You’ve most probably heard about hair care being SLS free, and how natural products can offer benefits to your hair, but just what is SLS? Here are our four top ingredients you should be avoiding in your hair care:
Hair Hazard #1 - Sodium Lauryl and Laureth Sulfates
Well, SLS or SLES stands for Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfates. These are chemicals that produce the rich lather, and are strong detergents. They are known irritants that may cause inflammation and itchiness amongst some more sensitive skinned of us. More importantly, SLS/SLES can interfere with your scalp’s natural production of oils. Also listed on the EWG website, SLS/SLES may irritate lungs and eyes - and just think about how close you use this product to the latter.
Hair Hazard #2 - Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropyl Alcohol is a solvent derived from petrochemicals. It’s used in industry to clean and dissolve oils, so just like sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates this ingredient in your hair care may upset your scalp’s own production of natural oils.
Hair Hazard #3 - Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a chemical preservative which kills bacteria, famously used by artist Damien HIrst. As well as being a preservative, it’s also a known carcinogen, irritant to the eyes and respiratory system, and may cause skin inflammation.
Hair Hazard #4 - Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol is a small alcohol compound that has been associated with skin irritation, contact dermatitis and urticaria, and may also irritate the eyes and lungs.
Why Choose Natural Hair Care?
As you can see these ingredients may not be the best for our health, and may cause skin irritation or allergies, but they are also not the best for the environment. Some chemicals used in mainstream beauty products are not biodegradable, and over time they accumulate in the environment and can cause damage to our waters, wildlife and aquatic life.
Many people see natural products as a more expensive option, however we at JASON like to think of ourselves as the affordable natural brand for all the family. We use organic ingredients wherever price permits, to bring to you the purest product possible that really works.
Our products contain ingredients that are actually good for your hair. Rather than cheap fillers or products that strip your scalp and hair of natural oils, our hair care delivers key vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and proteins to your hair.
We don’t know the extent to which many of these ingredients are absorbed into our bodies, and there are many contributing factors to take into consideration. But when you apply chemical-laden products to your skin, hair or body, it is highly likely something is going on there which we can’t see. Choosing more natural products over mainstream means you are limiting your exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals, and the negative effects they may have on your health.
