Conventional shampoos promise you shine, softness and volume. But do they tell you that you are exposing your hair and your body to harmful chemicals?
I was using conventional shampoo since a long time. But since Rodrigo was using organic ones, I decided to take a look at it and try.
The truth about shampoos:
After some research, I discovered that shampoos can contain different types of surfactants. Some take care of your hair some don’t:
- cationic are the most irritant for your skin.
- anionic, mostly sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate clean hair deeply but also produce a lot of foam. Besides being pollutants they are irritating and corrosive.
- amphoterics are obtained from renewable raw materials like starch, glucose and saccharose and are very gentle cleaners.
In general, classic shampoos contain catonic and anionic surfactants. They irritate, disrupt your oil glands and harm your scalp thus making you scratch yourself. This leads to hair loss. They also have bad consequences on your body since chemicals are absorbed by the skin pores.
That’s why more and more people are switching for natural shampoos. And you should do the same. Here is why:
Organic shampoos contain natural ingredients such as extracts from plants and herbs, oils, nutrients, even fruits and vegetables. Those ingredients stimulate follicles’ hair helping them to grow faster. If you have frequent headaches, you will realize that using an organic shampoo will free you. Trust me I experienced it! You can also say goodbye to irritation and allergies. And since they are free of chemicals, you will protect the environment.
How to choose your organic shampoo ?
Be careful because some natural shampoos are not completely organic. Indeed, the good surfactants are the most expensive. That’s why some brands, marketed as organic, they are not. First, make sure that your shampoo does not contain more than 8 or 9 ingredients. Second, read carefully the ingredients and avoid the following ingredients:
- sodium lauryl sulfates
- myreth sulfate
- ammonium lauryl sulfate
- propylene glycol
- deritatives of lauryl alcohol
- olefin sulfonate
- siloxanes
Search for the following ingredients (basically when it contains the word coco, it’s better):
- cocoglucoside: a very soft surfactant derived from coconut oil and glucose.
- sodium cocoyl glutamate: another soft surfactant derived from coconut oil and glutamic acid.
- decyl glucoside: surfactant derived from coconut that cleans the skin without damaging it.
Adjusting period:
Yes, your hair will need to adapt to the new ingredients. At the beginning they will be oily quicker. But give it time so that your scalp can adjust. Try not to wash them every day. You will see after a week or so that you will actually need to wash them less often.Also, don’t expect the same level of foam. Actually the more foam it produces, the more chemicals there are. It can be surprising, but they are as efficient as classic shampoos (or even more). And at the end you will spend less time to rinse them, which is better for you and the Earth. You will also have the sensation that your hair is really dry (that was my main problem at the beginning) but it will become softer with time. Avoid scalding water and put cold water at the end of your shower. Your hair will say thank you and shine for you.
Sincerely, I have no plans of going back to classic shampoos.
So save your hair, your body and also the Earth by using organic shampoo. You won’t regret it.
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