We all have an endless stream of options at our disposal when it comes to choosing hair products, and frankly, it can be overwhelming to see aisles after aisles stacked with different products in eye-catching packages, each claiming hundreds of different miraculous results.
A couple of months back, I started noticing that every other hair product is labelled “free” of some supposedly harmful ingredient— “paraben-free,” “silicone-free,” “sulphate-free.” But given that I had never really read the entire, inscrutable list of ingredients in our hair products, these labels raised more questions than answers for me. What are sulfates, and why are they bad? Are they really dangerous, or is “sulfate-free” just a marketing phrase? Fast forward to now, I have finally made the move to zero chemical hair products.
In a recent Environmental Research study of 18 hair products, it was found that 84% of the chemicals detected in products weren’t even listed on the label.
We’re mostly aware of the harmful parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, and the likes, but do we know that the fragrances used in our hair care products are among the top five allergens in the world? Often highlighted as being able to make your hair smell like sunshine and spring meadows, these very fragrances can contain a number of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
Such hair care products are engineered to make your hair ‘squeaky-clean’, but in the process, strip the hair of all its natural oils. Moreover, we are also causing serious harm to our environment. While some of the chemicals in these products are not harmful to humans, they can be really toxic to aquatic life. Added to all these detrimental products, pollution is another factor that no one can escape in this modern world. To save my already damaged and dry locks from further damage, I switched over.
I have started using a chemical-free hair gel, and within a month of use, the difference has been striking. My hair has more body to it, and a natural bounce and shine. My scalp feels strengthened and nourished, thanks to the Arata Zero Chemicals Hair Gel, packed with the goodness of organic flax seed extracts and 100% nature-derived ingredients. It has been specially formulated to remove the build-up left by the chemicals in our shampoos and conditioner. Did you know that even the water we wash our hair with leaves a build-up behind and we must clean it from time to time? This gel chelates and detoxifies the hair, making it incredibly soft.