Most Common Shampoo Ingredients and Their Effect on Hair and Scalp

Hi IMBBans!

How are you all? I always prefer to check ingredients before buying anything and yeah, it does consume time. But, come on girls! Prevention is always better than the cure. There are so many varieties of shampoos available in the market that claim to nourish and revive our hair, but most of the shampoos don’t deliver even average results. Use of conditioners though is a different case, as many conditioners work really well for hair. Always keep in mind that shampoos can never rejuvenate hair and they are usually for cleansing hair and removing pollution and dirt from within the scalp. So, here I am mentioning a list of some common ingredients, which must be checked before picking your shampoo. I am going to start with harmful ingredients and such ingredients should be avoided (if possible)!

Parabens

We are acquainted with parabens as they are present almost in every cosmetic. Parabens are used as preservatives due to their antifungal properties, but we all know how they can affect our health. Parabens act as disrupting agents in hormonal function and affect estrogen in such a way that could cause breast cancer development. But, the good thing is that there are products having parabens free formula, so we have a justified reason and options to boycott this chemical.

Propylene Glycol

Parabens and sulfates are very common and you must have already heard about these chemicals, but Propylene Glycol found in your shampoos can be the core reason for the breakdown of healthy hair proteins. I am sure that this fact is enough to make you believe that shampoos containing propylene glycol should be ignored for sure.

Sulfates

SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) or SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) is used in products to create foam and it is the most common foaming agent, but excess use of this chemical leads to not only scalp irritation, but other long term problems also. Thankfully, you can avoid SLS now as a good range of SLS free shampoos are available in the market.

Formaldehyde

Yeah, it is fine to use formaldehyde in shampoo as it kills bacteria and thus, it makes the hair cleansing process more proper. But, it causes the formation of carcinogen which slowly can give rise to severe problems like irritation in respiratory system. The choice is yours here!

These are the good guys in your shampoo and try to choose shampoos consisting of these ingredients:

Glycerin

Glycerin is a well known ingredient and works as a protection barrier for hair follicles and thus it helps in locking moisture in hair and prevents hair from becoming dry and frizzy. So, if you find glycerin as an ingredient in any shampoo, just grab it for the sake of your frizzy manes.

Acidic Ingredients

Acidic ingredients such as citric acid should be definitely present in your shampoo as it helps to maintain the pH level; otherwise, you can’t even imagine how a shampoo with an unbalanced pH rate can damage hair.

Nut and Seed Oils

Well, this is very obvious and I hope I don’t need to delineate how nut extracts and seed oils can benefit your hair. It’s just that you need to make a habit to take a look at the ingredients so that you don’t miss essential ingredients. Almond oil, argan oil, tea tree oil – they all are beneficial for your hair, don’t doubt them!

Panthenol

This is last, but not the least. Panthenol is a form of Vitamin B; it treats and revives, locks moisture in hair and brings out a natural sheen.

So girls, I am sure I have given you enough reasons to inspect ingredients while buying shampoos. How many of you will look out for these the next time?

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