Hair Product Ingredients to Avoid

1. Mineral Oil
A key ingredient in some hair shine and frizz control products, mineral oil is the worst for oily or problematic skin. When it sits on the face for a long period of time it acts like a plastic wrap, cutting off precious oxygen and preventing toxins from escaping the skin which can cause acne.

2. DEA, MEA or TEA
DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine) and TEA (triethanolamine) are hormone-disrupting chemicals found in many shampoos. They’re thought to cause cancer so stay away.

3. Imidazolidinyl Urea & DMDM Hydantoin
These are preservatives in many hair creams and gels that release formaldehyde, triggering skin irritations and even heart palpitations.

4. Fragrance
If you see the word “fragrance” on the ingredient list of your hair product take into consideration that it can sometimes mean up to 400 separate and maybe synthetic ingredients that can cause allergic reactions.

5. Alcohol
Alcohol dries out hair and skin so if you tend to have dry skin, avoid most hairsprays and volumizers, which contain tons of alcohol.

(Thanks so much to my friend Brigitta for passing this along!)