"What free-from really means" With Drew
If you look at any beauty product these days, you'll probably come across one of dozens of "free from-" claims. Free from sulfates, silicones, parabens, etc. But do you really know what any of those things are? And what do they even do? Could you possibly benefit by adding them into your routine? Let's look at the three most popular "no" claims!
Silicones: This diverse group of ingredients are synthetic chemicals made from sand and quartz. That's right! Your slippery conditioner is actually synthetically derived from sand. In hair products, these are used to create slip, reduce friction from brushing, offer protection while heat styling, and add shine. Find them in shampoos and conditioners, leave in products, thermal protectants, and serums. Most anti-silicone marketing claims that, despite their diversity, they are responsible for buildup in the hair. While possible, it's not always the silicones' fault. A number of factors are responsible for what's usually diagnosed as "buildup". Most silicones can be easily shampooed away without fearing of weighing most hair down. However, those with baby fine hair might want to avoid them for that reason.
Who they're best for: coarse, curly/kinky, hot tool users, or highly damaged hair of all types.
Sulfates: When talking about sulfates, we're usually talking about two main ingredients- SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and SLES (sodium lauryl ether sulfate). Both are commonly found in shampoos, and are effective at cleansing the hair while creating a rich foam. Generally, these are used at single-digit concentrations these days, though range from 10-20% to sometimes as low as 1-2%. Its reputation as being too aggressive comes from older formulas, not from the more modern shampoos. When mixed as part of a cleansing system with other surfactants, it can yield a gentle yet effective shampoo! It all depends on how it's used. However, those with dry scalps or those who shampoo frequently might want to avoid them as it might be too much.
Who they're best for: oily scalps, infrequent (<1x/week) shampooers, heavy product users, and fine naturally limp hair.
Parabens: One of the most studied ingredients in cosmetic chemistry, parabens are a group of chemicals commonly used to preserve products. The four you're likely to find are butylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben and methylparaben, and usually less than 1% (ethyl- and methyl- are limited to 0.8%). Despite their demonstrated safety, some claim them to be hormone disruptors. Based on a study done in 2004 by D'arbre et al., the tenuous link between parabens and breast cancer was made, despite the paper even stating such. But the damage was done, and people switched away from the effective and studied parabens to other ingredients with much less research to back up their supposed safety. Those with sensitive scalps be warned- a lot of these paraben free formulas need preservatives in much higher concentrations, meaning higher risk of irritation. Parabens have such a low irritation and sensitization rates that they earned "Non Allergen of the Year" by the American Contact Dermatitis Association in 2019.
Who they're best for: sensitive scalps of all types and textures, people who want their products to last more than 6 months after opening, and those who hate microbial growth.
