 'do.

Infinite Volume Conditioner Ingredients

"Expansion Nanotechnology- consists of biopolymers and natural oils that quickly penetrate the cuticle to plump and strengthen the hair shaft.

A conditioning blend of botanical extracts of honey, aloe, ginseng root and coconut invigorate, revitalize and nourish.

Yerba Mate Leaf Extract- Rich in vitamins A, B, C and E. Provides thermal heat protection and conditioning benefits.

Shine and softening polymers to give hair brilliance, softness and provides manageability.

Basil Essential Water - purifies and softens strands.

UVA/UVB/UVC Filters- help to shield hair from environmental damage."

Infinite volume Thickening Foam

As you can see from looking at the bottle of Thickening Foam in my photo, the pump-top creates a foamy product in your hand that you can use to rub through your hair, or scrunch with it.

The Jonathan Thickening Foam is weightless, alcohol free. Those are both "plusses" for me as I do not like using alcohol on my hair (it dries it out!), and a product that's heavy (like some gels and pomades) weigh my hair down making it pointless to even use or style it! 

Feel

The foaming action of the Jonathan Thickening Foam seems to mean that you require less product to cover the hair. 

It isn't sticky like most mousse and hairspray that usually leaves my hands coated in thick, sticky messes that take a lot of time to rinse off. It leaves only the slightest residue on my hands, which is easily rinsed away, and no noticeable residue in my hair.

Results

The Thickening Foam is really an outstanding product for people who want to add just a little extra to natural waves without being able to tell that you've used any product. The Thickening Foam does not feel anything like a mousse or hairspray in your hair. 

I've experimented a lot with the Thickening Foam and in order to get my hair to the point of being somewhat stiff and have the wet-look to it (like when I use hairspray or a gel like Herbal Essence Max hold), I have to use a lot! It takes about 8 handfuls just to get a noticeable "hold". So, it isn't a replacement for a hair style that requires a max hold hairspray, but it's perfect for light waves. 

I also enjoy using the Thickening Foam in my hair when I flat iron it because I can notice a little bit more volume in my hair than usual when I do that. A lot of times, flat-ironing just removes any volume I've added in, but I can use this on my roots and iron my hair without it affecting it completely. 

I've also found that after applying the Thickening Foam, then flat ironing, and giving my hair a puff from the blow dryer, it will add to the volume at my roots.

If you're someone who's lucky enough to be able to style your hair straight or wavy only by using a blow dryer, and you don't want huge, stiff hair, then the Infinite Volume Foam is a perfect choice, and it's great for those who can achieve wavy hair by using a blow dryer only. It works really lovely alongside a blow dryer, and it never frizzes! It's probably the best product of its kind where frizzy hair is concerned. It certainly tames them like no other.


I love that the Thickening Foam makes for an easy hairdo. Since flat-ironing my hair takes up so much time, there are days when I want to skip that and not have to sacrifice decent hair. And most importantly, if I'm at the beach, the last thing I want to do is have to flat iron my hair just to keep from looking like something frizzy floating around out in the ocean.

 I used the Thickening Foam the entire time we were on vacation, and while the wind and water did give me crazy hair, it helped maintain it and keep it from looking awful. It also saved me a lot of time! I didn't bother ironing my hair a single day we were there. Usually, I iron it every single day, but lately, I've not had it cut/styled in so long that it's long enough that I can wear it wavy, and so I want to be able to do that and save time. That's why I like using the Thickening Foam -- I don't have to worry about having awful hair days.

Infinite Volume Thickening Foam Ingredients

"This Interpenetrating Polymer Network Delivery System utilizes chemical and electromagnetic forces to expand and strengthen the hair shaft creating volume from the inside out.

Body. Brilliant. Beautiful. Your style has no limits with Infi nite Volume.

 

Unique Properties and Ingredients:

 

• Proprietary-patentable Nanotechnology consists of biopolymers and natural oils that quickly penetrate the cuticle matrix. This reaction plumps the hair shaft by as much as 40%, and strengthens by more than 50%.

 

• Yerba Mate Leaf Extract, rich in vitamins A, B, C and E, provides thermal heat protection and conditioning benefits for hair

 

• Basil & Lemongrass Essential Water purify and soften strands

 

• Anti-fade technology protects color treated hair from losing luster

 

• UVA/UVB/UVC Filters protect hair from environmental damage and color fading"

So, have you guys used the Infinite Volume Line or other Jonathan products? If so, share what you thought about it in the comments section.  

All reviews on this page (Ribbons & Pearls) are in compliance with the FTTC guidelines.

*I recieve no monetary compensation for my reviews, but a prouct in exchange for a completely honest review. Each review is my honest opinion.  See my disclosure page and honesty pledge for more info on sponsored reviews!*

My PeArL of the day

         My PeArL of the day...

I've been using this shampoo for several days now and so far, Im happy with the results. It certainly brings the volume! But, I have to straighten my hair so it takes a little of it down but, so far, good.

I also use herbal essence's straightening shampoo, comes in a pink bottle. It really helps you to manage it better and it helps the straightening process to go much smoother!