The 11 most toxic ingredients to avoid in hair care products
When it comes to choosing the right hair care products, there’s a lot to consider. How well will it work? Is it right for my hair type? How does it smell? But the question we all need to be asking is “Does this product contain toxic ingredients?” Every. Single. Time.
Many of the ingredients that can make our hair products smell good, last a long time on the shelf, foam easily, and create shine contain known irritants, carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors, which are chemicals that interfere with the body’s endocrine system and can lead to adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects. These are even more critical to avoid for children, pregnant and nursing women, or women (and men) trying to conceive.
While the EU bans over 1000 toxic chemicals in cosmetics, the US limits only 11. The cosmetics industry is not doing enough to self-regulate against chemicals that can do serious harm, and in addition, allows companies to use terms like “natural” and “safe” and “free of __” to greenwash consumers into ignoring their ingredients. So we have to do the work to protect ourselves.
But what’s worse is that many chemicals are not even listed in the ingredients. In a recent Environmental Research study of 18 hair products, 84 percent of the chemicals detected were not listed in the ingredients! And with products lining the shampoo aisle claiming to be “natural” and “free” it seems we’ve been duped.
While the wide world of identifying and understanding these chemicals can be overwhelming, I’ve pulled together the eleven most critical ones to avoid in your products to protect your health.
1. Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate/ Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)/ Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
These chemicals are emulsifiers, foaming agents, surfactants, and known irritants that are often contaminated with the carcinogen 1, 4-dioxane. This chemical is also linked to liver damage, skin rashes, depression, diarrhea, and eye damage.
What to avoid: SLS, SLES, sodium laurel sulfate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium laureate sulfate, or sodium laurel sulfate.
2. Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde a know carcinogen as has been proven to be absorbed through the skin. It’s added directly to products as a preservative or can be released over time by other products. It goes by many sneaky names, but here’s a list of some of the most common to avoid:
- DMDM hydantoin
- quaternium-15
- imidazolidinyl urea
- diazolidinyl urea
- polyoxymethylene urea
- sodium hydroxymethylglycinate
- 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bromopol)
- glyoxal
3. Parabens
Parabens are a preservative known to be harmful and many manufacturers have become removing them from their products. They can mimic estrogen and have been linked to to increased growth of breast cancer cells. And remember, there are many chemicals in this list (and even more than that) so just because an item is listed as “paraben-free” does not make it non-toxic.
What to avoid: Parabens come in many forms and names, including chemicals ending in “ethyl,” “butyl,” “methyl,” and “propyl.”
4. Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA)
DEA and TEA are emulsifiers that when used with certain preservatives, can form nitrosamines that are linked to possible and known carcinogens. The European Commission has banned DEA in cosmetics.
What to avoid: Any chemicals with a name containing “DEA,” “TEA,” and “MEA.”
5. Phthalates
Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors with links shown to an increased risk of breast cancer, early breast development in girls, and reproductive birth defects. Dimethyl phthalate is often found in hair spray and these chemicals are also hidden in “fragrance” as well.
What to avoid: Dimethyl phthalate, dimethylphthalate, fragrance.
6. Dimethicone & other silicones
Silicone oils in hair products can make our hair feel shiny, but these plastic-like ingredients build up on the scalp, causing irritation and traps bacteria, sebum, and impurities with it. These ingredients are not biodegradable and get into our water as well. To remove the buildup requires sodium lauryl sulphate, which strips the hair of natural oils as is linked the other problems listed above.
What to avoid: There are dozens of silicone ingredients in hair care, so keep an eye out for those ingredients ending in -cone.
7. Triclosan
Yes, you read that right. Even though tricolsan was banned in 2016 from antibacterial soaps, it is still allowed in toothpaste, shampoos, and deodorant! This antibacterial ingredient is an endocrine disruptor that can lead to cancer, affect fetal development, and much more.
What to avoid: Irgasan DP-300, lexol 300, Ster-Zac, cloxifenolum, and triclocarban.
8. Synthetic fragrances
Synthetic fragrances can be made of dozens of secret, undisclosed ingredients. Products that say “fragrance” in the ingredients can contain thousands of hidden chemicals that can be carcinogenic, clog the lymphatic system and induce major organ system toxicity, aggravate asthma, or irritate the skin. Many of them contain phthalates as well (see above).
What to avoid: “Fragrance,” “natural fragrance”
9. Synthetic colors
These colors come from petroleum or coal-tar sources and contain heavy metal salts, including lead, all of which come with harmful health effects. Many artificial dyes have been banned from use in food because their health risks but unfortunately, there are relatively few restrictions on the types of dyes that can be used in cosmetic products.
What to avoid: Chemicals with FD&C or D&C combined with a number or just a color name and number, such as “Yellow 6.”
10. Retinyl Palmitate
Retinyl palmitate is an ester of retinol combined with palmitic acid. It’s a known skin irritant that can cause severe skin irritation and can speed the development of skin tumors and lesions, making it a possible carcinogen. As a retinol chemical it also causes reproductive toxicity and organ system toxicity, making it a completely unsafe choice for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
What to avoid: Retinyl palmitate, Vitamin A palmitate, retinoic acid
11. Polyethylene glycol (PEGs)
PEGs are used in haircare as a thickening agent/emulsifier, but they are of major concern because of their enhanced penetration effects and carcinogenic contamination concerns. Two of the chemicals it’s often contamination with include ethylene oxide (used as nerve gas in WWII) and 1,4-dioxane (has many studies linking it to cancer and is banned in Canada).
In 2008, the Organic Consumer Association conducted a study on personal care products labeled as “natural” or “organic.” They found 1,4 dioxane in 46% of products analyzed.
When reviewing names of PEG chemicals, note that the smaller the number attached, the smaller the molecular weight and the more easily absorbed into your skin. Example PEG-2 vs PEG-60.
What to avoid: polyethylene glycol, any ingredient containing -PEG.
Resources for choosing safe products
While keeping track of all these chemicals can seem overwhelming, as you start paying attention it gets easier to see these things and more second-nature to check for them. I’ll be working on some guides for safe products here on The Fussy Mama, but there are also some amazing online resources to help with your search.
You can check if your product is in the database of https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/, plug the full list of ingredients of any product into https://cosmily.com/ to get an evaluation, and learn more about many specific ingredients at http://www.safecosmetics.org/.
I hope this information empowers you to be your own best advocate for the safest products for your beautiful hair!
