Do you know the constituent ingredients of your shampoo? It is very much likely that you don’t. Many individuals doesn’t know what or why they have to search for components like sulfates and parabens. It might look like a difficult task, however it is essential to at least check the constituents’ components of your hair care products.
While we are always conscious of looking out for captions like “moisturizing” or “oil-free” on the bottles of our hair conditioners, having a good knowledge of the presence or absence of these ingredients can have a significant impact on the state of your hair.
So what exactly are Parabens and sulfates? Permit us to enlighten you.
WHAT ARE PARABENS?
Parabens were originally introduced into the beauty care scene back in the 1950s. They served as preservative to elongate the shelf life of beauty care products by inhibiting the growth of mold and bacteria from within their containers.
Sounds awesome right? But then why are different cosmetic makers like BeautiMark producing Paraben –free shampoos? Although the usage of preservatives is very much demanded by suppliers, there is a danger associated with it. Let’s examine the advantages and downsides of parabens to understand why some cosmetics companies are taking the decision to remove this ingredient from their products.
Benefits: Parabens preserves the shelf life of products for months and even years. They have no adverse effect on the general quality or potency of the product. It is a very economical method of preservation, and this explains why a lot of companies prefers to use it instead of an organic preservative.
Downside: Parabens can get through to the skin and infiltrate the body. It has been discovered in human bodies and also in sea animals (probably resulting from sewer cast-off). Though it hasn’t been established to be dangerous in minute quantities, the fact remains that its accidental penetration of the body has been a source of concern to dermatologists and cosmetics producers.
Certainly, with considering the intense warning against the use of parabens, many skincare and cosmetics producers won’t put that specific name on their label. Instead, carefully search for the following names in your hair care ingredients:
- Propylparaben
- Methylparaben
- Butylparaben
WHAT EXACTLY ARE SULFATES?
You have probably heard the words “sulfate-free” prior to this time because they are now clearly and boldly written on some shampoo and conditioner containers. Nevertheless, sulfates were ground-breaking discovery way back in the 1930s when this strong detergent was introduced into the haircare products. Sulfate is the material that produces that bubbly lather in our soaps, which we have known to be good cleaning agents.
But with time, we have come to learn about the harmful effects of sulfates on our health.
Benefits: They are quite affordable, powerful and easily accessible, it works in one end by attracting grease and dirt and on the other end by dissolving the grease and using water to wash them away.
Downside: It is too strong, the constituent molecules are very powerful such that they are used as grease removers and cleansers for heavy construction machinery. It basically remove all the natural and protective oil coverings needed by the hair. Sulfates are the major causes of follicle stress, dry scalps, and even flyaways.
If you really want to use a hair care products that is Sulfate-free ensure that the following names is are not on your hair-care container:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS),
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES),
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate,
- Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate,
- Sodium Lauroyl Taurate
- Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
- Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
- Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate