Hi ladies, I copied this directly from this website Natural Alchemist . I love natural products, but I also know that sometimes natural based companies tend to criminalize synthetic products. They are advertising their castille shampoo and rinses, so those are the references in the article. Anyway, I thought this was interesting....
"Why use a rinse?
All surfactants (surface active ingredients or the stuff in your shampoo that froths and cleans the hair) are alkaline whether they are SLS or soap. Alkalines make the keratin plates, that form the hair, stand out - this breaks up light and results in dull looking hair. Conventional shampoos use acid/alkaline balancers to ensure an acid solution which means the keratin plates 'lie down flat and the light doesn't break up.'
Our solution is to use an old fashioned style rinse to achieve the same effect, however you will need to use our rinse if you want to have shiny hair.
· Synthetic surfactants (surface active agents) were invented by German chemists in the days of the Weimar Republic after WW1. They were made as a cheap alternative to soap, which was then so expensive that no one could afford to use it.
ARE YOUR CURRENT HAIR CARE PRODUCTS HARMING YOU?
The ingredients commonly used in Hair Care products are finally being looked at after years of disinformation. During this time many of the large manufacturers have been telling us that the ingredients used in commercial hair care products would cause us no harm. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. We have also discovered that there is no-one out there controlling the use of many of the chemicals in hair care, and other products, to ensure that we are not being slowly poisoned. Consequently, we have to do the research and select the safe products to use ourselves.
In his book "Skin Deep - A guide to chemical free skincare and cleaning products" (2002 Published by Lothian Books) Kevin Farrow looks at commonly used ingredients in haircare, skincare and cleaning products and discusses the long term effects these have on our bodies.
The following quotes on hair care are from Skin Deep:
"Mild Castile liquid soap is actually better for your hair than detergent shampoos because it doesn't eat away the hair, but you need to use an acidic vinegar rinse afterwards to make the hair look shiny. To keep the hair healthy and lubricated, sebaceous glands produce sebum. This makes your hair shiny, but can also cause problems such as greasy hair by overproduction. Very greasy hair usually appears six months to a year before major hair loss, although it is not known whether this is a cause or a symptom.
Detergents in shampoos slowly dissolve your hair, reducing the thickness of individual hairs by 60 to 80 per cent in shoulder-length hair. Consequently, hair is about five times thicker on your scalp than at the ends. This is why your hair loses bounce after a few hours - with just a little bit of sweat, your hair isn't strong enough to hold up. So when your hair looks straggly and thin when you don't wash it every day, it is suffering from the condition of hair called 'weathering', which is purely the damaging effect of your shampoo. Also, the follicles dry up and the outer cuticle cells, which should lie over each other, stick out and act as fishing hooks for other hairs so they catch each other up. It's a self-perpetuating problem. Wash your hair and blow it dry and it will stand up beautifully. But within eight hours it will just go flat again. Hair seems easy to wash and condition when you're young, but if you intend to live past 50 you may want to consider really looking after it.
Castile soap (shampoo)... and vinegar rinse is a much healthier alternative to synthetic detergents and conditioners. There is also anecdotal evidence that premature greyingis caused by suppression of melanocyte function by synthetic detergents. Using a Castile soap-based shampoo has been noted to restore colour to greying hair in some cases. Both my partner and I are currently successful examples of this."
"A lot of products are made by small to medium-sized companies and their quality varies enormously from one to the other. Read the labels! There are companies who do have an ethical centre and will spend more money on ingredients and more time in formulating to make sure you are getting a well-made, environmentally sensible product. Sure, they want to make money, but a lot of them aren't prepared to risk your health in exchange. Support these companies and you'll be looking after yourself. You can identify them very easily by reading their ingredients lists."
~
The Natural Alchemist's Hair Care range is made from only natural ingredients using no detergents, petrochemicals or synthetic preservatives. Flaky scalp can come from a reaction to the chemicals in commercial hair care products.
Give your hair a break! Read the ingredients labels on products and pick ones that don't have synthetic detergents and additives."
"Why use a rinse?
All surfactants (surface active ingredients or the stuff in your shampoo that froths and cleans the hair) are alkaline whether they are SLS or soap. Alkalines make the keratin plates, that form the hair, stand out - this breaks up light and results in dull looking hair. Conventional shampoos use acid/alkaline balancers to ensure an acid solution which means the keratin plates 'lie down flat and the light doesn't break up.'
Our solution is to use an old fashioned style rinse to achieve the same effect, however you will need to use our rinse if you want to have shiny hair.
· Synthetic surfactants (surface active agents) were invented by German chemists in the days of the Weimar Republic after WW1. They were made as a cheap alternative to soap, which was then so expensive that no one could afford to use it.
ARE YOUR CURRENT HAIR CARE PRODUCTS HARMING YOU?
The ingredients commonly used in Hair Care products are finally being looked at after years of disinformation. During this time many of the large manufacturers have been telling us that the ingredients used in commercial hair care products would cause us no harm. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. We have also discovered that there is no-one out there controlling the use of many of the chemicals in hair care, and other products, to ensure that we are not being slowly poisoned. Consequently, we have to do the research and select the safe products to use ourselves.
In his book "Skin Deep - A guide to chemical free skincare and cleaning products" (2002 Published by Lothian Books) Kevin Farrow looks at commonly used ingredients in haircare, skincare and cleaning products and discusses the long term effects these have on our bodies.
The following quotes on hair care are from Skin Deep:
"Mild Castile liquid soap is actually better for your hair than detergent shampoos because it doesn't eat away the hair, but you need to use an acidic vinegar rinse afterwards to make the hair look shiny. To keep the hair healthy and lubricated, sebaceous glands produce sebum. This makes your hair shiny, but can also cause problems such as greasy hair by overproduction. Very greasy hair usually appears six months to a year before major hair loss, although it is not known whether this is a cause or a symptom.
Detergents in shampoos slowly dissolve your hair, reducing the thickness of individual hairs by 60 to 80 per cent in shoulder-length hair. Consequently, hair is about five times thicker on your scalp than at the ends. This is why your hair loses bounce after a few hours - with just a little bit of sweat, your hair isn't strong enough to hold up. So when your hair looks straggly and thin when you don't wash it every day, it is suffering from the condition of hair called 'weathering', which is purely the damaging effect of your shampoo. Also, the follicles dry up and the outer cuticle cells, which should lie over each other, stick out and act as fishing hooks for other hairs so they catch each other up. It's a self-perpetuating problem. Wash your hair and blow it dry and it will stand up beautifully. But within eight hours it will just go flat again. Hair seems easy to wash and condition when you're young, but if you intend to live past 50 you may want to consider really looking after it.
Castile soap (shampoo)... and vinegar rinse is a much healthier alternative to synthetic detergents and conditioners. There is also anecdotal evidence that premature greyingis caused by suppression of melanocyte function by synthetic detergents. Using a Castile soap-based shampoo has been noted to restore colour to greying hair in some cases. Both my partner and I are currently successful examples of this."
"A lot of products are made by small to medium-sized companies and their quality varies enormously from one to the other. Read the labels! There are companies who do have an ethical centre and will spend more money on ingredients and more time in formulating to make sure you are getting a well-made, environmentally sensible product. Sure, they want to make money, but a lot of them aren't prepared to risk your health in exchange. Support these companies and you'll be looking after yourself. You can identify them very easily by reading their ingredients lists."
~
The Natural Alchemist's Hair Care range is made from only natural ingredients using no detergents, petrochemicals or synthetic preservatives. Flaky scalp can come from a reaction to the chemicals in commercial hair care products.
Give your hair a break! Read the ingredients labels on products and pick ones that don't have synthetic detergents and additives."
