STRONG WARNING: chemicals in hair products

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ladies i beg of you, please try to use the most natural hair and skin products possible. there is something in supermarket brands called sodium lauryl sulphate and i do chemistry at school. this chemical can really do badly for your hair. ive been using my own homemade hair wash and it cleans much better, i have my natural curl back, absolutely no frizziness, the weather doesnt affect my hair anymore, and it is so so so much healthier

I have very curly hair, and frizzies are a problem with me.
What's the recipe of the products you make?

Please share . I've got curly hair and a crazy scalp and live in the uber dry south west of the US, so if you've got any ideas that I can whip up in my kitchen I'd be greatful. Oh and the wround shampoo < pantene> makes my hair fall out. I end-up spending a ton just trying to keep my hair and not be the stinky mom at the bus stop.

well currently im using a hair wash that consists of herbal tea (one black tea bag and one honey and lemon tea bag) steeped into about hmmm, a small water jug. then just one teaspoon of olive oil and sea salt. this is for the first night. the day after this your hair may be slightly oily but this is the start of the process of puting natural oil back into your hair. on this night wash your hair first with salty water and then the herb mix WITHOUT the oil and see how it goes from their. my natural products are trial and error though and i make them up for myself so it may or may not have good results for other ladies. im hoping it does. if you do happen to trust me enough to try it then please tell me what you think of it because im getting comliments from my hair.

I have curly hair and I try to use natural products so I've been trying to buy products without the laurel sulphates. I use Avalon Organics as much as possible, they are a great brand. I have curly hair that is extremely hard to tame and I use Wen Hair Care for my conditioner and I also use their gel. That stuff is awesome, and not as organic as Avalon Organics there are no laurel sulphates. I have never found anything that makes my hair so soft or my curls so manageable! I also use Jessicurl styling products for my hair too. They are cruelty free and vegan.

so what exactly is wrong with sodium lauryth sulphate?

Both Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and its close relative Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to "foam up". Both chemicals are very effective foaming agents, chemically known as surfactants.

Unfortunately, both sodium laureth sulfate and its cousin are also very dangerous, highly irritating chemicals. Far from giving "healthy shining hair" and "beautiful skin", soaps and shampoos containing sodium laureth sulfate can lead to direct damage to the hair follicle, skin damage, permanent eye damage in children and even liver toxicity.

Although sodium laureth sulfate is somewhat less irritating than SLS, it cannot be metabolised by the liver and its effects are therefore much longer-lasting. This not only means it stays in the body tissues for longer, but much more precious energy is used getting rid of it.

A report published in the Journal of The American College of Toxicology in 1983 showed that concentrations of SLS as low as 0.5% could cause irritation and concentrations of 10-30% caused skin corrosion and severe irritation. National Institutes of Health "Household Products Directory" of chemical ingredients lists over 80 products that contain SLS and SLES. Some soaps have concentrations of up to 30%, which the ACT report called "highly irritating and dangerous".

Shampoos are among the most frequently reported products to the FDA. Reports include eye irritation, scalp irritation, tangled hair, swelling of the hands, face and arms and split and fuzzy hair. This is highly characteristic of sodium laureth sulfate and almost definitely directly related to its use.

this was posted in an article on a website called natural health information centre. hope it proves my point

Go to www.Etsy.com

This website is filled with individuals who hand-make a wide variety of things; even shampoo, conditioner, lotion, lip balm, and soap!
Just type into the search bar what you want/need, and a whole bunch of results will pop up.

A fair bit of warning, though: You need to register an account with a username on Etsy if you want to buy/sell anything. But it's free to be a buyer!

I have bought many handmade soaps from various sellers on Etsy and I must say, handmade soaps are the BEST! My skin is no longer itchy, ashy, or dry. Instead, it is soft, smooth, and moisturized! I don't even need to apply lotion everyday anymore! (BTW, handmade lotion, and handmade lip balm, is also FAR superior to commercial.)

I have not yet tried their hair products, though.

You can find many organic, vegan, and cruelty-free sellers on Etsy as well!

Okay, I did a bit more looking on Etsy and found this great seller:
www.GudonyaToo.etsy.com

She sells Shampoos, Conditioners, and body care products.
Here are two items that might particularly be interesting to the rest of the posters in this topic:

Shampoo: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?li ... d=30608878
Conditioner: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?li ... d=30608850

She gives a very in-depth description of the ingredients she uses, as well as the scents of her products. And guess what? It doesn't have sodium lauryl sulphate!

You can contact her if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or custom orders about her products, and she'll be more than happy to try to accommodate you!

My fiance had a lot of scalp problems, dandruff, etc. When he switched to SLS-free shampoo, his scalp is totally HEALTHY now, and 100% better! No more dandruff! It's an amazing difference. SLS is a skin irritant.

I use SLS-free products as much as possible.

SLS is worrisome, but personally, I'm more afraid of PPD (found in nearly every commercial- and salon-brand permanent hair color)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-Phenylenediamine

I don´t know, but nothing...SLS is probably one of the safest, most effective chemicals ever seen. SLS is the main ingredient in toothpaste and soap. It can kill bacteria, making it an antibiotic, I guess...
Pesticides that is sprayed on fruit is probably far more dangeorus to human health. It can easily be abused by a local farmer, without anyone ever knowing about it.
Mercury is probably the worst substance you can ever come in contact with. If you look at SLS, it will leave the body in like 2-5 days or something like that. If you look at mercury, it will stay in the body for a devestating 4-6 months...

Seriously, if you´re affraid of SLS...you are way of track...Only my opinion. Bottom line, I hate farmers.

These sites make interesting reading and have certainly changed our potions habits:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

http://www.natural-skincare-authority.c ... icals.html


We also make our own products. There are several sites with good recipes and base products.

Hairsay topic

The junk people put on their scalps.

I will not dye my hair again or perm it (each done once) because of the sensory experience3. Plus, it damages hair and my sister, who has died her hair for 35 years has a bald spot now and thinning all over the scalp area. Her hair is dry and brittle and looks cheap and artificial.

I am older than her by 4 years, and though my hair is mixed brown and gray it is thick and healthy. I am not much for appearances but I like my thick hair that has not ever changed in texture. Being bald for dumb reasons is not for me, thanks.

Oh, god. Hair.

As far as getting my hair colored, I only let a trained professional do it. And we don't do a full head of hair each time; only the roots that come in. I do know people who overprocess their hair to the point of breakage, and they spend a lot of money on reconstruction and treatments.

And I am so aware of the chemicals that companies put in their products. And I am so selective about what shampoos I buy, even though it means spending a little more.

I would love to learn how to make my own shampoo! I enjoy making sugar scrubs already.

I found this interesting web site about henna. I have always used the commercial blends, and then wondered why my hair felt like a steel wool pad.

http://www.hennaforhair.com/indigo/index.html