Let’s face it – who doesn’t want to look good?  Having a bad hair day can ruin an otherwise perfectly nice day and I, for one, have used about any product to make sure that doesn’t happen.   Unfortunately, there can be long-term costs to short term gains.

The world of hair care is a world of chemicals, some relatively harmless, others pretty darn scary.

What IS in an average bottle of commercial shampoo?  Go check your label.  If you can read the miniscule print I’ll bet you’ll find, as I did, items such as: sodium laureth sulfate, sodium laurel sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium chloride, hexylene glycol, methylparaben, propylparaben phenoxyethanol, etc. etc. plus fragrance and water.  Yikes, sounds like a mad scientist’s chemistry experiment.  

Let’s check these ingredients.  Most of the information below was obtained from www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.  Cosmetics Database is a project of the Environmental Working Group to provide information to consumers, in light of the scarcity of data provided by manufacturers, about common personal and hair care products.  Based on their research they rate products on a human/environmental hazard scale from 1-10.  A low hazard score does not necessarily mean the product is safe, for as EWG points out, 90% of the personal care products we use have not been sufficiently tested for human or environmental safety.

Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) are both surfactants used to make shampoo lather.  They strip oil from the skin in the same way that these same chemicals are used to degrease car engines.  They’ve been known to cause eye and skin irritation, swelling of the face, hands and arms, and tangled, split hair.  Once absorbed into the skin, SLS, mimics estrogen, and has been thought to contribute to problems such as PMS, decreasing male fertility rates and increasing female breast cancer.  SLES is often contaminated with dioxane, known to cause cancer.  It is also considered an environmental toxin which is bioaccumulative, that is it persists and accumulates in humans and other biological organisms over time.

Cocamidopropyl betaine, another foam booster and anti-static, is derived from coconut oil and is considered safe by the FDA depending upon the concentration in a particular product.  In laboratory research, however, it has been found to be toxic to the human immune system, can produce an allergic reaction in the skin or lungs, and it is an environmental toxin causing damage to fish, aquatic life and wildlife.

Sodium chloride is ordinary table salt.  It is used in shampoo to help rinse it out of your hair more easily and as a water softener.  Although it can irritate your eyes it is not generally considered harmful and it’s best to keep shampoo out of your eyes anyway.  Human tears, by the way, contain sodium chloride in lesser concentrations.

Hexylene glycol is a humectant, a chemical that helps retain moisture, used in shampoos and cosmetics.  It is linked to immune system toxicity, and can cause allergic reactions.  It is not thought to be an environmental toxin and is considered safe for human use within the concentrations found in most products.  However, this ingredient is used in many cosmetics, shampoos, hair dyes and bleaches, so you have to wonder about the cumulative effect of using many of these products.

Methylparaben is used as a preservative in a wide variety of cosmetics and personal care products and even in food with artificial flavorings.  It is generally considered safe by the FDA and by the CIR (Cosmetics Ingredient Review) Expert Panel, however Cosmetics Database indicates research has found exposure to this ingredient can be toxic to human systems (cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, etc), skin irritation at low doses, and possibly toxic to our neurological systems at moderate doses.  It has been banned from cosmetics and fragrances in the European Union (EU).  Not suspected to be an environmental toxin.

Propylparaben phenoxyethanol, a fragrance preservative, is also a skin irritant and has been linked in research to organ toxicity.  It is not considered toxic to the environment.

My conclusions:

Check the ingredients in your current shampoo.  

Go to www.cosmeticsdatabase.com to read about the ingredients and their potential toxicity to humans and the environment and decide which ingredients you no longer want in your shampoo.

Keep in mind that research studies expose laboratory animals to the chemicals themselves, not to the products we use.  However, the fact that the same chemicals are used in many products, and the fact that some of these ingredients accumulate over time in our bodies, would cause me to err on the side of not using them.

Check for natural shampoo products, many of which can be found in local health food or other stores. Look up their ingredients on Cosmetics Database. Even some “natural” shampoos contain toxic ingredients.   Keep looking and experimenting until you find a product that you are happy with and that contains less lethal ingredients.

Consider making a small donation to Environmental Working Group.  They provide the Cosmetics Database free so we can all be better-informed consumers.  Research is expensive and groups like this need our support.

Personally, I’m looking for a shampoo without any “laurels” or “eths” in the ingredients, like sodium laureth sulfate or any “cones” such as silicone, which coats your hair with plastic.

Your turn:  Tell us if you’ve found a better shampoo that works for you and where you purchased it.

Resources and inspirations:

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

www.care2.com

“The Green Beauty Guide:  Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances,” by Julie Gabriel.

Next week:  Choosing Green Energy