The voluntary government
recall was for dry shampoos manufactured by Unilever. The products in
question contained a chemical called Benzene, a known human carcinogen. Benzene
can be inhaled, ingested, or be absorbed by the skin. It can cause deadly blood
cancers like leukemia or bone marrow cancer.
As soon as I read the recall information, I ran to my
bathroom cabinets and began pulling out products. I had several dry shampoos on
hand, all by different companies. As I looked at the canisters and tried to
read the small print containing ingredients, I became frustrated. The font was
so small I could barely read it. Digging through a kitchen drawer, I pulled out
my grandmother’s old magnifying glass. I was thankful I’d inherited it and knew
it would come in handy one day! I was dumbfounded by the number of ingredients
in each dry shampoo. Thankfully, mine were not any listed on the recall, but I
decided then and there that I would find an alternative method of refreshing my
hair between washings.
Scouring the internet, I looked for other products I could
use instead of dry shampoo. My hair is oily at the roots and if I don’t wash it
daily it tends to look greasy, so I needed a good solution.
Dry shampoo became popular in the 1940s when a product
called Minipoo
was created. The product was invented to help women who were unable to shower
and promised to remove excess oil. It came with a handy application mitt.
Dry shampoos today are easier to apply – just spray into the
hair, rub vigorously and go. It’s a great product for those who may want to
skip a day or two between washings or to protect recently colored hair. It’s
also an easy product to use with children because there’s no danger of burning
soap getting into their eyes. Dry shampoos are excellent for the elderly. I
used it often on my mother when she lived in an assisted living home and was
bedridden.
I didn’t find a lot of practical alternatives to using dry
shampoo. There were only 2 I would consider safe and effective: cornstarch or
baby powder. Of those two, cornstarch would be my first choice and only talc
free baby powder as a second. Baby powders with talc can also contribute to or
cause lung cancer when inhaled.
It seems many beauty products have potential health risks
associated with them. That’s why it’s so important to pay close attention to
product recalls but even more important than that, to the list of ingredients
on each package. The less ingredients the better.
I usually opt for natural cosmetics, but they’re hard to
find and often more expensive than their chemically laden counterparts.
Please pay attention to the products you buy- look at the
labels, ask questions, and pay particular attention to product recalls. Looking
good always comes at a price, but it should never cost our health.
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