If you can read and understand what all the ingredients are in your shampoo and conditioner bottles, congratulations! You are one of a very small percentage of people who can do this. For the rest of us, it seems that we have blind faith that the manufacturers know what they are doing. But what are they really? Below is an overview of some of the more common ingredients you’ll see on these labels.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate:

This substance is derived from coconut alcohols. It is a surfactant which is anything that allows oil to mix with water that has a slight negative charge. It reduces the surface tension between it and water and is used in shampoos for normal to oily and oily hair. Other surfactants are; ammonium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, potassium hydrolyzed coconut collagen, and disodium laureth sulfosuccinate.

Isopropyl alcohol:

This substance is derived from petroleum and is a drying agent. Isopropyl alcohol should not be left on the scalp for too long as it can start to peel off the top layer of skin. This can leave the scalp susceptible to infection.

Propylene Glycol Distearate:

This is crystallized stearic acid and ethylene glycol which gives your shampoo that pearlescent look and feel. It is a common thickening agent in hair dyes and shampoos and has moisturizing effects on the hair and scalp.

Disodium EDTA:

This is a substance that is a chelating agent that gives shampoo products a stable look and feel. This product, as with some of the others, should not be left on the scalp for too long as it has the ability to penetrate deep into the skin allowing more chemicals to potentially reach the bloodstream.

Cetearyl alcohol:

Ceterayl or cetyl alcohol is made from coconut oil and is used as an emulsifier. This is what makes your hair feel like velvet. Where glycol distearate makes shampoo look creamy and pearly, cetearyl alcohol makes hair feel silky smooth.

The good:

These ingredients do several things. They act as a detergent to clean dirt, oil, and residue from the hair, they also provide conditioning for the hair, and it is the foaming agent that makes us feel like we are actually cleaning the hair and scalp. They can make your hair feel velvety soft, absorb oils, or make dry hair feel damp.

The bad:

These are all chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin and hair. Many of the chemicals in shampoo products are petroleum or alcohol based, some of which are the same products used to make antifreeze or garage floor cleaners, to name a few.

The ugly one:

There may be health risks associated with all of the above chemicals. All have the potential to be absorbed through the scalp and into the bloodstream, where they can be deposited in major organs such as the brain, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver, where they can remain for quite some time and cause damage. Special care should be taken that children of all ages avoid getting these chemicals in their eyes, as they can potentially cause permanent damage. Skin irritation or allergic reactions may occur with prolonged use, and in some cases (such as with disodium EDTA), may have carcinogenic effects in the body.

More people are becoming health conscious about processed foods and avoiding them, but what about all these chemicals? They are also processed, and while they can all come from nature, processing changes the chemical structure to the point where the body doesn’t recognize what it is.

If you decide to use these ingredients, all I can suggest is that you shampoo and rinse quickly to prevent absorption as much as possible. Better yet, find chemical-free cleansing shampoos and conditioners and avoid potential contamination altogether!