Home>Beauty>toxic shampoo ingredients to avoid
Hair care begins with hair cleansing, and creating an environment that effectively removes debris and waste while retaining hair oils and pH balance for healthy hair scalp is not as easy as it seems.
However, choosing a good shampoo may be hard to find amongst the hundreds of shampoos lining every shelf at a hair salon, pharmacy, or general store.
Studies have revealed that there are cancer causing agents in most shampoos you buy.
The specific carcinogen found was called cocamide diethanolamine (cocamide DEA), a thickening foaming agent in shampoo.
A quick scan of my previous shampoo revealed the presence of that ingredient, along with a slew of other long multi-syllabic chemical compounds that also cause high toxicity and cancer in hair.
So perhaps the better question to ask is, what ingredients should I avoid when choosing a shampoo formula?
1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS)
Although a strong chemical detergent (also found in kitchen dishwasher soap) that gives your shampoo its foaming ability, it is very toxic. SLS can cause scalp irritation, redness, diarrhea, eye damage, and itchiness.
2. Triethanolamine (TEA),Diethanolamine (DEA), Monoethanolamine (MEA)
Research has shown that these ingredients can cause liver and kidney cancer and it can also disrupt hormones.
3. Parabens & Phthalates
Two more cancer causing chemicals, specifically linked to breast cancer.
4. FD&C Color Pigments
Ever seen ingredients such as Red #40, Yellow #6, Green#3 on your shampoo? Those are FD&C color pigments. Made from coal tar, almost all FD&C color pigments are shown to be carcinogenic. It can cause skin sensitivity, irritation, or oxygen depletion to the blood.
5. Mineral Oil
This causes your skin to age prematurely.
6. Polyetylene Glycol (PEG)
The most common use for PEG is in spray-on oven cleaners, so logically it can also be used on people in the form of hair products to dissolve oil and grease from the scalp. This chemical takes out the protective oils off the skin and hair, leaving your hair in a vulnerable state to other toxins.
7. Isopropyl Alcohol
This is a petroleum-derived substance that cleans and dissolves oils, and is extremely drying, stripping the hair of its natural moisture, leading to hair damage and even hair loss.
8. Imidazolidinyl Urea and DMD Hydantoin (Formaldehyde)
Not just found in biology lab to kill bacteria, these formaldehyde donors are known carcinogens.
9. Propylene Glycol
This is a detergent, also commonly found in antifreeze, that aids cleaning ingredients in shampoos to penetrate hair, but it also breaks down healthy-hair and can irritate the eyes and skin.
Conclusion
So, if your shampoo contains any of the above ingredients, exercise caution and reconsider your hair cleansing choices and throw them the heck out!
If you want healthy hair, you should also give your hair the necessary vitamins it requires.
If you want to know how to make your hair grow faster, please click the link.
Related Articles
Home Remedies for Faster Hair Growth
Causes of hair loss
Prenatal Vitamins for Hair Growth
How to Grow Healthy Hair
Top Hair Growth Products
