Let's Talk Hair: Some common haircare ingredients to avoid

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Is your hair dry and brittle? Is it lacking lustre? Is your hair color fading faster.than you would like? Does it seem like your hair doesn't get any longer? It might be your shampoo and/or conditioner. There are some common ingredients that do your hair more harm than good. Parabens and sulfates. Let's talk about them here!

Parabens and sulfates are preservatives. Parabens are used to prevent mold and bacteria. Sulfates are surfacents (detergent, emulsifier, and/or foaming agents) attracting oil and water....basically, they are what makes a shampoo sudsy.. Sounds pretty good, right? So why all the controversy? Well, studies have shown that parables mimic the activity of estrogen and therefore, can interfere with estrogen production. We all know that too much estrogen can trigger an increase in breast cell division and tumor growth. This is why parables are linked with breast cancer and reproductive issues.. So far, sulfates are considered safe in concentrations of less than 50%. IF they are properly rinsed off of the skin. The FDA continues to review the safety of parabens and sulfates, but since there is not enough info yet, I say better to play it safe and avoid them, than end up sorry later.s

As far as your hair is concerned..depending on your hair type, it may be smart to avoid these. Sulfates strip your hair of all NATURAL oils making it dry and brittle. If your scalp is sensitive (as mine is) sulfates can cause irritation, think redness, crying and itching. And they can also shorten the lifetime of hair color (if you regularly dye your hair like I do, you know this can add up to quite an expense). In short, if you have course, dry, and /or color treated hair, you should consider using a sulfate free shampoo as it will cleanse and moisturize your hair without stripping the natural oils from your hair, making it look and feel healthier. I'm not going to lie to you, there is an adjustment period with sulfate free shampoo as it does not suds. We are so programmed to lather, rinse, repeat that our minds can trick is into thinking we aren't getting our hair clean. Not to mention that the presence of the natural oil in our scalp and hair is going to feel, well, unnatural. Stick with it, give it 2-3 washes (not at one time..lol) and you will get used to it. By the time the bottle is half gone, you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.a

How do you recognize parabens and sulfates in the ingredients list? Parabens are pretty easy to recognize...they generally have the word paraben right in their name. As with any rule, there is an exception...they could be listed as alkylparahydroxy benzoates (eek, why would I need something with so many syllables to clean my hair?) Sulfates are generally listed among the first ingredients and have sodium and/or lauryl/laureth in their name.

That's all for today. May your hair be shiny and bouncy!

Your Friend In Beauty,

Heather