Sandra Says: I read about Aveda products being derived from plants. Wanting to move away from toxic products, I excitedly bought shampoo and conditioner. The first ingredients sound great…then the list grows with increasingly complex multi-syllable chemical words that I find hard to believe are just plants! Technically I suppose everything on earth comes from ‘nature’ but I was expecting plant extracts ONLY not plant extracts and the same old chemicals. Whats up here? Is it marketing hype?

The Left Brain laments:
Sandra, I think you guessed it…Aveda is mostly marketing hype. Consider Aveda’s Color Conserve Shampoo

Shampoo Ingredients

Their ingredient list (as taken from Drugstore.com)

Aqueous Purified Water Extracts: Camellia Sinensis Extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara Peel Extract (Bitter Orange), Astragalus Root (Membranaceus) Extract (Milk Vetch), Schizandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Pinus Tabulaeformis Bark Extract (Pine), Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract (Grape), Sedum Rosea Root Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Quaternium 80, PEG 7 Dimethicone C8-C18 Ester, Babassuamidopropyl Betaine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Amyl Salicylate, Amyl Cinnamate, Lycopene, Lecithin, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Sucrose Palmitate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycol Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Polyglyceryl 10 Oleate, Polyquaternium 7, Fragrance, Cistus Ladaniferus Oil, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone

They actually aren’t following the naming conventions of the INCI Dictionary because the term “Purified Water Extracts” is not an official name. If you strip away from this list all the stuff that is just marketing fluff, you’re left with the following ingredients that actually make the product work.

Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Quaternium 80, PEG 7 Dimethicone C8-C18 Ester, Babassuamidopropyl Betaine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycol Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Polyglyceryl 10 Oleate, Polyquaternium 7, Fragrance, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone

You have the same kind of formulas you find in conventional shampoos.

That includes water, detergents (ALS, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, lauramidopropyl betaine), conditioning ingredients (all the ones after betaine up to fragrance), fragrance, adjustment ingredients (to make manufacturing easier), and preservatives (parabens, isothiazolinones).

And you’ll find many of these ingredients in store brands like Pantene, Suave, Dove, Fructis, Tresemme, etc. There is nothing particularly natural about Aveda shampoos anyway. They do have a requirement that all the ingredients can be traced back to some plant but ultimately, this is a ruse.

The Beauty Brains bottom line:

Aveda produces good, high quality products, but they are no more natural or good for you than anything else you can buy. They have some environmental stances that are laudable which may help make you feel better about buying them. But these marketing shenanigans sure make me lose faith in them.

Jane throws us a curve ball: Now that you’ve educated us about curl-enhancing shampoos, can you address the shampoos and rinse-out conditioners that claim to help straighten hair?

The Right Brain straightens her out:

As we’ve said before, shampoos that claim to magically make your hair curly are more bull sh** than beauty science. But making curly hair straight is another story - rinse out products can help, at least a little bit, if they deposit enough conditioning agents.

How can shampoos straighten hair?

Let’s be honest: no single use rinse off product can take the place of a straightening product like a relaxer or even a hair gel. If that’s what you’re looking for then you need to read about the 7 Sure Ways to Straighten Your Hair.

But if you’re just looking to tame hair that’s just a tad too wavy or curly, then rinse out products may be able to help you. That’s because silicones, polymers, and other conditioning agents can deposit even after rinsing. These agents help weigh the hair down, fighting its natural tendency to curl up or frizz out. They won’t fully straighten hair, but they’re better than nothing. For example, here are two examples that contain guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride and certain silicones like Quaternium 80 that have substantial conditioning effects.

Back to Basics Bamboo Straightening Shampoo

Water (Eau), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Disodium Cocamphodiacetate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, PEG 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Perfume (Fragrance), Sodium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Quaternium 80, Methylparaben, Polyquaternium 10, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxpropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Diazolidinyl Urea, Tetrasodium EDTA, Polyquaternium 7, Propylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Panthenol, Persea Gratissima Oil (Avocado), Penta Sodium Pentetate, Hedera Helix Extract (Ivy), Bambusa Vulgaris Extract

Marc Anthony Instant Straightening Shampoo

Water (Enriched with Silk, Silcone), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Lauramide DEA, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycol Distearate, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Oleth 2, Glycerin, Panthenol, Polyquaternium 7, Hydrolyzed Silk, Dimethicone, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Simethicone, Dimethiconol, Polysorbate 20, Triethanolamine, Citric Acid, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazoline, Fragrance, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Green 3, Mica, Titanium Dioxide

(While both products may have a mild straightening effect, Marc Anthony got a bit carried away with his “instant straightening” claim which seems a bit misleading to us. We also love the way he “enriches” their water with silk and silicone.)

The Beauty Brains bottom line

No rinse off product can fully straighten hair. But if you need a touch of extra conditioning to smooth your hair, shampoos can help. Of course, you’ll have to experiment to find out what works on your hair type.

What do YOU think? Have you found any straightening shampoos that you’d recommend to your friends here at the Beauty Brains? Leave a comment and let us know!

Clara’s question: I saw a kid’s shampoo called “Oopsy Daisy” on the Today Show. It claimed to be better for babies. Is this true?

The Right Brain’s baby babble:
Oopsy Daisy makes a line of baby products that include shampoos, moisturizers and bubble baths. The shampoo you asked about is called High Chair Hair Care.

High Chair Hair Care

Aside from the cute name, this product is interesting because it’s designed to be used without any additional water. It’s literally meant to be used in a high chair or where ever else you need to do a quick clean up.

How does it work?

The formula is based on decyl glucoside, a mild detergent. It also contains several grapefruit, orange, and vanilla extracts. Here’s what the Oopsy Daisy website has to say about the formula:

Contains no parabens, SLS, DEA, formaldehyde, propylene glycol, artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, dyes, petrochemicals or harsh preservatives

Water

Aqua (purified water) is a highly purified UV filtered grade of water. The inclusion of such pure water enables us to use very safe, low levels of antimicrobial ingredients

Decyl polyglucose
Derived from sugar; mild and gentle cleanser.

Coco- betaine
Derived from coconut; safe, skin-friendly cleanser for both skin and hair that effectively removes surface oil, dirt and bacteria, without stripping or drying sensitive skin

Vegetable glycerin
Derived from vegetable oil; humectant, emulsifier and skin softener.

Grapefruit seed extract (Citrus grandis)
Derived from grapefruit seeds; slightly anti-bacterial and cleansing.

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)
Derived from vanilla bean; provides natural fragrance.

Orange (Citrus sinensis)
Derived from the rind of the fruit. It has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties when applied to the skin. It’s detoxifying beautiful citrus floral fragrance ensures your skin and mind will be refreshed.

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
Lavender oil has both aroma therapeutic and skin improving properties. It is useful to alleviate stress and anxiety. Headaches respond well to the application of lavender. Its anti-inflammatory and soothing properties have a balancing effect on the skin.

Aside from some rather exaggerated claims about the power of these extracts, we have only two minor concerns: First, there’s a possibility that the extracts in the formula could be irritating because citrus extracts are known to contain allergens. Second, Oopsy says they use purified water so they can use less preservatives. In fact, there are NO preservatives listed on their website so we’re left wondering exactly what they’re putting in the formula to keep bugs from growing.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Technically speaking, this product looks like it does what it says it will. It’s a bit pricey at $18.00 per bottle, but if you can afford it for those special clean up occasions it may be worth a try.

What do YOU think? Do you have any favorite ways to clean your kid’s hair without throwing them in the bathtub? Leave a comment and share your tricks with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Charlotte Comments: I’d love to believe that those curling shampoos will really shape my thick hair. What do the Brain’s Believe?

The Right Brain Responds:

Well, Charlotte, this is an easy one. Curling shampoos do NOT make your hair curly. In fact, if you read the labels carefully, some of them don’t even SAY they’ll make your hair curly! Let’s take a look, shall we?

What do curling shampoos claim?

Even the most flagrant offender of the truth, Wash n’ Curl shampoo, only IMPLIES that it will make your hair curly just from shampooing. Read the label carefully - it says it provides “the most beautiful curls with body, bounce and resilience after styling.” Well, duh! If the shampoo only makes your hair curly AFTER you style it, it’s not really doing much for you is it?

What else does Wash n’ Curl say? “Your hair will be extremely curl responsive…Even dry, damaged, color treated hair will have the staying power of thick curly hair… Its special Curl Enhancers infuse hair with the Holding Power of naturally curly hair.”

The chemistry of curling shampoo

The only piece of truth in this claim is that the shampoo does contain something that could be called a “curl enhancer.” Looking at the ingredient list we see that it does contains a polymer (Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer), that COULD provide some styling benefits. But that would only work if it wasn’t rinsed out! Remember, just because a product contains an ingredient that does something, it doesn’t mean that it does something in that product!

The rest of the claims are pretty much made up, as far as we can tell. There is no shampoo technology that will measurably improve the holding power of your hair.

What about other products, you ask? Well here’s two more:

KMS Curl Up Shampoo and Marc Anthony Strictly Curls. Neither of these shampoos make strong curling claims. KMS only promises to be your “curl’s best friend, ” to ” start your style in the shower,” and to “boost boisterous curls while adding moisture and shine.”

Marc, on the other hand, offers to protect color; repair dry, frizzy areas, and repel humidity to define shiny, soft, curls. (”Define” curls is not really a very emphatic claim.) Aside from a little polyquaternium (a conditioning ingredient) neither of these products have any curling technology either.

We could go on and on, but you get the picture. These shampoos don’t have anything in them to make your hair curly. They don’t even really do anything to prepare your hair for styling, other than getting it clean. If you want to see more, click the carousel below.

The Beauty Brains Bottom Line:

If you really want curly hair, go buy some mousse. Or, God forbid, get a perm!

Starrynight wants to know: I read in Marie Claire that shampoos formulated with natural cleansers like Aveda, Phyto and Ojon are better for your hair than other brands. What do you say about that?

The Right Brain responds:

Here’s a quote from the article Starry mentions…

“All shampoos contain cleansers,” explains Christyn Nawrot, a regional educator for Phyto. But those with naturally derived cleansers are less apt to rob your hair of vital oils. (Phyto, Lavett & Chin, Ojon and Aveda use natural cleansers in all of their shampoos.)”

Hoo boy! This is the kind of question the Beauty Brains just love because natural is one of the buzz words in this industry that doesn’t mean very much. Let’s take a look at the “natural” cleansers in the products mentioned in the Marie Claire article. (To make it easy, we’re just listing the cleansers, but you can look at the entire ingredient list at drugstore.com):

Aveda (Rosemary Mint shampoo)
Sodium Coco-Sulfate (as known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Laureth Sulfate); Lauramidopropyl Betaine (essentially same as cocamidopropyl betaine); Cocamidopropylamine Oxide

Phyto (Phytocitrus Shampoo)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate; Coco Betaine (same as cocamidopropyl betaine)

Ojon Ultra Hydrating Shampoo
Magnesium Laureth Sulfate (same base molecule as Sodium Laureth Sulfate); Cocamidopropyl Betaine; Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate; Lauryl Glucoside; Glyceryl Oleate

Now let’s look at a product with “non-natural” cleansers:

Pantene (Smooth and Sleek)
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate; Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate; Cocamide MEA

Yes, there are a lot of chemical names here, but you don’t have to be a scientist to recognize that all of these products have either “sulfate” type of cleansers , “betaine” type of cleansers, or some combination. These cleansers can be derived from coconut oil, so in that sense they are “natural” but as you can see, the very expensive “natural” products and the less expensive “regular” products basically use the same types of cleansers!

The Beauty Brains bottom line

We’re not saying there is NO difference between shampoo formulas. The amount of cleansers in the formula and the conditioning ingredients they are blended with can make a tremendous difference. So, we’re not saying any of these products are better or worse than any of the others. (Try them for yourself to find out!) But what we are saying is (and here’s the important part:) None of these products are more NATURAL than the others. That’s the true science! Buy what ever brand you like, but if you’re buying these brands because the company tells you that they are more natural, then you’re being mislead. We hope this helps!

What do YOU think? Have you used any “natural” shampoos that you really like? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Here’s a news story that address the age-old question about using matching shampoo and conditioner.

FDA: Juicy Green Apple Conditioner Best Used With Juicy Green Apple Shampoo

WASHINGTON, DC—According to a warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration Monday, a generous amount of Suave Naturals Juicy Green Apple Conditioner should always be applied evenly and massaged into wet hair after washing with Suave Naturals Juicy Green Apple Shampoo.

“This is absolutely essential for optimal shine, shimmer, and texture,” said FDA spokeswoman Linda Mergens, who urged Americans to grab the product off the shelves and buy it after health officials discovered that the shampoo contains vitamin E, which is crucial for bringing out the natural beauty in hair. “Consumers should never under any circumstances mix Suave Naturals Juicy Green Apple Conditioner with Pert Plus, as it may impair luster.”

The FDA also warned that failure to use the product properly could result in hair not smelling like apples.

In case you couldn’t tell, the aforementioned FDA press release is a joke. We reprinted this story from The Onion, one of our favorite humorous websites, because we thought it was SO appropriate! The truth is, there’s very little technical reason to worry about matching shampoo and conditioner. You may want to match functional type (use moisturizing shampoo with moisturizing conditioner and volumizing shampoo with volumizing conditioner) but the brand doesn’t make THAT much difference.

–Mid Brain

Julie’s fearful of Phyto: I looked at the contents for Phyto Phytonectar shampoo for ultra dry hair and the cleansing agent is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which many claim is very irritating and drying. Now I understand that it’s meant to be used after their Phytonectar oil - thus a clarifying shampoo is necessary. However a Phyto trained specialist once assured me that “all of the Phyto oils are water-soluble” and therefore rinsed out with water leaving no residue. So why the super-drying shampoo?

The Right Brain goes psycho on Phyto:
Kudos to you, Julie, for paying attention to the ingredients in the products you use! Here’s the scoop on Phytonectar:

Oily oil?

Phyto Phytonectar Oil contains a plethora of oils including Corn oil and Sunflower Seed Oil. Contrary to what the Phyto representative told you, these oils are NOT water soluble. (If you have this product at home, do this easy test: Just put a drop of oil on your finger and see if it rinses away when you dip it in water.)

Furthermore, if you’re trying to condition your hair, you don’t WANT the oils to completely rinse away. If they do, there’s nothing left behind to condition your hair! So, we’d expect that you WOULD need to shampoo this product out.

Savage shampoo?

Phyto Phytonectar Ultra Nourishing Shampoo (for Ultra dry hair) does not include Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). But it does contain its close cousins Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). When used alone, SLS can leave your hair feeling really, really squeaky clean. But in addition to ALS and SLES, this formula contains several milder secondary surfactants Disodium Cocamphodiacetate, PEG 7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, and PEG 4 Rapeseedamide. It’s even got a touch of Polyquaternium 10 to keep your hair from feeling stripped. So we wouldn’t call this shampoo “super drying.” Overall, we’d expect it to cleanse your hair without overly stripping it, even though it is lacking in any significant conditioning agents.

What do YOU think? Do you use oil treatments on your hair? Which ones are your faves? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Did you know that washing your hair increases air pollution?

At least that might be true according to a new study in New Scientist.com that shows greasy hair can absorb ozone from the air, thus reducing the amount of ozone pollution.

The researchers, Lakshmi Pandrangi and Glenn Morrison from the University of Missouri in Rolla, found that dirty hair absorbs about seven times as much ozone as freshly washed hair. According to Morrison this is enough of a difference to significantly lower the ozone concentration around your head.

The hair solution to air pollution

Hmmm, does this mean we can save the planet by slathering on some hair oil like the Body Shop’s Monoi Miracle Oil, Philosophy’s Hair Marinating Oil, or Carol’s Daughter Tui Hair Oil?

Nope, because leaving hair permanently dirty has issues too. The ozone reacts with all those hair oils to produce other chemicals, like 4-oxopentanal, that can be irritating to your lungs. So if we really want to be safe it looks like we’ll all have to shave our heads!

–Mid Brain

LeAnn’s wish for wisdom: What is the difference between clarifying, chelating, and neutralizing shampoos and how important are any of them to good hair health?

The Right Brain supplies the goods:

Good question, LeAnn, unfortunately the answer is not that simple. It depends on which clarifying, chelating, or neutralizing shampoos you’re talking about. That’s because all companies don’t follow the same definitions for their products. Some companies use these terms for marketing impact; they’re just a fancy way to say that the shampoo is cleaning your hair. Other companies have a scientific rationale for these terms and their shampoos are formulated to deliver different technical benefits. We’ll explain what these technical differences are so you know what to look for when you’re shopping for shampoo.

Clarifying Shampoo

What it is:
This is the easy one: clarifying is just another way to say “deep cleansing.” The person pictured below needs a good clarifying shampoo. Stat!

What to look for:
There’s really nothing special about this type of product. Look for basic, cleansing system without any added conditioners. If you see things like Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-7 or Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, on the label, the formula will probably deposit conditioners on your hair that you don’t want if you’re trying to clarify.

Examples:
KMS Clarifying Shampoo
Icon Energy Clarifying Shampoo

Chelating Shampoo

What it is:
A chelating agent can chemically bind with minerals and keep them from depositing on your hair. At least that’s the theoretical basis for this kind of formula. We’ve never seen it demonstrated in practice. This type of product has most application to areas of the country where there is hard water. Soft water already has the minerals removed.

What to look for:
Look for products with the ingredient EDTA.

Examples:
Joico Kpak Clarify Chelating Shampoo
Aveda Shampure

Neutralizing shampoo

What is it:
True neutralizing shampoos are used in conjunction with hair relaxers. The high pH required by the relaxer to soften the bonds in the hair can be damaging to the scalp. So, after rinsing the relaxer out you’re supposed to wash with a low pH shampoo that neutralizes the high alkalinity.

What to look for:
Unless you’re relaxing your hair, it’s doubtful you’ll need a real neutralizing product. But if you do, look for one with a low pH (probably from citric acid.) Technically speaking, we should have added this one to our list of the 4 basic types of shampoo. (Even though I wrote that one, let’s blame that oversight on the Left Brain, shall we?)

Examples of relaxers that contain a neutralizing shampoo
Phytospecific Phytorelaxer
Motions

Have you seen any other tricky terms that companies use to name shampoos or other products? Leave a comment and we’ll look into it for you.

Connie questions copolyol: Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo is supposed to remove daily build up for normal to oily hair (without leaving any residue ). One of its ingredients is dimethicone copolyol, which according to my dermatologist is a silicone derived emollient that clogs up your pores and makes fine hair very limp. Could you please tell me if this is true?

The Right Brain clarifies:
Your Derm is right about dimethicone copolyol being a silicone derived emollient, but there’s more to it than just that.

Silicone in Suave

We’ve tested Suave’s Daily Clarifying shampoo and although it does contain dimethicone copolyol, it’s an insignificant amount in terms of actually conditioning your hair. As any good cosmetic chemist knows, dimethicone is a highly effective, water insoluble, conditioning agent. Dimethicone copolyol, on the other hand, is a chemically modified version of dimethicone that is much more water soluble and much less conditioning. While dimethicone can make your hair feel limp, the copolyol version mostly rinses away and won’t cause this problem.

Does copolyol clog?

Does it clog your pores? We’re not medical professionals so it’s not our place to contradict your doctor but it seems highly unlikely that this ingredient is an issue. First of all, we can’t find any reference that says dimethicone copolyol is comedogenic (meaning that it clogs pores and causes acne.) Secondly, even if the chemical does have a slight comedogenic potential, it’s used in this formula at very low levels and it’s rinsed out of your hair. It seems inconceivable that you’ll actually have clogged scalp pores just from using Suave Clarifying shampoo.

Other clarifying shampoos

Still, if you’re concerned because of what your Derm told you, there are plenty of other clarifying shampoos on the market that don’t contain dimethicone copolyol. Here are few you might want to check out: (Warning: Not all of these are as inexpensive as Suave!)

Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo

Fekkai’s Apple Cider Shampoo

L’Occitane Clarifying Shampoo

June Jacobs Clarifying Shampoo

Terz Hair Care Latte Clarifying Shampoo

What do YOU use when you want to deep clean your hair? Leave a comment and share your scalp  cleansing secrets with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.