Nearly everyone in the world uses shampoo to cleanse their hair, remove dirt, and other pollutants that amass throughout the day. However, not all shampoos are created equal and some may not be so good for your hair. In fact, some shampoo ingredients may actually cause hair loss.
In this article, we’ll look at ingredients in shampoo and causes of hair loss.
Shampoo Ingredients That May Cause Hair Loss
In the company of shampoo ingredients that may cause hair loss and some people found harmful are:
- Formaldehyde
- Dimethicone
- Keratin
- Sulfates
In general, shampoos contain anywhere between 10 to 30 ingredients. These include conditioning agents, additives, cleansing agents, and special care ingredients. Albeit clinical research is scare, some of these components have been linked to hair loss.
Let’s explore more about the four ingredients noted above.
Formaldehyde
While at low levels formaldehyde is considered safe, why put yourself in harms way if there are other alternatives. To provide a long shelf life as well as kill bacteria, formaldehyde is used in cosmetic products. However, the International Agency For Cancer Research, classifieds excess levels of formaldehyde as a group 1 human carcinogen.
In regards to shampoos, you shouldn’t be expose to high levels of formaldehyde if you shampoo your hair daily. But you should always read the list of ingredients all products that you purchase.
For hair treatment products like hair relaxers, formaldehyde can be released into the air. Have you noticed when you’re getting your hair relaxed or dye at the salon that your eyes become irritated. And guess what? This compound is also affecting your lungs as well as can cause skin sensitivity or dermatitis.
Dimethicone
Dimethicone is a silicon type of product that’s used in hair products. While silicon does protect the hair, it can build up over time. If this happens, the buildup will clog your scalp pores preventing nutrients and moisture from getting to your scalp and hair, thus leading to hair loss.
Albeit there’s no research to back this scenario, the best approach might be to use all silicone products with caution. Obviously, if you see signs of buildup or hair loss, you should immediately discontinue using them.
Keratin
It makes sense that keratin is used in certain treatments given that it’s a key component of hair. The goal of these treatments is to make hair strong and shiny as well as reduce frizziness.
However, there are a few problems with this wonderful beauty product. One, many times formaldehyde is often an ingredient in keratin which is known to be harmful to health and hair. And two, because extreme heat is used with keratin treatments, it can make hair dry, which causes breakage and hair fall.
Sulfates
Sulfates are chemicals and they also have strong cleaning agents. The correlation between hair loss and sulfates is ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate damage hair follicles. As a result, breakage ensues, which can appear as hair loss.
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