10 Ingredients To Avoid Putting On Your Hair

[MsCuppyCakes]

10 INGREDIENTS TO AVOID PUTTING ON YOUR HAIR!.Most of the commercially available hair care products today use harmful, potentially carcinogenic ingredients. In the interest of good napptural health, I list below, what are in my opinion, the 10 worst commonly found product ingredients thngs you can put on your hair (and body). Check the list of ingredients on your hair products. The more of a particular ingredient you have in a product, the closer it is to the top of the list of ingredients on the bottle:
1. ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL: This is a solvent and denaturant (poisonous substance that changes another substances natural qualities). Isopropyl alcohol is found in hair color rinses, body rubs, hand lotions, after-shave lotions, fragrances and many other cosmetics. This petroleum-derived substance is also used in antifreeze and as a solvent in shellac. Napptural hair reacts very badly to isoalcohol and this ingredient should be avoided at ALL costs. It will dry your hair out and break it off. According to A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, inhalation or ingestion of the vapor may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis and even coma.

2. MINERAL OIL & PETROLATUM:The best baby oil is made from almonds. But the oil which being sold as baby oil is 100% mineral oil. Mineral oil is a derivative of crude oil (petroleum) that is used industrially as a cutting fluid and lubricating oil. This commonly used petroleum ingredient coats the skin and hair just like plastic wrap. The skin's natural barrier is disrupted as this plastic coating inhibits its ability to breathe and absorb the Natural Moisture Factor (moisture and nutrition). The skin's ability to release toxins and wastes is impossible through this "plastic wrap," which can promote acne and other disorders. It further hinders normal skin respiration/transpiration by keeping oxygen out. This process slows down skin function and normal cell development causing the skin to prematurely age. Holding in large a mounts of moisture in the skin can "flood" the biology and may result in immature, unhealthy, sensitive skin that dries out easily. Petrolatum - A petroleum-based grease that is used industrially as a grease component. Petrolatum exhibits many of the same potentially harmful properties as mineral oil.
Honestly, this stuff belongs in your engine, not on your hair. Regardless of "Well, my Grandma used vaseline on her hair and it grew ", the bottom line is this stuff is bad. It was bad for Grandma and it is bad for you. Period.

3. PEG: This is an abbreviation for polyethylene glycol that is used in making cleansers to dissolve oil and grease as well as thicken products. Because of their effectiveness, PEG's are often used in caustic spray on oven cleaners and yet are found in many personal care products. PEG's contribute to stripping the Natural Moisture Factor, leaving the immune system vulnerable. They are also potentially carcinogenic.

4. PROPYLENE GLYCOL (PG): As a "surfactant" or wetting agent and solvent, this ingredient is actually the active component in antifreeze. There is no difference between the PG used in industry and the PG used in personal care products. It is used in industry to break down protein and cellular structure (what the skin is made of) yet is found in most forms of make-up, hair products, lotions, after-shave, deodorants, mouthwashes and toothpaste. It is also used in food processing. Because of its ability to quickly penetrate the skin, the EPA requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles when working with this toxic substance. The Material Safety Data Sheets warn against skin contact, as PG has systemic consequences such as brain, liver and kidney abnormalities. Consumers are not protected nor is there a warning label on products such as stick deodorants, where the concentration is greater than that in most industrial applications.

5. SODIUM LAURYL SUFATE (SLS) & SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES): SLS is used in testing labs as the standard ingredient to irritate skin. Used as detergents and surfactants, these closely related compounds are found in car wash soaps, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. Yet both SLS and SLES are used more widely as one of the major ingredients in cosmetics, toothpaste, hair conditioner and about 90% of all shampoos and products that foam. They are used in personal-care products because they are cheap. A small amount generates a large amount of foam, and when salt is added it thicken to give the illusion of being thick and concentrated. (SOME OF THE NITROSATING AGENTS ARE: SLS, SLES, DEA, TEA, MEA). Shampooing the hair with a product contaminated with these substances can lead to its absorption into the body at levels much higher than eating nitrite-contaminated foods.
Mark Fearer in an article, Dangerous Beauty, says, "...in tests, animals that were exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, along with depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and corrosion and death." According to the American College of Toxicology states both SLS and SLES can cause malformation in children's eyes. Other research has indicated SLS may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties. It is possibly the most dangerous of ad ingredients in personal care products. Research has shown that SLS when combined with other chemicals can be transformed into nitrosamines, a potent class of carcinogens, which causes the body to absorb nitrates at higher levels than eating nitrate contaminated food." According to the American College of Toxicity report, "SLS stays in the body for up to five days..." Other studies have indicated that SLS easily penetrates through the skin and enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, the liver, the lungs and the brain. This poses serious questions regarding its potential health threat through its use in shampoos, cleansers and toothpaste,"
Studies show its danger potential to be great when used in personal-care products. Toxicity - A serious problem with these chemicals is that they may be contaminated with NDELA (N-nitrosodiethanolamine), one of the nitrosamines and a potent carcinogen, according to a 1978 FDA report.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)- SLES is the alcohol form (ethoxylated) of SLS. It is slightly less irritating than SLS, but may be more drying. Both SLS and SLES can enter the blood stream. They may cause potentially carcinogenic formations of nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with other product ingredients. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. Contains ether.

6. CHLORINE: According to Doris J. Rapp, M.D., author of Is This your Child's World? exposure to chlorine in tap water, Showers, pool, laundry products, cleaning agents, food processing, sewage systems and many others, can effect health by contributing to asthma, hay fever, anemia, bronchitis, circulatory collapse, confusion, delirium diabetes, dizziness, irritation of the eye, mouth, nose throat, lung, skin and stomach, heart disease, high blood pressure and nausea. It is also a possible cause of cancer. Even though you will not see Chlorine on personal care product labels, it is important for you to be aware of the need to protect your skin when bathing and washing your hair.

7. DEA (diethanolamine) MEA (momoethnanolamine) TEA (triethanolamine): DEA and MEA are usual listed on the ingredients label in conjunction with the compound being neutralized. Thus look for names like Cocamide DEA or MES, Lauramide DEA, etc. These are hormone disrupting chemicals and are known to form cancer causing nitrates and nitrosamines. . These are commonly found in most personal care products that foam, including bubble baths, body washes, shampoos, soaps and facial cleansers. On the show, CBS This Morning, Roberta Baskin revealed that a recent government report shows DEA and MEA are readily absorbed in the skin. Dr. Samuel Epstein, Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Illinois said "repeated skin applications of DEA-based detergents resulted in a major increase in the incidence of two cancers - liver and kidney cancers." John Bailey, who oversees the cosmetic division for the FDA said the new study is especial important since "the risk equation changes significantly for children."

8. FD & C Color PIGMENTS: Many color pigments cause skin sensitivity and irritation. Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and even death according to A Consumer's dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. Debra Lynn Dadd says in Home Safe Home: "Colors that can be used in foods, drug, and cosmetics are made from coal tar. There is a great deal of controversy about their use, because animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic."

9. FRAGRANCE: Fragrance is present in most deodorants shampoos, sunscreens, skin care, body care and baby products. Many of the compounds in fragrance are carcinogenic or otherwise toxic. "Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients. Most or all of them are synthetic. Symptoms reported to the FDA have included headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and allergic skin irritation. Clinical observation by medical doctors have shown that exposure to fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes," (Home Safe Home).
For better health try purchasing unscented products and for fragrance, adding a natural essential oil.
10. IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA and DMDM HYDANTOIN: These are just two of the many preservatives that release formaldehyde (formaldehyde-donors). According to the Mayo clinic, formaldehyde can irritate the respiratory system, cause skin reactions and trigger heart palpitations. Exposure to formaldehyde may cause joint pain, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, Chronic fatigue, dizziness and loss of sleep. It can also aggravate coughs and colds and trigger asthma. Serious side effects include weakening of the immune system and cancer. Nearly all brands of skin, body and hair care, antiperspirants and nail polish found in stores contain formaldehyde-releasing ingredients.


If the above information is not enough to make you read labels on things before using them on yourself of your babies, nothing will.

Found on: http://www.nappturality.com/

[analepsis]

Wow, I never knew any of this. Thanks for passing on the info!

[pumpkincat210]

I think nearly every one of my shampoos/soaps/hair products have one of these ingredients in them. What should I use?

[lovely333]

ok i understand that this stuff is bad but what's left to use? Things we think are safe end up being bad and things we think are bad end up being good.
now days everything causes cancer. Are we ever safe?

[Winthrop44]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pumpkincat210

I think nearly every one of my shampoos/soaps/hair products have one of these ingredients in them. What should I use?

This is a relatively safe (I suppose - who really knows anymore?!) shampoo that I use:

Pharmaceutical Specialties Free & Clear Shampoo at DermStore

I have been going thru this recently with my facial cleanser and moisturizer and TBH I don't think it's possible to find one that addresses all the ingredient concerns, actually cleans your face, and is appropriate for at least my (sensitive/rosacea) skin type.

[doniad101]

Maybe I'm a weirdo, but it seems like "everything" is made of those ingredients, lol and there are little products left to use that may not contain those harmful ingredients, and those little products left cost an arm, a leg and an eye, lol. In addition, I agree w/ lovely333, it also seems like everything causes cancer etc. I'm one of those people who are like wth, haha, we are all going to die someday and trying to avoid those ingredients are only gonna put some paranoia in your life, lol. However I think it was very sweet/informative of you to put this article up for those who are very contious about these types of things as they would appreciate it more than me, haha!

[pumpkincat210]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovely333

ok i understand that this stuff is bad but what's left to use? Things we think are safe end up being bad and things we think are bad end up being good.
now days everything causes cancer. Are we ever safe?

I know! it seems like everything causes cancer..
but people are living longer now than ever.
If i ate the ingredients I probably would get sick...but since we don't shampoo our hair all day and wash it out it's not harmful to us?

[Nox]

Well, I think the basic idea of the article Ms.Cuppy.Cakes posted is to remind us that all the chemicals that we use in our toiletries and cosmetics, are exactly that. Chemicals. They are neither naturally occurring, nor did our predecessors have too many problems when they used products without those compounds. Those things are put there as:

1. Cheap substitutions for natural ingredients
2. Preservatives
3. Colorants (functional aesthetic)
4. Fragrances (functional aesthetic)
5. Soponificators
6. Foam enhancers (functional aesthetic)
7. Surfactants
8. etc......

Some of those chemicals "neat" (or pure) can burn the skin right off your scalp. And yet they are being added in. Why? Because the customer demands them. Customers want nice, sweet-smelling, foamy, pretty shampoo and conditioners. They wouldn't buy it any other way because the layperson does not know about what it takes to get it that way.

There will always be things in our products that are questionable in large amounts. That's just the world we live in. As a a former chemist, I would urge a lot of people to get more proactive about knowing what is in our products, and specifically the products we use on children and babies.

I used to work in a lab that banned the experimental use of a certain popular chemical that coats the inside of many cookwares because we know 100% that it is carcinogenic. About 75% of the labs in the US and 100% of European labs have done the same. It's not been made public because the FDA did not force them to do so, and people eat this stuff everytime they cook their food on it... :shudders:

Maybe it's because I know too much about all this that I went totally "hippy"/au naturel with my toiletries.

[Cinammonkisses]

I'm surprised sodium hydroxide (ie. hair relaxer) isn't on there.

[M.A.C. head.]

Meh, we'll live.

And we'll look good doing it.

We're not eating, drinking, or otherwise consuming it; so I'm not really worried.

I've gotten over all the "cancer causing" hoopla.

[MissAlphaKitty]

sigh... PEG is even in baby shampoo

[redambition]

funnily enough, some of those ingredients also appear in some "organic" and "natural" products.

If you want to avoid these things - you have to read the bottle before you buy.

[Nox]

^ Organic does not mean anything these days. I don't give it any more credence than any other random large brand name. They are all the same, but there's the extra joy of paying more for a frou-frou, hoity-toity label, while smugly wheeling the grocery cart to the checkout line.

For example, you can buy silly things like organic cigarettes and chewing tobacco. You can buy organic "free range" meat, but if they are free range, who can verify that they haven't been eating the trash that motorists leave on the side of the road? I love how junk foods can claim to be organic, but yet they can still use "organic" high fructose corn syrup, mollaser, and tartrazine.

I'm not into the whole scare mongering thing. Which is why I don't jump onto Organic, low fat, non-fat, all-natural bandwagons. What I will use is my common sense. My common sense tells me, I can use things that nature provides for cheap, or very nearly free to get things done without the things the advertisers say you absolutely need. I can be totally old-world and use things straight out the kitchen the way our grandparents use to do, and save thousands of dollars every year (which I do). My sensibilities also tell me that the less trash I produce (that go along with buying products in containers and wrappings), the less likely I am to have to worry about encountering potentially harmful substances.

I don't know that we have it worse off then 50 years ago. About fifty years ago, women were using Lysol to clean their lady parts. Manufacturers put actual chloride bleach into skin creams, carpenters built homes with asbestos, people painted with leaded paint, watchmakers used radon to make clock faces glow, chemists were pipetting mercury by mouth, and doctors administered smelling salts to women suffering "hysterics", and surgeons used the carcinogenic chloroform to put people out... kinda.

In the grand scheme of things, people have weathered through all that, and we haven't fallen apart. But I think educated awareness is absolutely necessary, this is how companies felt compelled to offer safer alternatives in the first place.

[courtastic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.A.C. head.

Meh, we'll live.

And we'll look good doing it.

We're not eating, drinking, or otherwise consuming it; so I'm not really worried.

I've gotten over all the "cancer causing" hoopla.

Basically.
I do appreciate the background info on the chemicals though.

[Nox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.A.C. head.

We're not eating, drinking, or otherwise consuming it; so I'm not really worried.

Actually, whatever you put on your skin will find it's way to your bloodstream relatively quickly if the molecules are small enough, just the same as eating it will. People can and do overdose on topical medications which is why they have warning labels on them. The skin is not an impermeable membrane.

Anything in large amounts, even water is not good for you.

[HeavenLeiBlu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinammonkisses

I'm surprised sodium hydroxide (ie. hair relaxer) isn't on there.

Well, the thing is, not ALL relaxers contain this... only lye based ones, but they are both equal evils, but perhaps this is a topic for an entirely different discussion. The thing is, that lye itself, although it is a caustic chemical, can and IS used as a pH stabilizer in lots of cosmetic products that have nothing to do with hair straightening (some toothpastes, and a favorite shampoo of mine, Creme of Nature), but it's also the main and sometimes sole ingredient in drain cleaners. Lye is also the main component in processing MANY soaps, especially cold process vegetable based soaps.

As much as I try to be as natural as possible, sometimes you just aren't going to be able to get the results you're used to/desire without using products with one or more of these compounds in the aforementioned list. I do pretty well, I have to say, but every now and then I make a concession. Hell, I gotta die from something.

[redambition]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nox

^ Organic does not mean anything these days. I don't give it any more credence than any other random large brand name. They are all the same, but there's the extra joy of paying more for a frou-frou, hoity-toity label, while smugly wheeling the grocery cart to the checkout line.

For example, you can buy silly things like organic cigarettes and chewing tobacco. You can buy organic "free range" meat, but if they are free range, who can verify that they haven't been eating the trash that motorists leave on the side of the road? I love how junk foods can claim to be organic, but yet they can still use "organic" high fructose corn syrup, mollaser, and tartrazine.

I'm not into the whole scare mongering thing. Which is why I don't jump onto Organic, low fat, non-fat, all-natural bandwagons. What I will use is my common sense. My common sense tells me, I can use things that nature provides for cheap, or very nearly free to get things done without the things the advertisers say you absolutely need. I can be totally old-world and use things straight out the kitchen the way our grandparents use to do, and save thousands of dollars every year (which I do). My sensibilities also tell me that the less trash I produce (that go along with buying products in containers and wrappings), the less likely I am to have to worry about encountering potentially harmful substances.

I don't know that we have it worse off then 50 years ago. About fifty years ago, women were using Lysol to clean their lady parts. Manufacturers put actual chloride bleach into skin creams, carpenters built homes with asbestos, people painted with leaded paint, watchmakers used radon to make clock faces glow, chemists were pipetting mercury by mouth, and doctors administered smelling salts to women suffering "hysterics", and surgeons used the carcinogenic chloroform to put people out... kinda.

In the grand scheme of things, people have weathered through all that, and we haven't fallen apart. But I think educated awareness is absolutely necessary, this is how companies felt compelled to offer safer alternatives in the first place.

I totally agree on the scare-mongering, however there is such a thing as organically grown tobacco, organic corn syrup etc. organic doesn't mean healthy (like those packages would lead you to believe) but rather it's meant to reflect certain growing and production practices in the making of the ingredients and the product. the mistake is that people see the word organic and assume it must be good for them.

everyone is free to make their own decisions on what they think is acceptable for their food and cosmetics/haircare etc - but I am a big advocate of advising anyone who wants to avoid certain ingredients to read the bottle/packet/details of a product before buying it. you can't trust the label saying natural or organic, but at the same time some common sense is also a great help.

(on top of the list you mentioned i'd like to add petroleum jelly. it's been used as a barrier cream and in medicine for a long time, yet now it's gaining a rep as a dangerous ingredient)

[reesesilverstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redambition

(on top of the list you mentioned i'd like to add petroleum jelly. it's been used as a barrier cream and in medicine for a long time, yet now it's gaining a rep as a dangerous ingredient)

No, not "PJ" too! Now I hafta go google that tooo. I heard about all the others b4.

And I do agree thta organic doesn't = healthy... It's just a marketing strategy in most cases now...

[redambition]

Quote:

Originally Posted by reesesilverstar

No, not "PJ" too! Now I hafta go google that tooo. I heard about all the others b4.

And I do agree thta organic doesn't = healthy... It's just a marketing strategy in most cases now...

definitely google it and have a read.

I'm not sure if i believe all the claims some are making about it being a health hazard.

[MissMochaXOXO]

i agree with atleast avoiding mineral oil/petrolatum. u can easily find even drugstore haircare/skin care products without them. i avoid these 2 totally for my body lotion, i breakout whenever i use something containing them and have heard 56754774 people say the same, tanning salons are really against mineral oil use on the skin too. i really dont get why baby products contain them so often!

[hello_kitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.A.C. head.

I've gotten over all the "cancer causing" hoopla.

Exactly. EVERYTHING seems to "cause" cancer nowadays. #1 cause of death? Life itself :P

Seriously... I suppose we could go back to the 1700s when there was less modern "cancer causing" stuff around, but we'd probably all be dying when we were 35, too.

I like the bit about chlorine and swimming pools and children. Guess we better just stick them in front of the TV with a video game, no swimming for them! It'll give them cancer! *rolls eyes* Better to be fat and out of shape, then swimming in a pool!

[DigitalRain]

While you are driving to the health food store to buy the chemical free and non carcinogenic shampoo and conditioner, don't forget to hold your breath to keep from inhaling those toxic fumes from your car, the fifty million other cars on the road and the tons of pollution being pumped into air by Dow Chemical.

I guess what Im saying is at this time and age, theres no fool proof way to avoid ingesting/inhaling chemicals. If you aint getting it in your shampoo, be certain you will be getting it one way or another.

[Dreamergirl3]

I agree that if any of these ingredients irritate your skin or if you're just really worried about them in general then there are of course alternatives. However I think that if any of those ingredients were as unsafe as that list claims them to be then they wouldn't be in products in the first place...

i love the beautybrains for this kind of stuff!
The top 5 myths about mineral oil - Part 1 | The Beauty Brains

Does petroleum jelly cause cancer | The Beauty Brains

Top 5 Myths About Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer | The Beauty Brains

Are Your Cosmetics Poisoning You? | The Beauty Brains <about the skin absorption thing

Are Natural Products Better Than Synthetic | The Beauty Brains

Dont Fall For Lies About Toxic Ingredients In Cosmetics | The Beauty Brains

Do You Believe Cosmetics Cause Cancer? | The Beauty Brains

[Blueeyesangel18]

Quote:

Maybe I'm a weirdo, but it seems like "everything" is made of those ingredients

Ok I'm gonna be a dork and tell you that some of those ingredients such as peg and sodium lauryl sulfate are the fundamental formula for making a shampoo (I know this because this is how we made a shampoo in my formulation and compounding class) however the others seem like very odd ingredients

[vocaltest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueeyesangel18

Ok I'm gonna be a dork and tell you that some of those ingredients such as peg and sodium lauryl sulfate are the fundamental formula for making a shampoo (I know this because this is how we made a shampoo in my formulation and compounding class) however the others seem like very odd ingredients

yep, i agree. sls is the stuff that makes it foam. i work in a hairdressers, and i believe that sulfate free shampoos in the long term are bad for your hair. as they don't foam as easy, they tug on your hair and cause damage by doing so.
we have people come into my work and say 'i read sulfates are bad for your hair blah blah'. its amazing, they will believe anything they read thats bad. its like actually, no, they can be worse for your hair in the long term. if you've never had a reaction before, why worry now? and like someone said above 'if any of those ingredients were as unsafe as that list claims them to be then they wouldn't be in products in the first place...'. which i agree with. life is too short to worry about avoiding ingredients like that. plus, if you want a sulfate free shampoo, you're looking at searching down hard to find brands (off the top of my head - alterna caviar range, ole henrickson (sp) and deva), and they all come with a price tag. alterna caviar shampoo is about £26. that amount of money for a shampoo (even with my staff discount its ridiculously expensive)? no thanks.