The last thing you want to be adding to your already long list of Mom worries is whether you are feeding toxic and harmful chemicals directly into your little ones system when simply shampooing their hair.

With so much focus in the natural hair community on growth and length we often forget that the health of your child, inside and out is the top priority. 

Educating yourself on what to buy and more importantly what to avoid is the first step in taking full responsibility for your child’s future wellbeing. 

Harmful Chemicals Could Be Lurking in Your Child's Shampoo

Recent studies have shown that chemicals found in shampoos and beauty products can disrupt or interfere with natural hormones in the body, primarily estrogen, which mainly affects young girls.

Quick reminder: 

In one particular study conducted at UC Berkeley in 2018, 338 children were followed from birth through adolescence. They tested mothers’ urine during pregnancy and interviewed them about potential chemical exposures, then tested kids’ urine for chemical exposure at 9 years old and examined children for signs of puberty development every nine months between ages 9 and 13 years.
 

For every doubling in concentration of a phthalate indicator in mothers’ urine, their daughters developed pubic hair an average of 1.3 months earlier, the study found. And with every doubling of mothers’ urine concentrations of triclosan, girls started menstruating one month earlier.

For the record, phthalates and triclosan are both commonly found in shampoos for babies and adults...Yikes.

Beyond early development it is imported to really understand the mental and emotional side effects that can come from hormonal imbalances of estrogen.

Some of estrogen's effects on the brain and nervous system include:

• Regulating neurotransmitter systems that affect mood, like serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine
• Sensitivity to the fluctuation of estrogen levels in the amygdala, which is linked to mood regulation
• Stimulating beneficial mood-related actions in the hippocampus

Some women (and girls!) may be exceptionally sensitive to changes in hormone levels, causing them to be more susceptible to depression when these levels are off.

As daunting as this scientific data seems, we know knowledge is power and there are direct ways you, mama consumer, can choose wiser in the future.

Baby Shampoo Ingredients to Avoid

• Xynol, ceteareth, oteth.
• DEA or Diethanolamine (a potential cancer causing ingredient.
• Propylene Glycol. Common in shampoos, despite warnings elsewhere that it’s a strong skin irritant and skin contact should be avoided as well as warnings it can cause kidney and liver abnormalities.
• Parabens. Also listed as methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propylparaben, butyl paraben, isobutyl paraben, or E216, these have been linked to cancer as well and have estrogen effects to the body.

Support Black-Owned Brands You Can Trust

While many products claim to be good for babies, the reality is they are not. 

Baby tycoon, Johnson & Johnson, is the perfect example. The company has had to pay millions of dollars in lawsuits because their baby talcum powder was alleged to contain asbestos and cause ovarian cancer.

More recently, Johnson & Johnson shampoo samples revealed presence of Formaldehyde, which is a known cancer causing chemical. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen.

In response to consumer pressure, J&J had claimed to have removed this potentially harmful chemical-formaldehyde while offering their new “natural line”... at a much higher price point than before.

What to Look for in Your Toddler Hair Care