what product ingredients to avoid

I am interested to know what ingredients I should avoid. Not specific product brands (avoid negative advertisement [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] ) but instead what ingredients. From what I have read so far I should avoid products with silicone in it... (I think)??? I know there are countless others.

If someone could share their knowledge so I know what to look for when I go shopping for products for my hair for shampoos, conditioners, leave in conditioners, moisturizers, etc.

SN, I am in the process of transitioning from straight to curly. I want to make sure I treat my curls right [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi soontobecurly, my rule of thumb is to try to stay away from things i cant pronounce.

I stay away from sulfates, silicones, and alcohol. I recently read that there are some water soluble silicones that are easier than others to remove from your hair without the assistance of sulfates. I'm not sure but those are the terrible trio that you should leave out of your regimen.

^^^In regards to alcohols, there are good and bad ones. The good ones are cetyl, cetearyl, and stearyl aclohols. They're all fatty alcohols that are usually the base of conditioners because of their moisturizing properties (for example, aubrey organics).

Anyway, I don't think there are any ingredients that are just "bad" for curly hair in general. Everyone's hair responds differently to things so you'll have to do some trial and error. But it's probably a good idea to do some research on the commonly avoided ingredients: silicones, sulfates, and mineral oil/petroleum oil/paraffin.

You'll want to look for products with the good alcohols, behentrimonium methosulfate (helps to add slip), good oils (coconut, extra virgin olive, avocado, wheat germ, camellia, etc.), herbs (or herbal extracts), softening/moisturizing proteins like hydrolyzed silk, gylcerin, honey, and the list goes on and on.

Thanks Maysay about the alcohol info. I realize the ingredients mentioned above are in quite of few of my products.

Thank you for the info ladies.. Keep it coming. I definitely plan on sharing what I learn with all of my curly girlfriends. Enjoy your weekend!

I don't know if you use cones or sulfates in your products, but for me I stay away from all sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum/petroleum, some alcohol, and products that end in -cone or -xane.

Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea
Methyl and Propyl and Butyl and Ethyl Paraben
Petrolatum
Propylene Glycol
PVP/VA Copolymer
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Stearalkonium Chloride
Synthetic Colors
Synthetic Fragrances
Triethanolamine

I found this list at http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/toxic_cosmetics.cfm

This was very helpful! A lot of my products have this stuff in them. :-(

maysay wrote:^^^In regards to alcohols, there are good and bad ones. The good ones are cetyl, cetearyl, and stearyl aclohols. They're all fatty alcohols that are usually the base of conditioners because of their moisturizing properties (for example, aubrey organics).

Anyway, I don't think there are any ingredients that are just "bad" for curly hair in general. Everyone's hair responds differently to things so you'll have to do some trial and error. But it's probably a good idea to do some research on the commonly avoided ingredients: silicones, sulfates, and mineral oil/petroleum oil/paraffin.

You'll want to look for products with the good alcohols, behentrimonium methosulfate (helps to add slip), good oils (coconut, extra virgin olive, avocado, wheat germ, camellia, etc.), herbs (or herbal extracts), softening/moisturizing proteins like hydrolyzed silk, gylcerin, honey, and the list goes on and on.

This is soo helpful. I was in Sally's beauty supply the other day and couldn't remember which things to avoid so I only bought a small bottle of proclaim styling gel. It didn't have alcohol

.:Eden:. wrote:I don't know if you use cones or sulfates in your products, but for me I stay away from all sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum/petroleum, some alcohol, and products that end in -cone or -xane.

Me too.

@soontobecurly, are you trying to go strictly CG (curly girl) or modified CG? That's pretty much what I do as part of the above as a modified CG, because I shampoo (non sulfate of course) 1-2X/month.

This is just me; what works for your hair is what works for your hair. Like another poster mentioned it's all about trial and error because you and your hair are starting a relationship and you have to get to know your hair and what it likes (Just like dating I guess).

Now on to mineral oil and petrolatum based products...I like to give the illustration of rubbing Vaseline on your skin. When you try to put water on skin covered with vaseline the water repels and this is why mineral oil/petrolatum products don't moisturize the hair but coats it and leaves a film.

Now imagine you using a product that contains the mentioned ingredients above and you wake up one morning trying to refresh your hair with water...moisture can't get into your hair and that's why over time it's drying to the hair (for some).

If you're going to use cones, mineral oil and petrolatum based products you're also going to have to use a sulfate based shampoo to remove the above mentioned ingredients because they can cause build-up that need the aid of sulfates to remove from the hair. But be full warned, sulfate based shampoos strip the hair of ALL oils and you're left with EXTRA clean hair that feels stripped and looks dry!