Hair Care Ingredients to Avoid

Hair Care Ingredients to Avoid

The majority of us are accustomed to checking the labels on our food and skin care regime before we buy it, but what about our hair products? Do you really know what you put on your hair every day?

When it comes to harmful hair product ingredients, there are a couple of things that you really need to focus on:

• Parabens
• Sulfates
• Silicones
• Alcohols

Parabens mimic the structure of estrogen, so your body allows it to penetrate into the body and the body accepts it, negatively affecting hormones in the body. Parabens have been linked to major health issues. People don’t realize that what we put on our skin and scalp can leach into our body, so it’s vitally important that we pay attention to these things. Parabens are a waxy preservative, so it keeps bacteria out of the shampoo, giving it a longer shelf life. Parabens are a cheap and strong preservative, which is why they are often found in popular hair products at convenience and grocery stores. But there are healthy alternatives to parabens.

Sulfates are aggressive cleansers found in many popular shampoos. There are expensive detergents and non-expensive detergents. Sulfates are non-expensive detergents. They make your hair lather with sudsy bubbles, bringing your ultra cinematic shampooing fantasies to life. In reality, the aggressive nature of sulfates creates friction on the hair, resulting in flyaways, frizz and color stripping. This dries out and breaks down hair over time, leaving it weak and lifeless, unable to hold color.

Silicones are found in conditioners and styling products. Silicones are very heavy and very hard to remove from hair, causing build up--hence the need for the harsh sulfates. Silicones also block moisture from getting into the hair, further increasing dryness and weakness.

Alcohols are generally found in gels and hairspray. Most short-chained alcohols can be bad, especially for curly hair, but the alcohols found in high quality products are safe for hair and scalp. Short-chain alcohols that you will find in hair care products are ethanol, denatured alcohol, propanol, propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and SD alcohol. These alcohols have very few carbon atoms in their backbones, which means they are liquids that can act as solvents and they can dissolve the natural protective oils in your skin and hair (NaturallyCurly.com).

Due to the intensive nature of these cheap yet harmful ingredients, many popular hair care products do well to create the illusion of healthy hair at the expense of your wellbeing, and the wellbeing of our planet. House of Dear hair products wield the power of botanicals and natural ingredients, a timeless and relaxing fragrance produced by 100% natural oils. Formulated in a Leaping Bunny Certified Cruelty Free process, House of Dear hair products resurrect and restore damaged hair of all types.

House of Dear is here to get you on the road to healthy hair. Find your perfect healthy hair cocktail by taking the House of Dear Hair Quiz.