soslychic
New Member
This is a text I got from "Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care Products without Me" by Paula Begoun.
If there is any such thing as a true believe in "natural" products, Aubrey Hampton is indeed one. His books, Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care, arituclately express his convictions. Foremost is his philosophic position regarding his products: "I make my natural shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and so forth the way my mother taught me almost 50 years ago- without chemicals, using herbs kown to be beneficial to the hair and skin." While I'm sure Hampton's mother was a wonderful womah, what she didn't knowabout hair care could fill several books. It's nice to think Mom knew it all, but I wouldn't make a hiar care decision based on such fanciful romantic thinking. Further, an Aubrey product may start out organic, but by the time it's formulated to clean, conditioner, or style hair, it isn't organic anymore. After all, when was the last time you saw a shampoo or hairspray growing from the ground?
Hampton also lauds his position on animal testing, yet a few of his hair care products contain lanolin which is an animal by-product. Given Aubrey's excessive claims about plants, this is a stark contradiction.
He also states that he knows his products are safe to use because they contain ingredients that have been used for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years by people all over the world. That's the best track record, don't you think? Well I don't think so in the least. First, there are many ingredients ranging from panthenol to mucopolysaccharides, and many otehrs, in these products that weren't available until very recent times. I am also skeptical that Aubrey is providing a complete ingredient listing. None of his ingredients labels include standard preservatives, which, given these formulations, means these products would run a high risk of contamination from mold and bacteria, and that would be exceedinly risky for eyes and skin. His ingredint labels do list vitamins c, a, and e as the preservatives, but these have their own stability problems and detoriate quickly with exposure to air. Second, given the consistency and feel of teh products, particularly the conditioners and styling products, I simply don't believe the ingredient listing.........
Another Hampton phobia shared by many othe "natural" eccentrics in teh world, is petrochemicals. He states, "Petrochemicals, which are infinietly cheaper and much more convenitent for amss manufactuers to use...make our hair and skin suffer as a result. What's wrose, the long term effects of these harsh chemicals on both the body and the environment are still unknown..."
Suggesting that all petrochemicals are harsh and all plant derivatives are good is an uninformed as thinking that eating any plant you encounter in the wild won't kill you because it is natural. Plus, all this ignores the fact that petrochemicals have a decidedly natuarl source: they come from decomposed plant and animal life and have a decidedly organic base!
If you are of of the myriad "natural" hair care seekers out there, this line won't hurt your pocketbook. OF course, I question what it can really do for hair, but that final decision is up to you!
PLEASE EXCUSE ANY ERRORS. I WAS TYPING LIKE A WILD WOMAN
She has over 4000 product reviews in her book, many that people use here, so if you would like to know what she said about some of your favorites let me know (I'll see if it's here).
If there is any such thing as a true believe in "natural" products, Aubrey Hampton is indeed one. His books, Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care, arituclately express his convictions. Foremost is his philosophic position regarding his products: "I make my natural shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and so forth the way my mother taught me almost 50 years ago- without chemicals, using herbs kown to be beneficial to the hair and skin." While I'm sure Hampton's mother was a wonderful womah, what she didn't knowabout hair care could fill several books. It's nice to think Mom knew it all, but I wouldn't make a hiar care decision based on such fanciful romantic thinking. Further, an Aubrey product may start out organic, but by the time it's formulated to clean, conditioner, or style hair, it isn't organic anymore. After all, when was the last time you saw a shampoo or hairspray growing from the ground?
Hampton also lauds his position on animal testing, yet a few of his hair care products contain lanolin which is an animal by-product. Given Aubrey's excessive claims about plants, this is a stark contradiction.
He also states that he knows his products are safe to use because they contain ingredients that have been used for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years by people all over the world. That's the best track record, don't you think? Well I don't think so in the least. First, there are many ingredients ranging from panthenol to mucopolysaccharides, and many otehrs, in these products that weren't available until very recent times. I am also skeptical that Aubrey is providing a complete ingredient listing. None of his ingredients labels include standard preservatives, which, given these formulations, means these products would run a high risk of contamination from mold and bacteria, and that would be exceedinly risky for eyes and skin. His ingredint labels do list vitamins c, a, and e as the preservatives, but these have their own stability problems and detoriate quickly with exposure to air. Second, given the consistency and feel of teh products, particularly the conditioners and styling products, I simply don't believe the ingredient listing.........
Another Hampton phobia shared by many othe "natural" eccentrics in teh world, is petrochemicals. He states, "Petrochemicals, which are infinietly cheaper and much more convenitent for amss manufactuers to use...make our hair and skin suffer as a result. What's wrose, the long term effects of these harsh chemicals on both the body and the environment are still unknown..."
Suggesting that all petrochemicals are harsh and all plant derivatives are good is an uninformed as thinking that eating any plant you encounter in the wild won't kill you because it is natural. Plus, all this ignores the fact that petrochemicals have a decidedly natuarl source: they come from decomposed plant and animal life and have a decidedly organic base!
If you are of of the myriad "natural" hair care seekers out there, this line won't hurt your pocketbook. OF course, I question what it can really do for hair, but that final decision is up to you!
PLEASE EXCUSE ANY ERRORS. I WAS TYPING LIKE A WILD WOMAN
