Did you know that 60% of what we put on our body is absorbed through our skin? How much should we care about products that we are putting on our skin every single day? I started my journey learning about the inside of the body, thinking that all of the problems started and ended there. The truth is, the skin is our biggest organ, and what we put on it matters!
As I began to investigate, I started to read labels. When I looked at the back of my shampoo and conditioner, most of the ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce, much less know what they were… except for the few “buzz words” meant to make us believe that the formulas were good for us. All this is enough to make your grimace as you try to determine exactly what your shampoo has in it! Digging deeper, what I found was disturbing at best, and downright infuriating. I would encourage you… go grab that shampoo and conditioner as you read through the following list, and see how many of these you can identify.
Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS): Linked to cancer, liver damage, skin rashes and depression
Fragrance: Known to clog the lymphatic system and cause major organ system toxicity
Parabens: Shown to mimic estrogen, which can cause the grown of human breast tumors (study in 2012)
Cocamidopropyl Betain: Shown to cause eye and skin irritation, allergic reactions and dermatitis
Methylisothiazolinone (MIT): Used in shampoo to prevent bacteria, but has had indications of causing negative effects on the nervous system
Triclosan: Irritation of the skin, eyes and lungs. It also is endocrine system and organ disruptor
Phthalates: Have been linked to reproductive birth defects in boys and lower sperm-motility in adult men. Often hidden on shampoo labels under the term “fragrance”.
Polysorbates: Also causes irritation of the skin, eyes and lung and messes up the endocrine system and organs
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG): Has been shown to be a direct link to Cancer, and toxicity of the organ system
Potassium Sorbate: Toxicity of the skin and organ system
Phenoxyethanol: Shown to irritate the skin, eyes and lungs, sometimes causes vomiting and dermatitis
Retinyl Palmitate: It is a carcinogen. It causes toxicitity in the reproductive and organ systems
Dimethicone: Also causes irritation in the skin, scalp and eyes, and traps impurity in the skin
Behentrimonium Chloride: Damages the eyes, is and inflammatory agent and irritates the skin
Quaternium-15: Contains carcinogenic formaldehyde and is a major toxin to the body
Yuck, yuck, yuck!!! And those are not all of them. But It was enough to give me the shivers. I don’t want these things being absorbed through my skin (no wonder I always had shoulder and back acne!). Even Johnson’s Baby Shampoo was shown in 2011 to contain the dangerous ingredients 1,4-dioxane and Quaternium-15 which are two potentially cancer-saucing chemicals! And you wanna know a little secret? Those of you that suffer with dandruff… your dandruff shampoo has these chemicals in it too… and others. And those chemicals actually aggravate your scalp condition and cause you to “need” that shampoo more. Yeah…
The question is, why are all of these chemicals allowed into our everyday-products (and I’m not even talking about skin products yet)? I am still digging. But in the meantime It sent me on a fervent quest to discover what organic products were out there that I could replace my current haircare products with… and naturally heal my scalp/skin in the process.
So I am going to share my hair care favorites routine over the past few months that have totally changed the health of my hair and scalp.
Calia Shampoo and Conditioner have been my absolute favorites. They use all natural oils and organic essential oils. They have several varieties, and I have never been disappointed. If I ever feel like my hair is getting heavy, I will mix a small handful of baking soda with my quarter size portion of shampoo, and it does absolute wonders. I have also found that my hair has returned to its natural state and it only requires me washing it two to three times a week.
https://usa.calianatural.com/collections/
If I ever need a hair rinse, Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother) is my go-to. Also, if you are looking for extra shine, rinsing in cool to cold water will cause the hair follicles to lay flatter giving that effect. This ingredient is conveniently found at any grocery store. 🙂
My aftercare and upkeep:
I love using organic oils! I will occasionally use a hair mask of either avocado oil or coconut oil overnight. It takes a couple of shampoos with baking soda to get out, but it feels so soft afterwards! But my go-to is the Innate Rose Serum! It smells amazing, and I have seen such a difference in my hair. It only takes a little and doesn’t weigh down my hair at all. But aside from that, they have hair masks, and even a Beard + Hair Elixir for the guys! (Use the coupon code MCKENNA+15 to get 15% off of your first order)
https://www.theinnatelife.co?rfsn=1021881.ad472
I hope that gives you all a starting place for your healthier hair journey! Look for my non-toxic hair coloring experience soon. I’m hoping to also put up a video of the process as well. My hair feels better than it ever has before. My scalp no longer itches, and my hair is slowly becoming thicker, and I am starting to be able to grow it longer without as much breakage!
I also recently tried their shampoo and conditioner combo, and have already fallen in love with it! It is hard to beat the quality that these guys put into their products.
Let me hear from you! I want to know your comments and concerns. Already started your toxin-free journey? What has worked for you? What would you avoid? Love you guys! Cheers!
http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.phr.20150501.02.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1253722/
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jat.1786/abstract
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/20/soap-shampoo-toxic-chemicals.aspx
https://draxe.com/how-to-get-rid-of-dandruff/