Shampoo is filled with chemicals marketed to make hair shiny, voluminous, and clean. However, the way shampoo works may be bad for hair and the environment. Everyday millions of people pour shampoo chemicals down their bathroom drains – chemicals that have a questionable effect on human health and the environment. Fortunately, there are ways to keep hair clean and healthy while also being eco-friendly.
Reasons Not to Use Mainstream Shampoos
Shampoos contain many ingredients that give the mixture its expected texture, foaminess, and scent – all of which have little bearing on clean hair. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database assesses the health hazards of a variety of ingredients and products. For example, Pantene Pro-V Classic Clean Shampoo has a moderate hazard of five out of ten while Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo Body & Volume rates a seven. The ingredient Dimethicone may be toxic to wildlife while some fragrances may be toxic to the human immune system. These are just a couple examples of shampoos and ingredients in the database.
Choosing a Healthy Eco-Friendly Shampoo
The Skin Deep database can help consumers avoid certain products while also finding ones that are healthy to use. For example, Burt’s Bees Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Shampoo receives a low hazard score of one out of ten while Poofy Organics Lovely Lavender Shampoo receives a zero. The most hazardous ingredients in the Poofy Organics shampoo are vegetable glycerin and essential oils. As a general rule of thumb, stick to shampoos with fewer ingredients and look them up in the database.
Watch Out for the Organic Label
Unfortunately, the word “organic” is not federally regulated in the US and so has no universal meaning – standards that are used by one company may not be used by another. As John Leland points out in a May 18 2003 New York Times article “Is Organic Shampoo Chemistry or Botany?”, for many the organic label is simply a marketing maneuver. So before shelling out extra money for the fancy label, check the list of ingredients on the back and see how eco-friendly that shampoo really is.
Environmentally Friendly Homemade Shampoos
Perhaps the most environmentally friendly shampoo is the kind made at home. A homemade shampoo will contain only the ingredients the maker puts in it, and choosing safe effective ingredients is easy to do. Castile liquid soap is made from fat and lye, it can be made at home or bought from brands such as Dr. Bronner. Eggs, apple cider vinegar, cornstarch, and baby oil are also popular ingredients in homemade shampoos.
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