Most people are really unaware of the dangers associated with the use of many cosmetics and shampoos. So here are some facts about shampoo you may be interested in.
First things first, shampoos do not feed, resuscitate, enliven or revive hair. They can’t, for the simple reason that hair is not alive. It is a shaft of dead proteins, notably including a tough fibrous material called keratin that also shows up in fingernails.
So what can shampoos do?
They can clean hair, a task not too difficult. All that is required is removal of the thin layer of oily material known as sebum. Produced by sebaceous glands in the skin, it coats and protects the hair. Unfortunately, sebum also acts as a virtual magnet for dirt and residue from hair treatment products.
Common to most synthetic chemical shampoos is an ingredient called a surfactant, that is the same used in your washing-up liquid, and it has the ability to reduce surface tension of water so that a droplet of water will spread out rather than stay in the raised dome shape, i.e. it makes water wet. Other surfactants are repelled by water, but show great attraction for oily substances. The result is that as the hair is rinsed, the soiled sebum is washed away.
Lathering of a chemical shampoo also is the result of the activity of surfactants. Foam is nothing more than dispersion of a gas, in this case air, in a liquid. There is no clear link between a surfactant’s ability to clean and to produce foam. Indeed, a very effective shampoo that does not lather well can be formulated. But would you buy one?
We are used to linking suds and cleaning as belonging together. So most manufactures incorporate surfactants with strong lathering properties although they may not be ideal in terms of conditioning or irritant potential.
The word shampoo was coined from “shampo,” a Hindi word meaning to massage or knead, and before the advent of synthetic detergents we used soap, and the first shampoos were just solutions of soap prepared from water, soap and soda (sodium carbonate).
Sodium lauryl sulfate is known to most who have looked at the label of their shampoo bottle; it is a rather harsh detergent, meaning that it removes sebum very effectively. Since sebum protects the hair from drying out and conditions its surface, using
SLS alone as a surfactant would lead to dry, fly-away hair.
SLS is found in 90% of all shampoos and toothpastes. It is harmful if inhaled, ingested, left on skin too long, and it poses dangers to the eyes as it can accumulate in the tissues of the eye causing possible cataracts.
SLS is not very soluble in cold water and so cannot be used to make shampoos that look “clear”, so other related compounds such as ammonium lauryl sulfate or triethanolamine lauryl sulfate that are much more soluble are typically used in shampoos for dry or damaged hair. Sodium lauryl and sodium laureth sulfate are some of the ingredients said to aid in causing ailment such as cancer and other degenerative diseases.
But chemical Shampoos contain far more components than surfactants. There are thickeners (xanthan gum), preservatives (parabens), emulsifiers (glycol distearate), color additives and foam boosters (cocamide monoethanolamine).
In some cases, a residue may accumulate, referred to in the trade as “buildup.” This has resulted in introduction of specialty shampoos claiming to eliminate the social horror of limp, sticky and dull hair.
Ideally, a shampoo should smooth down the cuticle and cover it with a clean coating of a sebum-like material. The smoothing effect is readily achieved by the inclusion of other ingredients such as glycerol or propylene glycol, which are related to the active ingredients in antifreeze for radiators. The latter in particular is a highly toxic substances and a cause of a significant number of reactions and a primary irritant to the skin even in low levels of concentrations. Some of its adverse effects include dermatitis, kidney and liver abnormalities and it has been shown to inhibit skin cell growth and damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage to the skin.
Because of the many unhealthy side-effects of the chemical shampoos a number of companies realized that “natural” had a good ring to it and it has become a buzzword used by the companies trying to exploit the niche market of natural products.
’Natural’ implies wholesomeness and environmental friendliness. Yet, major companies anxious to tap into the natural products market are now scrambling to produce “natural” shampoos, hair dyes, and skincare products. These so-called “natural” products are primarily composed of synthetic chemicals mixed with some natural ingredients.
It is very likely that the ingredients list of the “natural” shampoo will contain one of the following three chemical additives, [as do all other regular chemical shampoos], as one of its top three ingredients:
DEA or Diethanolamine, Propylene Glycol,
SLS or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and
SLES or Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
Diethanolamine or
DEA is a common ingredient in shampoos and in bath products.
DEA and any combinations of
DEA, including the widely used Cocamide
DEA has been found to pose a serious health risk to consumers.
The dangers of
DEA were reported on a few years ago on
CBS, in which Dr. Samuel Epstein, M.D. of the University of Illinois and one of the world’s foremost toxicologists, testified about the results of his study in which he found that
DEA is ” a potential carcinogen” and that in even small doses, repeated use of
DEA increases the risk of cancer.
The result is that many shampoos, including so-called “natural” shampoos, sold today, are not good for the body, skin, and hair. Your best chances of protecting yourself today are to educate yourself about the products you use, to keep informed, and especially to
READ LABELS and ingredient lists. Play it safe: use Zest Global truly natural products.
You may now wonder what to do about washing your own and the family’s hair in future. The simple answer is: Use Zest Global’s Natural Botanical Essence Hair Shampoo, completely free of synthetic chemicals and made entirely from plant oils, extracts and essences. It took a long time for us to get the product to our liking, initially producing the lather was a problem, but that too has been solved and we know you’ll be delighted with the result. No more exposure to harsh chemicals and possible carcinogenic and toxic materials, yet squeaky clean hair will be yours.
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