Even though natural cosmetics are becoming more and more popular nowadays, conventional products and cosmetic procedures using various chemicals are certainly prevailing on the market. In all likelihood, you are using these products and procedures as well.
Some women become particularly attentive to their cosmetic choices during a pregnancy which is a very sensible approach since some of the chemicals can be harmful for the health of a baby. Still, not only pregnant women should be more careful about the products they are using for treating their bodies. Some of the harsh chemicals used by the cosmetic industry can be dangerous for adults as well.
Permanent hair dying
Needless to say, the most popular cosmetic procedures used for hair is permanent dying.
Every day, there are millions of women and men around the world getting their hair permanently died. Certainly, those, who want to keep the effects from the procedure, have to do it over and over again since even if the strongest pigments are used, hair is growing and the natural colour becomes visible.
Unfortunately, researchers still have not reached to the same conclusion about the cosmetics used for permanent hair dying. While some of them are sure these products are not causing any damage to the health, others believe the procedure of hair dying can lead to various forms of cancer, especially to leukaemia and lymphoma. According to some of the researchers, products for hair dying rich in dark pigments are especially harmful.
Certainly, people tend to choose what to belief basing on their own preferences. Yet, it will certainly be sensible to minimise the use of this procedure for the time of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
An alternative
The alternative you can use is a variety of plant pigments which will dye your hair into natural colours and will also act like masks moisturising and revitalising your hair. Of course, in this case everything will depend on the colour you want to choose for your hair as not all of them can be achieved with natural components. Furthermore, depending on the initial colour of your hair, some of the pigments might not be particularly effective.
You can also try a procedure of highlighting which has the effect of permanent hair dying, however, during the procedure the skin of your head will be covered for protection.
Keratin hair straightening and formaldehyde
Keratin hair straightening is one of the popular procedures performed by hairdressers. Many women prefer this treatment as it helps them to get a more long-lasting effect from a hair straightening procedure. In addition to it, according to many people using it the overall quality of hair gets better after such a procedure.
The popular belief based on the promises of the products used for this procedure is that it is free from harsh chemicals and especially from formaldehyde. Unfortunately, when Oregon OSHA which is the administration of the Oregon State responsible for professional hygiene performed their tests on a variety of cosmetics used for this popular procedure, it became obvious that more than a half of all of the products contain formaldehyde. In addition to it, the concentration of this chemical is really high in the products of such a type.
What is wrong with formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a rather harmful substance causing serious changes in the bodies of people. It inflames tissues, attacks the nervous system, kidneys, liver as well as other organs. A long exposure to this substance can cause cancer. As you can imagine, the procedure of keratin hair straightening is particularly unsafe to the people who are performing it in the first place.
An alternative
Unfortunately, if you are looking for a long-lasting effect, you will not be able to get it with the alternatives to keratin hair straightening, albeit, conventional methods of hair straightening are not thus harmful.
A simple hair conditioner will help you to make your hair softer and moisturised whereas a hair straightener with a special cosmetic for the protection against high temperatures will help you to get your hair straightened without being exposed to formaldehyde.
Hair cosmetics with parabens
Parabens are one of the most popular additives to cosmetics. Pay your attention to the fact it can be present not only in shampoos and hair conditioners, but also in many other products. Its popularity is so high since it is an effective substance for preservation of cosmetic products.
What is wrong with parabens?
The smallest harm caused by these substances are allergic reactions and skin inflammation. In addition to them, parabens can cause excessive skin aging, foetus mutations as well as cancer.
An alternative
Fortunately, the natural cosmetic products available on the market are well-preserved without any harmful substances. Vitamin C and vitamin E are great alternatives to parabens.