Toxic Chemicals in Shampoo

SHAMPOO – ARE THEY NICE AS THEY LOOK    

Once I had a problem with my hair. There was some dandruff and it gave me a lot of troubles. So, I decided to get rid of it. When I went shopping, I looked for a better brand of dandruff shampoo. I found a bottle of shampoo with a popular brand and bought it. I washed my hair with it and had a bath.  After a few minutes, however, I felt like burning my scalp and also, I felt drowsiness. I thought I was going to faint. I knew that I didn’t have any issues such as high blood pressure, diabetic or something like that. Then I pondered what would be the reason for that, I mean I felt like I was going to faint. Eventually I figured out what was the reason for that drowsiness. It was because of the chemicals in the shampoo I used to wash my hair. Consequently, I decided to do a survey to find out what are the harmful ingredients contain in shampoo. After the survey I came to know that, to my amazement, almost all the ingredients in shampoo are more or less toxic and harmful to human body. Above all, the chemicals contain in dandruff shampoo are more harmful than those of others. in order to identify such harmful ingredients in shampoo I went through several reviews posted by some experts in the field.

• What are the harmful chemicals in hair shampoo?

	Ingredient	Used for	Harmful effects
1	Sulfates	Sulfates are surfactants that are used to clean the dirt and excess sebum on the scalp. These surfactants like SS (sodium sulfate) SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) and ALS (ammonium lauryl sulfate) are all toxic ingredients.	These agents can cause allergic reaction such as irritation and burning on your scalp. Also, when used for a prolonged period they can be hormone disruptors. Sulfate are also harmful for the environment.
2	Parabens	Manufacturers add preservatives called parabens (butyl, propyl and ethyl parabens) to increase the shelf life of hair care products. These agents prevent bacteria from growing in shampoos.	Parabens are known to mimic the function of estrogen (female hormone responsible for reproductive functions) and harm fertility and reproduction. They can also increase the risk of breast cancer.
3	Formaldehyde	Bronopol, imidazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15 and diazolidinyl urea are all formaldehyde releasers. They are added as a preservative.	They may cause allergic reaction on skin which can lead to irritation and red rash. These toxic ingredients are also known to be absorbed by your skin.
4	Polyethylene Glycols (PEG)	Polyethylene glycol is a thickening agent derived from petroleum.	Hair care experts believe that PEG can have a damaging effect on your scalp.
5	Phthalates	Phthalates are used in hair care products to increase the spreadability. They are used to make the perfume stick to your scalp and hair.	They are endocrine disruptors. It means that they can cause early puberty in girls and reduce sperm count in males. They also cause damage to the environment.
6	Triclosan	Triclosan was an important antibacterial agent in soap bars until recently. But it is still being used in shampoos, toothpastes and deodorants.	Triclosan is known as hormone disruptor which can eventually lead to cancer. It is believed to get accumulated in fat cells and keep your body in a state of toxicity.
7	Dimethicone	Dimethicone is a type of silicone added in hair care products. It acts like a protective layer to your hair shaft but over time, builds up residue on your scalp.	It prevents moisture from entering the hair and can cause scalp irritation by clogging the pores (openings in the skin).
8	Synthetic Fragrances	These fragrances are made synthetically with a blend of a variety of toxic chemicals. How else can you make rose, apples and lavender smelling shampoos in the lab	They may cause skin irritation, and lead to cancer or asthma.
9	Synthetic Colors	We love to see pretty-looking colors in our shampoo and conditioner bottles. The kind of ingredients that go into making synthetic colors of hair care products will leave you shocked.	These colors are derived from coal tar or petroleum. You can identify synthetic colors on the labels by the terms of ‘FD&C’ or ‘D&C’. they may cause lots of damages to your skin.
10	Sodium Chloride (Salt)	Sodium chloride is used in shampoo as a thickening agent.	Salt can make dryness and itchiness on sensitive scalp and eventually leads to hair lost.
11	Cocamidopropyl Betaine	It is a foam booster derived from coconut oil used along with dimethylaminopropylamine.	Cocamidopropyl Betaine can cause allergic reactions as skin irritation and redness.
These agents are used in dandruff shampoo
12	Sulfur (Sebulex)	Prevent scalp cells from clumping together making easier to wash them away. It also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.	They may cause skin irritation and redness.
13	Coal tar (Neutrogena)	Decreases flakes by slowing down how quickly your scalp cells die. It also decreases skin fungus colonization on scalp.	Coal tar makes skin irritation and hair discoloration. It also makes the scalp more sensitive to the sunlight.
14	Zinc Pyrithione (Head & Shoulders)	Kills both bacteria and fungi and helps to improve sebum production.	Cause skin irritation and inflammation.
15	Selenium Sulfide (Selsun Blue)	Anti-fungal medication that works against growing Malassezia fungus.	Skin irritation, inflammation and hair discoloration may occur as side effects.
16	Ketoconazole (Nizoral)	Anti-fungal agent that kills Malassezia fungus.	Cause itching, burning, irritation, inflammation and scalp dryness.

üLook for shampoo only use natural, non-toxic ingredients that derived from plants to help you a natural hair growth. 

üChoose a sulphate and petroleum free formula with mild surfactants.

üLook for conditioner contains coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, Vitamin E and vitamin B 5 that help nourish your hair.

üMango and shea butter help to form a protective layer on the cuticle of hair.

üMake sure that you choose a brand that disclose the full list of ingredients on the label. 

• There are laws to prevent adding harmful toxic ingredients to cosmetic products, yet there are loopholes which manufacturers can pass through. So, they add deadly chemicals to their products which kill you slowly or immediately. Think twice before you pick up your next shampoo bottle. What is better: become a cancer patient with silky, shiny hair with sweet fragrance or be healthy and live longer?

*Only some key information has been extracted from trusted sources.

By  Gunaratna Gama