Ingredients to seek — and avoid — in your shampoo
People have started becoming more aware concerning what they eat, what they put on their face, and what they are exposing themselves to, trying hard to diminish their consumption of potentially harmful or dangerous chemicals.
If you are already taking the necessary initiative to reduce your intake of such toxic chemicals, you should also give equal attention to your hair. This brings us to the topic of discussion – the best and the worst ingredients when it comes to a drugstore shampoo.
Let's have a look...
The Best Ingredients in a Drugstore Shampoo
Conditioning Agents like Natural Oils: There are so many organic shampoos that contain conditioning agents such as coconut oil, herbs, and plant oils that can moisturize your scalp. These are an amazing alternative to film-forming agents and silicones that make the hair feel slippery without actually giving them any kind of nourishment.
Thickeners: You have to agree that nobody likes a runny shampoo, which is why even natural shampoos need thickeners. But since the companies have to keep things natural if they want to attract the organic product-loving customers, they have started opting for plant gums instead of the usual foam boosters like cocamide MEA (or DEA), PEGS, and sodium chloride.
Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic that can really improve the condition of your scalp. Especially if you suffer from dandruff, you should opt for shampoos that contain tea tree oil in their formulation.
Detergent Lauryl Glucoside: This ingredient is an alternative to the harmful surfactants, and can effectively cleanse your scalp while being gentle. You can take them to be the organic and more skin-friendly alternatives of SLS and SLES. If you're wondering what these two acronyms are, don't worry, we've covered them later on in the article.
Hydrolyzed Keratin: Hydrolyzed keratin is essentially a filler that can smoothen out your chipped cuticles reducing the problems of split ends. Keratin is a protein that is already found in our hair and skin so, shampoos that contain this ingredient can further help to prevent hair fall and breakage.
The Worst Ingredients in a Drugstore Shampoo
Parabens: Parabens are harmful. Period.
Probably one of the most hated classes of chemicals, parabens are used to prevent the growth of bacteria as it’s a preservative, or to be more precise, xenoestrogen. This gives them the power to disrupt your hormone functioning well also putting you at a greater risk of developing breast cancer. And not only breast cancer, but you can also develop symptoms for other kinds as well.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): Sulfates are a type of detergent that has a binding effect on sebum and water. As a result of this, once you rinse off your shampoo, your natural hair oils are stripped off – something that you would want to avoid. This will increase the frizz as well as brittleness in your hair giving it an unflattering look in the long run.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): One of the biggest disadvantages of using shampoos that contain sodium lauryl sulfate is that this ingredient compromises the well-being of your hair follicles. Moreover, if you have color-treated hair, this toxic ingredient will fade the color while additionally drying it.
It might be useful for hair types that are way too oily, but if you have a sensitive scalp or dry scalp, the result could be disastrous!
Polyethylene Glycols (PEG): Derived from petroleum, PEG is often contaminated by byproducts and is a thickening agent. While there isn’t any solid evidence that highlights the toxicity of this ingredient, it is still considered to be harmful and should be avoided.
Formaldehyde (Quaternium-15): Formaldehyde has already been established as a human carcinogen that is absorbable by our skin. It is traditionally used as a preservative that can become activated when it comes in contact with other preservatives. Essentially, you should skip a drugstore shampoo that contains quaternium-15 for your hair’s well-being.
The Final Takeaway About Finding the Best Shampoo
While we are done with listing the best and worst ingredients for shampoo, it is your duty to keep these in mind the next time we go shampoo shopping. If possible, try to purchase organic shampoos or the best drugstore shampoos that have a gentle formula that doesn't do any damage.
Resources— Modern Salon, Odylique
