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Do you love your curls? If so, it might be time to start thinking about what you’re putting onto them. The ingredients in your hair care products can make or break your curl care routine. There are a lot of not so savory ingredients out there on the market, and they could be lurking in your favorite curl care product. Understanding what you’re using in your hair will help you make an informed choice about how you’re treating your curls. Here’s the hair product ingredients you should be avoiding.
Hair Product Ingredients You Should Be Avoiding
Silicones:
Silicones are used in a variety of products to coat your hair. While this can be seemingly helpful for smoothing down errant strands, it’s actually incredibly drying. Silicones can lurk in your products under several names, including:
- Dimethicone
- Amodimethicone
- Bis-aminopropyl dimethicone
- Ceterayl methicone
- dimethicone stearyl
Alcohols:
Alcohols are often used in hair products to help the product absorb and dry more quickly. However, this ingredient comes with the cost of drying curls out terribly. Alcohols can leave hair feeling dry, brittle, and coarse, which leads to frizz and breakage. Avoid purchasing products that include alcohols such as:
- Isopropanol
- Ethanol
- Denatured Alcohol
- Witch Hazel
- Proponal
- SD alcohol
Waxes and Oils:
Many curlies opt to purchase and use different types of waxes and oils on their curls. While using oils is often recommended, it’s important to understand your curl type, and what your hair needs before slathering your strands with oils. Additionally, while waxes are helpful at times in managing flyaways and smoothing down errant strands, they can cause your curls to dry out by repelling water. This isn’t something you want, as curls are naturally dry and therefore need to have moisture. Oils and waxes to avoid can be:
- Castor oil (use in moderation if you’re going to utilize it)
- Mineral oil
- Candellia wax
- Bees wax
- Lanolin