We all want healthy, shiny hair. But have you ever turned over your shampoo bottle and actually read the ingredients? Hint: most are deliberately so small you will need a magnifying glass to read them!
We are living in a topsy-turvey world, where you almost need a chemistry degree to know what’s in any of your products these days. Most of us are unknowingly applying a cocktail of harsh chemicals to our scalp, every single day. It’s not just what we put on our hair. These ingredients are absorbed through our skin, inhaled during styling, and even persist in the air we breathe long after.
If you’re experiencing things like hair thinning, hormone issues, dry scalp, fatigue, or unexplained skin reactions… your hair products could be playing a bigger role than you think.
The Dirty Truth About Most Haircare Products
Many conventional hair products, including shampoos, conditioners, sprays, mousses, and gels, contain a combination of synthetic chemicals, many of which have been linked to:
- Hormonal disruption
- Respiratory irritation
- Immune dysfunction
- Allergies and skin sensitivity
- Hair thinning and poor scalp health
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common ingredients you’ll find:
Common Haircare Toxins to Watch Out For
1. Phthalates
Often hidden under the word “fragrance,” these chemicals are known endocrine disruptors. They’ve been linked to fertility issues, thyroid problems, and developmental concerns.
2. Parabens
Used as preservatives, parabens (like methylparaben and propylparaben) can mimic estrogen in the body and have been detected in breast tissue. Long-term exposure is linked to hormonal imbalance and increased cancer risk.
3. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
These are the foaming agents in most shampoos. They strip natural oils from your scalp, leading to dryness, irritation, and in some cases, dermatitis. They can also be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen.
4. Siloxanes (e.g. D4, D5)
Common in hair sprays and conditioners for “smoothness” and “shine,” but these compounds are bioaccumulative and linked to hormone disruption and environmental toxicity, especially when heated.
5. Artificial Fragrance (Parfum)
“Fragrance” can legally contain dozens (or hundreds) of chemicals without being disclosed. These can include allergens, hormone disruptors, and even ingredients banned in other countries.
6. Alcohol Denat & Propellants (in sprays)
These ingredients can dry out the hair and scalp, contribute to respiratory irritation when inhaled, and even cause long-term lung damage with chronic use, especially in poorly ventilated areas. NOTE: if you have pets in the house of any species they are very susceptible to damage from inhaling these.
It’s Not Just Skin Deep — We Breathe It In
Haircare isn’t just about what touches our scalp. Sprays, foams, and even hot tools aerosolize these chemicals into the air around us, where we inhale them directly into the lungs.
A study by Purdue University showed that using conventional hair products under heat can release billions of nanoparticles into the air, levels comparable to city air pollution. That’s not just affecting your hair… that’s impacting your whole system.
Why “Natural” Doesn’t Always Mean Safe
Some products market themselves as “natural” but still include harmful preservatives, synthetic fragrance, or greenwashed ingredients. It’s important to look beyond the label and understand what’s really in your products.
What to Look For Instead
If you’re ready to detox your haircare routine, start with these principles:
- Choose fragrance-free or naturally scented products with clearly listed essential oils
- Avoid sulfates (SLS/SLES), parabens, and phthalates
- Look for certified organic or plant-based ingredients (with caution as not all plant based ingredients are safe)!
- Support brands that are transparent with full ingredient lists
- Choose biodegradable, non-toxic formulas that are safe for you and the environment
Buy from shops where you can refill old containers when possible – that plastic ends up in the land / sea / air often as microplastics.
What I Use and Trust
After digging deep into this topic, I made the switch to a cleaner, plant-based haircare range that I now fully stand behind.
My daughter uses their botanical hairspray, which provides great hold without any of the toxic junk: no silicones, no synthetic fragrance, and no hormone-disrupting preservatives.
And their shampoos and conditioners are just as gentle:
- Scented with real essential oils
- Made with plant extracts like nettle, pine, chamomile, and echinacea
Free from harsh surfactants and artificial colours
Want to try the range I trust?
Click here to explore the natural haircare I use and recommend:
👉 https://www.catherineedwards.life/product/live-in-the-light-natural-hair-care/
It’s such a simple switch, and it really does make a difference, not just to your hair, but your health.
How Often To Wash Your Hair
I know that most non-toxic brands are much more expensive, but did you know that frequent washing of your hair can be really bad for it? Frequent, harsh washing damages the barrier, lifts the cuticle, and accelerates color fade, so hair looks greasy faster and needs… more washing (vicious cycle). Switching to gentle, well-formulated natural products + stretching wash days breaks that cycle, improves hair/scalp health, and often saves money over time because you use less, less often.
Why frequent washing can be a problem
- Strips the scalp barrier (sebum):
Sebum is your built-in conditioner + antimicrobial film. Harsh or frequent washing removes it faster than glands can replace it → dry ends, brittle feel, reactive oily roots (rebound oil). - Hygral fatigue (swelling–shrinking cycles):
Hair soaks water, swells, then contracts as it dries. Too many wetting cycles → cuticle lift, frizz, split ends, breakage—especially in porous or curly hair. - Color & keratin loss:
Each wash leaches dye molecules and structural proteins, fading color and weakening strands. - Microbiome disruption:
Over-cleansing (and heavy fragrance) can irritate the scalp flora → itch, flake, inflammation. - Mechanical damage:
More wash days = more rubbing, detangling, heat styling → cumulative wear.
We often invest so much time and energy into food, exercise, and stress, and forget the dozens of tiny choices we make daily, like the shampoo we lather in or the spray we breathe in.
These small changes matter.
They add up.
And they’re fully within our control.
If these ready made products are too expensive, then investigate making your own, foraging for ingredients. It’s such fun!
The herbs / plant matter we all have available to us will vary based on where we live. Here is just one example of a home made shampoo recipe:
Nettle + Plantain + Soapwort Gentle Shampoo (250 ml)
Why these plants
- Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) – roots/leaves contain natural saponins (mild cleansers).
- Nettle tops (Urtica dioica) – mineral-rich (silica, iron), supports scalp circulation and stronger hair.
- Plantain leaf (Plantago major/lanceolata) – soothing for itchy/irritated scalps; gentle anti-inflammatory.
If you don’t find soapwort in the wild, you can buy dried root. Don’t substitute ivy/horse-chestnut—they’re harsher and more irritant.
Make the herbal wash base
- Roughly chop: ½ cup fresh soapwort root/leaves (or 15 g dried), 2 cups loosely packed nettle tops, 1 cup plantain leaves.
- Add soapwort to 500 ml water, simmer 15 min (lid on).
- Turn heat off; add nettle + plantain, steep 20 min.
- Strain through fine cloth. You’ll have ~350 ml strong infusion. Cool completely.
Turn it into shampoo
In a non-metal bowl whisk gently:
- 200 ml cooled herbal infusion
- 50 ml decyl glucoside (very mild, plant-derived surfactant; ECOCERT)
- 1 tbsp aloe vera gel (soothes scalp)
- 1 tsp vegetable glycerin (light moisture)
- ½ tsp xanthan gum pre-mixed into the glycerin (optional thickener)
pH tweak (important): Dissolve a pinch of citric acid in water and add dropwise to reach pH 5.0–5.5 (use pH strips). Hair cuticles like it slightly acidic.
Bottle: Pour into a clean squeezy bottle. Shake before use.
Use: Wet hair, massage 1–2 tbsp into scalp for 60–90 sec, rinse well. Finish with an acidic rinse (1 tbsp apple-cider vinegar in 250 ml water), then cool water.
If you want zero purchased surfactant
Soapwort-only cleanser: Simmer 30 g dried soapwort root in 500 ml water for 15–20 min. Cool, strain. Add 1 tsp glycerin. It cleans lightly (great for frequent washing / sensitive scalps). Use within 3 days refrigerated.
Dry shampoo (for no-wash days)
- 2 tbsp arrowroot + 2 tbsp kaolin clay + 1 tsp finely powdered dried nettle
Optional: ½ tsp cacao for dark hair.
Dust onto roots, wait 2–3 min, brush out.
Storage & safety
- Water-based DIY needs care. Without preservative: refrigerate, use within 7–10 days.
- For a longer shelf life: add a natural broad-spectrum preservative (e.g., Geogard ECT at manufacturer %), keep pH ≤5.5.
- Patch test first. Forage away from roads/spray. Wear gloves for nettle. Correctly ID plants.
- Essential oils: skip or keep minimal—many are irritating and not pet-friendly.
If you’ll also bathe animals, keep the formula unscented, avoid EOs, and don’t use on broken skin.
To see all my trusted suppliers see https://www.catherineedwards.life/health-products/ and make sure you are signed up to my free newsletter to get free health and life advice! https://www.catherineedwards.life/signup-for-newsletter/