Everything we use on our bodies has a potential impact on our health, including our shampoo and conditioner. Have you ever considered that there may be dangerous shampoo chemicals inside your shower? And are the chemicals in your personal hygiene products safe to use? We’re here to bring you the facts about your favorite shampoos and conditioners. Though they’re made out of really common ingredients, common doesn’t always mean safe. Most are made with strong chemical formulas which can be harsh to your skin and to the environment.
Hair care products like shampoo and conditioner are highly engineered. They’ve been designed to lather up and leave your hair “squeaky clean”, but that’s not even that good for you! Dangerous shampoo chemicals will leave your hair stripped of natural oils, which is why we need conditioner to re-moisturize it without leaving it oily. Achieving these effects, being shelf stable, and not using and harmful ingredients is a big ask for brands looking to make safer options, but it is possible.
Shampoo
Surfactants: This is what makes your shampoo lather up with suds. We usually associate soap suds with cleaner hair, but that’s not necessarily the case. Sudsing doesn’t really occur much in nature, so it’s often the result of a chemical reaction or agent. While these chemicals aren’t toxic to humans, they can cause serious irritation and can be really harmful to aquatic life. Given the quantity of shampoo going down the drain every time we wash our hair, we’d prefer to avoid irritation and create a safer environment by choosing better products.
Preservatives: Ever noticed the expiration date on your shampoo? Nope, neither have we. That’s because shampoos are full of preservatives to keep them shelf-stable. They’ll last for a really long time without separating out or going “off”. These preservatives prevent the growth of yeast, mold, bacteria etc. But because they’re literally designed to kill things, preservatives are tricky and can have a range of toxicity problems for both humans and the environment.
Fragrance: This is definitely something to look out for. The term “fragrance” can act as a backdoor for all kinds of chemicals to sneak into your products. It’s often used as an umbrella term for up to 100 ingredients. Unfortunately, many of these ingredients can be toxic to human health, like phthalates (linked to reproductive and developmental harm), and synthetic musks (linked to hormone disruption and build up in our bodies).
Conditioner
Conditioner suffers from many of the same pitfalls as shampoo when it comes to surfactants, preservatives, and fragrance, but it has one more problematic ingredient category.
Ingredients to Avoid
Ethanolamines
Parabens
Octinoxate
Oxybenzone
Alcohol-Based Products
Silicone-Based Products
Cheap Shampoo
Salt Sprays
Johnson & Johnson has been gambling with our children’s health
Under mounting pressure, Johnson & Johnson has, at great expense, removed these chemicals from its products through years of hard work in laboratories, even though it maintains that the effects of these products are overrated. Some experts have agreed with Johnson & Johnson’s stance.But if these chemicals are as 'harmless' as they claim, why are they ironing them out now? Appallingly, Johnson & Johnson only took action when it began to affect their sales after a PR nightmare.Unfortunately, while the health company is 'cleaning up' its baby products, its adult products continue to be suspect.On Feb 24, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $72 million to the family of an American woman who died from ovarian cancer after using their talcum powder for the better part of her life.
