!8: Parabens Free Shampoo This Instant: October 2011

!±8± SLS-Free Shampoos

You may ask what is so bad about conventional shampoos? After all you've been using them for years without serious side effects - haven't you? Bio-monitoring of your toxic body burden might tell you a different story. Wherever you live, town or country, you will be constantly exposed to a cocktail of chemicals. This exposure comes from a great many sources - from ingestion of contaminated foods, through inhalation of toxic gases, from mother to child through the placenta and trans-dermal contamination via the skin. We expose ourselves in this last way on an almost daily basis.

The main chemical nasties to look out for in shampoos are; parabens (preservatives), sodium lauryl sulphate or SLS (foaming agent) and methylisothiazolinone (a biocide.) Many conventional shampoos on the supermarket shelves contain parabens, nearly all of them list sodium lauryl sulphate (or sodium laureth sulphate which is SLS after it has undergone a process called ethoxylation) as the second ingredient after water. Many popular hair products also contain the biocide methylisothiazolinone.

Most controversy centres around the use of the foaming agent Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, also present in toothpastes and bubblebaths, to name but a few. SLS was originally used as an industrial degreasant. It is claimed that SLS can damage the skin by stripping it of natural oils and leaving it prone to pitting and irritation. There is a worry that it may cause cataracts and improper eye development in children and that it can cause mouth ulcers. SLS in conjunction with other chemicals present in cosmetics can form carcinogenic nitrosamines. It would be wise to avoid products containing SLS, especially if you suffer from skin irritation or if you have allergies. As a precaution it would be better if children were not subjected to these chemicals,

There are four kinds of paraben that are most widely used; methy-, ethyl-, propyl- and butyp-paraben. These are preservatives used in a diverse range of cosmetic products. Theories linking parabens to breast cancer are yet to substantiated, yet one feels it is wise to exercise caution until thoroughly disproved. Fears that parabens act as oestrogen mimickers should be taken seriously however, and they have been linked to endocrine (reproductive) disruption in both humans and wildlife.

Methylisothiazolinone, sometimes listed as MIT, is a biocide that kills moisture loving bacterium. Even short exposure to high concentrations can lead to nerve cell destruction. Adequate neuro-toxicity studies of the effect of this chemical on humans have not yet been undertaken.

So next time you pick up a bottle of shampoo, you may want to study the ingredients a little harder, you may well decide to look for more natural and organic alternatives. If you do decide to stick with your conventional shampoo try diluting it before use, rinse it away thoroughly and be very careful to avoid contact with your eyes.