Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > Special Interest Travel > Women Travelers
Reload this Page >

Are we harming our hair with the amenities with love?

Are we harming our hair with the amenities with love?

Old Sep 21, 2010, 11:37 am
  #1  
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,823
Are we harming our hair with the amenities with love?

I'm getting a keratin treatment on my hair today. My stylist mentioned to be sure I don't use shampoos with sodium in them as it will wreck my hair long term and cause the treatment to not last short term.

She told me I most likely don't use shampoos with sodium as it's in the cheap ones.

Well, I went through all my "upscale" shampoos from hotels in recent months and each one, including Bulgari, has sodium. If you read about the effects they aren't good. I think I'm going to stay away from my fancy-in-name-only hotel shampoos and stick with ones from people who make only hair products and not watches too. Anyway ...just found it interesting how the name and price led me to believe I wouldn't find the cheap ingredients.
l etoile is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2010, 11:42 am
  #2  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
Be careful with getting a keratin treatment. Even in the nicest of salons, it can be a disaster. Thanks for the warning about the sodium. I had no idea and have never looked at the ingredients.
Analise is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2010, 12:24 pm
  #3  
Community Director Emerita
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,681
I was completely oblivious to sodium even being in shampoo, let alone it causing a problem.
SanDiego1K is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2010, 2:10 pm
  #4  
Moderator Communications Coordinator, Signatures
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: deep within the Eskimo lair
Programs: TubWorld, Bar Alliance, Borratxo Legendarium
Posts: 16,968
did she mean Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?
missydarlin is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2010, 3:45 pm
  #5  
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,823
Originally Posted by Analise
Be careful with getting a keratin treatment. Even in the nicest of salons, it can be a disaster. Thanks for the warning about the sodium. I had no idea and have never looked at the ingredients.
I asked a bit more about all of this. With the keratin the big problem seemed to be the formadehyde in some of the products. What I'm getting is formaldehyde free.

The sodium problem seems mostly to be sodium chloride (I was finding all sorts of sodium in shampoos so figured it couldn't be all of them). And sulfates are the other problem, including the one Missy mentions, which I found in some of my 'upscale' hotel shampoos.
l etoile is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2010, 5:08 pm
  #6  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 136
l'etoile, I believe your hairdresser may thinking of the harm sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate and sodium lauryl sulfate can do to hair. Both are drying detergent cleansing agents. (BTW, sodium LAURETH sulfate is fine.) Sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate and sodium lauryl sulfate can fade color treated hair.

Sodium chloride (table salt) is used primarily as a binding agent in skin-care products and occasionally as an abrasive in scrub products. If sodium chloride is used as a binding agent in hair care products, it should be safe.
try2cook is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2010, 5:57 pm
  #7  
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,823
Originally Posted by try2cook
Sodium chloride (table salt) is used primarily as a binding agent in skin-care products and occasionally as an abrasive in scrub products. If sodium chloride is used as a binding agent in hair care products, it should be safe.
Thanks try2cook. What I'm reading about sodium chloride is that it also can strip color and products from your hair. I guess what I'm gathering from this is that if you use products with sodium chloride you may be decreasing the time your expensive color or straightening treatments would last. Does that seem logical to you? That seemed to be what my stylist concluded.
l etoile is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2010, 9:28 pm
  #8  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
This thread is fascinating. I highlight my hair 3-4 times per year and I've noticed that my shampoos and conditioners for color-treated hair have all kinds of sodium products.

So, if I'm reading try2cook correctly, sodium chloride (table salt) and sodium LAURETH sulfate are safe for highlighted hair?
Analise is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2010, 7:49 am
  #9  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,007
Originally Posted by SanDiego1K
I was completely oblivious to sodium even being in shampoo, let alone it causing a problem.
Ditto.

And I've got to imagine the folk who make shampoo & conditioner especially for color-treated hair would be aware of any substance that would cause the opposite effect of what they're hoping to achieve and not include it - unless of course they're trying to sell more of the stuff

Cheers.
SkiAdcock is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2010, 5:24 pm
  #10  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Dublin, Ireland & Florida for all that sunshine!
Programs: CO Silver, DL
Posts: 210
THe problem I found with using SodiumLaurylSulfate-free shampoo is that my hair felt quite lank - even on the day I washed it (wash every 2nd day). Generally the shampoos aren't very sudsy so I never felt that my hair was really clean or had any body. It's really difficult to get a good shampoo without it so would be delighted to hear of any options.
ibdublin is offline  
Old Sep 23, 2010, 1:15 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,297
If I end up disliking a shampoo's effect on my hair and skin, I use it to wash my shower A bit of baking soda, shampoo, and an old scrubby poof works decently and even better if the shampoo is a cheap cleansing type. That some shampoos clean the tub decently might be a cause for concern...

Otherwise if I like the smell but it doesn't play well with my scalp, sometimes it gets relegated to "cleansing cycle shampoo" or body wash.

Right now I'm using the giovanni line and while it doesn't foam up, is better for my scalp which can get dry with sulfate shampoos and traditional alcohol based conditioners.

Now to find a use for lotion I end up disliking. It's usually for the smell over the consistency, but some lotions are just hopeless on the moisturizing front.

Last edited by freecia; Sep 23, 2010 at 1:19 pm Reason: added some info
freecia is offline  
Old Sep 23, 2010, 2:46 pm
  #12  
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MSY
Programs: NW Gold and now Delta Gold
Posts: 3,072
If you just keep in mind that the nice people who are doing your hair are the same nice people who failed high school chemistry class and ultimately didn't make it in college, you'll avoid worrying about "stuff" like this.

How much did the fancy shampoo not containing the mysterious "sodium" cost, I wonder? It's my belief that if the shampoo doesn't explode while it's hanging out in your grocery basket, then it probably doesn't contain "sodium." It may, and probably does, contain sodium lauryl sulfate, as another more tactful poster pointed out, but so what? If you have oily hair, then I'm guessing you'll be sorry to do without that ingredient...

If my hair ever actually looked any better as a result of going to the salon, I might put up to listening to some moron with a pair of scissors in her hands yap about stuff she knows nothing about. But it never does. I give the personal "Top Idiot" prize to the stylist who claimed that my straight hair could be fixed with vitamins. No, you dummy, straight hair is genetic. It can be fixed with a perm -- with chemicals. It can't be fixed by taking a pill. Sheesh. But I'm sure she made a nice side income selling worthless pills to the desperate.
peachfront is offline  
Old Sep 24, 2010, 12:53 am
  #13  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Seattle
Programs: AA Exec Platinum, AS MVP
Posts: 112
I had a Brazillian Blowout done and I love it. I will do another one when this one is about 12 weeks old. They will last longer after you have had more than one done, at least that is what my stylist told me. There are different types of Keratin treatments. I chose the Brazillian because it was the only one where you didn't have to wait 3 days to wash your hair or put it in a pony tail or behind your ears. I use Wen cleansing conditioner and it doesn't fade my hair or make the keratin wear off quicker. Regarding the formadehyde, I don't think any of the products include that in the ingredients any longer. I also think the keratin has made my hair stronger, it doesn't have as much breakage. My hair is long but fine textured and I used to get split ends, now they are noticably fewer.
Savi424 is offline  
Old Sep 24, 2010, 6:13 am
  #14  
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,823
Originally Posted by freecia
If I end up disliking a shampoo's effect on my hair and skin, I use it to wash my shower A bit of baking soda, shampoo, and an old scrubby poof works decently and even better if the shampoo is a cheap cleansing type. That some shampoos clean the tub decently might be a cause for concern.
.
That's pretty funny, but not a bad thought.

Table salt (sodium chloride) is great at taking out red wine, so it makes sense to me that if it can strip red wine out of fabric and carpet easily, it probably strips things I paid to have applied to my hair just as easily.

Savi424: Today ends my three days. My hair is thick and on the dry side so it can take three days without a shampoo easily, but I'm not sure I've had a good night sleep since as I keep thinking (illogically) that I'll put some dent in my hair overnight. Looking forward to shampoo and a good sleep tonight.

Last edited by l etoile; Sep 24, 2010 at 6:18 am
l etoile is offline  
Old Sep 24, 2010, 6:32 pm
  #15  
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8,142
Originally Posted by missydarlin
did she mean Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?
This additive makes hair very electric in the winter.

Bobette
b1513 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.