With the rise of eco-friendly cosmetics and environmental awareness, we are increasingly looking for higher-quality skincare products (Long live!). Even so, hair was until now the great forgotten, right?
We care about the care of the face and the body, but the hair beauty ritual has been limited for a long time to the use of shampoo, conditioner, fixers and to modify its color based on chemical dyes so that gray hair is not noticeable.
Conventional hair cosmetics are usually made with ingredients derived from the petrochemical industry. Many of them are controversial for their side effects and harmful not only for our body, but also for the planet. So we rectify, it's not like we're using a dishwasher, it's a lot worse.
Have you ever noticed the amount of foam on the beaches near cities? Well, it has a lot to do with the use of these products.
But there is more. When the water from the shower travels down the drain, it can reach rivers or dumping areas and affect the fauna and flora of the area. That's for not commenting on the amount of containers that are discarded.
Therefore at Nasei we bet on solid shampoo. With a plastic-free packaging, a reduced size - which spreads the same or more than any other shampoo - and which minimizes the carbon footprint by being able to transport more units in the same shipment.
It also leaves your hair shiny and hydrated, but let's go back to the dishwasher. Why do we say that you are probably using it on your hair? To give you the idea, many detergent products are a mixture of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Y Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, ingredients present in most conventional shampoos.
What's that sulfates thing?
Shampoo generally contains sulfates as a soaping agent. Not all are bad, but you have to pay special attention to them, since they are not all the same.
Sulfates are very effective at removing dirt, but some are very aggressive. Psychologically it gives us a feeling of cleanliness because they generate abundant foam, but at the same time they drag the natural fat from the mantle, leaving the scalp unprotected and sensitized.
What if we told you that the itchiness and flaking of your scalp are directly related to this? Are we wrong or is it likely that you have suffered it yourself on some occasion? Especially now with the cold.
There are more and more cases of irritations, dermatitis and dandruff and the solution can be as easy as changing the shampoo.
It is true that hair naturally has a hydrophobic surface that repels water and yet attracts lipids. Hence the need for a surfactant that removes the grease that has become attached to the hair.
But of course, petrochemical-derived synthetic surfactants are not the same —Whose cost is very low— that the new formulations That, thank goodness, have begun to appear on the market.
The latter are of natural and vegetable origin, obtained from coconut, corn, sugar or beets, among others. They gently cleanse, are biodegradable and do not sensitize the skin or damage the hair fiber. They do less foam, yes, but they do not have the side effects of aggressive sulfates and your hair will be just as clean, as well as healthy and cared for.
If your shampoo contains one or more of these names, we recommend avoiding it:
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- Sodium Trideceth Sulfate
- Ammonium lauryl sulfate
- Ethyl PEG-15 cocamine sulfate
- Monoethanolamine lauryl sulfate
- N-lauroylsarcosine Sodium
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate,
- Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate,
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate,
- Sodium C14-C16 olefin sulfonate,
- Sodium dodecyl sulfate
In addition to what we have told you, If it is colored or chemically treated, the sulfates will carry the color of the dye out of your hair each time you wash it and will dry it even more, thus losing some of the shine of the dye and having the feeling of "worn" color.
As if that were not enough, they also cause hair loss, by damaging the hair bulb and weakening the root.
Conversely, a green or organic shampoo will be formulated with mild surfactants. These are the sulfates allowed in organic cosmetics:
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- Coconut Glucoside,
- Coconut Sodium Sulfate
- Decyl Glucoside
- Lauryl Glucoside
- Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
- Sodium Cocoyl Sulfate
- Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Would you wash your hair with a dishwasher product? Well that.
P.S. If you still don't know our Solid Orange Carrot Revitalizing Shampoo and ours Rosemary Thyme Purifying Shampoo we recommend that you take a look at them.
They are formulated as if they were a soap for the face. With hydrolates, vegetable and essential oils. Gentle on the finest hair, including children's hair, and you don't know how they smell ...
P.S.II If you decide to go to organic shampoo, be it liquid or solid and whatever brand it may be, remember one important thing while cleaning your hair: turn off the tap.
When you scrub, too. That we must have in common.