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When you look at your shampoo ingredients label, how many names do you really recognize? One of the most common ingredients in most personal hygiene products like your washing cream and shampoo contains SLES or Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Any idea what is that?

Recently, scientists and researchers have been paying a lot of attention on the environment and they found some shocking evidence about the very chemicals that we use every day for personal care.

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What You Don't Know Might Harm You

Usually shampoo ingredients contain at least 10-20 types of synthetic or manmade chemicals with names that most people cannot even pronounce. If you go to your local store and search for any branded shampoos, you probably won't notice the fine prints of these ingredients but just what the general indication of the shampoo like hair type and style.

Researchers and scientists have found prove that some shampoo ingredients or chemicals can unintentionally trigger potential health threats and even carry carcinogenic properties (Cancer Causing Agents).

Although there is no way to ascertain whether a product can be contaminated to cause chemical induced hair loss diseases or other health problems, I do recommend that you, if you are suffering from hair loss, to avoid it if possible.

It's time to take a deeper look on how some of these shampoo ingredients.

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Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is one of the most common shampoo ingredients. In fact most personal hygiene products contain this specific ingredient. SLES is a washing surfactant, in other words a washing detergent. Imagine it as a car polish that returns the shine by removing the top layer of the paint.

There is another similar type known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), which is more potent while SLES is more powerful foaming agent. This synthetic formula is widely used for washing and removing stains and can irritate your eyes upon contact.

Although recently, there have been rumors stating SLES is can cause potential health risks and carcinogen, toxicology research by the agencies like OSHA, NTP, and IARC have found that this statement has over exaggerated.

One of the concern is that they have found in some shampoo products that contain this basic ingredient, to have a small percentage of parts-per-thousand to parts-per-million levels of 1,4-Dioxane via manufacturing contamination.

Now 1,4 Diaoxane has been proven by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be a very potential carcinogen and can cause damage to your central nervous system, liver and kidneys.

Take a look at a test report about 1,4 Dioxane here.

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DEA and TEA

One of the funny ingredient names to look out for is Diethanolamine (DEA)or Triethonalamine (TEA). Well in case you don't know (TEA) is not a kind of tea extract but both of these chemicals are wetting agents, that help the shampoo create a richer lather.

These ingredients can react with nitrites found in some shampoo ingredients. Manufacturers use nitrite as a preservative and a reaction between these chemicals can form a cancer causing compound known as Nitrosamines. (Confusing huh?)

If your shampoo contains an ingredient known as Bronopol, the risk of reaction is elevated. So it's best to avoid these TEA and DEA ingredients.

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Hair Dyes Some of your hair Dyes contain lead acetate, a type of heavy metal that can absorbed through your skin and cause Nervous system problems Embryo defects Irritation Redness Long term exposure can lead to Poisoning Restlessness Irritability Visual Disturbances Hypertension Well, I don't think it's dangerous to dye your hair once a while, but think twice before you decide use hair dyes regularly. Read more about various Hair Treatments in About Hair Treatments.

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Coloring Agents

How do shampoo obtain that lovely smell and color after mixing with so much chemicals? Colorings of course. Colorings are common products used during to manufacturing process to turn the dully colored mixture from all those chemicals to a more enticing color. Manufacturers needed to help conceal the originally processed color of their products so that we consumers, won't freak out when we use the products.

According to David Steinman, the auther of The Safe Shopper's Bible, he suggests that some of these listed colors might cause health problems. So try not to over too many products that contain these colorings.

• D&C Green 5
• D&C Orange 17
• D&C Red 9
• D&C Red 19
• D&C Red 33
• FD&C Blue 1
• FD&C Green 3
• FD&C Red 4
• FD&C Red 40
• FD&C Yellow 5
• FD&C Yellow 6

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Phthalates

Phthalates are platicizers than have been regarded in many countries to be potential carcinogens. Recently, Phthalates are found in perfumes in some shampoo ingredients that give the 'lovely smell'. This product has been found to cause

• birth defects
• liver cancers
• hormonal disruptions

in laboratory tests. Some products that contain Phthalates are banned in California and several countries. See this Wikipedia article on Phthalates here.

The best way to avoid Phthalates is to choose shampoo ingredients that do not contain perfumes or fragrances. If you are looking for something that smells nice, you can always opt for essential oils or herbs shampoos.

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Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde has been reasonably considered to be a human carcinogen and can be present in some shampoo ingredients like

• DMDM hydantoin
• Diazolidinyl Urea
• Imidazolidinyl Urea
• Quaternium-15
• Bronopol

This chemical is a volatile organic compound, which means that it can become breathable gas under warm or wet conditions. Formaldehyde can also cause irritations to your eyes and respiratory irritation.

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So Why Haven't the Manufacturers Do Something About It?

Well, in my opinion, I believe that most manufacturers do not intend to harm their consumers, but one of the main reasons why these chemicals are still used is because they are relatively cheap to make. Imagine them having to source for limited supplies of organic and chemical free ingredients to make millions of bottles of shampoos annually. Further to that, organic materials are really expensive and limited.

One more thing to consider, with a sudden change of chemicals, the oleo-chemical industries supplying to these major brands will be severely affected. However, the trend towards organic shampoo ingredients is emerging steadily. There are more and more products that carry the 'Organic' symbol. As for now, it's best to start early and adapt to a more natural and organic shampoo.

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