shampoo ingredients

Can everyone tell me all the shampoo ingredients that you MUST stay away from? Especially if you hair is long.

thanks.......

If you have a place where you can get natural foods, soaps, etc. they might have some shampoos with natural ingredients. These would be the best on your hair. Check out this site sometime too...It`s for people with long hair and those that are growing it long. http://www.angelfire.com/empire/long_hair_community/home.html

Hi Sweetpea. I know you`re trying to help, but something you should know about the list you got. When I first started my research a year ago I ran across that same site. Unfortunately, there are some definite errors on Mastey`s part, and the reason is clear: Mastey makes products without these ingredients. So obviously they would want the "chemical sounding" additives to sound harsh and dangerous so people will buy their products. When a biased source gives out scientific-appearing information, the result is many mislead consumers. Interestingly enough, Mastey.com does not list any of the ingredients in their products. So how on earth is a consumer to know their products are genuinely better? If you know how to read ingredient lists, that`s the first thing to look for when determining effectiveness--yet there are none to be found.

I highly suggest the book Don`t Go Shopping for Haircare Products Without Me, which is an eye-opening resource with the straight, research-proven facts on hair care. There you will find that sodium lauryl sulfate is indeed harsh, but sodium laureth sulfate is not. Collagen, various proteins from any sournce, glycerin and propylene glycol are also very good conditioning agents--contrary to what Mastey says. The truth is, although natural sounds better, that doesn`t necessarily mean non-synthetic ingredients are better for your hair. Aloe has no effect on hair, yet cyclomethicone will make it shiny and soft. Vitamins do nothing for dead hair cells (which is all hair is) yet the chemical sounding quaternium-18 will smooth the hair strands and make it easier to comb. People confuse "non-natural" with dangerous. And the truth is, some of the most "natural" things in this world can really hurt you. There are poisonous mushrooms, dangerous herbal supplements such as kava kava and naturally occuring gases that would kill you with one breath. Just because something is synthetic doesn`t make it worse than natural ingredients. Think about all the "unnatural" things from which we`ve benefitted: sunscreen, flame-resistant clothing, fortified foods, etc.

So my advice: always remember to consider the source. Hope this helps! :-)

Hi Brandi! Some answers:

1. Cocamidopropyl betaine is a very mild cleanser used in shampoos for its conditioning properties. It is taken from coconut fatty acids, as it most things starting with "coca." This cleanser is typically used in conjunction with a somewhat stronger one such as sodium laureth sulfate because it is so gentle.

2. Cocamide DEA builds lather and thickens shampoo, also from coconut. What many people don`t realize is that the amount of lather a shampoo produces is totally unrelated to its cleaning abilities. This agent builds lather simply because consumers want foam to make it feel like they`re getting their hair clean, but in reality it is the cleansers listed in #1 that will clean your hair, not the lather-builder.

3. Sodium chloride is table salt. It thickens products.

4. Propylene glycol is, believe it or not, anti-freeze. However, research has shown it to be safe and an effective hair conditioner. It is a slip agent, meaning it makes hair easy to detangle and comb.

5. Triticum Vulgare is wheat derivative designed to moisturize hair.

7. Glycol distearate makes shampoo perlescent.

8. Polyquaternium-80 is a conditioning agent that smoothes the hair cuticle.

9. Methyldibromo glutaronitrile sometimes causes allergic reactions, though not in everyone. It is an antimicrobial agent.

10. phenoxyethanol is an anti-fungicidal ingredient.

Hope that helps!

I`m sorry to hear that. People have reactions to all sorts of things, both natural and non-chemical, and that doesn`t automatically make something dangerous or harmful to most. Lemongrass is a commonly used "natural" ingredient and it can give people fits. Sorry to hear some of the standard stuff didn`t work for you. Just trying to share what I know so please don`t take offense :-)

btw it`s Lyris. Thanks!

Hi Sheryl! I agree that some of Ms. Begoun`s product reviews are inconsistent, for sure. The truly valuable part of the book is where she talks about hair science and the way chemicals/ingredients work upon it. Her research is thoroughly consistent with the other works I have read (FDA reports, Ruther Winter`s Consumer`s Dictionary to Cosmetic Ingredients, etc.) So if you really want to learn about haircare in general, the first few chapters in Ms. Begoun`s book are right on the money. The rest is somewhat contradictory.

Hello Greta,

Silicone derivatives will absolutely NOT harm your hair. This myth is as false as the one about conditioner that can "repair" your hair (impossible; hair is dead as a doornail and without cellular regeneration it can`t become "healthy" again.) The reason some people shun silicones is because they can build up on hair over time, possibly weighing fine hair down. However, it is a simple matter to deep cleanse and there is no long term harm. (I take this information from A Consumer`s Guide to Cosmetic Ingredients, Ruth Winter, 1994.

Silicones work by coating the hair shaft, thus imparting a smooth, shiny appearance. These ingredients ending in "cone" are prevalent in shampoos and conditioners from Salon Selections to Redken and Biolage. Dimethicone is an especially good conditioner as it resists water pressure when you rinse, clinging to the hair shaft. If all conditioning agents simply washed away in the shower, there would be NO benefit whatsoever for dry hair, since they must stick to the cuticles in order to improve hair`s appearance.

So, although silicones will certainly not harm your hair, some people don`t like the builup they can cause. It really is a matter of personal choice and you can find conditioners both with and without silicones in the salon and grocery store. If you do like them, silicones can make dry hair silky and shiny. It sounds like you`ve been having luck with your glossers, so by all means keep using them if they work for you! Hope this helps.

God Bless America.