Why do I Read the Ingredients in my Hair Products?

When I decided to go natural, back in 2011, I did not really know anything about what works for my hair and what does not work for my hair. All I knew was I wanted healthy hair just like how I live a healthy lifestyle of staying clear of the bad stuff and sticking with good healthy choices.

As the journey continued, I noticed that what I was using for my hair was not helping me. My hair experienced breakage and constant dryness. That was when I started researching ingredients. You know I love researching, if you don't check out the  Discovering Facebook Page.

Four Ingredients that don't work for my hair
There are four key ingredients that I have found over time that do not work for my hair or the girls hair.

Sulfates
We all know that products that contain sulfates or sodium laurilsulfate (also known as sodium laurel sulfate or SLS),  can dry out your hair, if not preceded or followed up with some kind of moisturizing barrier such as pre-poo and deep conditioning. The purpose of sulfate shampoo is to cleanse/clarify the hair of any dirt, build up, and in addition it removes the natural oils that your scalp produces. Even with the necessary precautions, you will still experiences that squeaky stripping feeling. For my hair, I found that I had a harder time getting my hair and scalp back to its healthy state every time that I use sulfate shampoos.

Alternatives: Sulfate Free Shampoos, Bentonite Clay, Rhassoul Clay, Ayuverdic Powders.

Mineral Oil and Petroleum
Growing up, we have always used grease on our hair and scalp... this is what I hear from a lot of people. So, I also used it on my scalp and on my daughters' scalp and hair. Then I started noticing something.  DANDRUFF! DRY HAIR! The dandruff was quite bad that on some days, it would bleed. I found out that the mineral oil and petroleum in our products was clogging up our pores and not allowing it to breath. For the dry hair, these ingredients created a barrier that did not allow moisture to enter our thirty hair. Even though I was moisturizing (or thought I was) daily, I was even causing more damage.

Alternatives: Mixture of essential oils and carrier oils, using the LOCS method to moisturize, Hair Spritz

Silicones
Just like the mineral oil and petroleum, the silicones (non-water soluble) in hair products caused my hair to be dry and dull looking. The reason was because these silicones were constantly causing buildup on my hair. To get rid of the build up, I would constantly have to use a clarifying product, which in turn makes my hair dry, and the cycle continues.

Alternatives: Shea Butter

Do you read ingredients? Which ones do you avoid and why?