Why Checking Labels Is Important and What Ingredients To Avoid

September 30 2022

Hair care has many steps to it, and knowing what you put in your children’s hair is important. From fantastic salon treatments to the products you use every day, knowing what ingredients are being used can mean the difference between your child’s hair being full of life and volume, and becoming dried out and brittle. We want to help you keep your kid's hair healthy, so we have compiled a list of ingredients to watch out for before you use a new product. 

Silicone

Did you know that they use silicone in hair care products? Well, they do, and they shouldn't. Silicone is added to products to give hair a shiny look and soft feeling immediately after use, but while it does give immediate results the damage that comes from prolonged use and its dehydrating properties are not worth it. It may seem like it benefits your kid's hair at first, but believe us- throw it out. 

Formaldehyde 

Formaldehyde is an ingredient added to hair care products to preserve them and give them a prolonged shelf life. However, the trade-off of having these preserved products is a deeply harmful product. Not only is formaldehyde not good for your hair, but it is not good for you or your skin either. It is known to hold carcinogenic properties, and absorbs easily, so it is a less-than-ideal ingredient to have in your hair care and definitely something you do not want to expose your children to. When looking out for this ingredient, you will want to look for “Formalin '' and “Methylene glycol” as well, as they are the same thing by a different names.

Benzene

If you ever find yourself using hair spray on your kid's hair then you want to watch for this ingredient. Another word for it is ‘toluene’, and it is, like formaldehyde, considered carcinogenic and is best to avoid. 

Petroleum and Mineral Oil 

These ingredients can cause your child’s hair to dehydrate and are used in moisturizing products in order to offer immediate softening results. In reality, these ingredients are damaging in the long run, as your hair will not be able to access its natural oils and become brittle. 

Phthalates 

This ingredient is a little tricky. It is thought to cause a few different problems because it has been shown to have negative health effects in animals. Unfortunately, these tend to hide in the fragrance of your products and don't end up listed. Because of this, it is best to go for products that are free of fragrance, or labeled as being phthalate free, as the most effective way of avoiding this ingredient. 

Sulfates

Sulfates are the ingredient in soaps and shampoos that cause the lathering effect when you start to scrub. While they appear to work really well because of this later, they actually trap sebum on the scalp and cause the hair to dehydrate with too much use. Make sure that your children's shampoos are free of this to reduce the risk of dehydration!

Good Ingredients To Look For!

There are so many products used commonly that are harmful to hair. So what ingredients are good? They can’t all be bad right? Right! There are plenty of wonderful, healthy ingredients to look out for in hair care products that should have you sweeping them off the shelves! Natural oils like coconut, olive, and avocado can provide health benefits and promote hydration in your children’s hair. You can also look out for Bio-tine, which is a form of vitamin B that dissolves in water and fights against hair loss. Looking out for vegetable glycerin, shea butter, aloe, tea tree oil, and honey, can all indicate that the product will promote hair health and keep it shiny and happy!

So as you can see, reading the labels of your products is essential for choosing and using quality, helpful products that do the job they are designed for. It is also important for maintaining your children’s overall health, as the prolonged effects of some of these ingredients can be both good and bad- it all depends on whether the ingredient is harmful or not. If you are reading your ingredients list for the first time now and realizing that the products you have to contain any of these ingredients, try shopping for our coconut oil and shea butter edge control product, as well as other Bubbly Beautiful products to start your new collection of top quality hair care products for your daughter!

For hair-healthy products and services, you can come on out to Just 4 Girls Salon to optimize your child’s hair care treatment. If you would like to make an appointment with us, you can call one of our two convenient locations at 568 Fayetteville Rd SE in Atlanta (678) 927-0554 or 3660 Highlands Pkwy SE, Smyrna, Ga 30082 (678) 391-4622. You can book for any of our different locations online too!

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