Ingredients
Every OBIA Naturals ingredient has a job we can name. Our formulas are vegan and built from plant oils, butters, humectants, and plant-derived conditioners, and our water-based products are made at pH 4.5 to 5.5 — the slightly acidic range where your hair's cuticle lies flat. Below is what's in the jars, what each ingredient does, and where you'll find it. The full ingredient list is also printed on every product and product page.
What do OBIA Naturals products leave out?
We formulate without these — not out of fear, but because they don't serve our formulas:
- Sulfates
- Parabens (and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives)
- Mineral oil and petroleum
- Phthalates (every fragrance we use is phthalate-free)
- DEA
- Synthetic colors
- Drying alcohols
- Animal-derived ingredients (no honey, beeswax, goat's milk, lanolin, or animal protein)
No silicones or animal waxes in any formula. Every product contains a light, phthalate-free fragrance, so none of them are fragrance-free or unscented. We don't test on animals.
Which OBIA products contain protein or coconut oil?
If your curls are protein-sensitive or coconut-sensitive, this is the table to bookmark.
| Product | Protein | Coconut oil |
|---|---|---|
| Babassu Deep Conditioner | No — protein-free | No |
| Babassu Detangling Conditioner | No — protein-free | No |
| Curl Moisture Cream | No | No |
| Curl Hydration Spray | No | No |
| Twist Whip Butter | No | No |
| Neem Tea Tree Shampoo Bar | No | No — coconut-oil-free |
| Sweet Almond Heavy Cream | No | No |
| Babassu Hair Therapy Mask | Yes — hydrolyzed rice and wheat protein | No |
| Curl Enhancing Custard | Yes — hydrolyzed wheat protein | No |
| Argan Rose Hair Oil | No | Yes — first ingredient |
| Coconut Shea Shampoo Bar | No | Yes — saponified |
| Kokum Body Butter · OBOL Royal Body Oil | No | Yes |
Want the whole wash day covered? The Protein-Free, Coconut-Oil-Free Hair Bundle is protein-free and coconut-oil-free in every step.
Oils and butters: what do they do?
Babassu Seed Oil (Orbignya Oleifera) — our signature oil. It melts below body temperature, so it spreads thin and sinks in instead of sitting greasy on the strand. Find it in: Babassu Deep Conditioner, Babassu Detangling Conditioner, Babassu Hair Therapy Mask.
Rice Bran Oil (Oryza Sativa) — a light conditioning oil that adds softness and shine. It's the oil from the rice bran, not rice protein, so it keeps our conditioners protein-free. Find it in: Babassu Deep Conditioner, Babassu Detangling Conditioner.
Avocado Oil (Persea Gratissima) — rich in oleic acid, a fatty acid that softens the strand and helps it feel supple. Find it in: the Babassu conditioners; saponified in the Neem Tea Tree Shampoo Bar.
Argan Oil (Argania Spinosa) — high in oleic and linoleic acids plus natural vitamin E, so it softens and adds shine without a heavy film. Find it in: Curl Moisture Cream, Curl Enhancing Custard, Curl Hydration Spray, Argan Rose Hair Oil, OBOL Royal Body Oil.
Grape Seed Oil (Vitis Vinifera) — one of the lightest oils we use; it absorbs quickly, which is why it lives in our lighter stylers. Find it in: Curl Moisture Cream, Curl Enhancing Custard.
Olive Oil (Olea Europaea) — an emollient, meaning it softens and smooths the strand's surface so it reflects more light. Find it in: Curl Moisture Cream, Curl Enhancing Custard, Babassu Hair Therapy Mask, Kokum Body Butter.
Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) — softens coarse strands and adds slip. Find it in: Sweet Almond Heavy Cream, OBOL Royal Body Oil.
Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis) — a thick oil that coats the strand to slow water loss and adds slip. Find it in: Sweet Almond Heavy Cream, Twist Whip Butter; saponified in both shampoo bars.
Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera) — a small-molecule oil that can move into the hair shaft rather than only coating it. Many curls love it; some protein-sensitive or coarse strands feel stiff with it, which is why we label exactly where it is. Find it in: Argan Rose Hair Oil, Coconut Shea Shampoo Bar, Kokum Body Butter, OBOL Royal Body Oil.
Soybean Oil (Glycine Soja) — an emollient oil that helps seal and add shine. It's an oil, not soy protein. Find it in: Argan Rose Hair Oil.
Rose Flower Oil (Rosa Damascena) — rose flower oil, not rose water; it adds a soft floral note and a touch of shine. Find it in: Curl Hydration Spray, Argan Rose Hair Oil.
Safflower and Camelina Seed Oils — light, fast-absorbing oils that make an after-shower body oil feel silky instead of slick. Find them in: OBOL Royal Body Oil (safflower is also in the Hair Therapy Mask).
Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii) — an emollient butter that seals moisture in and softens. Find it in: Twist Whip Butter, Kokum Body Butter, Coconut Shea Shampoo Bar, OBOL Royal Body Oil (as shea oil).
Tucuma and Mango Seed Butters — softer butters that add cushion and hold to a twist or braid-out. Find them in: Twist Whip Butter.
Kokum Butter (Garcinia Indica) — a firm butter that softens on contact with warm skin, so it absorbs without a greasy film. Find it in: Kokum Body Butter.
Palm Oil (Elaeis Guineensis) — adds richness to Twist Whip Butter and, saponified, helps both shampoo bars hold their shape.
Humectants, proteins, and conditioners: what do they do?
Vegetable Glycerin — a humectant, meaning it pulls water from the air and your leave-in into the strand. Find it in: nearly every water-based product and both shampoo bars.
Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) — a humectant that helps the strand hold on to water, so hair stays softer longer. Find it in: Babassu Deep Conditioner, Babassu Detangling Conditioner.
Hydrolyzed Rice and Wheat Protein — plant proteins broken into small, water-soluble pieces that bind to weak, porous spots along the strand for temporary strength. Find them in: Babassu Hair Therapy Mask (rice + wheat), Curl Enhancing Custard (wheat).
Cetyl, Stearyl, Cetearyl, and Behenyl Alcohol — fatty alcohols, which are waxy, plant-derived conditioners that soften hair and give creams their body. They're not the drying alcohols we leave out. Find them in: our conditioners, creams, and butters.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetrimonium Chloride, and Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine — conditioning agents with a positive charge, so they cling to the negatively charged, roughed-up spots on the strand and give slip for detangling. Find them in: the Babassu conditioners and mask, Curl Moisture Cream, Sweet Almond Heavy Cream, Twist Whip Butter, Kokum Body Butter.
Carbomer — a clear gel-former that sets a soft, flexible hold. Find it in: Curl Enhancing Custard.
Xanthan Gum — a plant-derived thickener that gives the Custard its custard texture. Find it in: Curl Enhancing Custard.
Plant extracts and essential oils: what do they do?
Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) — adds slip and a soothing feel to hair and skin. Find it in: the Babassu conditioners, Curl Moisture Cream, Sweet Almond Heavy Cream, Twist Whip Butter, Kokum Body Butter.
Rosemary Leaf Extract and Rosemary Essential Oil — a botanical that conditions the scalp and adds a clean herbal note. Find it in: the Babassu conditioners and mask, Sweet Almond Heavy Cream, both shampoo bars.
Burdock Root (Arctium Lappa) — a traditional herbal extract used to condition the scalp. Find it in: Curl Moisture Cream.
Neem and Tea Tree Essential Oils — astringent oils that help lift buildup and leave a dry, itchy-feeling scalp feeling refreshed. Find them in: Neem Tea Tree Shampoo Bar.
Lavender and Lemongrass Oils — aromatic oils that give Curl Moisture Cream, Twist Whip Butter, and Kokum Body Butter their scent.
Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate) — an antioxidant that protects the oils in the jar from oxidizing, so they stay fresh longer. Find it in: most of our leave-ins, oils, and butters.
How are OBIA products preserved?
Any product that contains water needs a preservative to stay safe from mold and bacteria. We use gluconolactone and sodium benzoate, a paraben-free and formaldehyde-free system. Sodium benzoate works best in slightly acidic formulas — one more reason our water-based products sit at pH 4.5 to 5.5. Use products within about 12 months of opening, and keep water out of the jar.
What does "saponified" mean on a shampoo bar?
Saponified means the oils have been turned into soap. Our shampoo bars are made from saponified plant oils (coconut, shea, castor, and palm in the Coconut Shea bar; avocado, castor, and palm in the Neem Tea Tree bar) plus glycerin, so they lather and clean without sulfates. One bar lasts up to 80 washes.
Questions about a specific ingredient? Email info@obianaturals.com and we will walk you through it.