How well do you know what's in your shampoo bottle?
This week on Bare 101, we’re going to be talking about some ingredients to avoid when it comes to taking care of our hair. Contrary to what the huge billboards would have us believe, amazing hair does NOT have to come from inside a plastic bottle.
In fact, the plastic bottles we accumulate at home are doing more harm than good to our hair AND to the environment. Studies show that every year, more than 552 million shampoo bottles could be ending up in landfills.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, think about the unknown damage shampoo does to your hair. If you’ve ever wondered why the average shampoo confidently advertises perpetually shiny, bouncy hair with flowers dancing around it, it’s because of one word: chemicals.
Stripped down to its main ingredients, the shampoo we’re accustomed to contains:
- Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is a surfactant that removes the natural sebum our scalps produce, making the hair more brittle and prone to frizz.
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is the ingredient that causes our hair to lather but is also linked to causing inflammation of the scalp.
- Parabens are commonly used in shampoos as a preservative but can be easily absorbed by the skin. The composition of parabens is also similar to estrogen, which means it can disrupt our body’s hormones.
- Silicones are used to coat the hair and give the impression that it’s smooth and shiny, when below the surface it is actually clogging the pores and causing the hair to dry out.
- Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA) is used as an emulsifier to allow the water and oil ingredients to mix.
If you’re like us, you had to try a couple of times to be able to pronounce those ingredients.
That’s because these are not natural ingredients that can be found in nature. Even as early as the 1940s, shampoo was being sold with watered-down ingredients of detergents used to clean clothes, carpets, and cars — because this is what people believed would help them clean their hair.
Thankfully, there are alternatives.
That’s where we come in!
At Bare Necessities MNL, all our shampoo bars are sulfate-free, chemical-free, and plant-based. They have been pH-tested to ensure your hair is clean, without stripping away the natural oils needed to keep your hair healthy and shiny.
Our shampoo also comes in the form of a solid bar and uses minimal packaging to make sure we don’t contribute to those awful landfills.
Visit our shop and choose from our wide variety of shampoo bars available. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates!
Want to know which shampoo bar is your match made in HAIRven? Take our quiz to find out!
