Nowadays, there is an endless supply of so-called “natural” products and it can be hard to know exactly which products are healthy for you and your family. For the healthiest home, we always recommend using organic personal care products, but for those that have not fully transitioned to organic, we have rounded up three harmful ingredients you should avoid when choosing your baby’s shampoo.
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Fragrance - If fragrance is listed as one of the ingredients in your shampoo, avoid it. A variety of different chemicals can be hidden inside that one word, since the specific ingredients are not disclosed, these are often toxic. Even if the product is marketed as fragrance-free or unscented, it may still contain fragrance but is masked with another chemical so it blocks the brain from detecting odor. If you want a shampoo with a pleasant smell, choose products that are naturally scented with essential oils and not synthetic chemicals.
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Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) - SLS is a detergent and foaming agent. Many people like their shampoos to lather well, but it may not be the safest. Also known as an insecticide, SLS has been linked to cancer, liver damage, rashes and other harmful effects on your body. If you see SLS in the label, move on to the next product. We use quillaja in our baby shampoo, which is a natural foaming agent.
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Parabens - Parabens are preservatives and are common in many of our household items such as soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics. They help prevent bacteria from growing in products but they are neurotoxins that can cause toxicity in the body, hormone disruption and skin irritation. There are many different types of parabens, but here are some to keep your eyes peeled for: methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and isobutylparaben.
There are of course many other harmful shampoo ingredients that aren’t healthy for the body but chances are, if they have any of these three, there are more toxic chemicals in the ingredient list. If you’re on the market for a safe children's shampoo without any toxic ingredients, we’d love for you to try our organic baby shampoo!
