Look at the ingredients of your shampoo bottle. What do you see? Ingredients that you may not be able to pronounce, or you don’t even know what they are. Most of these ingredients are harmful to your hair. They can cause dryness, itchiness, irritation, and more. Below is a list of some hair care ingredients to avoid.
Sulfates are not inherently bad. They are very successful in removing oil, dirt, and other grime from hair. They also provide the lather effect that many people except from their shampoos because it leaves hair with that “squeaky clean feeling”. However, they can be harsh and aggressive. They strip the hair of all oil, including its natural oils that it needs. Eventually, they can leave hair looking dull and weak, allowing for damage and breakage.
Silicones can act as a protective barrier, leaving hair looking silky and shiny. However, the “protective barrier” that silicones make prevents moisture from penetrating the hair. This will lead to dry hair over time the more frequently the silicones are used. Ingredients that can help retain moisture are deep conditioners, hair masks, serums, and oils.
Alcohol can be drying on the scalp of used too frequently over a long period time. Similar to sulfates, alcohol in hair care isn’t inherently bad if not used to frequently and with a low concentration. However, if you don’t want dry hair and scalp, avoid using drying ingredients such as alcohol.
Synthetic fragrance in hair care products can cause a list of skin problems such as itching, redness, dryness, hives, etc. These skin problems are due to synthetic fragrances being mainly made of petrochemicals. Although synthetic fragrance makes hair smell good, if you have sensitive skin, you should avoid it.