If you're looking for healthy, lustrous hair, the ingredients in your shampoo play a significant role. Many common shampoo ingredients lead to irritation, dryness and may even cause serious health issues! In this post, we'll go over eight of the most harmful shampoo ingredients you should avoid at all costs.
8 Shampoo Ingredients to Avoid and Why
1. Sulfates
If you see "sodium lauryl sulfate" or "sodium laureth sulfate" in the listed ingredients, try to avoid this product. These chemicals are an additive that helps shampoo products foam and lather when combined with water.
However, sulfates can leave your hair brittle and dry, which causes breakage. People with sensitive skin should especially avoid these chemicals as they may trigger an allergic reaction. Sulfates are also environmentally harmful, as they pollute water and are toxic to marine life.
2. Parabens
Parabens are chemicals that help prevent bacteria from growing in shampoos. Sounds good, right? But unfortunately, parabens can confuse your body and act like estrogen when absorbed through the skin or scalp. Several studies link paraben use to hormone disruption and an increase in the growth of breast cancer cells in women.
3. Dimethicone
This type of silicone is a plastic often found in many shampoos to help increase hair shine. Although dimethicone may seem like something you want, it can cause a long-term build-up of the product, leading to heavy hair. And over time, this build-up can cause clogged pores and scalp irritation.
4. Formaldehyde
You might recognize formaldehyde as the chemical morticians use to embalm—it's strong stuff! Shampoo companies use formaldehyde as a preservative, designed to help the shampoo work well for a long time. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogenic chemical, and studies in animals have suggested that absorption of formaldehyde through the skin is linked to cancer.
Companies may disguise this chemical in the ingredient list under other names. Be sure to check the complete list of words that classify as formaldehyde to avoid it in your shampoos and other beauty and household products.
5. Synthetic Colors
Some businesses add chemicals to change the shampoo's color to make the product more attractive. Shampoo ingredient lists usually do not break down the ingredients in the artificial dyes, so it's in your health's best interest to do a little more digging. If these artificial colors come from petroleum, coal-tar sources, or harsh chemicals, they could have harmful health consequences.
6. Diethanolamine (DEA)
This foaming agent is added to products to help reduce tension between substances, allowing oil and water to mix to create an easy-to-lather product. One study indicated a link between this substance and cancer in animals. Canada banned DEA from cosmetic products because it poses a high risk when reacting negatively with other chemicals.
7. Triethanolamine (TEA)
This chemical is similar to DEA and should be avoided for the same reasons. Although TEA makes it easier to lather your hair, the trade-off is dry and brittle hair post-shower. Avoid this chemical for softer, healthier hair.
8. Harmful Fragrances
Some shampoos add extra chemicals to make the product smell nice. These odors may be listed as Polysorbate 20 or Phthalates. These chemicals may also be linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, and other poor health conditions. It is best to find a shampoo without these harmful fragrances to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy.
Need Professional Advice? Contact Cualtzin Salon!
Are you ready to level up your hair health by changing to pure products without these harmful ingredients? The experienced hairstylists at Cualtzin Salon can work with you to help bring your vision of healthier hair to life with environmentally-friendly and clean products!