What are Plastic Resins, Waxes, and Silicones Doing in my Shampoos and Conditioners?
Beautiful, luxurious, and hydrated hair full of volume and shine. That is what the commercials tell you. Oh, let’s throw in that gorgeous celebrity with hair to die for. As if we really believe they are using the products they’re endorsing… Yeah right!
What you need to know is that these very products are loaded with chemicals like resins, plastics, waxes and silicones that are derived from petroleum by-products that are formulated to cosmetically coat your hair shaft. All it’s really doing, however, is laying on the surface to create that beautiful, luxurious, and hydrated hair fair full of volume and shine.
What’s worse is that over time, these very ingredients build up on your hair shaft making it dull, lifeless, frizzy, and unmanageable. Ah, the reason you tend to switch shampoos. We call it rotating the 10/40 weight!
These same ingredients are also found in styling products and even in the hot new hair oils and serums that are claiming to be all natural. For example, many serums that claim to be loaded with argon oil contain less than .05% of the oil ingredient they are glamorizing! You have to wonder why these companies do not list all the ingredients on their web-sites.
Ingredient Alert! Avoid hair products with these ingredients.
Be on the lookout for the any hair care product or cosmetic with these ingredients:
- Dimethacon
- Cyclomethicone
- Acrylates
- Copolymers
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Paraffin Waxes
All the above ingredients tend to be used in high percentages to enhance performance.
Warning: these ingredients can be found in products that claim to be completely natural and organic.
Wonderful alternatives are ingredients from plant extracts such as Shea, eucalyptus, and aloe. These ingredients add hydration, moisture, and volume without coating your hair, making it lifeless.
Honey and bee’s wax, which come from bee farms that operate with high ethical and sustainable standards, add shine & volume and act as a natural resin. Seed oils also play a key role in adding hydration, moisture, and shine without weighting down your hair. These include Tamanu, baobab, and avocado seed oils.
Look past the marketing claims, beautiful pictures, and celebrity endorsements. Instead, read the ingredients panel on the back of the product you are looking to purchase. Keep yourself informed by supporting the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and using the Think Dirty app. It’s just that simple, and you’ll be making healthy choices for you, and your family, too!
