sulphate, paraben,silicone... ...enemies of our hair?
Some words on the labels of our shampoos and conditioners can make us shudder as their reputation is bad. Sulfate, paraben, silicone ... What should we avoid and should we be in favour of a natural way to take care of her hair?
WHEN YOU BUY A SHAMPOO, WHAT SHOULD YOU NOTICE ON THE LABEL?
It must be without sulfate and bio. The word “organic” or "bio" might be written but we can still find percentages of sulphates in the description on the back. That's the most harmful because it's a synthetic component, like plastic. Its real asset is to create foam and we have been conditioned to believe that it makes our hair cleaner, while it does not. Sulphates can cause a lot of problems. In fact that foam creates moisture that can cause or accentuate hair loss, and irritate the scalp, especially for those people with hyper-sensitive skin.
WHAT OTHER INGREDIENTS ARE REQUIRED AND WHY?
Paraben is the one that was first discovered and has been talked about a lot lately. It is a preservative that avoids the development of fungus in shampoo bottles. It is better to buy smaller containers that are used more quickly. Paraben free shampoos are naturally sold in smaller quantities. Silicone is another preservative, which is sometimes found in organic products. It is an animal fat, which will clog the roots and the sebaceous glands. The hair becomes brittle, it does not breathe, which can also cause hair loss. As well (over time) makes the hair greasy and more difficult to colour, as silicone can create a barrier on the hair.
SHOULD WE PREFER ORGANIC OR NATURAL PRODUCTS IN THIS CASE?
When we switch to more natural products, there are new things we must learn. The first month of use of a natural shampoo, your hair will be duller, because there are not all these components that grease the hair and to which they are accustomed. And then, little by little, the hair becomes lighter, less brittle with less split ends. You just have to ‘grit your teeth’ and learn this new habit.
WHAT POSITIVE EFFECTS WILL YOU NOTICE ON YOUR HAIR?
You will see that you will be able to wash your hair less often because it will feel lighter, and more bouncy from the roots. When the wind blows through your hair there is will be less sebum, the hair is not loaded with chemicals and the sebaceous glands can breathe. After a month without bad preservatives, we have naturally more stronger hair
WHERE CAN WE FIND THESE NATURAL SHAMPOOS?
There are a WHOLE range of different hair products on the market these days. You can always try different ones to see what works best for you. At Sequence Paris we sell Végétalement Provence products that are all natural hair products, made with vegetable and essential oils in France. These products have been available in salon since the end of last year...come check them out!
Emma xxx