any suggestions on shampoos/conditioners?

Hello. I have been reading a lot of post that claim that pantene may not be all that great for your hair. I have been using it for year, and it has worked fine for me, but I think I would like to try a few new products and see if maybe i like them more. I have very long and straight hair that is a little thick. Any suggestions as to some shampoos and conditioners that the rest of you with my type of hair have used and like? I'm ready to start sampling. Thank you!

Jessica

Hi. Sorry. My hair is fairly healthy, but does at times tend to get a little dry on the ends. Hope that helps. Thanks!

Thank you so much! Your information was very helpful. I'll have to go and do some shopping around now and check out some labels. Thanks again!

Hi Kintaro,

Great topic--one of my favorites (I'm a chemistry geek outside of my day job.) I'll try to hit upon some common ingredients.

First, cetyl alcohol has nothing to do with whale sperm, although that's a really funny (and simutaneously revolting) thought. The web site that posted that is either in serious error or is playing joke on its visitors. Cetyl alcohol, along with cetearyl and stearyl alcohol, is a great emollient for dry hair and is derived from fatty coconut acids. It can also be synthetically produced but never from anything remotely related to whales. These three ingredients are NOT denatured alcohols like the ones found in hairsprays. Those can be somewhat drying with repeated use, but emollient alcohols are very good for your hair. In fact, you'll find one of these three ingredients second on the ingredient list of 90 percent of salon and drugstore brand conditioners.

Secondly, diethanolamine (DEA) has come under fire for its alleged link to cancer. There is no real evidence that cocamide DEA and other such compounds can negatively affect human health, but if it concerns you, avoid using products that list this high on the ingredient list.

If you are prone to dry hair, avoid harsh cleansers such as sodium lauryl sulfate, alkyl sodium sulfate, TEA-lauryl sulfate and sodium olefin sulfate. Ammonium xylenolsulfate is another ingredient to avoid because it swells the hair shaft—great for creating temporary volume—but damaging in the long run. None of these products have been shown to be detrimental to your health, regardless of what various (usually commercial or uninformed) Internet sources say.

Whew, my fingers are getting tired. I hope that answers some of your questions Kintaro. If this is all new to you, I strongly recommend checking out Paula Begoun’s line of cosmetic/hair books. She’s a consumer advocate reporter who discusses in great detail hundreds of ingredients. Another good source is Ruth Winter’s Cosmetic Dictionary. Good luck—and if you have other specific ingredient questions feel free to ask! :-)

Hi Laine,

I recommend any gentle shampoo that won't cause buildup since your roots are oily. What I've read indicates that choosing a shampoo based on your scalp type and a conditioner for your hair type is the best way to go. Loreal ColorVive regular shampoo is a good one that won't cause buildup or strip moisture (it makes no difference that it's for "color-treated hair.") Another good product is Neutrogena Anti-Residue shampoo. I would stay away from any shampoos with silicones or similar conditioning agents, as you don't need them on your scalp. But keep using a conditioner on the length of your hair if you're prone to dryness. Panthenol is one good ingredient for adding fullness, as it coats the hair shaft and therefore increases the diameter of each individual strand. Aussie Hair Insurance definately added volume to my hair (that's why I stopped using it...my hair gets huge on its own.) Good luck!

Hi again Kintaro,

A good site with an extensive ingredient list (that looks accurate from the research I've read):

http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/4266/gloss.html

The three books I've read by respected authors contain information that mirrors what is on the link above. I only gave a brief overview of questionable ingredients in my previous post because outlining the thousands of additives available isn't feasible on a message board.

The vegan website you pointed to doesn't impress me, as it looks like someone with a bit of HTML programming experience put together a list of erroneous tidbits. Cetyl alcohol is not a wax, as that site claims. However, if you are vegan the site does list ingredients to avoid. I strongly recommend reading Paula Begoun's book as well as Ruth Winter's. You will learn a lot about ingredients.

Hi Lyris,

I'm a begining chem geek. Your studies are fascinating. I found in my own studies that Colorvive was very high in the waxing ingredient that is also found in Pantene. However, I do not know what the name of the ingrdient is that causes that.

My Studies were done by examining repeatly shampooed hair samples under a microscope. The waxy substance showed up on colorvive. It looks like clear little beads stuck on the cuticle.

In my own experience, when a client uses these shampoos in weighs it down, takes away the shine and it takes a very long time to blowdry. We use white vinegar on the hair for five minutes while massaging it to remove this build up.

I'd love to hear more from you on this.

I really like Salon Selective's drenched conditioner. I use the purple one that is for coarse hair. This stuff smells great, it's thick and creamy, and I like to use it for conditioner washes.

Is it the dimethicone (sp)?

My guess would be no, although some people dislike silicone derivatives. They are found in about 90 percent of all the shampoos and conditioners out there, and while they certainly won't hurt hair, they can look a little greasy if used in excess. Personally I have great luck with such additives, as my hair is dry and needs an extra shine bosst.