For the past few months, I have been trying to understand what those big fancy ingredients on the back of regular hair care products, actually mean. Before I started to research, I would judge a product by the price (yes, Im semi-frugal) lol. But recently I'm starting to realize there is more to a product than the price, smell, or pretty decorations on the bottle. I need to know exactly what is going in my hair.
After looking at regular bottles of shampoo, I kept seeing the ingredients methylparaben, propylparaben, benzylparaben and butylparaben,” they all end in “paraben.” I found out, parabens are a kind of preservative used in cosmetics and shampoos. Parabens are even used in some foods and medicines. Paraben is a very controversal ingredient, it has been linked to breast cancer. A 2004 study showed traces of 5 parabens in cancerous breast tumors. Although the study did not prove the parabens caused the cancer, parabens are capable of remaining intact in human tissue, and are not necessarily excreted from the body quickly and easily. There is no limit on the amount of parabens that manufacturers can use in shampoos, the amount is not regulated.
I'm not trying to scare anyone, or start a huge debate. I just want to be more conscious of what I use on my skin and hair. Also, I want to inform others, so that once we understand what these ingredients mean, we will make better decisions.
Thanks for the info! Great piece.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first discovered tha word parabens..it really gave me a reaaaaal scare & began throwing a lot of my favorite products out & a few I kind'a kept in tha cabinet,since then I have also gone natural with hair products & my hair as well!,from time to time I may still pull out a product that contains parabens but it isn't often I use them..
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