I look at the word Shampoo now with a very different view. Sham - a thing that is not what it is purported to be, bogus, false; and Poo - well, we all know what that is.
If I was standing on the street with a bottle of coloured liquid and I told you that liquid contained a toxic chemical, would you buy that product from me and scrub it into your scalp?
Of course not. But if you're buying popular shampoo products, that's exactly what you're doing right now. Such is the power of brand marketing.
After developing and using Re:think Beauty products for the past two years, my skin never looked and felt better...until a few months ago. I started to get breakouts on my neck and back. They weren't your average pimples. I was shocked to say the least. Here I was banging on about how effective our natural skin care products were with sore, inflamed, cystic zits for all to see. You know, I almost considered packing it in - convinced something had gone wrong with the products.
Then came a touching email from a Pantry Pal wanting some product advice. She went into detail about the affects her conditioner was having on her skin. There came my light bulb moment. I had been so pre-occupied with developing and perfecting safe skin formulas that I had forgotten all about my hair. Besides, I was using a shampoo with 'herbal' and 'all natural' in the title, surely this could not be causing my acne?
I stopped using my shampoo and conditioner and noticed a difference in my skin and hair almost immediately.
Methylisothiazoline, or MIT, is a common ingredient in commercial shampoo and conditioners. Tests have proven it causes neurological damage and skin irritations. Why are these dangerous personal care products allowed to remain on the market? Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for regulating these products, spends almost no time, money or effort actually investigating the safety of such products. Instead, it spends the vast majority of its time approving new prescription drugs rather than protecting the public against the dangers from such drugs or personal care products. Remember, your skin eats what you put on it.
It may surprise you to learn that manufacturers can put practically any chemical they want into hair care, even if it is considered a toxic waste chemical by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA). Taking hot showers can drastically worsen the absorption of these chemicals. The steam from the shower opens pores, allowing the poison to penetrate more easily.
Now to my 'herbal, all natural' shampoo and conditioner; pure exploitation. The company is using the word 'herbal' to imply that the shampoo is healthy, even though it is primarily made with the same ingredients as other popular shampoos. The first three ingredients are water, sodium laureth, and sodium lauryl sulfate. You can find the same three ingredients in 99% of shampoos. Think the colour of the shampoo is from the herbs? Think again. Three other ingredients in the shampoo are Yellow #5, Orange #4 and Violet #2 (man-made, chemical colour preservatives).
The truth here is that shampoo is bad for your hair. It cleans out dirt, but also the oil that makes your hair shiny and strong. Shampoos are very harsh and damage your hair permanently. Conditioner was soon introduced as people noticed that shampoo sucked the oils out of their hair leaving it dry and brittle. Conditioner puts artificial oils in your hair, and they stay there just long enough so that you don't associate the damage to your hair with the shampoo that caused it.
Remember that your hair is dead. Remember that shampoo is just detergent made to smell nice. Remember that the oils your hair needs come naturally out of your scalp, as they've been doing for thousands of years before conditioner was invented. When you think about it, nothing that is claimed about shampoo and conditioner is true. It's just marketing by using impressive computer graphics and made up names for ingredients to make soap for hair seem interesting and expensive.
I'm angry. For some, you may not experience any side effects, but for those of us with sensitive skin these chemicals have left permanent damage. Oh, I'm sure my chemically caused acne scars will fade over time but they will always exist as a terrifying reminder of the crap we're putting into our bodies and the lies we're fed.
However, I am thankful for the inspiration this has all ignited because without it, I may not have developed our own, 'safe enough to eat' hair and body wash. Yes, you heard it here first. We are in the final stages of getting this amazing bottle of pure hair and body bliss on the Pantry shelves. This formula will clean your hair without stripping it of natural oils. And the thing we believe in most here at the Pantry is less is more. Our hair wash works as a shampoo and conditioner in one, and as a body wash - one bottle that serves three purposes.
Stay tuned Pals, and get ready to redefine the beauty industry with us!
The Sisters xx
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