I was scrolling through my social media feeds today and came across a reel via Instagram that a beautician composed. The reel began with a caption she wrote which read something along the lines of, “As a beautician, never use the following shampoo and conditioner brands.” The reel then depicted brief flashes of photos of specific types of shampoo and conditioner made by popular brands, for example, Garnier, OGX, and Pantene.
I’m not going to pretend that I’m an expert when it comes to hair care and maintenance, but I do know a thing or two, and I also have a good idea of what to avoid when it comes to products made for hair. I like to refer to the three following ingredients you should always look for in your hair products as the unholy trinity; parabens, phthaletes, and sulfates. When I say you should always look for them, I mean that if a product for hair contains any or all three of these things, you should immediately chuck it back onto the shelf and walk away swiftly.
Maybe don’t chuck the item back onto the shelf. I don’t want to cause any unnecessary grief for store employees. Perhaps place it gently back where it was instead.
Parabens, phthalates and sulfates are pure shit, and they have the ability to make one’s hair look and feel like shit. They are chemical-ridden and strip moisture from hair, causing it to dry out and become brittle. The ends of your hair probably shouldn’t resemble a corn broom.
A lot of big brands incorporate these ingredients into their hair products because of the damage they do. The more you use these products, the worse your hair gets, prompting you to buy more in the process. It’s a shitty tactic, but it does increase sales, which is what any brand wants.
Thankfully, more and more companies are beginning to formulate hair products that do not contain the unholy trinity, so they aren’t hard to come by. Always read the label, my friends.
ontheedgeofeverything 