A little perturbed about ingredients in hair products...

[ricochet]

Okay ladies, I am coming out of lurk mode because I need your input. I am seriously about to do something that's possibly impulse and I may feel stupid later. I am back in school and part of the class is that we have to do a project on a nonprofit organization, including an interview, a few research papers, etc. Well, I figure since I am into body and hair health, I figure I have enough background info to get started. Well, as I am searching out my daily healthy snacks and internal body health stuff, I am seeing more and more on the chemicals that we put in our bodies from pesticides sprayed on vegetables, chemicals added to food for prolonged shelf life, and crappy ingredients in hair products, etc. The subjects of parabens, carcinogens in skin and hair products, has been presented to me years prior to now, but I am seriously about to throw every single product that has a paraben or dmdm hydantoin or peg, etc IN THE GARBAGE.

I don't want to be stupid, because some of this stuff did cost money, but I also don't want to contribute to continuously putting this bad stuff on my skin. I also don't want to be paranoid about it because just because it says "paraben-free" is not always good. It's similar to a "fat free" label, all marketing. I also have found lately that the only thing I have been using in my hair after a shampoo (with castille soap or AO) or conditioner wash(with Aussie or herbal essences, which could still have something bad in it) has been the Alba botanica leave in, with some coconut oil on top. Am I being told something? Is the universe speaking to me? I honestly don't know. I have accumulated a lot of products over the past year, like CON shampoo for stocking(because of the change of ingredient fiasco), free products from using coupons, free sample products like sunscreen, lotion, etc from the internet, but ALL of this stuff has these crazy, paraben filled, can't pronounce the name, proven to be carcinogenic stuff in it. I don't know what to do. I have been using some of this stuff (like CON shampoo, which I love) for like, 20 years! I have been told since I was old enough to understand, that God will take care of us. I have been told to always bless my food before eating it. I am a true believer. Do I give these lotions, hair products, deodorants the boot and search for a natural alternative, or not worry about it? Thanks ladies.

 

[Calia001]

i say sell off the ones you don't use as often. hair always goes for a change of product, if your research is leading you to believe that your hair products will be harmful to you in the future then ease up on the usage.

also, if there is a way, try to find out how much of it is included in the product. if there are small traces, then hopefully it shouldn't be too harmful. do you know anyone else who has used these products over time?

 

[ricochet]

Thanks and I hear you on that. Yes, I have known plenty of folks who use them, one being my Mom and many of my friends and associates. My logic is, I don't want to give or sell anything to anyone that may be potentially harmful to them. I can't dictate what people use, of course, but I would probably just feel guilty. Thanks for the response.

 

[darlingdiva]

I think that you should do what is best for YOU and use what works for YOU.

In some regards, I think this whole "natural" issue has gotten out of hand. Companies realize that many consumers are living more holistically and paying more attention to ingredients. As a result, these companies are taking advantage--BIG TIME!!!

Many of them tout themselves as being natural, but a lot of the products are loaded with chemicals minus two or three ingredients. You cannot say that products are natural in cases like those. However, you can say that your products have natural ingredients. Most companies don't want to do that, though, because saying that the products have natural ingredients makes a big difference in their level of appeal.

If products just "have natural ingredients", why in the world should consumers pay exorbitant prices for them? If the products are natural, though, then the higher prices are more justifiable.

Speaking of "natural", what exactly does that mean in terms of products? Most hair products, except maybe oils and things of that nature, need some sort of preservative (please correct me if I'm wrong about this). Aren't the preservatives unnatural? I know that cetyl and cetearyl alcohol are derived from coconut oil, but isn't it mixed with something else too? If the preservatives in the products are unnatural, then how are the products natural?

Anyway, I say all of this to say that I've really been thinking critically about this "natural" issue lately b/c I've been trying to wean myself away from the hype of it--particularly in terms of products. I'll always read the ingredients before I buy because some things just don't work well for my hair. However, I will no longer drive myself crazy trying to adhere to some natural "standard." If products don't have petrolatum, mineral oil, or anything of the sort and they work for my hair, that's fine. If products do have those or similar ingredients and they work for my hair, that's fine too.

 

[ricochet]

Thanks for the reply darlingdiva, your insight is much appreciated!

 

[bella_boucles]

maybe you can try just sticking to online brands used by alot of girls here. It can be more costly but they dont have those nasty chemicals.

Karens Bosy Beautiful
Qhemet Biologics
Afroveda
Hairveda
Komaza Care
Curls
Jessie Curls
Blended Beauty
Ohm Body
Donna Marie
My Honey Child

You may have to use up the ones you like and then revamp your reggie by finding products to replace them.

 

[msa]

I think you have to figure out how far you want to take it. I went all the way to one extreme for awhile where I only used water, natural oils, and other edible ingredients (fruit, coconut milk, etc.) on my hair. It worked, but I felt my hair was missing something and I missed the convenience of buying a nice smelling conditioner and not having to do too much.

So, I reevaluated and looked for the most "natural" haircare products I could find. Aubrey Organics fit the bill for me. They aren't 100% natural but they're as close as I can get while still getting amazing results.

I went through the same thing for body products as well. But coconut oil just couldn't keep my skin moisturized and castile soap was too drying to keep using on my body. So now I look for things that don't have parabens, dmdm hydantoin, and other "bad" ingredients. Basically, if it has a huge ingredient list that I can barely pronounce, then I probably won't be using it.

After a lifetime of using those products, it's probably not going to hurt you to use them up. I understand how you feel about giving them to people, but if you don't want to use them take them to a women/children shelter or your local food bank because they will be truly appreciated there. Some people can't even afford to buy conditioner or soap, so even if it's filled with parabens it benefits them regardless.