Let’s be honest - most people never look at their shampoo label and think,
“Oh, spirulina? Sea kelp...I love that!”
In fact, if you didn’t grow up around wellness or clean beauty, you might only recognize spirulina from your weekly green smoothie or the sea kelp from sushi.
So why are these ingredients now showing up in haircare - and more specifically, in shampoo formulated for Black hair and locs?
Because when it comes to locs, scalp health, moisture balance, and buildup prevention aren’t optional - they’re foundational. These two marine ingredients do a lot more behind the scenes than most people realize.
Locs Change the Rules of Haircare
If you have locs, you already know this: you can’t treat your locs like loose hair.
Black hair grows into a coiled patter, which naturally:
- makes it harder for oils to travel down the hair shaft
- increases dryness
- requires more intentional care
Now add locs to the equation. Once hair is loc’d:
- buildup doesn’t rinse out easily
- heavy products can stay trapped inside the loc
- over-conditioning can weaken the structure
- harsh shampoos can dry the scalp and hair and compromise the loc's integrity over time
This is why shampoos with excessive moisturizing agents and oils aren’t always loc-friendly and why ingredient choices matter more than marketing claims.
Spirulina: Not Just a Superfood - A Strength Builder for Locs
Spirulina is a blue-green microalgae. Yes, the same powder people add to smoothies. But in haircare, it plays a very different role.
Spirulina is rich in amino acids, antioxidants and key nutrients which makes it especially helpful for supporting hair strength and scalp vitality.
What that means for locs:
- it helps reinforce the hair fiber and support hair growth over time
- it supports the scalp by calming inflammation
- it doesn’t coat or soften the hair in a way that disrupts loc formation
- It helps protects the hair from UV induced damage that weakens the cuticle and degrades keratin, the hair's primary structural protein.
In other words, spirulina supports strength without interference.
For loc’d hair, that’s important. You want ingredients that work with the natural loc’ing process; not against it.
Sea Kelp: Hydration Without the Heaviness
Sea kelp is a marine macroalgae that grows in mineral-rich ocean environments. It’s been used for centuries in skin and wellness treatments, long before it made its way into modern haircare.
Sea kelp (algae extract) supports hydration and mineral balance without the heaviness, which is especially important for loc’d hair.
For locs, sea kelp:
- helps support moisture retention
- delivers trace minerals to the scalp (like magnesium. calcium, and potassium)
- helps hair feel hydrated (not stripped) after cleansing
- does this without relying on oils, waxes, or heavy conditioners
Locs need moisture - but they don’t need ingredients that make the hair overly coated or weighed down. Sea kelp helps hydrate while still allowing locs to do what they’re meant to do: Loc.
Why One Isn’t Enough
Here’s the part most people miss. Spirulina and sea kelp don’t do the same job.
- Spirulina supports strength, protection, and scalp vitality
- Sea kelp supports hydration and mineral balance
Using one without the other would leave a gap.
Together, they allow a shampoo to:
- cleanse thoroughly
- support the scalp
- maintain moisture
- avoid buildup
- preserve the loc integrity
This balance is especially important for locs, as both over-stripping and over-conditioning can cause problems.
Algae in Beauty: This Isn’t New - Just Smarter
Algae isn’t a trend ingredient. Spirulina was harvested by the Aztecs as early as the 16th century for their nourishment and vitality. Sea kelp has long been used in coastal cultures for skin purification and healing.
In modern beauty, algae first gained popularity in skincare; particularly in masks and serums focused on renewal and balance. As the industry began treating the scalp like skin, these ingredients naturally moved into haircare. Algae is now widely used across skincare and haircare as clean beauty continues to evolve.
Why We Chose Both in Our Shampoo
When we formulated our shampoo, the goal wasn’t to follow trends - it was to solve the problems we see constantly in the loc’d community - with the best ingredients.
By using both spirulina and sea kelp, our formula:
- supports strength without buildup
- hydrates without heaviness
- prioritizes scalp health
- respects the loc’ing process
See how these ingredients work together in our shampoo
What Sets Us Apart
Many shampoos marketed to textured hair:
- strip the scalp and rely on heavy conditioners to compensate
- use oils that build up inside locs over time
- aren’t actually designed with the loc structure in mind
A spirulina and sea kelp-based approach is different. It’s quieter. Smarter. More intentional. It focuses on long-term scalp and loc health with continuous discernment and purpose.
Most people don’t realize how much thought has to go into shampoo when you have locs.
Spirulina and sea kelp may sound unfamiliar, but they play very specific roles:
- one supports strength
- the other supports hydration
Together they support balance - and for locs, long-term balance is everything.