Continuing our look at the top-selling products on Amazon.com…

Even though they are technically Over the Counter (OTC) drugs and not cosmetics, dandruff shampoos are big sellers in the beauty section of Amazon.com. Specifically, two versions of Head & Shoulders dominate the 6th and 7th top selling spots. Who would have thought that SO MANY people have dandruff!! What can we learn by looking at the label?

Head & Shoulders Ocean Lift Shampoo Ingredients

Active Ingredients: Pyrithione Zinc (1%)
This is one of the most common drug ingredients approved to treat dandruff.

Water
Solvent.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Primary surfactants.  Excellent foaming/cleansing agents although some people find them too drying.

Cocamide MEA
An old-school foam booster.

Zinc Carbonate
Added to help stabilize the preservatives in the formula. (The anti-dandruff active can deactivate preservatives leaving the product vulnerable to microbial contamination.)

Glycol Distearate
Opacifying agent. Forms little crystals that make the product look creamy.

Dimethicone
Conditioning agent.

Fragrance
Smells like the sea.

Cetyl Alcohol
Helps provide the creamy look and texture.

Magnesium Sulfate, Magnesium Carbonate Hydroxide
Most likely part of the preservative boosting system.

Sodium Benzoate
Preservative

Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Secondary surfactant.

Benzyl Alcohol
Supposedly reduces eye sting.

Sodium Chloride
Salt for thickening.

Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
Preservatives.

Sodium Xylenesulfonate
Additional surfactant that’s probably carried in with one of the other ingredients. Sometimes this is added as a coupling agent to help clarify formulations but this product is opacified so it wouldn’t matter.

PEG 7M
Thickening/viscosity control polymer.

Sea Salt, Fucus Vesiculosus (Bladderwrack), Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract
Marine extracts that don’t do anything except make the formula look more “Ocean Lift-y.”

Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow 5
Colorants, presumably providing a sea-shade.

Image credit: Drugstore.com

If you have an itchy, flakey scalp and you want to support the Beauty Brains, this is your lucky day! Just click the link below to buy Head & Shoulders and you’ll really be helping us out. Thanks!

Name Your Link

Even though the Beauty Brains don’t do traditional reviews, from time to time we like to share new products that we’re trying. We want you to know that we received free samples in exchange for a mention on our blog and that we’re not necessarily recommending you buy anything. We’re just sharing new product news; please do your own research before you buy. This week we have one product to share.

AG Smooth Sulfate Free Argan Oil Shampoo

Here’s what the manufacturer says: “Sumptuous lathering and sulfate-free, Smoooth is infused with argan oil to make your mane velvety smooth and silky soft. It’s ideal for use on medium to thick hair.”

Technical commentary: This is one of the most interesting shampoo formulas we’ve seen. It uses Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, a very mild surfactant that used in the top ten mildest body washes, along with no less than eight (!) other foaming/cleaning agents. Surprisingly, even with this much surfactant the lather does not strip the hair. In fact, hair is left feeling highly conditioned. It reminds us a little of the old Pureology sulfate free shampoo formula.

Ingredients

Water/aqua/eau, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, laureth-5 carboxylic acid, cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamidopropylamine oxide, disodium lauroamphodiacetate, sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate, peg/ppg-120/10-trimethylopropane trioleat, lauret-2, cocadimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed keratin, argania spinosa kernel oil, peg 40 hydrogenated castor oil, polyquaternium 10, melissa officinalis leaf extract, calendula officinalis flower extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, prunus serotina (wild cherry) bark extract, humulus lupulus (hops) extract, cymbopogon schoenanthus extract, urtica dioica (nettle) extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, achillea millefolium extract, panthenol, linoleamidopropyl pg-dimonium chloride linoleamidopropyl pg-dimonium chloride phosphate, peg-8 amodimethicone, silicone quaternium-16, undeceth-11, butyloctanol, undeceth-5, polyquaternium-47, sodium pca, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, styrene/acrylates,copolymer, fragrance/ parfum, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, red 40 (ci 16035), yellow 5 (ci 19140).

LindyGirl longs to learn…I deep condition using Extra Virgin Coconut Oil once a week. I had tried oils before but would end up having to shampoo so many times to remove the oil it seemed to defeat the purpose of the deep conditioning process. Then I read some ‘how to’ directions on a spa site. They recommended applying the oil to dry hair, cover with a shower cap, cover the shower cap with a towel and leave it for an hour. Then apply shampoo to dry hair, add water and shampoo as usual. It works, but I have wondered is there any scientific reason to back it up.

The Right Brain’s reasoned response: 

I’ve never tested this “pre-treatment” technique but there could be a scientific explanation for why it works.

Why is pre-treatment good?

Can it break bad?

I”m guessing that working a viscous shampoo through dry hair could be a bit challenging on long hair. So this tip might be easier to execute if you have short hair. Also, putting more concentrated surfactants in contact with skin without prior dilution with water MAY be more irritating. (Of course that will depend on what kind of shampoo you’re using.) I’m not sure whether or not this would be more or less irritating than washing multiple times. Sounds like this could be a good half head test for Left Brain!

Have you every had trouble getting oil out of your hair? Have you tried Lindy’s shampoo pre-treatment technique? Leave a comment and share your experiences with the rest of the Beauty Brains community. 

Image credit: www.tcpalm.com

As regular readers of the Beauty Brains know, we recently blogged about Shea Moisture’s Organic Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo and raised the concern that the label seemed to missing a few key ingredients, including preservatives. We were skeptical that the natural extracts contained in the product would provide sufficient protection against microbial growth.

However, after prompting by comments from Sesame, we decided to seek out expert advice on the preservation question. So, we consulted a professional microbiologist who has worked on shampoo and conditioner formulas.

Natural extracts can preserve products

According to our consultant (who admittedly knows much more microbiology than any of the Beauty Brains), these extracts MAY be preserving the product.

“Yes, rosemary extract has been known to posses antimicrobial properties, and antioxidants will act as preservative boosters. However, I am not very familiar with the other two extracts. They are one of a number of “natural” or preservative free options that are getting a great deal of attention. The argan oil, although not in a completely anhydrous formulation, may also assist with creating a synergistic effect. Therefore, it is possible that there may not be any additional preservatives.”

However, her opinion does come with a caveat:

“…while I have not personally tried any of them; I would expect there to be an evident aesthetic impact if used at sufficient enough levels to be efficacious.”

We should also point out that natural extracts may be perfectly adequate for home formulators who are making small batches of product in their kitchens where they have total control over the cleanliness of the equipment. When it comes to large scale manufacturing it becomes much more difficult to ensure product preservation because of the so-called “house bugs” that can grow in the cracks and crevices of manufacturing tanks, pumps, and transfer lines.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Based on this additional information we have to admit the possibility that this formula is adequately preserved with the ingredient list that has been provided. We are, after all, skeptical scientists not knee jerk natural product nay sayers. While we’re not completely convinced, all it would take is a look at the formula and the results of any microbial challenge testing that was done on the product to know for sure.

Image credit: www.blogadilla.com

Austin Kyle Ingredients

Dove Ingredients

Water
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Sodium Chloride
Fragrance