Think about what you pour down your drains each time you wash your hands, do the dishes, shampoo your hair, clean the toilets and a host of other activities related to personal and household hygiene. Simply put, the less chemical and toxic waste we pour down our drains, the less pressure there is on our sewage and water treatment systems. There is less expenditure of resources to try and treat the water in a way that makes it fit to be returned to the environment.
One small way in which we can contribute to lowering the amount of chemicals and toxins that we use and add to the environment is to use eco friendly shampoo. It is a small step to be sure, but every little bit adds up. Then there is the fact that you are exposing your own body to fewer chemicals by relying on more natural products for cleansing the scalp and hair.
And if you turn your shampoo bottle around, there is little you will find in the list of ingredients that is not chemical or that sounds even remotely natural. Why really do we need them?
Here are some of the commonly used chemicals that you will find in an average shampoo bottle:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
Either or both of these are probably the first listed ingredients in your shampoo bottle. These are surfactants; the stuff that makes your hair lather and foam up. These chemicals actually irritate the skin and may even dry out and damage hair! It has also been implicated in various disorders such as certain cancers, severe PMS and even lowered male fertility.
Dioxane
This is another chemical that can be found in the common or garden variety of shampoo that is a known carcinogen. What adds to the problem is that it may not even be listed as such on the ingredients list!
So what are the options?
There are a number of responsibly made, eco-friendly shampoo varieties out there; some of them genuinely natural and organic as the labels claim. But the down side can be that they may be very expensive.
The good news is that it is possible to make homemade shampoo that is just as effective in cleansing hair. It can be made using simple ingredients such as a vinegar, apple cider vinegar, essential and vegetable oils, aloe vera gel (straight from the plant) and similar all natural ingredients.
Since it is doesn’t include preservatives, it may deteriorate faster and you may have to make the mixture frequently but it may the worth the satisfaction of using your own homemade eco friendly shampoo.
