Why Natural Shampoo is Best
Often we think about the importance of keeping our hair clean, ignoring the dangers that using shampoo to remove your natural oils can cause. Washing your hair with chemical shampoos may clean the dust, oil and sweat, but it worsens the health of it as well, making it brittle and dry.
Conventional shampoos tend to contain harsh chemical ingredients that not only damage your hair, but also can have a negative impact in your body and skin as well. Dandruff for example, is caused by extreme dryness and irritation. Often we don’t realize that shampoo is not something natural, but is something that our skin has acclimated to. Purchasing chemical medicated shampoo might temporarily help the dandruff to decrease, but it won’t take care of the origin of the irritation. That origin is most likely the chemicals used in conventional shampoos.
These chemical ingredients also strip your hair of its natural oils. This removes the very substance that protects the hair from breaking off, by keeping it hydrated, ergo strong and flexible. Oils are what promote healthy hair, and although you may be purchasing conventional shampoos that contain Argan or coconut oil as an ingredient, they can still cause harm to your hair and skin. The product still contains chemical ingredients for cleansing and so while the oil may temporarily moisturize the hair, those same ingredients won’t enable your skin to produce enough of its own natural oils to hydrate the hair, thus leaving you dependent on the product.
Ingredients to Avoid in Shampoo
Sulfate
There are two different types of sulfates to avoid, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). These sulfates can cause immense dryness and leave skin and hair dehydrated. SLS is also easier for the skin to absorb into the bloodstream, and traces of it can reside in parts of the body around organs and in tissue. SLES however, can often be contaminated by a byproduct of the mixture of ingredients in the shampoo called dioxane. This substance is something you definitely don’t want absorbed by your skin, as it is toxic and cannot be broken down by the liver.
Polyethylene Glycol
This chemical compound also known as PEG is often found in medicines for constipation. The American Medical Association has recently published a study in their JAMA Dermatology Journal that suggests using PEG on hair and skin can cause severe rashes.
Triclosan
This substance can be found in variations of soaps and toothpastes. It is an antibacterial agent, which may sound good, but remember that these chemical antibacterial are killing far more than just bacteria. It is a severe drying agent that damages hair and makes it brittle. The FDA has even published a statement recognizing they have found evidence that triclosan “alters hormone regulation” in animals, but claims this is not sufficient enough evidence to ban the use of triclosan in products, despite the hormone altering factors.
Natural oil based shampoos are the best alternative as their compound is the closest to the oils that our own skin secretes. The oils keep hair and skin hydrated and the rich vitamins found in these oils encourage our bodies to efficiently be able to secrete enough oils. Natural shampoos that are cruelty free do not test on animals as they believe that not only is it inhumane, but whatever chemicals can cause harm to animals, can also cause harm to human beings. Natural shampoos are the safest, healthiest, and kindest way to ensure your hair and skin stays healthy.
For more information on all natural shampoo and other hair product, please click here: All Natural Hair Care Products