Question About LoveMoon Shampoo

by Sylvester
(Singapore)

I just bought the above shampoo and used it in my hair. It worked perfect and they claim it has no chemicals. Only herbs are used. But after reading your article about SLS, i'm disappointed with their claims.

http://www.winalite.net.in/Images/lovemoon_shampoo_updated.pdf

Do you think it's wise that I no longer use the product? I don't have sensitive skin but long term health is a concern for me and my loved ones.

Sylvester

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Our reply

Hi Sylvester thanks for your message. I understand, the question of chemicals in hair care and skin care products is of growing concern for all of us, as researchers discover more about the long term effects of these on our health. Anything used on our hair or skin will affect our bodies.

Many products are marketed with the claims that their ingredients are all natural or herbal, however all products which are packaged and sold to us require preservatives and other ingredients to prolong their shelf life. The question is which types of chemicals are used and how hazardous are they to our health.

Since cosmetics and hair care and skin care products are not regulated in many countries, we each need to take responsibility for our health by making choices about What kinds of chemicals we will tolerate, and which ones we can live without.

Although I did not look up every ingredient, I did find one ingredient in Lovemoon shampoo that I would recommend you avoid, which is P Phenylenediamine, also known as PPD. This ingredient is often the cause of very severe hair dye allergies.

PPD is used in black and brown hair dyes, and you can see some of the research done on this ingredient here at the Cosmetics Database as P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE. You'll see that they have given this ingredient a "10" on their scale of hazardous chemicals, with 0 being the lowest hazard and 10 being the highest.

There are other ingredients such as parabens, EDTA and Propylene Glycol included in the shampoo that I do not recommend, and there are other ingredients I have not researched so I don't know what the potential effects may be.

You can look up each individual ingredient in a shampoo or skin care product at the Cosmetics Database. Not all ingredients are included here, but you can also search online for each ingredient to see what you can learn about the safety of the ingredients. Another good source for information is to search the Material Safety Data sheets database for chemicals.

Some types of ingredients used in skin care and hair care products pose more risk than others, and often the products that contain more significant cosmetic effects have more irritating or even toxic chemicals. For example nail polish, hair dyes, skin lightening creams, and specific types of shampoos can contain ingredients which researchers are discovering may not be healthy for us!

According to the information about LoveMoon Shampoo, it contains several warnings that the product may have allergy producing effects, and gloves are needed in order to handle the product. I could not tell whether the gloves are needed to prevent the fingernails from becoming darkened, or whether there are other health effects from handling the product with your hands.

Unfortunately if the product produces irritation on the skin, gloves will not protect the scalp and the body from the ingredients, which will be absorbed into the scalp.

Their materials say that some people will develop allergies using the product, and they recommend doing a skin test first before using.

The product is not recommended for pregnant women and people with scalp allergies or injuries. The product needs to be used with gloves and kept away from children. The materials also recommend to wash eyes immediately if the product gets into the eyes, and to avoid direct sunlight, as the product contains ingredients that cause light sensitivity.

My biggest concern about this product is the use of PPD, also known as paraphenylenediamine or p-phenylenediamine. There are other ways to reduce gray in the hair, for example by using Henna which is not toxic to the hair, or by taking Chinese herbal formulas such as Fo Ti which are known to restore hair color.

The Fo Ti herb is very powerful and can affect the liver in some people who take it, so you need to check with a doctor before using it to be sure it will not affect other herbs or medications you may be taking. Fo Ti has many rejuvenating benefits for the body when used properly and in the right amounts, and may be a safer alternative than using most hair dyes.

I hope this information is helpful Sylvester. Please let us know if you find other safer alternatives for hair dye that do not have as many health hazards.