Your Hair Doesn't Need Chemicals!

I try to buy as much organic food as I can (and as my family will eat and as we can afford). Organic vegetables and fruit are better for you and do taste better. We eat a lot of organic apples, bananas, and broccoli in our house. Organic apples are so much sweeter and crisper than their traditional counterparts. So if organic foods were better for you, what about organic hair products?

I started looking closer at my hair product labels and realized the ABBA True curls (now called Pure Curls) line that I've been using on my hair and my son's hair is DEA, Sulfate and Paraban free. I wondered why I should care about these things - and were these chemicals in other products that we use? It turns out that personal care products especially hair products and cosmetics include a lot of chemicals. A good adage is if you dont know what the ingredient is or how to pronounce it, it probably ISN'T good for you. And since hair can absorb chemicals into your bloodstream, you have to be careful about what you put on your hair. I remember when I was pregnant, I was told not to dye my hair for fear the dye might get absorbed into the bloodstream and affect the fetus.

As you can imagine the list of chemicals used in our hair products is very long, here are two key ones to look out for. I chose these because they seem to be in a lot of things we use on a daily basis. And then after your check your shampoo and conditioner bottles, check you skin care, soaps and hand sanitizers (yes we found out the Purell and Germ-X hand sanitizers list propylene glycol)

Sulfates (names used: SLS, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium laureth sulfate, Ammonium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate)

These are chemical surfactants. A surfactant means literally "surface acting". It acts on the surface of something to break up grease and dirt. These are very controversial ingredients. Studies have shown that some of these chemicals in combination with other chemicals in shampoo cause nitrates in the body (nitrates are a proven cancer producing substance).

More references that you might interest you or SCARE you (they did me!)

SLS can damage the immune system; causing separation of skin layers and inflammation of skin. -Journal of the American College of Toxicology; Vol. 2, No. 7, 1983

SLS penetrates into the skin and into the eyes, and is also held in the brain, heart and liver. A single drop stays in the brain and body for a few days - Doctor's worry: Is your baby safe? -By David L. Kern, New health and longevity

SLS denatures proteins of eye tissues - impairing eye development permanently. -Dr. Keith Green, PHD, D.Sc., Medical College of Georgia

SLS is a mutagen. It is capable of changing the information in genetic material found in cells. SLS has been used in studies to induce mutagen in bacteria. -Higuchi, Araya and Higuchi, school of medicine, Tohoku University: Sendai 980 Japan

SLS is a potent carcinogen when contaminated with a nitrosamines. -FDA Report 1978

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Propylene Glycol (and PEG)

This chemical is used as a humectant, a moisturizer. It is used in industrial antifreeze and and brake fluid. YUCK! Isn't that enough to make you want to stop using anything with it? You'll find it in lots of hair products and skin care products, soaps, creams, lotions, and other foods (check your vanilla extract!) and cosmetics. Also check anti-perspirants and underarm deodorants and yes hand sanitizers.

The material safety data sheet (MSDS) for propylene glycol says that contact with the skin can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage. The Environmental Protection Agency lists it as a toxic substance and when disposed of it is considered hazardous waste and must be treated as such. This particular chemical is the most common moisture-carrying vehicle, other than water, in cosmetics. It is less expensive than glycerin and permeates the skin better but is linked to serious reactions. It's an inexpensive chemical replacement for more natural ingredients.


Should we worry about this? Why take a chance? It makes me wonder why cancer cases have skyrocketed since chemicals came into broad use. It seems safer to steer away from the chemicals and go natural. Be good to your hair and body and go organic.

So I went through each product in the bathroom and just threw away any bottle I found with these ingredients. My mom did too. And it was a frustrating and disappointing to find out that many of my favorite products and trusted products like Johnson & Johnson baby products listed these ingredients. But if other products were available (and there are) that DIDN'T contain them, I would use those. Full stop.

And so our family is using many products in the ABBA line (all great), and I've just purchased a few products from Aubrey Organics (available at Whole Foods) to add to my hair arsenal. Also California Baby make wonderful products that are organic and chemical free. My boys LOVE California Baby's Overtired and Cranky bubble bath (you can even blow bubbles while they bathe!).

I remember when I was a teenager and my mom told me that mayonnaise was a good hair conditioner. It seemed crazy back then, but it makes sense now. Natural is good - you don't need the chemicals to look good.