To keep our hair healthier without drenching it in chemicals and without leaving a huge impact on our environment, many of us choose to substitute organic shampoo for the more conventional brands. That is because organic shampoos contain as little of the harsh chemicals that make up conventional shampoo brands as possible.
In addition, organic shampoo is supposed to be sustainable. It means that the materials and processes used in manufacturing organic shampoo do not harm the environment, and it will not harm the environment or us when we use it or wash it down the drain.
The problem here is that with the growing demand for organic shampoo and other organic products in the marketplace today, the big manufacturers that are responsible for giving us conventional shampoo have also begun to release the so-called organic versions of their product. But are these so-called organic shampoos truly organic? The easiest way to know is to check the list of ingredients on the shampoo’s label.
Organic shampoos are not supposed to have petrochemicals in them. Petrochemicals are substances derived from petroleum that may be toxic to the body, enough to cause cancer and other diseases.
Some of the chemicals that have no business being in a bottle of an organic shampoo are listed below.
1. Sodium laureth sulfate. Sodium laureth sulfate is the second largest ingredient used in shampoos. While it is supposed to help create suds in shampoo, it is also a synthetic detergent that causes skin and eye irritation, not to mention damage the hair follicle.
2. Cocamide DEA. Cocamide DEA, along with PEG, MEA and MIPA, is an alkyloamide, a group of synthetic fatty acids. It is meant to act as emulsifiers and foam boosters in shampoo, but it can also cause skin irritation at the least and cancer at the worst.
3. Cocamidopropyl betaine. Some shampoos would have cocamidopropyl betaine instead of cocamide DEA in their list of ingredients. That is because cocamidopropyl betaine, a synthetic chemical derived from coconuts, is meant to be gentler to the skin and eyes. However, research has shown that even cocamidopropyl betaine may also be toxic and cause allergic reactions.
4. Phthalates. Phthalates are chemical agents in shampoo whose role is to make shampoo more viscous and make it smell good. It can, however, disrupt the production of hormones in the body, damage a woman’s reproductive system, cause obesity, and lead to birth defects in babies.
These are just some of the chemicals that really should not be in the gunk that we put on our hair every time we wash it. They especially should not be included in the list of ingredients of any organic shampoo. We will only be wasting our efforts to go organic and live healthier lifestyles if we do not read the labels on our shampoo closely enough.
So, before you buy a bottle of organic shampoo, make sure that you read the list of ingredients on the label first. If the label does not tell you much, then you should go online and research the brand. Always make sure that your organic shampoo is really organic and not a synthetic shampoo masquerading as one.