Organic Hair Care

This is a sponsored collaboration with Maria Åkerberg

About three years ago I had never heard about silicones, PEGs  or parabens. I was a student and bought my shampoo and conditioner at the supermarket. It was cheap, my hair was shining and looked healthy and I was happy. But then I came over an article about the hidden chemicals in beauty products. It got my attention and I started to research the Internet for more information. It didn’t take long until I had a long list of compounds that were 1) really bad for you and 2) some of the most common ingredients in beauty products.

When I took my list and checked the beauty products in my bathroom I was shocked. Almost every compound on my list could be found in the products I treated my skin and hair with.

I got rid of all my chemical products and bought natural and organic ones instead. My hair answered me by losing all its shine and by becoming almost impossible to straighten out after a shower. Then I read that it can take up to 15 showers until all the chemicals are removed from your hair and meanwhile, your hair can look really bad. So I kept struggling. When the bottle was empty I still hadn’t got that shiny hair back. It was then I tried Maria Åkerberg Deepskin Organics for the first time. I don’t know the secret ingredient, but my hair got so much better, immediately.

A couple of weeks ago I started to use Body Shampoo Energy and Conditioner Energy and I think it’s my favorite series so far. With etheric oils from rosemary, lavender and lemongrass the smell can’t be anything but wonderful, right?

With these shampoo you have to wash your hair twice. The first wash dissolves and the second cleans. Finish off with the conditioner and leave it in whilst you clean the rest of your body with the schampoo (yes, it is also a shower gel). Rinse or use the conditioner as a leave-in product. Your hair will be so easy to straighten out, even when you have really long hair like I do.

Silicones

Silicones are compounds that work like lipids (fat). They are used to make the hair or skin shine, but compared to vegetable oils, silicones don’t contain nutrients or add moist. Instead, they clog the pores and when you rinse the silicons off, you are just as dry as before you applied the product. The same goes when you add silicones to your hair. When you stop using them your hair will be all dry and have no shine at all. Observe that silicone isn’t the same as silicon (the mineral).

Parabens

Parabens are a group of chemical compounds that are often used as conservatives, and they have no problem penetrating the skin. There are evidence that parabens can interfere with the endocrine system (hormones). With that knowledge I’m not using products containing parabens, that’s for sure.

PEGs

PEGs, or polyethylene glycols as they are really called, are petroleum-based compounds used to thicken and soften beauty products to make them more creamy. PEGs are often contaminated with other toxic compounds, like ethylene oxide. PEGs are often followed by a number, like PEG-4 or PEG-150. PEG compounds enhance the absorption of other compounds through the skin and the lower the number, the higher the absorption.