ingredients

well.. off the top of my head... shampoo ingredients you should avoid like crazy: ammonium lauryl sulfate. and sodium lauryl sulfate. Instead, look for sodium laureth sulfate which is more gentle (can be found in Paul Mitchell, Finesse, others)

Most shampoos and conditioners have only one or two main "workers" while the rest of the ingredients are preservatives and other filler ingredients. Thickeners, emollients, antimicrobials, water softeners, etc.

--Don't be intimidated by the chemicals. It's the natural stuff that is questionable (a result through many chemical experiments for these products)
DMDM Hydantoin is a popular antimicrobial, Disodium EDTA is a popular sequestering agent (water softener), any salts like NaCl/KCl are thickening agents, glycerin and sorbitol are popular humectants (moisturizers).
--Anything that starts with "Methyl" and ends with "inone" is a preservative and is okay.
--don't be intimidated by alcohols (ending in "ol")because not all alcohols are drying. In fact, glycerol is a moisturizing agent.
--Conditioners with dimethiconol are okay... it doesn't build up (or builds up less) so you have to clarify less often.

Basically, if it has a chemical name, it serves some useful purpose. the natural stuff and extracts don't necessarily do anything. Personally I haven't heard of an effective extract, since the good herbal treatments are ones you make fresh and natural.

Hope this helps you

Anais