I was shocked when I discovered that the dangerous chemicals in shampoos were found not only in your every day cheap shampoos but also in luxury salon shampoos, shampoos claiming to be natural or organic and even baby shampoos. In fact, some of my research led to me to a shocking discovery about a very popular brand of baby shampoo. This shampoo contained three carcinogenic ingredients namely dioxane, formaldehyde and nitrosamine.
It’s terribly complicated with many scientific explanations which I will not be going into but the bottom line is that these ingredients are extremely dangerous. Scientific info on all of the ingredients listed on your shampoo bottles can be easily obtained on the internet. Here is a list of some of the dangerous ingredients to look out for:
• Quaternium-15
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidazolidinyl urea
• Diazolidinyl urea
• PEG-100 stearate
• Sodium laureth sulfate
• Sodium myreth sulfate
• Polyethylene
• Ceteareth-20
• Propylene Glycol
• Methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben, isobutyl paraben or E216
The 2007 EWG study also determined that:
• 82 percent of children are exposed every week to one or more ingredients with the potential to harm the brain and nervous system.
• 69 percent of children are exposed every week to one or more ingredients that may disrupt the hormone system.
• 3.6 percent of children are exposed to ingredients with strong data linking them to cancer, including chemicals classified as known or probable human carcinogens.
• 80 percent of children's products marked as gentle and non-irritating contain ingredients linked to allergies and skin or eye irritation according to government and industry sources.
The bottom line however, is that if you are not sure what the ingredients on the shampoo bottle label mean then perhaps stay away from it. If you can't pronounce it, you probably don't want to put it on your body anyway. Each country will offer different ingredients in their shampoos as each country has different regulations. The following table shows the health concerns based on commonly used shampoo.
Nature’s Way Alternatives
Shampoo does not have to lather and does not need to be complicated. More often than not we suffer from dry hair, itchy scalp, oil hair or other common problems as a result of all the shampoo we use. Your body produces oil to keep your hair naturally healthy. Using shampoo upsets this natural balance and could cause you to produce more oil than is necessary. Shampoo also irritates your scalp and hair which could cause it to dry out.
The simplest ‘shampoo’ is one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda mixed with two tablespoons of water. It works by opening up the scales of the hair shaft then combining with our natural oils to clean our hair. At first it might feel strange as there is no lather and you really need to work it through your hair well while being gentle on your scalp. Allow two to four weeks for your hair to adjust. Your hair may become dry, frizzy or oily as it adjusts but eventually everything will level out and you will reap the benefits and have fantastic hair.
Results:
• No harmful chemicals
• Clean hair
• Balanced natural oils
• Save money
Cautions:
• Bicarbonate of soda might strip the colour from some coloured hair.
• Bicarbonate of soda is known to have a slight lightening effect on some hair types.
• Bicarbonate of soda can dry your hair if used too often – not recommended for daily use.
I have been using bicarbonate of soda to wash my hair once or twice a week for six months and will never go back to using shampoo. I also use this method on my children, aged three and sex years old, and have not only found their hair to be shinier and healthier but have also noticed that their eczema has totally cleared up.
NATURE’S WAY SHAMPOO
Ingredients:
Bicarbonate of soda
Method:
Mix one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda with two tablespoons of water. Work the paste through your hair and rinse thoroughly.
More shampoo recipes:
There are many recipes available for more complex homemade shampoos using natural ingredients, here are some:
Olive Oil and Grapeseed Shampoo
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap (olive oil soap)
• 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Mix ingredients together, wash and rinse well.
Honey and Mustard Shampoo
• 1 teaspoon probiotic yogurt
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Dilute 1 teaspoon of mustard powder with yogurt and then add honey and grapeseed oil. Apply the mixture on your hair and massage into your scalp then rinse. For extra conditioning leave in for 20 minutes and then rinse very well with water.
To get rid of excess oils you might like to do a mild bicarbonate of soda wash afterwards.
Now it's your turn.
If you have any shampoo recipes that work well, please share them with us. Find out more about Nature's Way here.
It’s terribly complicated with many scientific explanations which I will not be going into but the bottom line is that these ingredients are extremely dangerous. Scientific info on all of the ingredients listed on your shampoo bottles can be easily obtained on the internet. Here is a list of some of the dangerous ingredients to look out for:
• Quaternium-15
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidazolidinyl urea
• Diazolidinyl urea
• PEG-100 stearate
• Sodium laureth sulfate
• Sodium myreth sulfate
• Polyethylene
• Ceteareth-20
• Propylene Glycol
• Methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben, isobutyl paraben or E216
The 2007 EWG study also determined that:
• 82 percent of children are exposed every week to one or more ingredients with the potential to harm the brain and nervous system.
• 69 percent of children are exposed every week to one or more ingredients that may disrupt the hormone system.
• 3.6 percent of children are exposed to ingredients with strong data linking them to cancer, including chemicals classified as known or probable human carcinogens.
• 80 percent of children's products marked as gentle and non-irritating contain ingredients linked to allergies and skin or eye irritation according to government and industry sources.
The bottom line however, is that if you are not sure what the ingredients on the shampoo bottle label mean then perhaps stay away from it. If you can't pronounce it, you probably don't want to put it on your body anyway. Each country will offer different ingredients in their shampoos as each country has different regulations. The following table shows the health concerns based on commonly used shampoo.
Nature’s Way Alternatives
Shampoo does not have to lather and does not need to be complicated. More often than not we suffer from dry hair, itchy scalp, oil hair or other common problems as a result of all the shampoo we use. Your body produces oil to keep your hair naturally healthy. Using shampoo upsets this natural balance and could cause you to produce more oil than is necessary. Shampoo also irritates your scalp and hair which could cause it to dry out.
The simplest ‘shampoo’ is one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda mixed with two tablespoons of water. It works by opening up the scales of the hair shaft then combining with our natural oils to clean our hair. At first it might feel strange as there is no lather and you really need to work it through your hair well while being gentle on your scalp. Allow two to four weeks for your hair to adjust. Your hair may become dry, frizzy or oily as it adjusts but eventually everything will level out and you will reap the benefits and have fantastic hair.
Results:
• No harmful chemicals
• Clean hair
• Balanced natural oils
• Save money
Cautions:
• Bicarbonate of soda might strip the colour from some coloured hair.
• Bicarbonate of soda is known to have a slight lightening effect on some hair types.
• Bicarbonate of soda can dry your hair if used too often – not recommended for daily use.
I have been using bicarbonate of soda to wash my hair once or twice a week for six months and will never go back to using shampoo. I also use this method on my children, aged three and sex years old, and have not only found their hair to be shinier and healthier but have also noticed that their eczema has totally cleared up.
NATURE’S WAY SHAMPOO
Ingredients:
Bicarbonate of soda
Method:
Mix one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda with two tablespoons of water. Work the paste through your hair and rinse thoroughly.
More shampoo recipes:
There are many recipes available for more complex homemade shampoos using natural ingredients, here are some:
Olive Oil and Grapeseed Shampoo
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap (olive oil soap)
• 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Mix ingredients together, wash and rinse well.
Honey and Mustard Shampoo
• 1 teaspoon probiotic yogurt
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Dilute 1 teaspoon of mustard powder with yogurt and then add honey and grapeseed oil. Apply the mixture on your hair and massage into your scalp then rinse. For extra conditioning leave in for 20 minutes and then rinse very well with water.
To get rid of excess oils you might like to do a mild bicarbonate of soda wash afterwards.
Now it's your turn.
If you have any shampoo recipes that work well, please share them with us. Find out more about Nature's Way here.
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