We strongly believe in the wisdom of learning and understanding how to read labels on the products we are using.
Some products may sound scary, or chemical, but might not actually be dangerous or harmful for your health or your hair. Even Though we don’t recognize certain ingredients, in many cases, the ingredients are plant derived and will in fact help your hair or skin rather than harm it. Let’s review some ingredients that aren’t exactly natural, but are still safe for hair and overall health.
Glycerin
Glycerin is a sugar alcohol that is derived from various sources, both natural like plants or animals (eek!), to synthetic sources. Glycerin is a humectant which helps our skin and hair absorb moisture from the air. Glycerin helps boost moisture levels for both the scalp and hair and can help eliminate breakage. It can also help regulate sebum production, strengthens hair, and is antimicrobial, which means it can help treat dandruff. You can read more on glycerin here.
Germaben ii
Germaben is used in products to help extend their shelf life so you don’t grow mold or mildew in your products and then have to trash them within the week, or keep your beauty products in the refrigerator. It will also help fight off bacteria and can be used to gently clean hair and scalp.
Disodium EDTA
Disodium EDTA falls under a special class of chemicals called the chelators. Chemically it works at preventing other elements from fading the color of hair, and will be found in most products that are designed for color-treated hair. It also helps prevent beauty products from going rancid, changing colors, texture or fragrance.
Lauryl Betaine
Lauryl Betaine is a gentle cleanser and is often found in shampoos or soaps. It’s not a dangerous product, or one that needs to be avoided. It’s derived from vegetables, and most typically comes from red beets. It’s a surfactant that helps you wash away dirt, oils, fats and pollution from the hair and is often used in organic products because it is more gentle than other surfactants.
Behentrimonium Chloride
Behentrimonium Chloride is an antistatic ingredient, will help reduce frizz and is an emulsifying agent. It helps improve the moisture content of hair and is often found in conditioners and moisturizers. It’s derived from the seeds of the Brassica rapa oleifera plant, a part of the mustard plant family.
Takeaway
It’s great that we get into the habit of reading labels without driving ourselves crazy over what’s in what and what means what. It’s a learning process and with slow and careful research we
