Parabens
I recently posted an extensive list of ingredients as a reference for examining what certain hair products are doing to your hair. Try it out, you might be surprised by the results. Anyhow, lately I’ve noticed that a number of products are printing paraben-free on their labels, so I decided to find out what that means.
WHAT THEY ARE
Parabens are chemicals widely used by the cosmetic industry as preservatives. They have proven to be effective in preserving different types of products including shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gens, toothpastes, etc – where their compounds fight bacteria and fungi. Ultimately they are used to “protect” the consumer and for maintaining product integrity. The most common parabens used in cosmetic products are methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben.
THE CONCERN
In the last couple of years, there have been a number of scientific studies that have investigated the safety of parabens in personal care products. Some argue that they are bad, bad, bad – linking parabens to breast cancer (yikes), while others argue that these conclusions are unfounded.
ALTERNATIVES
If you are concerned about parabens – consider using paraben-free products.
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Check your product labels for these terms: Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Benzyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Ethyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Propyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid, Parahydroxybenzoic acid and Parahydroxybenzoate.
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Understand that products labeled as “natural” or “organic” do not mean paraben-free. Remember to check the list of ingredients for the paraben free.
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And the encouraging news is - ingredients with grapefruit seed extract and Vitamin E in many cosmetics are replacing parabens, including essential oils like cinnamon, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon and tea tree that are being distilled and turned into natural preservatives
Have you ever looked at the ingredient list of your hair products and wondered what do all of these long-worded ingredients actually do for you hair? Well I visited one of my favorite curl care forums 
