I've been on a health kick for a long time...but it's taken different forms over the years.
First it was low fat--one of my favorite indulgences at that time were Jelly Belly jelly beans :-).
Recently I've been doing a lot of thinking about personal care products.
Did you know that some of these icky chemicals are likely lurking in your hair care products?
Chemicals in Hair Products
Parabens - Methyl, ethyl, propyl and butylparaben are known to mimic estrogen in the body, which can disrupt your hormoes. Parabens seem to cause human breast tumor cells to grow and proliferate.
Propylene Glycol - According to the MSDS, it can be mutagenic (affect genetic material) and cause adverse reproductive and birth defects, based on animal testing data.
Synthetic Dyes and Colors - Considered to be an unclassifiable carcinogen by the WHO and US EPA, one study found that women who regularly dye their hair are up to three times more likely to develop bladder cancer. Eek! Oh - just so you know, highlighters apparently aren't as dangerous since they don't go down to the scalp.
Plasticizers - There are plasticizers in many hair sprays (look for words that end in "-cone" like dimethicone, cycolmethicone, etc.) Who wants plastic in your hair?
Perms - Harsh chemical right on your scalp. When I used to get perms I'd sometimes have sections of hair completely burned off and sometimes even had my forehead burned. Ouch!
More- PEG compounds, Sodium Laurel Sulfate, DEA, and even alcohol, which can dry your hair.
Sounds like a chemical factory more than something to make your pretty, eh?
A Few Ways to Have Healthier Hair
- Start reading labels and make healthier choices. I am currently using these hair products and I love them, but I am a DIY kind of gal at heart. - Make your own hair products. I'm working on some and I've got a hair rinse that I hope to share soon. (By the way, I've gotten a few comments about how pricey the products I linked to are. Yes, they are expensive. I got them at 40% off and have had them 7 months and I still have about 1/2 of each bottle left. Still pricey but not as "out of control" as they appear. And a lot better than paying salon prices to put caustic chemicals and plastic on your scalp, eh?)
Try some DIY recipes to try. You could even try the "no shampoo method", but I am just not that brave.
Note: if you end up trying some new healthier hair products, your hair will likely detox and act kind of--well, funky for awhile. Once the icky coatings are gone you should be back to your beautiful self.
Lilla Rose Giveaway
One way to have healthy, beautiful hair is with Lilla Rose Flexi Clips.
I always thought that the Lilla Rose clips were just cutesy barrettes.
After trying one, I found that they are more than cute. They:
- are attractive without being overdone - are super sturdy - keep your hair intact.
You can read my full Lilla Rose Review here.
I figure I was losing about 1 strand per day with my old barrettes, but with Lilla Rose I don't usually lose any.
Lilla Rose is one way to get a thicker, healthier head of hair :-).
I'm excited to offer to three readers lucky readers one flexi-clip up valued at up to $16.
(This is the Celtic Knot Flexi. It's the first clip I bought. I'm Irish so it has a special meaning for me.)
And until the giveaway is over, new customers can Buy 3 Get 1 Free clips through 2/22/13.
Just buy 3 clips and email me at wholenewmom at gmail dot com. I will get a coupon out to you for your free clip (up to $15)!
To Enter (leave a comment for each entry, please.)
(You can do any of the following for an entry. But if you say you did something, please make sure you really did it, as I will be verifying them :).)
1. Visit my Lilla Rose site and tell me 2 styles you would like.
2. Comment if you "like" my Lilla Rose Facebook page.
3. Share this post on Facebook.
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Comment if you "like" The Better Mom on Facebook.
This giveaway is open until 2/22/13 at 1:01 am.
I hope you'll check in with me at Whole New Mom as I work towards sharing healthier options for your hair, skin, home, and more.
(Giveaway open to US and Canadian readers, 18 years of age and older. I will contact the winners and post them here on this post. Winners will have 48 hours to respond.)
The winners are:
1. Andrea Smith
2. Aj Gamer
3. Ashley Fancher
Did you know this kind of stuff was in your hair products?
Shared at Food Renegade.
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