Here's hoping this Guide will help you with the over 700 different shampoo's on shelves in the USA.
Here are Killer Strands Top 10 Tips for finding an awesome shampoo for those of you who color your hair...............
10.) The color of the bottle matters.....( checking to make sure you are paying attention - j/k)
9.) Take into account the texture of your hair...fine, coars
e & normal are words used for texture plus: straight, wavy, curlie. Those words will be listed on a great bottle of shampoo . Each one of those factors affects how well the hair will hold hair color in the hair strands. Therefore should coincide with hair color retention.
8.) On the Ingredient list on the back of the bottle, be sure the surfactants (cleaning agent in shampoo's) are one of the following (copy-paste-slip in your wallet), these will take it easy on your color and leave your strands vivid:
Of course you are not expected to remember these, but become accustomed to the words of the good ones, so you are not only told the "bad" ones....I wanted to show you a partial list of surfactants that could replace SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE or ALS....very healthily. There are plenty to choose from . . . .
7.) Star
t with a company that cares about its customers and doesn't seem to be only about sales, marketing and selling, I realize that is hard to distinguish between. . . but a little bit of research will usually reveal what you need to know about this topic, remember how important your hair is to you. If all else fails. . . go by my recommendations, I do a lot of research, test lots of brands and listen to a LOT of people.
6.) Read the labels of ALL shampoo purchases, I know many of you have learned to read the labels of food you eat . . . most of you care about your hair just as much as your body . . . give it the same respect, by learning the ingredients that are safe and sane for it.
5.) These ingredients should NOT be in the ingredient list:
4.) Pay attention to whether your hair is dry, oily or normal - - - probably the most common label you'll find on the bottle. Pick out the shampoo that matches your hairs moisture level - which should help retain your hair color using the appropriate shampoo for the hair type.
3.) If you wouldn't buy your apples, oranges and bananas at your Beauty Supply, then don't buy your shampoo at your grocery store - please. You will be purchasing a higher grade more appropriate for color treated hair purchased from Killer Strands, a high end Beauty Supply or a Salon.
2.) Seeing the words "For Color Treated Hair" mean nothing - I'm afraid. After combing the aisles of the local drug store, I've discovered with the popularity of wanting shampoos for "Color TREATED" Hair, ever other shampoo has those words printed on the bottle - Anyone can put them on any bottle with anything inside it.
1.) Do not believe the words "NATURAL" or "ORGANIC" printed on the bottle , remember we have absolutely no restrictions, of "words" printed on products. They literally could put the words "battery acid" in the bottle and say it was "natural". I truly don't think you should believe anything printed on any bottle of shampoo. The only thing you should look at from a bottle of shampoo in the drug store is the ingredient list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There actually are a set of laws on what manufacturers of hair products are supposed to follow, but the laws address the "INGREDIENTS " label on the back, not what they print on the front. Therefore I highly recommend to all of you to only look on the Ingredients list. Let's review one bottle as if you were in a Salon OR Beauty supply
Below is a close-up of a couple bottles from the line that my clients like the most, John Masters Organics or JMO. The reason they claim to like it? How gentle it is, how Blondes remain the proper tone all the way to their next appointment, how vivid the reds remained, I got pretty much all the compliments on the shampoo a Colorist is looking for..
Look at the front of both bottles ! !
What do you notice about this shampoo?
( this shampoo is usually put in the "higher-mid" range class of shampoos - $15.95/bottle > which is inexpensive here in LA).
The front of the bottles mention absolutely nothing about being "Color-safe" or "Sulfate-Free " . . or any
of it. . . they are just quiet stated- simple -classy . not words and false claims plastered everywhere.
The information you need is in the "INGREDIENT LIST ", so you would flip the bottle
I want to teach you a little bit about LABELING . . . .
labeling on shampoos, hair conditioners, & styling products. I am by no means an expert, so this will be a "little bit"...but I think will be enough to help you with upcoming purchases, if you are so inclined.
Luckily for all of us . . . the FDA is receiving a lot of heat from consumer groups as far as " SAFETY IN LABELING". . . they have already completed a giant overhaul in Europe . . .hopefully we will do something similar here in the USA.
Here are the ingredients in the JMO - Evening -Primrose Shampoo and remember the manner in which they are listed....is the strength in which it is in the bottle. Meaning, see the Aloe Vera Juice??? It is listed first. . .(if you are following the rules of Labeling correctly) that means there is more Aloe Vera Juice than water in this formula. Which is a wonderful and amazing feat, I actually used this combo on my Carbon Beach Creme, so I happen to know that this IS possible and works into a wonderful -"end" result.
On most SHOWER-based hair products you will find "water" as the number 1 ingredient, especially Shampoos. Aloe Vera juice, is exactly as it sounds...aloe vera itself. Which is a very jelly-like-thick substance that is truly nature's "healer". As a former Stunt woman one of my specialties was "fire"....after a few mishaps with burns, I discovered Pure Aloe VERA the first time I got my skin burned ....it was not horrific, but if you've ever had a small burn, think of that magnified 50 times ! Its not a pretty situation and after going to one of the top "burn" centers in the country...I was introduced to the ALOE VERA plant ... they had aloe vera plants growing all along the window sill on one of the floors, where the nurses were.
After I had recovered from a small burn, the nurses had me pick a few leaves ( yes, at a medical center) I applied the juice from the leaves. . .with cool compresses (after 14 days of more radical treatments) - they were miracles workers. Since then I have ALWAYS had an Aloe plant on my window sill, used them to raise 2 kids - - NOTHING HEALS the way pure ALOE VERA does.
I just can't imagine the wonderful tricks it performs on hair and scalp, come to think of it . . .maybe that's why people say their hair-fall completely stops ? ! ? ? ???
It does help cells rejuvenate which is what you look for in hair loss formula's......?? I think I just hit on something new I need to start testing for 10,000 HEADS - Yeehaw !
* NOP Certified Organic................It is also CERTIFIED Organic, not an easy certification to obtain, especially when you consider how many real/natural Fruit Oils and extracts this shampoo contains.
I did not use the "INCI" names on the ingredient names for you, the REAL English names were used for you so you would KNOW what most of them are... the big corporate manufacturers want to be able to use the technical or Latin names for the ingredient names, so the consumer cannot figure out what anything is. What do you think of the list, in plain English? ? ?
I would imagine it would make you want to read them more often....wouldn't it? Look at the ingredients in this shampoo? This is andre shampoo { I never really sat down and looked at this list, now that I have...I'm impressed! ! Really impressed!}
You Should Be Too
Killer Chemist
Here are Killer Strands Top 10 Tips for finding an awesome shampoo for those of you who color your hair...............
10.) The color of the bottle matters.....( checking to make sure you are paying attention - j/k)
9.) Take into account the texture of your hair...fine, coars
e & normal are words used for texture plus: straight, wavy, curlie. Those words will be listed on a great bottle of shampoo . Each one of those factors affects how well the hair will hold hair color in the hair strands. Therefore should coincide with hair color retention. 8.) On the Ingredient list on the back of the bottle, be sure the surfactants (cleaning agent in shampoo's) are one of the following (copy-paste-slip in your wallet), these will take it easy on your color and leave your strands vivid:
- Caprylyl Capryl Glucoside ...........(super natural)
- Disodium Soyamphodiacetate
- Sodium Coco-Sulfate
- Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
- Sodium Coco-Sulfate
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate ..........one of my fav's
- Ammonium Cocoyl Isethionate
- Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
- Lauryl Glucoside
- Decyl glucoside
- Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Of course you are not expected to remember these, but become accustomed to the words of the good ones, so you are not only told the "bad" ones....I wanted to show you a partial list of surfactants that could replace SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE or ALS....very healthily. There are plenty to choose from . . . .
7.) Star
t with a company that cares about its customers and doesn't seem to be only about sales, marketing and selling, I realize that is hard to distinguish between. . . but a little bit of research will usually reveal what you need to know about this topic, remember how important your hair is to you. If all else fails. . . go by my recommendations, I do a lot of research, test lots of brands and listen to a LOT of people. 
6.) Read the labels of ALL shampoo purchases, I know many of you have learned to read the labels of food you eat . . . most of you care about your hair just as much as your body . . . give it the same respect, by learning the ingredients that are safe and sane for it.
5.) These ingredients should NOT be in the ingredient list:
- sodium lauryl sulfate - sls
- ammonium lauryl sulfate - als
- sodium laureth sulfate - sles
4.) Pay attention to whether your hair is dry, oily or normal - - - probably the most common label you'll find on the bottle. Pick out the shampoo that matches your hairs moisture level - which should help retain your hair color using the appropriate shampoo for the hair type.
3.) If you wouldn't buy your apples, oranges and bananas at your Beauty Supply, then don't buy your shampoo at your grocery store - please. You will be purchasing a higher grade more appropriate for color treated hair purchased from Killer Strands, a high end Beauty Supply or a Salon.
2.) Seeing the words "For Color Treated Hair" mean nothing - I'm afraid. After combing the aisles of the local drug store, I've discovered with the popularity of wanting shampoos for "Color TREATED" Hair, ever other shampoo has those words printed on the bottle - Anyone can put them on any bottle with anything inside it.
1.) Do not believe the words "NATURAL" or "ORGANIC" printed on the bottle , remember we have absolutely no restrictions, of "words" printed on products. They literally could put the words "battery acid" in the bottle and say it was "natural". I truly don't think you should believe anything printed on any bottle of shampoo. The only thing you should look at from a bottle of shampoo in the drug store is the ingredient list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There actually are a set of laws on what manufacturers of hair products are supposed to follow, but the laws address the "INGREDIENTS " label on the back, not what they print on the front. Therefore I highly recommend to all of you to only look on the Ingredients list. Let's review one bottle as if you were in a Salon OR Beauty supply
Below is a close-up of a couple bottles from the line that my clients like the most, John Masters Organics or JMO. The reason they claim to like it? How gentle it is, how Blondes remain the proper tone all the way to their next appointment, how vivid the reds remained, I got pretty much all the compliments on the shampoo a Colorist is looking for..
Look at the front of both bottles ! !
What do you notice about this shampoo?
( this shampoo is usually put in the "higher-mid" range class of shampoos - $15.95/bottle > which is inexpensive here in LA).
The front of the bottles mention absolutely nothing about being "Color-safe" or "Sulfate-Free " . . or any
of it. . . they are just quiet stated- simple -classy . not words and false claims plastered everywhere. The information you need is in the "INGREDIENT LIST ", so you would flip the bottle
I want to teach you a little bit about LABELING . . . .
labeling on shampoos, hair conditioners, & styling products. I am by no means an expert, so this will be a "little bit"...but I think will be enough to help you with upcoming purchases, if you are so inclined.
Luckily for all of us . . . the FDA is receiving a lot of heat from consumer groups as far as " SAFETY IN LABELING". . . they have already completed a giant overhaul in Europe . . .hopefully we will do something similar here in the USA.
Here are the ingredients in the JMO - Evening -Primrose Shampoo and remember the manner in which they are listed....is the strength in which it is in the bottle. Meaning, see the Aloe Vera Juice??? It is listed first. . .(if you are following the rules of Labeling correctly) that means there is more Aloe Vera Juice than water in this formula. Which is a wonderful and amazing feat, I actually used this combo on my Carbon Beach Creme, so I happen to know that this IS possible and works into a wonderful -"end" result.
On most SHOWER-based hair products you will find "water" as the number 1 ingredient, especially Shampoos. Aloe Vera juice, is exactly as it sounds...aloe vera itself. Which is a very jelly-like-thick substance that is truly nature's "healer". As a former Stunt woman one of my specialties was "fire"....after a few mishaps with burns, I discovered Pure Aloe VERA the first time I got my skin burned ....it was not horrific, but if you've ever had a small burn, think of that magnified 50 times ! Its not a pretty situation and after going to one of the top "burn" centers in the country...I was introduced to the ALOE VERA plant ... they had aloe vera plants growing all along the window sill on one of the floors, where the nurses were.
After I had recovered from a small burn, the nurses had me pick a few leaves ( yes, at a medical center) I applied the juice from the leaves. . .with cool compresses (after 14 days of more radical treatments) - they were miracles workers. Since then I have ALWAYS had an Aloe plant on my window sill, used them to raise 2 kids - - NOTHING HEALS the way pure ALOE VERA does.
I just can't imagine the wonderful tricks it performs on hair and scalp, come to think of it . . .maybe that's why people say their hair-fall completely stops ? ! ? ? ???
It does help cells rejuvenate which is what you look for in hair loss formula's......?? I think I just hit on something new I need to start testing for 10,000 HEADS - Yeehaw !
- aloe vera leaf juice
- water
- decyl glucoside
- disodium cocoamphodiacetate
- sodium cocoyl sulfoacetate
- babassuamidopropyl betaine
- panthenol (vitamin B5)
- sorbitol
- comfrey leaf extract
- lavender flower/leaf/ stem extract
- nettle root extract
- horsetail leaf/stem extract
- chamomile flower extract
- yarrow extract
- white tea leaf extract
- willow bark extract,
- honeysuckle flower extract
- hydrolyzed soy protein
- ylang ylang flower oil
- patchouli oil
- grapefruit peel oil
- cedarwood oil
- lemon peel
oil
- geranium flower oil
- sandalwood) oil
- guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride
- wheat amino acids
- sodium pca
- arginine
- serine
- amino acids
- potassium sorbate
- sodium benzoate
- hyaluronic acid
- glycerin
- evening primrose oil
- sunflower seed oil,
- flaxseed seed oil,
- borage seed oil,
- jojoba seed oil,
- tocopherol,
- sulfur
* NOP Certified Organic................It is also CERTIFIED Organic, not an easy certification to obtain, especially when you consider how many real/natural Fruit Oils and extracts this shampoo contains.
I did not use the "INCI" names on the ingredient names for you, the REAL English names were used for you so you would KNOW what most of them are... the big corporate manufacturers want to be able to use the technical or Latin names for the ingredient names, so the consumer cannot figure out what anything is. What do you think of the list, in plain English? ? ?
I would imagine it would make you want to read them more often....wouldn't it? Look at the ingredients in this shampoo? This is andre shampoo { I never really sat down and looked at this list, now that I have...I'm impressed! ! Really impressed!}
You Should Be Too
Killer Chemist
Posts
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThis is a helpful post -- but I have a question. My mother-in-law recently tested positive to an aloe allergy. (She is a cardiac nurse, and has spent nearly a decade moisturizing her hands with this over a dozen times per day...and so she developed an allergy. She definitely (over the last 6 years) has experienced serious hair loss. Since she has tossed all products with aloe, she has reduced itching, and says reduced breakage (from constant washing because she thought she had some sort of oil-induced dermatitis, not an allergy) but now, she doesn't know what to use to rehabilitate her hair!
What do you think?
If John Masters is considered good quality, what is considered the best quality?! Shampoo!!
ReplyDeleteHi Killer Chemist!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. It has helped me a lot. I would like to know what do you think about Kerastáse?
I bought two shampoo from them, and I must say I thought it was one the best products in the market, but I guess I was wrong.
Thanks a lot,
Neurilene Fonseca
Lexie,
ReplyDeleteI'm confused, can you explain a little better.
Tell me if I have the facts correct>?
She used a Aloe moisturizing creme all those years on her hands, right?
Once she stopped using Aloe, her problems were solved as far as hairloss on her head.
But now her hair is trashed from all the over-shampooing...
Is that right?
If those are the correct facts I suggest using GLEAM and THRIVEN + secret supplement....those 3 items work absolute miracles ad for problems exactly as you describe.
Shampooing should not cause hair-loss.
150-200 hairs per day > is normal for hair to shed.
Sometimes when that many hairs have not shed gradually throughout the day, they will be stuck up in the hair (I find this a lot with people who don't brush their hair often enough), they will shed all at once...giving the person the illusion, it is happening all at once.
Then there is also the fact that she is aging and that can also be a reason, many times people just don't want admit...tread lightly on this one.
I highly recommend you referring to the 13<>STEPS of 10,000HEADS, which you can find in the Labels and Tags section of the right hand Sidebar.Tell her to follow as many as is possible
hth
KC
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI have never found a shampoo as pure and as perfect as John Masters Organics shampoo's.
Its the "ME" principal.
Most likely because John Masters a top NY Hair Stylist, designed the shampoo. He like me, studied cosmetic chemistry and knows exactly what is in his shampoo and what the ingredients are. He used to make his own shampoo's in his apartment kitchen, kind of like me
John Masters shampoo's are GREAT !
hth,
KC
neurilene,
ReplyDeleteThere is no one shampoo for one person, its a very individual choice...so if you find a shampoo that works on your hair - stick with it.
ALTHOUGH,
what I will say is that I feel every single person should be using a Sulfate-Free shampoo so that you can avoid hair-loss & thinning.....etc.
Kerastase does not have a sulfate-free shampoo ( that I know of)
Also, Kerastase is a very fancy name for L'Oreal, they are one in the same.
Remember the truth is in the INGREDIENT List . . .start to get familiar with ingredients...and what you should look for > bad and good.
hth,
KC
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteTiffany,
ReplyDeleteI'm a hair expert, she's someone who Blogs about skin........is she a chemist? I'm sorry I am not a Website analyzer.... and don't wish to try to follow her, she is all over the place...
Pick who you want to follow and follow them..
thanks
kc
Tiffany I have to take you post down as I have made a rule to not support any web sites I have not reviewed their info. and to be honest, I just don't have the time right now... I'm sorry for that....
ReplyDeleteKC