Surge, Quaternary Ammonium Salts, and You
by BlackCardinal
___________________________
There's a reason why the instructions on your Surge bottle tell you to wash your hair every day.
Just about every mainstream hair product contains chemicals that can be harmful in some amount, but most are diluted enough that they are considered safe by the "authorities." There is evidence that prolonged use of some of these chemicals can cause health problems later, but, for the most part, people generally suffer no ill-effects from using their normal shampoo or conditioner. And even those that do usually have an allergic reaction to the substances used to create the fragrances, not the active ingredients.
So why are a significant number of LHCF members suffering itching, flaking, and burning, as a result of using Surge? A quick look at the relatively short ingredient list shows fewer than 20 ingredients, all of which are familiar to even a moderate product junkie, as they are all quite common in hair products.
I believe, and this is purely an educated guess, not scientific fact, that it's about the concentrations, not the actual ingredients. In particular, it's the <font color="red"> second ingredient, Cetrimonium Chloride </font> that's causing the problem.
What is Cetrimonium Chloride?
Cetrimonium Chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt--It's not so important what that means exactly, but it is cationic (positive charge) and is often used in hair conditioners. It is KNOWN to cause skin irritation in certain concentrations, as are all quaternary ammonium salts, to different extents. You can LOOK HERE to glimpse a little more about these compounds. There is much more if you do a quick search on-line. Cetrimonium Chloride isn't the strongest in its class, but it's strong enough that I don't think it should be the second ingredient in a leave-in conditioner.
Please see THIS PAGE for technical info about this chemical. In particular, look at the NFPA health rating (see HERE for an explanation of the "2" health rating).
Now, just about every chemical has SOME health risk when in its purest form, so we shouldn't be TOO alarmed. After all, this is a small amount mixed in with other ingredients, mainly water. But it IS the second ingredient, meaning it makes up a somewhat significant amount compared to the ingredients listed after it. There are other ingredients in Surge, such as the parabens, that are known to cause some irritation with prolonged use, but they are closer to the end of the list, and probably don't pose much of a problem (although if the Cetrimonium Chloride is already causing irritation, they may not be improving the matter). Parabens are VERY common in beauty products, by the way, so I'm not as worried about those.
Perhaps the most convincing evidence for me, was this abstract from an article in the International Journal of Toxicology. I don't have access to this journal at my library, but if any of you do, you might, if you have time or feel moved to do so, check out the whole article and see what information you can garner from it. ABSTRACT
I would consider Surge a leave-on product, and considering that the Cetrimonium Chloride is SECOND on the ingredient list, I'm going to take a wild guess and say it probably makes up more than .25% of the final product.
So now what?
Let me be the first to say that I have every intention of using my bottle of Surge. I believe it does deliver on its promises for many people, but that it can have nasty side effects. I would strongly advise everyone, especially those who have been sensitive to chemicals in beauty products before, to please use it as directed and shampoo every day, or at least every time you plan to use it if you aren't using it daily. I don't think it's coincidence that the other Surge hair care products are targeted for itchy, dry scalp and contain things like "soothing aloe" and jojoba. I think they are meant to work synergistically with the revitalizer, and sort of counter-act any irritation caused by it.
I'm not trying to freak anyone out or anything. I know it hasn't scared me off, just made me more cautious about how I'm going to use it. I was just really curious about what was causing the reactions when all the ingredients are fairly commonplace. I truly believe it's about the concentration of the cetrimonium chloride.
Hopefully this was helpful to someone. I know we are really into researching products and being "in the know" about things on the LHCF so I wanted to do my duty. Plus, I think it's fun to dig up info on stuff
by BlackCardinal
___________________________
There's a reason why the instructions on your Surge bottle tell you to wash your hair every day.
Just about every mainstream hair product contains chemicals that can be harmful in some amount, but most are diluted enough that they are considered safe by the "authorities." There is evidence that prolonged use of some of these chemicals can cause health problems later, but, for the most part, people generally suffer no ill-effects from using their normal shampoo or conditioner. And even those that do usually have an allergic reaction to the substances used to create the fragrances, not the active ingredients.
So why are a significant number of LHCF members suffering itching, flaking, and burning, as a result of using Surge? A quick look at the relatively short ingredient list shows fewer than 20 ingredients, all of which are familiar to even a moderate product junkie, as they are all quite common in hair products.
I believe, and this is purely an educated guess, not scientific fact, that it's about the concentrations, not the actual ingredients. In particular, it's the <font color="red"> second ingredient, Cetrimonium Chloride </font> that's causing the problem.
What is Cetrimonium Chloride?
Cetrimonium Chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt--It's not so important what that means exactly, but it is cationic (positive charge) and is often used in hair conditioners. It is KNOWN to cause skin irritation in certain concentrations, as are all quaternary ammonium salts, to different extents. You can LOOK HERE to glimpse a little more about these compounds. There is much more if you do a quick search on-line. Cetrimonium Chloride isn't the strongest in its class, but it's strong enough that I don't think it should be the second ingredient in a leave-in conditioner.
Please see THIS PAGE for technical info about this chemical. In particular, look at the NFPA health rating (see HERE for an explanation of the "2" health rating).
Now, just about every chemical has SOME health risk when in its purest form, so we shouldn't be TOO alarmed. After all, this is a small amount mixed in with other ingredients, mainly water. But it IS the second ingredient, meaning it makes up a somewhat significant amount compared to the ingredients listed after it. There are other ingredients in Surge, such as the parabens, that are known to cause some irritation with prolonged use, but they are closer to the end of the list, and probably don't pose much of a problem (although if the Cetrimonium Chloride is already causing irritation, they may not be improving the matter). Parabens are VERY common in beauty products, by the way, so I'm not as worried about those.
Perhaps the most convincing evidence for me, was this abstract from an article in the International Journal of Toxicology. I don't have access to this journal at my library, but if any of you do, you might, if you have time or feel moved to do so, check out the whole article and see what information you can garner from it. ABSTRACT
I would consider Surge a leave-on product, and considering that the Cetrimonium Chloride is SECOND on the ingredient list, I'm going to take a wild guess and say it probably makes up more than .25% of the final product.
So now what?
Let me be the first to say that I have every intention of using my bottle of Surge. I believe it does deliver on its promises for many people, but that it can have nasty side effects. I would strongly advise everyone, especially those who have been sensitive to chemicals in beauty products before, to please use it as directed and shampoo every day, or at least every time you plan to use it if you aren't using it daily. I don't think it's coincidence that the other Surge hair care products are targeted for itchy, dry scalp and contain things like "soothing aloe" and jojoba. I think they are meant to work synergistically with the revitalizer, and sort of counter-act any irritation caused by it.
I'm not trying to freak anyone out or anything. I know it hasn't scared me off, just made me more cautious about how I'm going to use it. I was just really curious about what was causing the reactions when all the ingredients are fairly commonplace. I truly believe it's about the concentration of the cetrimonium chloride.
Hopefully this was helpful to someone. I know we are really into researching products and being "in the know" about things on the LHCF so I wanted to do my duty. Plus, I think it's fun to dig up info on stuff
