Salon Allergy Specialist

Salon Allergy Specialist

Monday, October 21, 2013

Hair Loss from PPD , Formaldehyde Releasers and Sodium Laurel Sulfate?

Last week I had a new client that had some hair loss, but had never colored her hair. This was shocking to me, because she was referred to me from a source that usually sends PPD referrals. I began to read through my collection of information, -read as "notebooks of scribble", before I hit the web. I had read something about this before, but I had not remembered how small the articles were, about 4 paragraphs. When I did some reading on-line, I found more information that had been done, and had to add Sodium Laurel Sulfate to the list. I remembered reading something about Formaldehyde, but I was shocked to learn that it was IN THE SHAMPOO I WAS USING!!! I can say that I have been using a line of products I love, but I have been having trouble with hair falling out since my thyroid has been off. Since I switched to Indian shikakia powder, the hair in the shower drain has been cut down to 1/2 of what it was. (you can get it in your local Indian grocery store, or order it on Amazon.com) Here is the information:


 Two of the articles were medical journals that stated that hair loss issues in women can be cause in part from hair color. One was from the Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology, done in 2012, this study was done on mice and stated that Peroxide or H(2)O(2) and MEA, or Mono-Ethanolamine, may be the key causative ingredients for hair dye-associated dermatitis and hair loss. The second one I had was a medical journal about a woman (41) who had presented hair loss with severe scalp pain. They had ruled out  andro-genetic baldness, and had determined that the cause was due to an allergic reaction to hair dye. (PPD in particular) 

Two of the articles were about Formaldehyde Releasers, which are used as a preservative in shampoos, and other health and beauty aids. I was shocked to learn that even a few of the high end products that I was using in my salon had Formaldehyde Releasers in them. The names of the releasers were as followed: Quaternium 15, DMDM Hydantoin, Ureas, and Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate.

Here is a bit of the information I learned about the Sodium laurel Sulfate, which is a salt that is cheap, and makes shampoos and soaps lather really nice. I found an article on  livestrong.com from August of 2013 that said this:

Improper use of shampoos containing SLS can lead to hair loss, according to the National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation. According to the NTEF, hair loss can be the result of poor rinsing that leaves SLS deposits in your hair follicles. These deposits penetrate your scalp and corrode the hair follicle, causing hair loss. MaximumHair.com reports that SLS also affects the rate of new hair growth, which occurs at a rate about eight times slower than normal. In addition, Personal Health Facts reports that NaCL, the salt used as a thickening agent is drying to your hair and, by increasing the potential for breakage, also contributes to hair loss.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/303970-sodium-lauryl-sulfate-hair-loss/#ixzz2iNSIVOru

I was pretty blown away to read the 8 times slower bit. I am not so sure that I believe the web sight it came from, but I am experimenting with using nothing on my hair but the powder from India for a short while. I am enclosing what the gob in the shower has looked like for the past 3 Monday mornings. I am not sure how easy it is to tell, but there really is about half as much hair there. I hope it's not too graphic for anyone who is squeamish out there. What a difference so far! -On the bright side, I found several articles that said that they may be able to prove that SLS isn't cancer causing after all. (Believe it, or NOT...)