Help my poor old befuddled brain puzzle out these ingredients (non 'cone - I think)!

[StephanieB]

Hubby's not home right now. And I hate to ask him "one more question for the chemist" about hair products: He's liable to murder me if I do! lol

Will you all help me to figure out if what I'm using on my hair is - as I think it is - 'cone free?
I'm curious...

Also, do any of you see anything else in these ingredients that might be damaging to my type of hair ?
(very oily | baby fine | thin | naturally curly - see my profile)

Shampoo Ingredients: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide DEA, Carboxymethyl Chitin,Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Egg Shell Extract, Alcohol, Camphor, Pyridoxin HCl, Parfum, Propylene Glycol, 5-Bromo-5-Nitro-1,3-Dioxane, Methylparaben, Citric Acid, and CI 42090

Conditioner Ingredients: Aqua, Paraffinum Liquidum, Ceterayl Alcohol, Tallow Alcohol, Cetareth-20, Carboxymethyl Chitin, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, EGG Shell Extract, Lecithin, Alcohol, Camphor, Pyridoxin HCl, Cetearylkonium Bromide, Benzalkonium Bromide, Ceteareth-12, Parfum, Methylparaben, Citric Acid


I only see one possible 'no-no' type of ingredient as listed on the Curl Whisperer (http://www.livecurlylivefree.com/product%20ingredients.htm)'s website. She lists Sodium Laureth Sulfate as a reasonably harsh surfactant, although she also lists Cocoamidopropyl Betaine as a reasonably mild surfactant... and those are the second and third (respective) ingredients, right after number one ingerdient - water.


PLEASE save suggestions about CO, WO, or shampoo bars (or any kind of soap rather than shampoo). None of this ^ works for my hair - tried 'em all and for months and months at a time, each, one at a time individually. Not saying these techniques don't work for some people's hair - just that my hair doesn't like any of 'em.

Thanks, in advance, for you help! :)


PS - I've been successfully using this particular shampoo ad conditioner for over a year, now, and it's doing really good things for my hair (growing longer/faster)... but I'm trying to make my hair better - a bit thicker, and less frizzy (especially when plopping and going curly-wurly. Maybe I just can't get my hair any better... dunno *shrug*

[StephanieB]

"bran" = "brain"

wish there was a wya to edit topic titles when one's braIn goes fuzzy - duh

[teela1978]

The parrifum liquidum in the conditioner is mineral oil. Might not be the best thing for oily hair, but if its working I wouldn't worry too much. Personally I like SLS on my scalp, but many curlies find problems with it. They are both cone free though. Did that help any?

[Quixii]

I'd be concerned about the alcohol, but I've been told alcohol isn't necessarily bad.
I've also heard people avoid parabens. I don't know much about those.
But they are both cone free. And if they're working for your hair, I doubt that any of the ingredients could be that bad. :)

[tokidokichi]

StephanieB, the only thing that stands out to me in the ingredients that could be bad is the Sodium Laureth Sulfate. I started using only sulfate free shampoo for the last two weeks and my hair has improved so much. Its shinier and just feels healthier overall. Sulfates strip the natural oils on your hair that are there to protect it. I'll never go back to sulfates! =]


I'd be concerned about the alcohol, but I've been told alcohol isn't necessarily bad.
I've also heard people avoid parabens. I don't know much about those.
But they are both cone free. And if they're working for your hair, I doubt that any of the ingredients could be that bad. :)

Parabens are used as a preservative. People think they may be linked to cancer, but I'm not to worried about it. EVERYTHING causes cancer these days lol

[StephanieB]

SilverLocks - you're great! Thanks for being my spell-fixer! :D


Everyone else - each of you has given me a piece of the puzzle I'm trying to put together. Thanks! :)

RE the parrifum liquidum (mineral oil) in the conditioner - Knowing this, I think I may try putting it only on the length of my hair, which can use the oil. Only my scalp and the first few inches of my hair get really oily/greasy. The rest is old, still a bit damaged from my last perm (a few years ago), and needs extra moisturzing and deeper-conditioning TLC.

RE the Sodium Laureth Sulfate (a/k/a SLS) ... It is listed as one of the harsher surfactants (cleaner), but I also know that my hair hasn't been in this good overall condition for decades - so maybe my hair can just handle it. If I begin to have problems that might stem from harsh detergent-like cleaning, then I'll revisit this, in the future.

"Parabens" is just the short term for "para-aminobenzoates" - and they're only stabilizer/preservatives.
Are they carcinogens? Maybe, and maybe not - but I'm sure I'm exposed to far more seriously life-threatening carcinogenic things in urban/suburban life... water pollution, air pollution, foods and non-real-food edibles, what is probably lead paint peeling from a few ceilings in my house, etc... and this list goes on and on and on.

Alcohol is halfway down the ingredient lists. I doubt it matters to my hair, since my hair is healthy in general. Ninth on the ingredient list is means there can't be proportionally much alchohol in it.