Which is best in shampoo: -cones or parabens?

[Guest Katia]

Let's talk about shampoo ingredients, ok?

 

The curly girl information says to stay away from shampoos that contain -cones.

 

Cancer researchers say to stay away from parabens which are known carcinogens.

 

Formerly, I tried to be a curly girl and not use the -cones. Recently, I've been going more natural (make my own laundry detergent, use baking soda for shampoo and cider vinegar for rinse, trying to cook/eat all whole/natural foods, etc.) I want to promote true health for my body.

 

My hair was limp, dry and felt thick after 2 weeks of the baking soda and vinegar. I adjusted the baking soda amount to less after it made my hair super dried out. It was clean. It wasn't greasy or nasty. I just really don't care for the baking soda thing and I gave it a good shot. Really over two weeks.

 

So......my dds have four different brands of shampoo/conditioner in the shower. I read the ingredients and two brands contain both parabens and -cones. One contains parabens and no -cones. One contains -cones but no parabens.

 

I used the one with -cones but no parabens thinking that might be 'healthier'. But, is it really? BTW, my hair was immediately nicer, softer, fluffier, silky....after using the non-paraben commerical stuff.

 

Arrggg! What's a girl to do? What do YOU do? I know there must be 'natural' products out there somewhere but I don't want to order stuff that I can't get here at WalMart and I don't want to pay an arm and a leg to wash my hair!

 

We won't even talk about moisturizers (yet). All that I found in our house contain parabens. ACCCKKK! Is this even an issue? Should it be?

[Firefly]

I use Avalon Organics Rosemary Shampoo. It is paraben and 'cone-free. AND, my local (regular) grocery store carries it. It is pricey, but I can get it at Trader Joe's for half the price at the regular store. HTH!

[Guest Katia]

I use Avalon Organics Rosemary Shampoo. It is paraben and 'cone-free. AND, my local (regular) grocery store carries it. It is pricey, but I can get it at Trader Joe's for half the price at the regular store. HTH!

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I live in Small-Townsville USA and there is no Trader Joe's in sight. I'd have to drive over 90 miles one way to find one. sigh.

 

We do have two grocery stores and one carries 'some' organic stuff....I'll check there.

 

Thanks!

 

Does anyone have any opinions or thoughts on the -cones/parabens issue? Discussion anyone?

[Firefly]

Your welcome, Katia! I'm sorry I didn't answer before about the paraben/cone issue. I DO avoid both, for different reasons. I avoid parabens because of the link to certain cancers and it's estrogenic effect. Now, there is debate about that, but I've researched it myself and this is the conclusion I've drawn for me personally. So I avoid them in all products.

 

'Cones are just a personal preference, not a health issue for me. I find they coat my hair and mask damage, but eventually it builds up on my hair and leaves it looking very dry. I need a harsh shampoo to "strip" off the cones, and I'd rather not do that. I have waist length hair so I tend to baby it. :)

[khope1]

Have you seen this website yet?

<http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1>

 

Ideally, you want to use products that are rated 2 or under. However, in reality, I searched what I was using and just tried to go lower than what I had.

 

HTH

 

PS...there are companies that were originally listed and arent found now. There are companies that decided that their numbers were too high (AKA toxic) and are in the process of changing their ingredients to get a lower number. So if you search for a product and cant find it, that might be why, so just check back in a month or so and see if they show up. Happy hunting-but get ready for an eye opening experience.

[melissel]

If you do find some organic products you like for your hair (and if you do, please share with this curly girl!), you can order them pretty cheaply at either Vitaglo.com or Vitacost.com. Vitaglo offers free shipping for $50 or more, and Vitacost offers flat $5.95 shipping. Check Retailmenot.com for coupon codes for Vitacost, and go through ebates.com for an ebate. That usually offsets the cost of the shipping, if not more!

[Guest Katia]

Have you seen this website yet?

<http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1>

 

Ideally, you want to use products that are rated 2 or under. However, in reality, I searched what I was using and just tried to go lower than what I had.

 

HTH

 

PS...there are companies that were originally listed and arent found now. There are companies that decided that their numbers were too high (AKA toxic) and are in the process of changing their ingredients to get a lower number. So if you search for a product and cant find it, that might be why, so just check back in a month or so and see if they show up. Happy hunting-but get ready for an eye opening experience.

 

Wow. Just....Wow.

 

Thanks so much for this link. The shampoos and conditioners we use/used are rated 4 and 5 which are moderate toxicity.

 

I think it's back to the baking soda for me! :001_smile:

[khope1]

Im so glad that you found it helpful. To make your life easier, go to the links at the top of the page and search the catagories to see what are the low numbers. Then click on each one because some of the low numbers might cause cancer depending on ingredients-but they wont list which ingredients, but will mark that they may cause cancer.

[danybug]

I shell out the extra dollars to buy the family almost all natural products. I balk at the price sometimes, but I feel it is worth it when our skin is our largest organ and sucking it all in.

 

I buy Burt's Bees Shampoo, face moisturizer, and body butter. And we buy Whole Foods brand bodywash. And we use Trader Joe's toothpaste. I buy all of our Burt's Bees stuff at Walmart, which I was totally shocked to see they carried.

 

Conditioner is the only thing I do not buy natural, only because I haven't found one that detangles our hair without using a ton of it. Oh, and deodorant.

[LaxMom]

If I use shampoo, I also like the Avalon Organics (though I like the Awapuhi (sp) Mango)

 

I generally do baking soda / apple cider vinegar, though. What I've found is that it's not the baking soda that makes your hair feel heavy, it's the vinegar. I make a real effort to use very little (about a TBSP in a 24 oz cup), rinse thoroughly with water, and I use a cooled chamomile tea rinse, which makes my long, curly hair really, really shiny. I also use a little coconut oil, run through my hair while it's still wet, to get the curls going and keep the frizzies at bay.

 

:001_smile:

[Guest Katia]

I shell out the extra dollars to buy the family almost all natural products. I balk at the price sometimes, but I feel it is worth it when our skin is our largest organ and sucking it all in.

 

I buy Burt's Bees Shampoo, face moisturizer, and body butter. And we buy Whole Foods brand bodywash. And we use Trader Joe's toothpaste. I buy all of our Burt's Bees stuff at Walmart, which I was totally shocked to see they carried.

 

Conditioner is the only thing I do not buy natural, only because I haven't found one that detangles our hair without using a ton of it. Oh, and deodorant.

 

You should check out the toxicity chart. Burt's Bees shampoo and conditioner ranked 6, which is the high end of Moderate Toxicity, almost High. Wow. Who'd a thunk it?

 

My Burt's Bees lip shimmer ranked 4, Moderate Toxicity. I'm throwing it in the trash and sticking with vitamin E or almond oil.

 

I do have Burt's Bees Shay Butter hand cream and it was only a 2 Low Toxicity. Yeah!!

 

Check out the chart. Really. You *will* be surprised.

[Guest Katia]

I generally do baking soda / apple cider vinegar, though. What I've found is that it's not the baking soda that makes your hair feel heavy, it's the vinegar. I make a real effort to use very little (about a TBSP in a 24 oz cup), rinse thoroughly with water, and I use a cooled chamomile tea rinse, which makes my long, curly hair really, really shiny. I also use a little coconut oil, run through my hair while it's still wet, to get the curls going and keep the frizzies at bay.

 

:001_smile:

 

Thanks for the advice! I'll use less of the vinegar and try a cool tea rinse. What a great idea!

 

I put some drops of lavender essential oils into water in my spray bottle, so instead of washing my hair each morning, I only spritz it with this and it immediately feels and smells better, and it keeps it soft and conditioned. I've only been washing it twice a week now, and this is what has really helped in between washes.

 

Ok, so less vinegar and a cool tea rinse. Cool!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

For years, I've only used Mastey Traite for my hair AND my skin. It doesn't contain any waxes, or silicones, or sulfates, or other undesirable ingredients. It makes my hair soft, and shiny and well moisturized. It leaves my skin soft and supple and non-itchy. It is creamy and rich, and has only a very subtle fragrance. I love it. I buy it online from the company.

 

http://www.mastey.net/product.php?c=1&p=21

[keptwoman]

Lush Shampoo and Conditioner bars are free of parabens and cones. They do have SLS though which some people don't like. I love them! The conditioner is fabulous for curly hair, you get no frizziness.