We all have a favorite shampoo….one that smells so good you’d never want to swap it out, one that you’ve been using for years so it’s all routine to you.  What’s really in your shampoo? Have you ever read the back of the packaging? Let’s face it, even if we did, we wouldn’t know what 95% of the ingredients were, right?

An example of some common ingredients in your everyday shampoos would be the chemical Dimethicone (which makes hair easy to comb and lustrous).  It is in a lot of shampoos but it’s classified by the Canadian government as a possible toxin that warrants further study. Have you heard of SLS (sodium laurel sulfate) and SLES (sodium laureth sulfate)? These are harsh detergents that are responsible for making your shampoo foam up. It strips your hair of essential oils and the proteins it needs to grow healthy and strong. PEG’s or (Polyethylene Glycols) act as a hair thickening agent, but strips your hair of it’s natural moisture. Parabens prolong the shelf life of your shampoo and hair products but are chemicals known for their toxic nature. They irritate the skin and can affect your hormonal balance, which can result in hair loss.  Almost all hair products contain Alcohol, which can dry out your hair. Andour personal favorite, Synthetic Fragrance or Parfum. Many fragrances are a mix of thousands of chemicals. Many of them are irritants and cause aggregate the scalp.

The point of all of this is, is just to raise awareness of all of the chemicals that are in our beauty products. Look at the label of a bottle of your favorite hair care product. Notice all of the chemicals and fragrances in there.

Look for these when you go to buy your next hair care product:

• Shampoos that do not contain ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laurel sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate (instead opt for those with a milder cleaner such as sodium lauryl sulfoaccetate and sodium lauryl sulfosuccinate. They won’t foam as much but will efficiently clean your hair.
•  Choose a Conditioner that does not contain dimethicone
• Choose a Shampoo or Conditioner with a natural fragrance such as essential oils or plant based products

Our Shampoo and Conditioner of choice is from the Ava Hair line by Ava Anderson Non Toxic. It has no harsh or toxic ingredients in it that would dry out, damage or strip our hair. It is great for everyday use and for the whole family.

DID YOU KNOW?

Annually in the U.S. we pour 350 millions of gallons of shampoo down the drain. Our wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove bacteria, not toxic chemicals. So every day, contaminated water goes back into the water supply (Mt. Sinai Hospital, Children and the Environment)

We hope you learned something new from this! Let’s all help cut down on the amount of chemicals going down the drain!

-Kim and Jamie