what chemicals are in hair products
Excerpt from Hair Matter Podcast Listen Here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-do-hair-extensions-come-from/id1464075880?i=1000455445842
We interviewed Laura Skinner an educator from Elgon Official, she is also a cosmetology chemist! We learn what is in our hair products, keratin treatments, shampoos and hair color. This podcast will benefit hair stylists and the general public.
Laura worked for a huge cosmetic industry leader examining chemical interactions and representing this company in a different court called cosmetology court. She shared an alarming story about a women that was in court because her stylist used on scalp bleach with 40 volume developer. The stylist, as well as many other stylists, used this combination on his client for years - but never read the bleach recommended use. He also put his client under the dryer! During the hearing, the stylists assistant described that after the service she washed the clients hair and part of her scalp came off! The stylist lost in court, lost his salon & licensing and also went to jail on mayhem charges! We can all learn from this - as a stylist, understand that what worked on a client in the past may not necessarily work in the future. Also, pay attention to what your client is expressing, are they burning or tingling. As a consumer, ask your stylist exactly what is being put on your hair, you have a right to know. Our body and hormones change often and this could be the complication. The take away is to never use bleach with a developer higher than 20 volume, Laura recommends a few applications of bleach vs. bumping up developer. Use a bond builder such as Linkd from Elgon - it works even better than Olaplex because it protects hair fibers rather than lowering the peroxide.
We also learned that there is no "keratin" in the popular hair straightening method "keratin treatments." In fact, claims that there is no formaldehyde present were debunked. Laura explained that the formaldehyde has been replaced in keratin treatments with a chemical that becomes formaldehyde once heat from a blowdryer or flat iron is applied. That is why the fumes from these treatments can make one sick! There are other alternatives to relax hair or embrace your God given texture.
We touched upon the ingredients in many products, listen to the podcast for more. But there is one last product to understand, that being, "sulfate free shampoo!" Sulfate is salt, most shampoos contain salt & fat, yes that is the basic combination. Once again, the hair industry can be tricky - many times there are replacement ingredients that act the same as salt. What really cleanses your hair is the water and massage process. Do you need sulfate free shampoo? it is gentler but what really matters is how often you wash your hair. If you want a hair color to last, wash less often. Also, your own oils (sebum) are not necessarily a bad thing. Your hair does benefit when you brush your own oil from roots to ends. In the end - you know what works best for your hair~ .but please communicate with anyone that applies a chemical to your hair, especially the caustic variety!
