Chemical-Free Coiffure :: Beauty

Chemical-Free Coiffure
by author Lisa Petty, RNCP

Creating the perfect do can be a hair-raising experience if you’re concerned about toxins in the products you use. With the newest innovations in natural hair care products, it’s easy to get the look you want without the fear of ugly health consequences.

Start Clean

Because bed-head is never a good look, shampooing has become a daily ritual for many of us. But shampoo can strip hair of natural oils, leaving it dry, dull, and lifeless. Avoid shampoos containing sodium lauryl sulphate which can dry the scalp. This chemical may also be a factor in follicle damage and hair loss. We’ve become addicted to the heady foam caused by synthetic agents in shampoo. Instead, for a gentle clean, try shampoos with ingredients such as non-genetically modified hydrolyzed soy proteins.

Moisturize

Hair takes a lot of abuse from washing, blow drying, and styling. Toxins such as diethanolamine, monoethanolamine, and triethanolamine (DEA, TEA, and MEA) add to the abuse. These organic chemicals bind with other ingredients in hair-care products to form cancer-causing nitrosamines that easily enter the bloodstream through scalp pores. Instead, look for conditioners containing calendula, lavender, and oat or wheat proteins. For extra nourishment, try a hot oil treatment containing organic olive oil, jojoba oil, or shea butter.

Wax Eloquent

To spike things up–or for a style that looks better a little chunky–use a wax or pomade. Avoid products that contain petroleum-derived paraffin wax, and opt instead for natural beeswax or candelilla wax.

Make It Stick

Keeping hair in place sometimes involves a spritz of hairspray–choose a product that won’t create health issues. Leave products containing polyvinyl pyrrolidone (also known as PVP and PVP copolymer) on the store shelf. This petroleum-derived chemical is used as a fixative or hair thickener but it’s an inhalant toxicant that may cause lung or kidney damage. Natural hairsprays containing polysaccharides (sugars) provide hold without causing harm.

Self-Preservation

Chemicals added to products to prevent bacterial contamination can break down into formaldehyde after they enter the bloodstream. Formaldehyde is linked to cancer, dermatitis, and nerve damage. Avoid products containing:

diazolidinyl urea
DMDM hydantoin
imidazolidinyl urea
quaternium 15

Look for products containing natural antibacterials such as Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and rosemary.

DIY Hair Gel

Dissolve 1/4 tsp (1 mL) plain gelatin in 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water. Let sit at room temperature until slightly set. Rub into dry or wet hair, and blow dry.

Looking good naturally has never been so easy.

Lisa Petty, RNCP, is a nutritionist and wellness coach, and author of Living Beauty: Feel Great, Look Fabulous & Live Well (Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2005). livingbeauty.ca.

Source: alive #309, July 2008

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