A few years ago, I came to the last of my Garnier Fructis XXL volume hair spray and realized that this was probably another “unhealthy for me and the environment” habit I just needed to kick.  I had already given up on the aerosol version twenty years ago, but I still relied daily on hairspray to be able to see easily out of both eyes.  A check on the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetics Database confirmed my suspicions.  Garner Fructis XXL Volume, Extra Strong is a high hazard or “red” product coming in at a 7/10.  Ugh.

I KNEW the healthiest thing would be to just pin my hair back, get bangs, or survive with it falling in my face all day. But I’m a creature of habit and I liked my hair the way it was and out of my face.  Hair spray stayed.  But what to do to be healthier?!

Unfortunately, very few “low hazard” options existed at the time.  Even worse, I couldn’t seem to find the words “EXTRA STRONG HOLD” anywhere in the low hazard items.  Almost everything was “natural hold”.   “Natural hold” would last for about 30 minutes with my hair.  One was called an “LA Hold” spritz, but LA conjures up beach hair and natural locks.  If I want a strong hold, I would prefer a NY Hold,  a get-out-of-your-face-and-stay-out-of-your-face-spray.

Once I decided I would go up to a Level 3, which is a “medium hazard”, but still a major improvement from a 7, options started to open up, including an Aubrey Organics brand that says “Super Hold” and J/A/S/O/N naturals which were both available at Whole Foods. I decided on the J/A/S/O/N brand for the road test, putting aside concerns that it still contained Retinyl Palmitate, which is either banned or deeply restricted in Canada.   I just kept thinking, “Hey–it beats the 7!”

I was NOT a huge fan of J/A/S/O/N.  It sort of worked, but the smell was awful even though it’s technically fragrance free.  And of course now I was stuck with a bottle of the stuff.  And still spraying myself every morning with Retinyl Palmitate.

sunglasses as headband, a toxin free style

Six months later, I just gave up.  I grew out my hair by another 3 inches so I could tuck it behind my ears, invested in a few hair clips, learned how to use my hair dryer a little more strategically for volume on those big nights out, and stopped with the spraying. Instead of a hair spray habit, I developed a “flip hair out of eyes” habit  in the winter and a chronic “wear sunglasses as a headband” habit in the summer.

Because I broke the habit completely, I failed to notice until recently that there has been a boom in choices for a healthier hair spray over the last few years.  Granted the Good Guide has different standards than the Environmental Working Group, but there are now FIFTEEN options that get a “10″ health rating including a Clairol brand that has the words “Maximum Hold”.  And there are at least some choices now in the 0-2 category from the Environmental Working Group.

This weekend, I found myself wandering down the aisle at Whole Foods and stopping briefly by the hair spray–perhaps it’s time to cut my hair and redo that road test? After a brief inner debate, I decided after all that hassle, it was a habit I wasn’t in the mood to unbreak that day.  And when and if I do unbreak it, I would prefer a few friends to weigh in on the options to avoid a J/A/S/O/N like experience.

So–if anyone IS using a healthy super hold–do share!  Those people who have to see the flip about 15 times a day would appreciate it immensely.