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Katem
February 12th, 2017, 02:41 PM
Do natural products cause product buildup? Like conditioners that are entirely acv and essential oils? Or is it just more chemical products?

lapushka
February 12th, 2017, 02:51 PM
I think you can have build-up from silicones, and you can have build-up from waxes, oils and butters too. It's not that simple and easy to "blame" one specific "product" or ingredient; it's much more complicated than that.

Nique1202
February 12th, 2017, 03:01 PM
Just about anything can build up on hair under the right conditions. Most "natural" extracts are either oils/waxes or proteins, which can both cause buildup issues. Vinegar of any kind is not a good enough clarifying agent to get all that stuff off all the time for all people's hair types. So, yes, "natural" products (and I could go into half a dozen rants about why that word is misleading about product quality) can also cause buildup, as well as all the other problems people can run into with them.

Katem
February 12th, 2017, 03:02 PM
So like the combination of ingredients could cause it?

By natural, I mean herbs and oils. I always read the labels of products to see if its fake natural or actually natural lol. Is there good way to clarify without using harsh chemicals?

Also, totally unrelated, but why does hair grow faster in warmer areas? Id imagine it would grow faster in the cold, since thats when you would need the warmth hair provides the most. But I guess humans weren't made that way lol

mizukitty
February 12th, 2017, 03:21 PM
Combinations of ingredients do cause build up. Minerals occurring in water can cause build up. Waxes, oils, and other "natural" things can all cause build up. And the term "chemical" is also another misleading one used by the "organic and natural" camp, because all matter is a chemical, even water. If the term you mean is toxic, that's another story. But conventional "chemicals" in shampoos aren't toxic or harmful to your health.

You can't clarify easily without the use of a strong detergent. There are "naturally" derived detergents that come from coconuts, such as cocomidopropyl betaine, but they're not usually as strong as sulfates, so you'd probably have to wash twice or three times if you have a ton of buildup.

And the hair growing faster in warm weather is a myth. Hair growth can stall and spurt, but ambient temperature does not have an effect on the speed of the growth.

Katem
February 12th, 2017, 05:54 PM
Sorry chemicals wasn't the word I was going for, I did mean toxic or harmful chemicals. And I'm glad to hear that about the warm weather because I live in a very cold place lol

lapushka
February 13th, 2017, 04:20 AM
Sorry chemicals wasn't the word I was going for, I did mean toxic or harmful chemicals. And I'm glad to hear that about the warm weather because I live in a very cold place lol

Well at least it's good to know that store-bought shampoos aren't going to cause you harm in any way. :) So, you're pretty safe where that is concerned. Clarifying once in a while is perfectly fine, in fact I recommend it if you're using some heavy things on your hair, esp. oils and butters!

Nique1202
February 13th, 2017, 04:46 AM
Sorry chemicals wasn't the word I was going for, I did mean toxic or harmful chemicals.

Think of it this way: anything on a regular store shelf HAS to be safe for nearly everybody (not counting things like rare allergies). If it weren't safe, they would have to put warning labels on it or remove it from the market entirely. That's what regulatory boards like the FDA and the European Commission are there for, to ensure that all market products are generally safe to use.

Meanwhile, someone on Etsy or eBay or at a farmer's market or craft fair could put literally anything in their shampoo bottle, and it's totally unregulated so you'd never know. Just look at the "natural" crowd that advocates eating apricot pits to fight cancer when those apricot pits contain cyanide and can be toxic if you eat just a few. It'll kill the cancer, and the rest of you in the process. That's an extreme example, but it's why I don't trust "natural" as a label. They might not even put everything on their label in the product, and there could be goodness-knows-what else in the bottle with it.

Maybe most places are trustworthy, but with so much misinformation and bad science circulating in "natural"-obsessed comunities, it's a big risk to take. Especially when there are proven, safe products available usually for much cheaper on supermarket shelves, especially if you live far away from whoever you're buying from online and have to pay big shipping costs.

lapushka
February 13th, 2017, 05:20 AM
Think of it this way: anything on a regular store shelf HAS to be safe for nearly everybody (not counting things like rare allergies). If it weren't safe, they would have to put warning labels on it or remove it from the market entirely. That's what regulatory boards like the FDA and the European Commission are there for, to ensure that all market products are generally safe to use.

Meanwhile, someone on Etsy or eBay or at a farmer's market or craft fair could put literally anything in their shampoo bottle, and it's totally unregulated so you'd never know. Just look at the "natural" crowd that advocates eating apricot pits to fight cancer when those apricot pits contain cyanide and can be toxic if you eat just a few. It'll kill the cancer, and the rest of you in the process. That's an extreme example, but it's why I don't trust "natural" as a label. They might not even put everything on their label in the product, and there could be goodness-knows-what else in the bottle with it.

Maybe most places are trustworthy, but with so much misinformation and bad science circulating in "natural"-obsessed comunities, it's a big risk to take. Especially when there are proven, safe products available usually for much cheaper on supermarket shelves, especially if you live far away from whoever you're buying from online and have to pay big shipping costs.

Very good point! Regular products undergo so much testing and regulations that you can be pretty convinced it's OK.

Anje
February 13th, 2017, 11:51 AM
IN answer to your original question, yes, even natural products like oils can build up. Just look at the stuck-on spatter around your stove if you haven't been diligent about cleaning it, and you'll see what polymerized oil buildup is like.

Ophidian
February 13th, 2017, 06:35 PM
IN answer to your original question, yes, even natural products like oils can build up. Just look at the stuck-on spatter around your stove if you haven't been diligent about cleaning it, and you'll see what polymerized oil buildup is like.

Yup, I did water-only washing exclusively for several months and had some build-up at the end that could only have resulted from my slightly hard water, sebum, and/or the carrier oils I used sometimes. What tends to cause build up will vary from person to person so I think it's hard to pinpoint unless you notice a very specific reaction to a product or ingredient.