8 ingredients and products you shouldn’t put in your hair

Everyday you wake up and put something in your hair. Whether it be shampoo and conditioner, hair spray or gel, chances are you are putting some sort of product in your hair. But how well do you know the products you are putting in your hair? Do you know what is in them, what they are supposed to do versus what they actually do? If you’re just picking products based on smell or look, chances are there could be harmful ingredients in there. 

Don’t worry, you are not to blame! Many people are unaware of what ingredients they should and shouldn't be using. This is mainly because the United States doesn’t necessarily ban products with harmful chemicals. But, there is no need to stress. Below you can find eight ingredients and products that shouldn't be going in your hair. 

Ingredients 

Sulfates

One ingredient to watch for on the back of your bottles is sulfates. Sulfates should not be going in your hair because it is made to strip down proteins. Camryn Sawyer, a recent Golden West College Cosmetology grad and assistant at Motif on Main Salon, said  this ingredient can be deceiving. 

“People think it is because it is ‘stripping your hair from oils’ but you need some oils in your hair to keep it healthy,” Sawyer said. “They strip your hair from the good and the bad oils and proteins leaving your hair super dry.”

Sawyer says  this ingredient also makes colored hair fade faster. Since it is drying out your hair, you may feel inclined to buy more conditioner, which ultimately is giving this company more money for damaging your hair. Don't give these sulfate providers your money, instead, stray away from the ingredient. 

Parabens

Parabens are extremely helpful for sellers but not for you and your hair. This ingredient is known to have preservatives in it so  they can prolong shelf life. But, preservatives like these have been known to affect the endocrine system and have been labeled as endocrine disruptors. 

Denise Gutierrez, owner and stylist at DG Salon in Huntington Beach, says  both sulfates and parabens are mostly found in cheaper shampoos and should not be used. 

“They can build up on your scalp, and it can create dandruff and hair loss if your pores on your scalp get clogged,” Guiterrez said 

Watch out for this ingredient in your products; they might be readily available, but the problems they may cause for you are undeniably difficult. 

Silicone 

If you’re looking at buying a product that promises or promotes adding shine or repairing split ends, you better check the back of that bottle. The most common ingredient used in products like that is silicone. 

Sawyer explains that silicone’s primary job is to coat your hair to add that shine. But when you add heat to your hair, blow dry, straighten or curl, the silicone melts into your hair and seals it there. This means that every time you wash your hair, you add more build up, preventing your hair from absorbing healthy oils and overall causing more damage. 

So for those fancy products that have the words “adds shine” or “repairs hair”, be sure to check for no silicones. 

Products

Box hair dye 

Though box hair dye may be the easier route and allows you to try out new styles and color techniques, they definitely don’t come close to a professional's work. Using box hair dye also comes with the notion that your hair could look much different than anticipated. 

Hair could come out brassy, green and even ashy after using box dye. Gutierrez explains the difficulty of working on a client who has used box dye on their hair, saying that removing the color is very hard and  you will get charged for this color correction. 

If social media has showcased anything, it's that using box dye may be simple, but it is not as effective as a professional color. 

Herbal Essence 

Sawyer recommends straying away from shampoos and conditioners made by Herbal Essence due to the harmful chemicals found in them. Their products have been found to contain water-soluble silicones in their conditioners and sulfates in their shampoos. 

Lauren Berny, a fourth-year journalism major, says  one of the worst products she has ever used is Herbal Essence. 

“It's basically perfume,” Berny said. “My hair became extremely greasy.”

This brand may smell good and may be a quick and easy buy, but purchasing this product could be swapped for a salon-recommended brand such as Olaplex.

Sun-in 

Sun-in is probably a summer-time favorite for many. A quick spray that offers natural highlights sounds pretty perfect, especially when it will go so well with your newly tanned skin. But, the results from using Sun-in can be short-lived or not at all what you were expecting. 

Using Sun-in can be similar to using box dye because of the fact it cannot look like what you were promised when you purchased the product. According to Gutierrez, Sun-in can cause hair to look orange and brassy if you are brunette and you should “never put it in your hair.”

Pantene 

Both Sawyer and Gutierrez agree that Pantene is a product you should most definitely stay away from. Sawyer says  it is one of the bad brands  you should not be putting in your hair and Gutierrez agrees. 

“Never use Pantene shampoo,” Gutierrez said. “It has a lot of wax in both their shampoo and conditioner.” 

Gutierrez further explains that after using this product, or others with a similar ingredient, and coming to color your hair the foils could start to smoke. This is of course something no one would want, because the last thing you would need is to set off a fire alarm while getting highlights. Moral of the story: Patene is a no for your hair. 

Suave 

The last product that should not go in your hair is Suave. It’s a brand that has been apart of the beauty industry for a number of years and can be nostalgic for many, especially when you see their Suave Kids products. Nonetheless, this brand contains harmful chemicals and shouldnt be going in your hair or any kids hair. 

The second most used ingredient in Suave is sulfate. Because of this main ingredient, many students like fourth-year journalism major, Julia Terbeche, stray away from products with this harmful chemical. 

“In one episode of Queer Eye, Johnathan Van Ness mentioned that sodium lauryl sulfate is used to clean car engines,” Terbeche said. “This made me rethink my hair care.”

Whether we like it or not, we put products in our hair everyday, just like we put food in our body. If we can be mindful about what things we should and shouldn’t be eating, we can also take the time to avoid these products and ingredients so that we can be mindful about our hair care. 

*NOTE: this story was originally written for DIG Magazine in 2021