If you’re like most people, you’ve bought into the idea that healthy hair depends on regular shampooing.
On average, Americans lather their locks four to five times per week, twice as often as Europeans. Because blow dryers make it fast and easy to style our hair, millions of us have adopted the habit of shampooing our hair every day.
But that’s not smart, say a growing number of health experts who have abandoned chemical-laden shampoos in favor of natural alternatives. Commercial shampoo is a laboratory stew of chemicals that harms hair, scalp, and overall health, they say.
Nicole Rogers, M.D., an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University, is not among the anti-shampoo crowd, but she admits they do have a point: Regular shampooing can damage hair.
“Over-washing can strip the sebum [scalp oil], which is the scalp’s natural protective barrier, and result in an overly drying effect to the scalp and hair,” she tells Newsmax Health. “As we get older, our sebum production declines, so most of us absolutely do not have to wash our scalps every day.”
Until the 1930s, once-a-week hair washings were common in the U.S. Only in the past 50 years or so did daily shampooing become routine.
Regular shampooing leads to a vicious cycle. Stripping the sebum prompts the scalp to produce excess sebum, which then needs to be removed by repeated washings. Some evidence suggests that sebum production stops after five to seven days without washing, and that the cycle can be broken after two to six weeks without washing.
Shampoo is swimming with chemicals that are blamed for everything from dry and brittle hair to allergic reactions, hormonal disruptions, neurotoxicity, and even cancer.
The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group has identified several groups of ingredients as potentially hazardous.
The worst of these include:
Fragrances, the chemical composition of which legally does not need to be disclosed.
Parabens, which include methylparaben, proplyparaben, and butylparaben.
Sulfates, whichhave a byproduct called 1,4 dioxanethat is a known carcinogen. Sodium and ammonium laureth sulfates are commonly found in commercial shampoos.
Another suspect chemical found in many shampoos is the antibacterial and antifungal chemical triclosan, which has been associated with lower levels of thyroid hormone and testosterone.
Other potentially hazardous chemicals include ammonium chloride, amodimethicone, cocamidopropyl betaine, DEA and TEA, formaldehyde releasers (such as imidazolidnyl and diazolidinyl urea), isopropyl alcohol, methylchloroisothiazolinone, polysorbates, and propylene glycol.
According to Dr. Rogers, the most common side effect of frequent shampooing is contact dermatitis, which is similar to the immune reaction caused by poison ivy. She says the top four culprits are fragrances, cocamindopropyl betaine, formaldehyde releasers, and parabens.
But even no-shampoo advocates generally do not advise not washing hair at all. The simplest alterative to shampoo is rinsing with plain water, which can remove dead skin cells and help clean the hair and scalp.
Apple cider vinegar – either alone or in combination with baking soda – is another commonly recommended alternative. Some proponents advise leaving in a diluted vinegar rinse to achieve hair that feels soft, shiny, and clean.
Other natural alternatives to commercial shampoos include:
Homemade shampoo. Mix a half-cup each of the following: vegetable glycerin (available at drugstores and health food stores), distilled water, apple cider vinegar, and natural dishwashing liquid (Eco Store is one brand).
Egg yolk shampoo. Simply wash with one or two egg yolks and rinse with white vinegar.
Mayonnaise. Sounds weird, but it includes vinegar, eggs, and oil – all of which nourish hair.
Natural bar soaps. These include Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap, which uses organic ingredients.
Boric and citric acid. For shampoo, mix one inch of borax in a gallon jug and fill with filtered water. For rinse, mix a quarter-teaspoon of citric acid per quart of water.
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