We live in a society that we can change basically whatever we want about ourselves. This is especially true for our hair. If we want curls we get a perm, straight we get it chemically straightened. If we don’t like the colour we dye it, and if we lose it we can grow it back with chemicals or get it implanted back into our heads. Some of the things we do to our hair every day is damaging to our health and to the world around us.
Shampoo and conditioner are products most of us use every day and in most ways that’s probably a good thing if we want to avoid another outbreak of the plague, but what’s really in shampoos and conditioners? Most mainstream shampoos and conditioners are loaded with a lot of harmful chemicals that end up in the environment and in our bodies. Some of these unnecessary preservatives can actually migrate into our blood streams and disrupt our natural systems. Animal testing is another frightening reality of a lot of beauty products including shampoos and conditioners. Try to find a shampoo that doesn’t test on animals and doesn’t contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or any other harmful chemicals.
Hair stylists always wear gloves and sometimes even wear masks while dealing with hair dye. That reason alone should make it obvious that it’s probably not very healthy and shouldn’t be put on our heads or rinsed down the drain. Most hair dyes are also known to contain the carcinogen 4-ABP, and a lot of other strong chemicals that give it that revolting smell and burning sensation. Companies like Ecocolors and Naturtint offer dye products that are a little more environmentally friendly and better for our health but the best solution is to keep it natural.
Most of the products we use to style our hair are loaded with chemicals and shipped from all over the world, giving them a big carbon footprint. These aren’t only detrimental to our health, but think about all the half empty aerosol hairspray cans and other hair care products that end up in landfills every year and leach into the soil and water streams. It’s clear that if we don’t start using safer solutions we will end up with one very bad hair day. For some options in green hair care products, and other beauty products in Canada, I have listed some websites below.
http://www.lakesoap.com/index.php
http://www.lukab.com/
http://www.arbourshop.com/index.php
http://www.essereorganics.com/shop/
