The main chemical nasties to look out for in shampoos are; parabens (preservatives), sodium lauryl sulphate or SLS (foaming agent) and methylisothiazolinone (a biocide.)  A survey of what was on offer on the supermarket shelves revealed that while some shampoo products no longer listed parabens,  all of them listed sodium lauryl sulphate (or sodium laureth sulphate which is SLS after it has undergone a process called ethoxylation) as the second ingredient after water.  My regular shampoo and a few others besides also contained methylisothiazolinone.  (I do not want to type that again and I’m pretty certain I don’t want to subject my scalp to it again.)

Most controversy centres around the use of the foaming agent Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, also present in toothpastes and bubblebaths, to name but a few.  SLS was originally used as an industrial degreasant.  It is claimed that SLS can damage the skin by stripping it of natural oils and leaving it prone to pitting and irritation. There is a worry that it may cause cataracts and improper eye development in children and that it can cause mouth ulcers.  SLS in conjunction with other chemicals present in cosmetics can form carcinogenic nitrosamines.

There are four types of paraben commonly in use; methy-, ethyl-, propyl- and butyp-paraben.  These are preservatives used in a wide range of cosmetics.  Theories linking parabens to breast cancer are as yet unsubstantiated though fears that parabens act as oestrogen mimickers should be taken seriously and they may be a source of endocrine (reproductive) disruption in both humans and wildlife.

Methylisothiazolinone, sometimes listed as MIT, is a biocide that kills moisture loving bacterium.  Even short exposure to high concentrations can lead to nerve cell destruction.  Adequate neuro-toxicity studies of the effect of this chemical on humans have not yet been undertaken.

Three of the best non-toxic, SLS free shampoos:

Best Value SLS Free Shampoo: Faith In Nature is a well established organic brand.  A favourite with our daughter because you can buy a chocolate scented one, you can’t eat it though!  It costs £4.47 for 400mls.  Available from Amazon here or click image for more details.

Most Popular SLS Free Shampoo: The intriguingly named Tigi Bed Head Superstar is the shampoo they are all raving about.  Unlike many SLS free shampoos it promises lots of foaming action!  Price is £10.25 for 750mls available here at Amazon also.

An SLS Free Shampoo Suitable For Younger Family Members: A very gentle shampoo suitable for babies and young children by Nature Babycare.  Currently on offer at £4. 98 for two 250ml bottles.  Available here from Amazon.

You might also want to read our article on SLS free toothpaste.

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Toxic chemicals are a fact of everyday life.  Undoubtedly many chemicals have done much to improve human life, but many more have been proven over time to have had disastrous effects on both our health and the environment.  If you want to learn more about toxic chemicals and their prevalence in our lives you could do worse than get hold of a copy of The Toxic Consumer.

This was not an easy book to read.  In part this was because it was a bit like reading the back of your shampoo bottle and is full of letter combinations they just never covered in a jolly phonics programme!  Mostly it was a difficult read because it brought home to me how badly we have pretty much polluted everything.  Not much of a feel-good factor I’m afraid.

Neither of these gripes, of course, are the fault of the authors, Karen Ashton and Elizabeth Salter Green.  The authors write lucidly on a difficult subject.  By the time I’d finished reading it I felt alarmed, yes, but also enlightened and to some degree empowered to make changes.  And for that reason I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to live a more sustainable life. 

The Toxic Consumer offers a critique of the chemical industry and the of legislation that has failed to regulate the industry and to protect consumers and the environment.  It also offers a clear guide to some of the worst everyday chemicals we are likely to come into contact with and suggests useful and practical changes we can make in our lives to avoid them or at least lessen their impact.

I was surprised to learn that if you bank with The Co-operative you can opt to have a pthalate free debit card.  I had no idea that the chemical Bisphenol-A is the stuff used to make products as varied and diverse as CDs, baby bottles, dental sealants and the linings of  of baked bean cans.  It is in fact a synthetic hormone mimicking oestrogen and causes snails to explode with the pressure of over producing eggs.  (If you remember, right now I’m very defensive of snails!)  I will probably be throwing out my non-stick pans and replacing them with, well, stick pans I guess.  I may never make a decent omelette again but the ones I have been making had the potential to kill a canary with the fumes.  I’ m also now going to track down an affordable alternative to the shampoo I currently use, something containing ingredients I can read with ease and pronounce!

Snail cunningly camouflaged as Euonymous!

 The Toxic Consumer by Karen Ashton and Elizabeth Salter Green is published by Impact.