Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: What's In Your Shampoo?

Do you think the shampoo you're using is loaded with tons of healthy, natural ingredients like the package promises? Think again.

Today, drugstore aisles are packed with hair care and body care products that claim to be chock full of nutritional ingredients for your hair and skin, but in reality, they could be causing you more harm than good. This is due in part to the fact that the beauty industry is largely self-regulated, meaning the Food and Drug Administration rarely steps in to oversee what kinds of chemicals are going into the pretty packaging the beauty biz is known for.

The truth is that common elements added to shampoo to make the product lather up can actually strip away the hair's natural moisture balance and damage hair follicles, which can result in hair loss.

Companies will then suggest using the shampoo's sister product - conditioner - to repair the loss of moisture artificially after the damage to the hair has already been done.

To educate the public on the harmful ingredients found in many shampoos and the industry's misleading claims, a company called Blinc Inc. is making official government research on the subject simple and accessible on its Web site.

For instance, many have been told to change their shampoo periodically, but they are not told why.

According to Blinc, this is because most shampoos are made with harsh chemicals like sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate and ammonium lauryl/laureth sulfate, which can weaken hair to environmental pollution and dry it out over time. Therefore, you are asked to change your brand or use conditioners loaded with more questionable ingredients that can prevent your hair and scalp from breathing.

The same can be said for styling waxes or silicone-based glossing serums that are so popular right now. These products may add a temporary sheen to lackluster hair, but soon begin to build up on your strands, causing them to lose their volume and bounce.

What about the products that claim to be all-natural? According to Blinc, very few shampoos are all-natural, and the ones that truly are have very little shelf life and produce poor cleansing results.

"It is surprising how many hair care products claiming to be all-natural contain synthetic ingredients," said Lewis Farsedakis, founder and chief executive officer of Blinc Inc.

"At Blinc, we want to raise consumer awareness and draw on the best that nature and science has to offer in developing our 99.8 percent vegetable-derived hair and body care products," Farsedakis said. "Hair care products should lather and cleanse effectively without creating buildup or causing harm to the skin, eyes or hair."