Label-Reading Tips for Product Safety - Tip #2 Ingredient Amounts & Hair Detoxing

When reading labels, it is also important to understand that ingredients are listed in the order of their amounts. If the first ingredient on the list is water, then water is what you're mostly using. Whether this is good or bad depends on how you expect your product serve you.

This important tip gives you an overall understanding of what you're getting more of. For example the ingredients for Morraccanoil, a popular hair treatment that supposedly contains Argan oil, is listed in this exact order:

With this product you're using more Silicone derivatives (Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone) than you are Argan oil. Silicone is a type (liquid) of plasticizer that give the hair the shiny look and silky feel. Silicone ingredients are occlusive, which means it coats the skin, much like a plastic wrap and prevents the skin from performing its natural duties, specifically the functions of releasing sweat & sebum and absorbing. Prolonged exposures to silicone-type ingredients may include irritation, skin eruptions and hair loss.

From how the ingredients are listed, it would be safe to say that the shiny, silky look promised by the product doesn't come from the Argan oil itself, but amount of plasticizers used in the product. I should state I could not find the ingredient list for Morroccanoil treatment on the official site, instead I found it on retailer's shop.

Another tip....never purchase products without full disclosure of its ingredients and never trust a company that isn't willing to disclose the ingredients of their products.

The ingredients in the Protect Hair Repair by comparison, gives you a healthy dose of Aloe Vera.

• certified organic aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice
• organic fermented grain extract
• certified organic rosa rubiginosa (rosehip) seed oil
• sclerotium rolfsii gum
• citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) fruit extract
• certified organic equisetum arvense (horsetail) extract
• certified organic urtica dioica (nettle) extract
• certified organic arctium lappa (burdock) extract
• certified organic rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract
• certified organic salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract
• certified organic citrus dulcis (sweet orange) essential oil
• certified organic pelargonium graveolens (geranium) essential oil
• certified organic daucus carota (carrot) CO2 extract
• santalum spicata (sandalwood) essential oil

My favorite ingredient in this product is the lactic acid from the fermented grain extract, which is a natural protectant. I use this product for myself and family daily and LOVE the natural shine and silkiness it provides. Notice, there is NO water used. You get full use and benefit from the ingredients as stated on the label. No chemical additives, just food grade ingredients!

Stay tuned for the next label-reading tip!

Hair Detox - De-Plasticizing Your Hair

***Miessence is the world's first certified organic skin/body care. Over 40+ products are certified organic to FOOD GRADE standards, pure enough to eat!***

If you're ready to commit to silicone-free products, use Miessence shampoos, which contain 70% Aloe Vera and 100% toxic-free ingredients, to rid your hair and scalp of these occlusive ingredients.  Your hair detox period depends on the amount of silicone in your hair. You may experience knotty and drier hair. The Protect Hair Repair helps detangle hair during the process and the Clarifying Rinse can assist with stripping your hair of chemical residue. You can speed up the detox process by mixing a Miessence Clay Mask and Shampoo to make a paste. Apply and wash several times to strip the hair of chemicals.

Once you've detoxed your hair, the shampoos will lather more than before and you may find you'll need less shampoo and you'll need to wash less often! Purchase your healthy hair kit here.