What are shampoo & conditioner ingredients to avoid?

[Prism]

Hi, All,

I know we have many people here trying to avoid the ingredients below. What are some other ingredients that many LHC users are working to avoid?

I'm trying to put together a list of shampoos and conditioners that have any of the *main* ingredients mentioned here as potentially bad. Eventually, hopefully that list will turn into a spreadsheet we can have either here at LHC or linked. That way we'll have just one spot to consult as an overview of the ingredients that personally matter to each of us.

These are the ingredients we'll list IF the product contains them:


cones
non-fatty alcohols (such as SD alcohol, benzyl alcohol, ethanol, ethyl alcohol, denatured alcohol, methanol ---- NOT cetyl alcohol or stearyl alcohol as these two are fatty alcohols that do not dry hair)
parabens
petroleum
polyquaternium (aka "polyquats")
protein
sulfates/sulphates
waxes

Oh, and please come contribute! We could use everybody rifling through their hair stash.

Thanks!

[Hana]

I've heard that anything that has TEA or MEA after it is a big no-no!
but that'll have to be verified by someone else...

[Anje]

On the more obscure level, some people avoid panthenol (I think that's vitamin B5, but doublecheck that) because it causes buildup for them. Though like protein, I think it really varies from person to person whether this is a problem ingredient or a good one.

[Fractalsofhair]

What about fragrance? That can be an issue for people with allergies.

[Prism]

Right. There are lots of things that can irritate individuals. But I'm trying to stick with the main offenders that we keep seeing threads about.

It does vary from person to person, which is why I'm hoping one comprehensive list (eventually a spreadsheet) will let people look at it and determine what matters to them. It'll save everybody from having to search multiple threads for products that avoid the ingredients they're trying to avoid.

Hope that makes sense!

[Fractalsofhair]

Huh then, I'm curious as to why parabens are on there then, since it's a pretty rare allergen. I didn't know they could have any affect on hair. Can someone explain this to me? Or is it part of the health concern that some people have about it?

[Prism]

Huh then, I'm curious as to why parabens are on there then, since it's a pretty rare allergen. I didn't know they could have any affect on hair. Can someone explain this to me? Or is it part of the health concern that some people have about it?

Hmm. I should have explained this better. The point is to make one resource for the *main* things that are most frequently repeatedly mentioned by people on these boards as things they want to avoid. Most of them have been mentioned as potentially damaging to hair, not allergic reasons. There are many here who have mentioned they're trying to avoid these things:

cones
parabens
petroleum
proteins
sulfates
waxes

We have other things, of course, that individuals are trying to avoid but it would be a monumental task to try to include all of the less frequently mentioned ingredients. The list is the biggies. Then that helps individuals narrow it down to *possibilities* that they can check out for any remaining things they're trying to avoid.

Parabens have been mentioned by many here because they have been found in malignant tumors. It is unknown whether they are harmful or contributed to the formation of the tumor. However, parabens are also derived from petroleum, which many DO believe is harmful to hair. Either way, it's just something many have mentioned as an ingredient they do not want in hair products. Those are the ones I'm trying to hit.

I'm pretty much searching page after page of threads to see how frequently the same things are mentioned. It's kind of tedious. At least we've got the main offenders listed, though.

[ravenreed]

Well, glycerin is a problem for people who live in dry climates. I don't think I am the only one on LHC avoiding it.

[jasper]

what about alcohol? or variations on alcohol? I always imagine it's drying, at least.

[Prism]

what about alcohol? or variations on alcohol? I always imagine it's drying, at least.

I wondered about that. I think there's a form of it that is very drying and has been mentioned here before. Is this something that's repeatedly coming up? That's really the key for the list. I'll go on a thread hunt shortly. Thank you!

What does glycerin do? Same as above--if we've got lots of mentions of it, I'll most certainly add it! Thanks, ladies!

what about alcohol? or variations on alcohol? I always imagine it's drying, at least.

Okay, I just found this great post: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...56&postcount=2

Do you know the form of alcohol that is drying? Maybe I can see if there are multiple threads on it.