Shampoo’s ‘bad’ ingredients: the truth about keratin, parabens, silicones and sulphates and what they really do when they’re in your hair
- Hair products often boast they are ‘free from’ certain ingredients, but are these harmful? We look at some we’re told to avoid and others that are prized
- Keratin, for example, is nourishing but too much of it can harm your hair. Parabens stop the growth of mould and bacteria, but too much might disrupt hormones
Many of us use hair care products every day, but do we know what’s truly in them?
Examine the products in your bathroom, and you’ll usually find a line or two about what they specifically do not contain in their formulas. These “free from” lists tend to be universal, implying that such ingredients are probably always bad for your hair.
Not so, says Prudvi Kaka, chief scientific officer of Deciem – the company behind skincare brand The Ordinary. She says: “One must take into account the concentration of use, the total formulation, the pre-existing behaviour of the hair and the specific hair concerns that need to be addressed.”
In a market where brands recognise consumers want something “natural”, some companies forgo certain ingredients without investigating why they should be avoided.
There are undoubtedly some ingredients that you should avoid at all costs – but are all those “bad-for-you” ingredients actually harmful, or are some of them reasonably placed in certain formulas?
We take a look at some we’re told to avoid and others that are prized.
