Ingredients to avoid

[BGT]

Whenever I look at a product, people always say, "check the ingredients!", but I never know what I'm looking for. What are the ingredients to avoid and why?

I would say mineral oil. It blocks moisture. What else?

 

[ronie]

I think it depends on what you need from a product, and also what your hair likes. I know my hair gets hard and crunchy with aloe vera, so i keep it it moving whenever i see it in the ingredients list, no matter how raved about the product is. If i need a product to use before i blowdry or flat iron my hair i want some kind of cone in there, but on the regular my leave in, moisturizer, or styling product do not contain cones.
I actually use products with mineral oil, i just make sure not to use it too much, and to use a sulfate shampoo to remove it. Some people do not shampoo with sulfate, but my scalp love it, so i alternate. This hair thing can be confusing, but i take it one product at a time, and slowly i'm getting it.

 

[SimJam]

I think the ingredients persons choose to avoid are specific to that particular person and what their hair likes or doesnt like.

for hair products I normally avoid certain ingredients for different reasons:

for health:
parabens,
Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA)


Because they are cheap fillers/drying:
Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate
Petrolatum
Mineral oil

Even so, if I find a product that rocks my world but has one of these ingredients in it ... imma still use it, especially if I cant find a suitable replacement

case in point - clean and clear foaming facial wash ... its my boo but full of parabens and Ive tried many many natural products, yes to carrots, Dr Bronners, Burts bees etc but none of them work as well as clean and clear

for hair products its been much easier to find suitable replacements

 

[NaiyaAi]

SimJam What are DEA and TEA? Never heard of them. What's wrong with them? What kinds of products are they used in?

 

[Kindheart]

Parabens as they ve been linked to breast cancer .

Propylene glycol because it's a derivate of ethylene glycol aka anti-freeze , it's highly penetrating and it can be toxic in high amounts.
it's used as an humectant (like gylcerin), makes my hair slimy and dry .
Shell the gas company, has a description of propylen glycol which it's quite scary if you think about it .

http://www.shell.com/chemicals/products-services/our-products/propylene-oxide-derivatives/propylene-glycols/product-overview.html
Overall ,i m not a fan of products with alot of chemicals in them.

Glycerin ,it's slimy and makes my hair frizzy and dry .I don't totally avoid it but products that have high amount of it do not perform well on my hair .

 

[Nightingale]

I think the ingredients persons choose to avoid are specific to that particular person and what their hair likes or doesnt like.

I agree with this.

I avoid petrolatum, mineral oil, sulfates, and silicone (since I'd need sulfates to cleanse). Cutting these ingredients has left me using mostly natural products which tend to be paraben free and sometimes vegan.

"Good" ingredients my hair hates: Cocoa butter, jojoba, heavy glycerine products, butter/oil based moisturizers.

 

[DarkJoy]

All of what they said and anything that includes:

Isopropyl Alcohol

Alcohol , obviously, will turn your hair into dried out straw over time. It's generally found in some curling lotions, styling agents, and heat protectants. I cant believe it's still in products!

 

[greenandchic]

Like others have stated, it depends on your hair, how it reacts to it and your own personal preferences not to use certain chemicals.

My hair does not like:
Sulfates - I use shampoo but always sufate free formulas
'Cones - Though I have used them in rinse out conditioners recently, but once I'm done with my current batch, I won't buy more. I would only use it while using heat.
Mineral Oils and petroleum.

Other ingredients such as shea butter and glycerin are horrible in large amounts, but works well blended with other things.

 

[SimJam]

@SimJam What are DEA and TEA? Never heard of them. What's wrong with them? What kinds of products are they used in?

These are used as foaming agents, but can cause allergic reactions, eye irritation, and dryness of the hair and skin. DEA and TEA are toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time, and are associated with cancer in lab animals.

 

[Saludable84]

Certain products are of personal preference. I stay away from Shea butter because it provides me with no slip and glycerin because I live in NY. Also, glycerin as one of the first ingredients cheapens products, but that's my opinion.

It recommended to stay away from:
SD Alcohol
Alcohol Detan.
Mineral oil
Petroleum and Petrolatum
Some Waxes
Sulfates
Lanolin
Silicone
Parabens

I hear propylene glycol too, by I'm not sure of its concern. Most stuff contains it anyway, but like most items, everything is subject to amount and not the product itself.

Sent from my Gramatically Incorrect iPhone

 

[lamaria211]

Whenever I look at a product, people always say, "check the ingredients!", but I never know what I'm looking for. What are the ingredients to avoid and why?

I would say mineral oil. It blocks moisture. What else?

Go to cosmeticdatabase.com hth