Hairstory Review: Time To Ditch Shampoo?

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Okay, real talk. Could your hair washing routine actually be damaging your hair?

For most of us, shampoo is essential for cleaning our hair and preventing it from looking greasy.

However, according to Hairstory, our reliance on shampoo could be doing more damage to our tresses than we realise.

For them, the answer is simple. It’s time to break up with shampoo and use products that work with our hair, not against it.

Hairstory review: pebble reviewed their flagship product, New Wash to see if it's really worth the hype.

When I was invited to do a Hairstory review on their flagship product, New Wash, I was skeptical about quitting shampoo, but the story intrigued me and the packaging showed a serious commitment to limiting environmental impact.

Plus, they’re 1% For The Planet members so big points there.

Why I tried Hairstory

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with my hair (verging on hate most of the time, to tell you the truth). It’s fine, flyaway and prone to frizz. I manage my hair by using heat brushes which can dry it out.

I don’t tend to use heavy conditioners or moisturising products as they end up making my hair limp and greasy.

In fact, I struggle to find hair products that really work. I’m still yet to find a holy grail shampoo which, it seems, doesn’t exist anyway!

Enter Hairstory New Wash, the ‘no-poo’ hair product that promises to cleanse, fight frizz and soothe damaged locks into healthy, shiny hair you love. Sign me up!

So, what is Hairstory?

Hailing from the US, Hairstory was created to bust the shampoo myth that’s been around for hundreds of years. Instead, they encourage you to adopt a haircare routine that works with your tresses rather than providing a ‘fix’ for problem hair.

They offer a fuss-free approach that promises to simplify your hair care routine, not pile on the products so that your hair and the environment aren’t saturated.

The haircare brand’s innovative ideas are also found in their business model.

They don’t use regional distributors or ‘big-box retailers.’ Instead, they sell through salons, rewarding hairdressers for referring customers.

You can also buy their range online. The one drag if you’re UK based? It ships from the US.

What’s the deal with traditional shampoo?

Before we dive into the New Wash Hairstory review, you’re probably wondering why shampoo is suddenly such a big no-no when it’s ingrained as a staple in our haircare routine.

The problem is most traditional shampoo could actually be causing more damage than you think. Shampoo works by using detergents and sulphates that attract both oil and water.

When you rinse your hair, it all goes down the drain.

Although we want to remove oils that make our hair appear greasy, this process also strips the hair of essential oils that are vital to its health.

Without these oils, your hair and scalp are exposed to potential damage from heat and the environment. You’re left with dry, damaged, unmanageable and unhappy hair.

One solution is to slather on conditioners or not wash your hair as often, but that’s only masking the problem.

Another solution is to use hair products that work with your hair, not against it just like Hairstory’s sulphate and detergent free New Wash.

Hairstory Review: The Product

Unsure about which New Wash product to review (there are three – Original, Rich and Deep), I took the onsite quiz to find out what the experts recommend to make my hair easier to manager.

This is a handy tool, particularly if you’re trying a new product for the first time and want to limit the risk of getting it wrong.

The quiz recommended the New Wash Original that promised to be suitable for most hair types. So I received it along with the brand’s Starter Kit which included the Hairstory Brush and Sheer Genius Powder, a dry shampoo.

When it arrived I hopped straight in the shower to try it out. My initial thought was that the instructions didn’t state how much product to put on my hair. After quickly rereading them I was reassured to know that ‘you can’t overuse New Wash.’

Another quirk that struck me was the product looked and felt like a conditioner. It didn’t lather but rather coated my hair.

Still, it was easy to massage through and I found that I didn’t need to use much product.

When it came to rinsing it out, I felt apprehensive. This is the part that can make a haircare product a success or it can leave your hair greasy if you didn’t wash it out enough.

The instructions also told me to ‘rinse really, really, (really) well’ so I knew not to neglect this step.

The brush was particularly helpful here and I used it to both detangle and thoroughly remove any product still remaining. It made a great scalp massager too.

Since New Wash is a 2 in 1 product, I didn’t need to use a conditioner which is absolutely fine by me. Not only does it save time and money, but it’s also one less bottle in the bathroom.

After drying my hair, I didn’t notice any major differences but my hair did feel softer than it had been in a while. I was also pleased to see that there were no greasy patches so I had rinsed it well.

I knew that New Wash wasn’t going to be an overnight miracle worker and that it would take a bit of time to start really seeing the effects.

This is why they give new starters a dry shampoo while your hair adjusts to not being stripped of oils.

This will only be about two weeks at best. After a couple of uses, my hair started to look so much shinier and healthier, naturally.

Hairstory Review: The packaging

The packaging was probably what intrigued me the most at first.

New Wash comes in a simple pouch. No frills. I wondered whether it was a little on the small side.

But the beauty of it is that you can make it last by washing your hair as infrequently as you want. The pouch is also slim so it doesn’t take up much room in the bathroom.

The one downside is that packaging isn’t free of plastic, which is a bit problematic if you’re trying to eradicate it from your bathroom.

However, all is not lost on the sustainable front.

Environmental impact

If you’re concerned about what detergents in traditional shampoo are doing to your hair, think about the impact these chemicals are having on the environment when washed down the drain.

Chemicals from personal care products enter waterways and damage aquatic life. Some of them aren’t biodegradable either which means they end up accumulating when ingested by animals.

New Wash is 100% biodegradable so it doesn’t infiltrate and bio-accumulate in waterways. It also contains natural essential oils and organic ingredients.

Despite the plastic, the pouches are still a more eco-friendly option than shampoo bottles. Ounce for ounce, their carbon footprint is 77% smaller than bottles as they use less energy to manufacture and take up less room in transit.

They also create 83% less post-consumer waste. Plus, on average 3 New Wash pouches are the equivalent of 16 shampoo and conditioner bottles a year.

I would still like to see a more sustainable option though and the good news is Hairstory are testing pouches that are 100% recyclable. I can’t wait to see them arrive.

In the meantime, repeat customers can make use of their refill subscription service where you receive a 20-ounce pouch to refill an aluminium bottle as little or as often as you like.

All in all, I’m thoroughly impressed with Hairstory’s New Wash. I love that it’s simple and fuss-free.

Hairstory Review: pebble’s verdict

It’s just one product to work with, which suits my preference for uncomplicated and low maintenance hair care routines perfectly.

It’s worth pointing out that although it’s a 2 in 1 product, it’s still painfully expensive if you’re not used to digging deep into your pockets for your hair. You just have to weigh up how much you spend on shampoo, conditioner, hair balm and other products already and go from there.

On the plus side, you can make it last and if you see yourself as having ‘problem hair’ that you can’t seem to fix no matter what you throw at it then I say it’s absolutely worth it.

All Hairstory products are cruelty free. Some products are vegan, although New Wash isn’t as it contains keratin which is derived from sheep’s wool.

New Wash comes in three formulas depending on different hair types. You can take the quiz to find the best one for you if you’re unsure.

New Wash Original

Suitable for most hair types, the Original cleanses, detangles and conditions your hair using gentle essential oils. Colour lasts longer, curls are more defined and no itchy scalps to be seen. It’s also light on fine hair like mine. It also smells divine with natural fragrances including notes of rose, ylang-ylang and clove.