Did you ever wonder why personal care and beauty product manufacturers make a separate shampoo for babies. Everybody with a newborn has some. Most babies don’t even have enough hair to warrant a shampoo until they are a few months old, but they definitely warrant having their own shampoo product lines.
Baby shampoos are much milder than the ones for adults. They only contain a small amount of soap, so they can be less irritating to a baby’s eyes. However, even shampoos made for babies have a long list of unpronounceable chemical ingredients that you might not want to expose a child to at a tender age.
The University of Washington, Seattle recently conducted research on phthalates, a synthetic fragrance stabilizer used in baby shampoos. High levels of some phthalates have been linked to reproductive system and endocrine problems. While some health and beauty products companies dispute the research results, the Centers for Disease Control suggests that further study is necessary.
Potential cancer causing ingredients have also turned up in popular baby bath products and adult shampoos. The Environmental Protection Agency has already listed 1,4-Dioxane as a probable human carcinogen. Yet the FDA has yet to ban its use in consumer beauty and personal care products, even those intended for children. Neither phthalates or 1,4-Dioxane is listed on any of the labels. They have been found as a result of independent laboratory testing.
Consumers can’t afford to wait for more research and indisputable proof about the safety of baby shampoos and bath products! Cleanliness is important we all agree. But most doctors say that babies don’t even need shampoo. You can clean their hair quite well with plain old H2O. Adults should reduce their exposure to these suspect shampoos and bath product ingredients too (while we wait for the final verdict).
Shampoo is really just soap, without these other mysterious chemical ingredients. Before the Industrial Revolution, soap making was almost always done at home. So, people must have shampooed their hair with the soaps that they made.
With modern soap making techniques at your disposal, it’s easy to make your own non-toxic herbal shampoo. If you’re pressed for time, but want to protect yourself and loved ones, buy a safer shampoo from organic cosmetics suppliers.