Is Your Shampoo KILLING you?

I get bored, and usually this leads me to reading. When you get bored in the bathroom you read random things, like the back of a shampoo bottle. I'm sure many people have done the same and wondered "what the heck is niacinamide?" Well I decided to find out what all these long named chemicals actually were and what their health side affects are if any. Especially with this 100 percent natural craze you see all over everything.

HMIS is the Hazardous Materials Identification System. It is a numerical hazard rating that incorporates the use of labels with color developed by the American Coatings Association as a compliance aid for the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. If youve ever seen the below picture on chemicals it is the HMIS color bar.



Basically each of the sections are rated on a danger level of 0-4 with 4 being the most dangerous and 0 being not dangerous at all.

Health (Blue)
4. Life-threatening, major or permanent damage may result from single or repeated overexposures (e.g., hydrogen cyanide).
3. Major injury likely unless prompt action is taken and medical treatment is given.
2. Temporary or minor injury may occur.
1. Irritation or minor reversible injury possible.
0. No significant risk to health.

The white area is for PPE that should be used.
You can read more about this all here

So armed with a bottle of Treseme and Google, I set out to find out if this shampoo was actually harmful. We'll go through each of the ingredients, (except for water, ascorbic acid, or other well known harmless things) the HMIS ratings, and some notable effects from the MSDS (material safety data sheet).

First up is Sodium lauryl sulfate.
Health: 2
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Not too bad, it is flammable and I wasn't expecting to see a 2 on the first one. But still a 2 is only minor and temporary injury and there must be a tiny amount in there. It is however fatal if severe over-exposure were too happen. I guess that means fall in a vat joker style.

Potential Acute Health Effects: Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer). Severe over-exposure can result in death.

Potential Chronic Health Effects: Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer). CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Mutagenic for bacteria and/or yeast. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available. The substance may be toxic to skin. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. Repeated exposure to a highly toxic material may produce general deterioration of health by an accumulation in one or many human organs.

Next up is: Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Health: 2
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Another 2! Still no too serious but how many of these 2's put together used on a daily basis will cause harm over a long time?

Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Acute Potential Health Effects: Skin: May cause skin irritation. Eyes: Causes moderate irritation. Inhalation: Inhalation of mist or vapor may cause respiratory tract irritation. Ingestion: Expected to be a low hazard.

Polyethylene Glycol 6000 Distearate
Health: 1
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Another one that is not bad at all. Not even worth mentioning anything from the MSDS.

Vitamin E acetate
Health: 1
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Nothing wrong with this one either. Just minor skin / eye irritant and that's the chemical in its raw form.

Panthenol
Health: 1
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

At this point I'm starting to think its all going to be this way. Nothing really dangerous at all. Just may sting your eyes and make you curse loudly.

Nicotinamide
Health: 2
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Now, at least we've hit another 2! Still nothing to be worried about. Its not like you have drums of this in your garage making your own shampoo.

Potential Acute Health Effects: Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, permeator). Potential Chronic Health Effects: CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available. Repeated or prolonged exposure is not known to aggravate medical condition.

Biotin
Health: 1
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Potential Acute Health Effects: Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Potential Chronic Health Effects: CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available. Repeated or prolonged exposure is not known to aggravate medical condition.

cocamide mea
Health: 2
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

This is another harmless one it is basically Coconut oil acid. Though prolonged exposure can aggravate medical conditions.

Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride
Health: 1
Flame:1
Reactivity: 0

I thought for sure with a name like that I would find my first 3 but alas, it is harmless. When formulated in personal care products, is nontoxic, not irritating to skin, produces minimal to no eye irritation, not sensitizing.

Continued below:

Polyquaternium-47
Here is another harmless one. I cant even find the HMIS rating for it and the only MSDS available for it are from the manufature or from skin care product makers who have local MSDS sheets for it.

Rheology modifier, stabilizer, thickener and emulsifier. It swells fast and allows you to create gel or cream immediately without neutralization or heat. It can emulsify all kinds of oil and disperse pigment and physical sunscreen. It is recommended to be used in skin cream, creamy gel, make-up foundation, sunscreen cream, Formula containing polar, solvent/alcohol/polyol, Formula containing silicone/AHA/vegetable oil as single or united emulsifier.

Polysorbate 20
I thought I had struck gold with this one as the first MSDS i pulled up stated: For research use only, not for human or veterinary use. But that was from 2012 and I found one from 2016. And what did that one say: Relevant identified uses: For research use only, not for human or veterinary use heres a link to that PDF from cayman chemical company

Well this one deserves some more digging. Well I found a better MSDS;
Health: 0
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Its harmless.

NO HAZARDS ARE KNOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURES TO THIS PRODUCT. Limited toxicity data are available on this specific product; this hazard assessment is based on the results of screening tests.
Routes of Entry: • Eyes • Skin • Ingestion • Inhalation
Eye Contact: No irritation is likely to develop following contact with eyes.
Skin Contact: No irritation is likely to develop following contact with skin.
This product will probably not be absorbed through human skin. Ingestion:
Low oral toxicity, but ingestion may cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract. No toxic effects are expected following ingestion of this product. Inhalation: No irritation is expected to be associated with inhalation of this material. No toxic effects are known to be associated with inhalation of vapors from this material.

Well I've got one more chemical to find something here.

EDTA Disodium Solution
Health: 2
Flame: 0
Reactivity: 0

Acute Potential Health Effects: May irritate eyes, skin, respiratory tract, and mucous membranes. Ingestion: No hazard in normal industrial use, although it may be harmful of ingested in large amounts and cause gastrointestinal tract irritation with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. To the best our knowledge, the toxicological properties of this substance have not been fully investigated. (Edetate disodium, dihydrate)

Another bust. So the answer is No, No your shampoo is not killing you. If I would have found a chemical with a health hazard of 3 i would question its long term use but i don't see anything wrong with these. If you're not convinced these chemicals wont hurt you, there are a million different natural products out there for you.

I looked up what the Native Americans used and also the settlers in case you are interested.

The American Indians had a high regard for bathing, but used saponaceous, (soap like), plants like fuchsia leaves, yucca root, soap bark, bouncing bet, soaproot, and the small agave.

To the settlers, making soap was women's work. They stored cooking grease and amimal fat all year for soapmaking day, a once-a-year event that preceded spring cleaning. Ashes from the fireplaces were saved to make lye. The lye was made in a hollowed out wooden log with holes cut through the bottom to drain. The tub was lined with straw, twigs, and sticks and filled with ashes. Rainwater was trickled through to leach out the lye. A ftesh egg was used to determine whether the lye was of proper strength. If it sank slowly, all was well. If it floated, the lye was too strong and would have to be diluted. If it dropped, the lye was too weak, and would be run through the ash again or boiled down

Source for soap lore

If you want to see any of the MSDS sheets just google the chemical name along with MSDS.

Now back to your normal bathing routines





Hope you enjoyed the break from all of the Trump tweeted something threads

Yeah, well, so is my deodorant, shave cream, soap, the air, food, water and probably more that I don't know about. The reality is, if you're not living out in the woods, not bathing, shaving, hell, you can't even eat the animals because they are drinking the water, you can't get away from all that stuff. And those who think they are getting away from all the chemicals by rubbing a potato on their armpits or washing their hair with oatmeal, are just getting it from somewhere else.

We're all gonna die from Something. Quit worrying and have some fun while you can.

a reply to: DAVID64

Yea pretty much, the 100 percent natural thing is mostly nonsense. Couldn't everything be considered 100 percent natural as we make everything from what we find in nature?

I did a little bit of research on this stuff when trying to find a shampoo that doesn't cause scalp discomfort. I saw so many advertisements along the way for overpriced "100% natural" products and couldn't help but look to see if there was really a benefit to that. My conclusions were the same as yours--shampoo is safe. I was lead to believe for a while that SLS (sulfates) were a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad thing, because some people have allergic reactions to it. That's not true, I guess. I never really believed it.

What's scary is hair dye. There's just too much incredibly harsh junk in hair dye. My general rule of thumb is: if I have to set up ventilation to use it, I most probably shouldn't be rubbing it into my skin.

I learned in hair care, if your scalp feels good and your hair feels/looks presentable, you're probably doing it right. End of story.

originally posted by: FauxMulder
a reply to: DAVID64

Yea pretty much, the 100 percent natural thing is mostly nonsense. Couldn't everything be considered 100 percent natural as we make everything from what we find in nature?

"Natural" means existing in the natural environment in that state. There are natural things that will kill you in small doses, and man-made chemicals you can safely drink.

That said, I'm not sure you guys got the point of the OP. He checked it out, and it checked out safe, even though it isn't "natural."

Sadly to make homemade soap you have to play with lye. Darwinism will win and some doofus will manage to get hurt.
Pretty much unavoidable.

Homemade laundry detergent is fairly easy, and cheap.

Most homemade cleaners I have found don't work on "real dirt" altho I've had great success using rubbing alcohol on windows an such. Oh and cat boxes....I can't say enough about it working on wiping out a kitty box!

I gave up years ago and am back to 3M being my buddy and Krud-Cutter.

Used to be "better living thru chemicals" was a lot more fun.


KUDO's to the OP for looking up the MDSD info!! Something most people should do.

originally posted by: dogstar23

originally posted by: FauxMulder
a reply to: DAVID64

Yea pretty much, the 100 percent natural thing is mostly nonsense. Couldn't everything be considered 100 percent natural as we make everything from what we find in nature?

"Natural" means existing in the natural environment in that state. There are natural things that will look you in small doses, and man-made chemicals you can safely drink.

That makes sense, but a lot of 100% natural products are just a bunch of coconut or peanut oils etc. extracted and mixed together so they don't really meet that definition either.

originally posted by: FauxMulder

First up is Sodium lauryl sulfate.
Health: 2
Flame: 1
Reactivity: 0

Not too bad, it is flammable and I wasn't expecting to see a 2 on the first one. But still a 2 is only minor and temporary injury and there must be a tiny amount in there. It is however fatal if severe over-exposure were too happen. I guess that means fall in a vat joker style.

Potential Acute Health Effects: Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer). Severe over-exposure can result in death.

Potential Chronic Health Effects: Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer). CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Mutagenic for bacteria and/or yeast. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available. The substance may be toxic to skin. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. Repeated exposure to a highly toxic material may produce general deterioration of health by an accumulation in one or many human organs.

I did enjoy this thread but you are underrating Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and probably more. I think you need to take a closer look at each chemical. Here is an example

SLS strips the hair and skin of moisture because of its strong detergent properties. It has the ability to easily penetrate the dermal layers and enter the blood stream. The caustic lathering agent easily destroys the lipid layers that keep the skin smooth and supple.

SLS Allows Toxins to penetrate and is a toxin Itself and a host of other toxic chemicals in shampoo.

The chemical is not allowed as an ingredient in baby shampoo because of its irritating qualities to the eyes and other sensitive membranes. Prolonged exposure can cause blurred vision and burning. It has even been linked to blindness in a few cases.

It has been implicated in hair loss as well since it can irritate and possibly damage the hair follicles. When used in shampoos, it can dry out the hair shaft and dull the hair by taking away its natural luster.

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). This detergent chemical is a rogue emulsifier that removes oil from the hair and skin.

SLS blocks pores, causes "severe epidermal changes"
The study also found SLS to cause "...severe epidermal changes to the area of the skin of mice to which it was applied" and the study called for further studies to assess potential tumor-enhancing activity of the chemical.

In albino rabbit studies, SLS at 5 percent caused comedones to appear on the mammals. Comedones are blocked pores and damaged hair follicles that lead to severe acne-like whiteheads or blackheads that give skin a rough texture.

They also found that the greater the concentration of the detergent, the more irritating it became to skin. The CIR only deemed sodium lauryl sulfate safe if the SLS did not exceed 1 percent of a product's formula. How do consumers know how much SLS is used in a soap product?

www.cir-safety.org...
www.healthy-communications.com...
healthychild.org...
tribes.tribe.net...

And your link said "may" be toxic to the skin?

Every ingredient should be re examined on this thread

originally posted by: Caver78
Sadly to make homemade soap you have to play with lye. Darwinism will win and some doofus will manage to get hurt.
Pretty much unavoidable.
Homemade laundry detergent is fairly easy, and cheap.

Most homemade cleaners I have found don't work on "real dirt" altho I've had great success using rubbing alcohol on windows an such. Oh and cat boxes....I can't say enough about it working on wiping out a kitty box!

I gave up years ago and am back to 3M being my buddy and Krud-Cutter.

Used to be "better living thru chemicals" was a lot more fun.

KUDO's to the OP for looking up the MDSD info!! Something most people should do.

It is BUT you shouldn't make your own laundry detergent.
Reason being is that you cannot make surfactants at home. You need a good bit of chemistry to do that. When you use homemade laundry detergent your clothes don't really get clean, as the "soap" isn't lifting the dirt out of them. It's a huge misconception. If anyone has been using it, I suggest "stripping" your clothes and you will see how much dirt is really in them.
How to strip your clothes

a reply to: FauxMulder

I actually take extreme care on finding shampoos and soaps that have very few chemicals in them and of those it's mostly extracts of plants like agave, aloe, yucca, coconut, mandarin, citrus, olive, avocado, mint, ginger, honey; or any other assortment of fruits, herbs, flowers, etc.

Not only do these products (soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, etc), smell and feel better, but they seem to cleanse the hair and skin better, they don't cause irritations (at least for me) and it's safer to go with the natural extracts.

And it's also fun to look for the 'special products' and collect a nice assortment of them so you can pick certain ones for different occasions and all that jazz.

I know I'm sort of a weirdo.
But I smell good and have great health.

I did quite a bit of research on these chemicals to see what was bothering me.

Sodium lauryl sulfate is a sort of oil soap which is equivalent to the oil extracted from wool during processing wool. Some people who have a problem with wool may not be able to tolerate this wool chemistry. About five to ten percent of Europeans I guess.

Polyethylene Glycol is absorbed by the skin, it isn't really safe. It is related to propylene glycol which is in many shampoos and also is far from safe for many people

Nicotinamide is a vitamin. In this application it could stimulate circulation to the skin and hair folicles. I doubt if that is a problem. But Nicotinamide can make your skin redder and also cause some mild itching, it is less of a problem than nicotinic acid. Niacin is an essential vitamin.

Anything that looks like coconut without being real coconut is bad for us. I try to avoid it when buying shampoo.

I have problem with anything wool and the propylene glycol, I don't seem to have much of a problem with polyethylene glycol that I know of, but it is the lesser of the two glycol evils for me. It is hard to find shampoos without these things in them. If you use these new shampoos your hair starts feeling itchy and grubby if you do not wash it every day, and washing your hair everyday is not good for your hair. Also some of these chemicals increase the secretion of oils by the scalp so you need to wash it more often. It is a scam designed to make us need more shampoo.

There are some good organic versions that are much better on the hair and skin. Also, you can make shampoos from things you can buy at the healthfood stores. I know some who do that. It is more expensive than buying a bottle of cheaper shampoo though but it looks good. You can wash your hair with plain water as much as you want, oh yeah, maybe not, chlorine is not really good on the hair.

Like last night I used a coconut lime and verbena shampoo and also a matching conditioner (I rarely use conditioner, very rarely). I also used lavender, aloe, and I think ginseng or something like that soap.

My skin feels so clean and soft and smooth, and my hair is soft and smells sweet and there's no itching or irritation at all, everything's positive.

I have a collection of all sorts of stuff so I probably won't use those types again for weeks...
I mix it up.

originally posted by: FauxMulder

originally posted by: dogstar23

originally posted by: FauxMulder
a reply to: DAVID64

Yea pretty much, the 100 percent natural thing is mostly nonsense. Couldn't everything be considered 100 percent natural as we make everything from what we find in nature?

"Natural" means existing in the natural environment in that state. There are natural things that will look you in small doses, and man-made chemicals you can safely drink.

That makes sense, but a lot of 100% natural products are just a bunch of coconut or peanut oils etc. extracted and mixed together so they don't really meet that definition either.

Very true! Didn't Walter White (Breaking Bad) make ricin out of beans?

A fine example of "natural" lies - we always used Kirkland Signature (Costco) baby wipes. They're not perfect, but they're not going to give babies butt cancer either.

They started carrying Huggies "Naturals" -I read the label. They're loaded with terrible chemicals (I don't remember exactly what now, but I recall being disgusted - they're taking advantage of well-intentioned but easily-fooled parents. If those are their "naturals", I figure the "regular" Huggies wipes must be full of weaponized anthrax at the very least.

a reply to: FauxMulder

Ive quit using shampoo and conditioner a few years ago (I use baking soda and vinegar/water mixture now) and my hair has gotten extremely thick and long, its out of control flowing. I have to trim it twice a month, I take about 2-3 inches and you can't even tell.

I will say this...I use baby shampoo about once a month.

Ive enjoyed my over-grown hair but its about time I cut it.

a reply to: muzzleflash

Not weird at all. I actually don't use shampoo or conditioner at all. Just a simple bar of soap. I've been buzzing my head for about 10 years now (haven't paid for a hair cut in so long). I see that many bar soaps have a lot of the same ingredients as the shampoo though. I'm with you on the aloe etc., that stuff is awesome.

a reply to: dogstar23

LMAO! Yes, these big long named chemicals are in EVERYTHING!

originally posted by: veracity
a reply to: FauxMulder

Ive quit using shampoo and conditioner a few years ago (I use baking soda and vinegar/water mixture now) and my hair has gotten extremely thick and long, its out of control flowing. I have to trim it twice a month, I take about 2-3 inches and you can't even tell.

I will say this...I use baby shampoo about once a month.

Ive enjoyed my over-grown hair but its about time I cut it.

I've never heard of that mixture before, I'll have to tell my wife to try it out. Maybe she'll stop leaving clumps of hair in the drain

a reply to: gmoneystunt

Agreed, there maybe more than meets the eye with all these chemicals. Like you said though, there is no way to know how much is actually used in each bottle. Is it a teaspoon or half a cup? I'll check out those links. Thank you

a reply to: rickymouse

I don't mean to sound yuck or anything but I actually aim to get around 3 showers a week. Roughly.

I think other people should take more showers in general, because I don't hardly ever sweat and it can take 10+ days for me to even develop a noticeable scent. If I can't smell me, and you cannot smell me, than we are happy.

The only reason I take so many showers (3 or so a week) is because my hair gets really oily. So I aim for shampoos that treat oily hair - though I have some flexibility and leeway here on what I'll use. I'll avoid anything that makes hair oilier.

This is why I might use conditioner only 5 times in a whole year, because I actually don't need it but I'll experiment with some unique blends on that rare occasion that my hair is feeling really dry. I try to wash the conditioner out really good because I avoid moisturizers and need to avoid the oiliness as best as I can.

My skins really healthy and I just don't get dirty very often (despite my circumstances).

Now when I do wash my hair, I prefer to wash it around 3 times in a row to ensure I get a deep clean and I rinse it a dozen or more times throughout to ensure I get all of that stuff outta my hair.

Yes I take an hour in the shower usually. I did last night.
I like to take my time and enjoy the experience.
It's wonderful to be in the warm water and feel it all over me.
I hate when I need to get out...