What's Really In Your Shampoo??

Heyyy Girls!!!
Did you know that there are two types of ingredients in a shampoo. One that cleans your hair. The other type strokes your emotions. Of the 22 ingredients in a bottle of shampoo, three clean hair. The rest are in the bottle not for the hair, but for the psychology of the person using the shampoo. At least two-thirds of a shampoo bottle, by volume, was put there just to make us feel good. The world spends around $230 billion on beauty products every year. Of this figure, $40 billion go to shampoo purchases. So most soap manufacturers aren't willing to rely on a product that merely works. The bigger job is convincing the consumer that their soap is adding value to the consumer's life. So shampoo bottles include extra concoctions aimed at convincing the man or woman in the shower that the soap is more "luxurious" or "effective." Because beautiful hair doesn't just happen.

However, have you ever wondered how these "effective" and "luxurious" concoctions effects your hair and scalp once they have done their job of washing your hair? What exactly do all those long, unpronounceable names in the ingredients list of your shampoo stand for? Let's find out...

Ammonium/Sodium Laureth Sulfate

There are two kinds of Sulfates, either of which could be found in your shampoo, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Both are known to have similar foaming and detergent like properties. Knowledge on one can educate us on the effects and side effects of both.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is the ingredient in shampoo that has been singled out as the offending culprit. If you use shampoo then you’re drenching your head in SLS – it’s found in over 95 percent of commercial shampoos. SLS is a potent de-greaser, acting as a surfactant, binding to the dirt and gunk on your hair and scalp. After rinsing your hair, the grime is dragged down the plug hole by the SLS. SLS takes no prisoners, dirt is zapped away and your hair is left bright and bouncy. Yet even after rinsing SLS residue may have taken up camp in and on your scalp. Exposure itself may be enough to cause problems.

SLS is also present in industry strength engine cleanser

SLS is also commonly found in detergents used for cleaning garage floors and engines.Some may cry foul: “If it is used for industrial cleaning what the **** is it doing in my hair?” But this argument is flawed. Many substances are used both industrially and by humans. Baking soda is used for high strength cleaning, yet we happily munch on cakes baked with it. The only side effect, a satisfied and bigger belly.One more theory warns we are laid bare to the effects of SLS just after a follicle has shed its hair. That those empty and open follicles die when exposed to the acidic nature of SLS for long enough, or in enough quantity. As part of the normal hair cycle the average person sheds over one hundred hairs every day. That’s ample opportunity to expose empty follicles to an SLS attack. When a follicle is dead you can say "au revoir!" to that hair for good.

Yet, there is no solid proof. SLS has been used in shampoo for over fifty years by millions of people, millions of times, repeatedly. So why isn’t everyone bald? There is a glut of possible reasons. Some people may be more sensitive to SLS than others, perhaps some sort of mild allergic reaction.Some people may use less shampoo and so are less exposed, or maybe they rinse their hair more thoroughly, so there is less residue. Hair length could be a factor. The more hair you have the more dilute the residue will be on your hair and scalp, a possible reason why women don’t go bald as much as men. There are hundreds of possibilities, alas nothing concrete. 

Parabens

Parabens are a sort of preservative used in cosmetics in general and shampoo in particular. They are even used in some foods and medicines. Parabens are used to inhibit microbial growth, and they are not a new substance – they go as far back as the 1920s, when parabens were used as preservatives. You can recognize them in ingredient lists on shampoo bottles – known variously as “methylparaben, propylparaben, benzylparaben and butylparaben,” all ending in “paraben,” making them fairly easy to recognize. Why are some people concerned about the safety of parabens? Should you be concerned? Here is a list of some of the common concerns with parabens.

1. Breast cancer

A 2004 study showed traces of five parabens in cancerous breast tumors. Although the study did not prove the parabens caused the cancer, parabens do cause estrogen-like activity in the body, and excess estrogenic activity is highly implicated in breast cancer. The concern regarding this study is that it clearly shows that parabens are capable of remaining intact in human tissue, and are not necessarily excreted from the body quickly and easily, as was once thought. The 2004 study is inconclusive, but that is the point – the study does not prove that parabens are safe, either. It raises important questions about the safety of parabens.

2. The water supply

When you use shampoo that contains parabens, those parabens go down the drain and into the public water supply each time you wash your hair. If you have a septic system, the parabens will be excreted into the leach field, and thus into the general environment. Ground water, creeks, streams, springs, and other water supplies are therefore contaminated with each rain. Municipal water systems are obligated to sanitize water by killing bacteria and other micro-organisms before it is considered drinkable tap water. Parabens, however, are not micro-organisms. Like other chemicals dumped into the water supply, parabens can easily go “full circle” in the water supply, going from shower drain to rivers and back to the water treatment facility. Parabens on the skin are one thing, but the effects of actually drinking them is something else to consider.

3. Baby products

There is no limit on the amount of parabens that manufacturers can use in shampoos; the amount is not regulated. Babies, with their smaller bodies and less-developed systems, are more at risk for all toxins and chemicals than adults. So be sure to read ingredient lists on baby cleansing products. 

Parabens are a controversial substance. The studies are not definitive regarding the safety of parabens; parabens have not been proven unsafe, but they have not been proven safe, either. Due to this doubt, it is better to be safe than sorry and avoid parabens.

Silicone

Hair washed using silicone based shampoo( left) and silicon free shampoo(right)

Both shampoos and conditioners contain Silicone which helps to give you smooth and soft hair. Most frizz fighting hair products including hair masks contain Silicone. The name or names you should look for are Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, and Phenyl Trimethicone, which are common silicone-based ingredients in hair care products. Silicone has no known side effects on either your hair, health or the environment. But while products containing silicone can be great for the hair to leave it smooth and silky. Products containing silicone can be bad for the hair because the residue builds up on the hair. They create a short term illusion that the quality of our hair has improved. However, when used over time, silicone-based hair products coat the hair shaft and seal out moisture, possibly clogging the hair follicles. So what happens is that hair can become flat and greasy with build-up or dry and straw like with the lack of moisture. I was told that silicones are particularly bad for colored or permed hair as the hair will appear fizzy with excessive coating.

So it’s really best to avoid silicone-based hair products especially for those with fine and chemically treated hair or another way out is to alternate between two shampoos: A Silicone shampoo and a Clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoos are also able to help as they’re are created to remove excessive silicone buildups. Big Shampoo from Lush, Drama Clean from Herbal Essences and Pantene Lively Clean are some good clarifying shampoos.

Artificial Fragrances & Colors

When you buy a "Strawberry & Honey" shampoo and take a sniff of it, you feel like you're going to give your hair the benefits of a wash with a real strawberry and honey smoothie. But nothing could be further from the truth. Shampoos are full of artificial fragrances and synthetic colors which are used to artificially create the exact smell and color of a real Strawberry.

The synthetic colors used to supposedly make a shampoo "pretty" should be avoided at all costs. They are labeled as FD & C or D & C, followed by a color and a number. Example: FD & C Red No. 6 / D & C Green No. 6. Synthetic colors are believed to be cancer-causing agents. If a cosmetic contains them, do not 

use it.


Artificial fragrances are frequently labeled simply as “Fragrance”. I suggest you avoid products that list fragrance as an ingredient, because there is no actual way to tell what chemicals are present in these products. People can get allergies, headaches, dizziness, rashes and even respiratory problems from them.


Hope this post helps you in making the right choice next time you buy a shampoo! After all, you deserve to know what's best for you.

Educate yourself and buy the right products