1. Dimethicone
I have to say that my hair has a love-hate relationship with this ingredient. I use it sparingly as it will give my hair the movement and slip that most love from silicones but I can only use it repeatedly a few days in a row before it causes massive buildup and the flakes. That is why I switched from TRESemme Curl Hydration to TRESemme Naturals Aloe Vera and Avocado Nourishing Moisture Conditioner.
2. Jamaican black castor oil
A few years back I was dealing with thinning edges due to excessively wearing box braid and not giving my hair a break in-between installations. My fault no doubt, but I tried applying Jamaican black castor oil (JBCO”> to my edges to help thicken them out. It was effective, but what I also noticed little bumps on my face and along my hairline. I was perplexed for the longest trying to figure out what was going on. I have acne-prone skin, making me careful about what I use on my face. It took weeks for me to realize it was the JBCO that was breaking me out and once I stopped, the bumps disappeared. I steer clear of castor oil altogether now.
Read more: Are Your Curly Products Causing Acne?
3. Mineral oil
This clear, odorless oil derived from petroleum is widely used in cosmetics as an emollient. All it does for me is clog the pores (skin and scalp”> and create dryness as I have tried it in natural hair products when I first went natural. It is too heavy for my hair and I have opted to not even use it on my skin despite it not being the big, bad ingredient many have labeled it. For me, my hair hates it and that’s reason enough to leave it alone.
4. Fragrance
It could be a coincidence or I may be paranoid but whenever I use a hair product that has fragrance in the first six ingredients, my hair does not readily care for it and I do not care for the smell. I prefer natural ingredient smells over commercial fragrances, and even though I do not know what the chemical makeup of those ingredients they never fare very well in my hair.
5. Long, unfamiliar ingredients
If the ingredient name long and is not naturally derived, then my hair more often than not does not care for it. It will probably give me buildup, leave a dulling film, or not work very well on my coils. I have spent much time tweaking what works for me and these ingredients at the top of the list often make me feel I have put gunk in my hair. Wash day is harder and my hair is often weighed down as a result.
Take away from my list
My hair is no fan of unnatural ingredients. I can use them but they tend to build up, leave a dullness or film, or leaves flakes in my hair. The worst is the buildup that forces me to use shampoo more than I would prefer, as I am a cowash lover but understand the need for and use shampoo when prompted. I love touchable, soft, non-flaking coils and for me using natural ingredients or derivatives of natural ingredients give me that more often than not. Just give me the real deal and my hair is happier and softer as a result.
The good news is, in the process of filtering out the ingredients that my hair (and skin”> will not tolerate, I have also narrowed down the ingredients that my hair thrives on. Read here for the list of 5 ingredients that my hair loves.
