Ingredients that are just a no-go!

[divachyk]

I'm looking to re-evaluate my pre-LHCF prod stash but not sure which ingredients are straight trash and harmful to the hair.

I know that all hair responds differently but I'm interested to know what ingredient(s) you stay away from and why? This input will help me on my quest.

TIA!

 

[afjhnsn]

Bumping for you
Good thread

 

[LaidBak]

Personally I stay away from silicones. I used them for years (preLHCF) and came to realize that they were contributing to the chronic dryness of my hair. The use of cone based serums also contributed to my shiny, acne prone skin. Its hard to avoid them completely, but I try.

I avoid any leave in product with wax. It makes my hair too stiff.

I stay away from mineral oil because it has no nutritional benefits for my hair.

I don't use anything with 'SD Alcohol 40' because it is drying.

 

[Nix08]

I'm trying to reduce 'parabens' just due to health more than anything as with everything there are conflicting reports but some of those reports suggest that parabens contribute to cancer (what doesn't really) in that they mimick hormones and in at least 1 study they were found in high concentration in tumours. Sorry I don't have the study to footnote. There is a website called Skin Deep cosmetics review that I often check my products out on (well not all). It's kind of disturbing that most products have several ingredients that are just better not used

I'm not fanatical by any means - I enjoyed some McD yesterday..haha

I'm also bumping for you so that others will pipe in

 

[Solitude]

I don't avoid anything; I evaluate what works on my hair, but generally, people on LHCF tend to avoid:

mineral oil (petroleum family) - the belief is that it coats the hair, and blocks out moisture
sulfates (SLS sulfates) - found in shampoos/body washes/soaps, dries out the hair, stripping it of natural oils
parabens - used to prolong the life of a product, many parabens are known to contribute to cancer and other health problems
silicones - some believe that they coat the hair and block out moisture. Hair looks and feels shiny and soft, but can lead to dryness over time

What are your goals and regimen? That can help you decide what will and will not work for you ingredient-wise. For example, if you have oily hair and scalp, then avoiding sulfates might not work for you. If you use a lot of heat, then avoiding cones may not work for you, since cones help to protect the hair from heat damage.

On the other hand, if you don't use SLS shampoos, then you definitely do want to avoid cones. It all depends on your regi and goals. If natural health/natural living is important to you, then you can lean towards natural/handmade/homemade/organic products.

 

[divachyk]

I don't avoid anything; I evaluate what works on my hair, but generally, people on LHCF tend to avoid:

mineral oil (petroleum family) - the belief is that it coats the hair, and blocks out moisture
sulfates (SLS sulfates) - found in shampoos/body washes/soaps, dries out the hair, stripping it of natural oils
parabens - used to prolong the life of a product, many parabens are known to contribute to cancer and other health problems
silicones - some believe that they coat the hair and block out moisture. Hair looks and feels shiny and soft, but can lead to dryness over time

What are your goals and regimen? That can help you decide what will and will not work for you ingredient-wise. For example, if you have oily hair and scalp, then avoiding sulfates might not work for you. If you use a lot of heat, then avoiding cones may not work for you, since cones help to protect the hair from heat damage.

On the other hand, if you don't use SLS shampoos, then you definitely do want to avoid cones. It all depends on your regi and goals. If natural health/natural living is important to you, then you can lean towards natural/handmade/homemade/organic products.

Bumping for additional responses ----

@ Solitude, I see nothing is ever simple around here at LHCF. Knowing which prods people stray away from and why will help me then determine if I should do the same. I don't intend to trash my prods until I give them a good test to see how my hair responds, now that I kinda know what type of results to look for.

I'm into healthy living as best as I can although I don't deprive myself of things I like, even if they are not classified as healthy.

About me: I'm relaxed and my hair likes protein within moderation. I wash & DC at least once weekly. No direct heat; only indirect heat when deep conditioning under a hooded dryer. I air dry 99% of the time and rollerset the other 1% of the time. My hair (especially my ends) dries very quickly and bushy if it's bare (without leave-ins/prods) but takes much longer to dry when prods are applied (guess that's porosity; I'm using Roux PC weekly). I M&S twice daily. I 'believe' my hair is in balance now but prior to LHCF it was more dry than oily.

 

[lalla]

I rarely longer avoid anything.

Parabens can be naturally found in some fruit and studies of their toxicicty are unconclusive which is why I don't avoid them.
I rarely use sulfates because my favorite shampoo doesn't have them, if it did, I'd keep using it.
I use silicones only when I straighten.
I avoid SD alcohol and denatured alcohols because they are drying but I like fatty alcohols(cetyl or behenyl alcohol).
I don't like leave ins with too much protein ( perm repair is one).


I'd advise you to keep the products that work for your hair and throw the rest. Unless you have health concerns (about parabens...)I see no reason to stop using products that do a good job on your hair.

 

[tomnikids3]

Skin Deep is an excellent site to check on product ingredients and see the ratings on whether they are highly toxic or low. I used this site to check on not only hair product ingredients but skin lotions, creams, everything, its alarming that some of the products that you purchase say they are all natural or organics then on the site you see they have a high toxicity rating.

 

[RossBoss]

I will be getting rid of any body washes that has sulfates. I use Chagrin Valley shampoo bars so that was never an issue with the hair, but after reading this article:

http://thegreenbeautyguide.com/?p=172


I found a really interesting notion about the benefits of copper peptides for everyday age prevention.

To a significant degree, skin aging is caused by the accumulation of minor day-to-day damage from sun, wind, detergents, acne, abrasions and so forth. As these minute lesions heal, they leave microscopic imperfections, which, eventually, accumulate to become visible signs of aging. While it remain to be further researched, it appears that copper peptide can help minimize the damage from daily wear and tear of the skin. For instance, one study demonstrated that copper peptides helped recover skin integrity after exposure to SLS, a common detergent found in many shampoos, cleansers, and dishwashing/laundry products.

I plan on fighting Father Time every step of the way, I had no idea that sulfates actually age you. I had no idea that aging was just microscopic lesions from the sun, wind and detergents that healed over time. This is an eye-opening article that somebody posted over in the Makeup forum.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

I dont avoid anything just because others do. I find what works for my hair. That being said, cones don't work for my hair. I never had a real problem with them but when I stopped using them, I noticed my hair stayed moisturized for days. I can go 3-5 days without having to moisturize my hair, but when I use cones, I need to moisturize everyday. Cones are the only ingredients that my hair doesn't agree with to my knowledge. I still use sulfates, mineral oil, and petrolatum.

 

[NerdSauce]

Mineral Oil-- It breaks me out and irritates my scalp like crazy. Unhappy face, Unhappy scalp, unhappy hair, unhappy Nerdsauce.

Alcohol Denat, and those types of alcohols, cos they're drying.

Silicones except if I'm going to be using heat a lot, or its a really high quality concentrated product. Having found a gentle, effective shampoo in yes to cucumbers, this is less important. I dont care for DCs with silicones though-- I think it tends to mask what is really ineffectiveness. You get 'slickness' and 'slip' from the silicone which IMHO makes it seem like the dc is more moisturizing than it is.

Petroleum-- because i'm too cheap to spend money on non nutritive ingredients.

 

[divachyk]

I'd advise you to keep the products that work for your hair and throw the rest. Unless you have health concerns (about parabens...)I see no reason to stop using products that do a good job on your hair.

I do have health concerns. I'm a bit contradictory but will say this and hope not to offend anyone....my dh had cancer in 2008 (praises go up that he's healed!!) and we're trying to live a healthier life and eliminate, as best we can, prods/foods linked to cancer. On the other hand, we believe in the healing power of God, therefore we haven't stopped everything cold turkey because of his situation....we still live a little, let our hair down some, and have fun....we are not total health nuts....see how contradictory that is. Oh well. With that said, I don't plan to chunk all prods just yet. I will try them out, see how my hair responds and make determination from there. Thanks for your input.

 

[gadgetdiva]

To me which products to stay away from is treated just like a person with high blood pressure or diabetes...you simply avoid the ones that will flare up your problem. Of course you want to have healthy hair so you try to avoid too much of the bad stuff.
For instance if someone has dry hair- stay away from cones, alcohol(containing prods) and anything else that blocks moisture.
If you have protein sensitive hair- adopt a regimen that low on it (because if you're relaxed you need protein) and take necessary precautions (moisturize and condition).

Me personally I try to avoid too many cones where I can (although i love CHI Silk Infusion and the Elasta QP Mango Butter so I use sparingly), heavy oils- used only in deep conditioning because I have oily scalp/hair, SLS poos and any type of alcohol containing styling products. I used to use wrap lotions a lot but I don't do it as often...just depends.
HTH

 

[Afrobuttafly]

Read this for a thorough list with explanations

 

[Vashti]

I stay away from products with denatured alcohols completely. That's a no-go! They dry out my hair something terrible.

I've been using up my products with silicones and replaced them with products with no 'cones (except one that I keep and will continue to use for flat ironing.) I won't be giving up my sulphate shampoo though. I've reduced my use of it to once a month instead of every week. I no longer buy products with mineral oil in them as the first or second ingredient. If it's near the middle or the bottom of the ingredient list I don't worry about it.

 

[LuvlyRain3]

The only thing that I try to avoid are sulfates. I know from experience that they are no good for my hair. Other than that I could care leas what's in a product. If it works it works.