Please tell me that I wasn’t the only person to freak out when they saw the news about dry shampoo. I have been using dry shampoo for probably around a decade now. My hair is unnaturally thick and because of that it is an effort to wash it and dry it. Which is why dry shampoo stole my heart completely because it eliminated the need for a mid-week wash. So, when I saw the news that dry shampoo can cause cancer, I almost fell through the floor. I didn’t want to think about how many cans of that stuff I have gone through over the years. Which begs the question, what dry shampoos should we stay away. And more importantly, what dry shampoos are safe to use?
What was the news?
It was discovered a few months ago that there was a number of dry shampoos on the market that included ‘benzene’.
According to Ron McLaughlin, senior vice president of product development for Living Proof, via NewBeauty website, “Benzene is a volatile chemical used in the production of a wide range of industrial products, including chemicals, dyes, detergents and some plastics”. Ron continues to explain, ““Benzene is formed from both natural processes, such as volcanoes, and from human activities, such as tobacco smoke, emissions from automobiles, and burning coal and oil. Unintentionally, benzene can also show up as a byproduct, or impurity in what is known as ‘trace amounts in certain raw materials. The majority of aerosol dry shampoos on the market utilize hydrocarbon propellent (gas) and ethanol in their products at various levels to deliver the product onto hair. Most hydrocarbon aerosol propellant blends are made up of propane, n-butane and iso-butane, and have the potential of having benzene as an impurity due to their source materials.”
Why should we be cautious?
The issue is that as there are no strict quality control measures in place, low levels of benzene make it into the final dry shampoo products, which can be potentially dangerous. With aerosol products such as dry shampoo, even if we spray them at our roots, the product goes into the air, and we end up breathing in the product. Benzene is a byproduct that you do not want to be breathing in. Which is why when the news came out I didn’t think twice about cutting the questionable products from my routine.
Why is benezene in dry shampoo?
The worrying thing is that benzene isn’t even supposed to be in dry shampoo. It isn’t an ingredient that is meant to be within the formula to make it perform well. The reason why it is often found in dry shampoos is because it is a chemical used as a common propellant used in aerosols. It is simply an unwanted component that should not be inside dry shampoo.
What are the products which are deemed unsafe?
Be sure that if you are a user of dry shampoo that you do your research. However, after a quick scout online it is clear that some of the culprits are… Batiste, IGK, Amika, Bumble and Bumble, plus many more. Most of these I have used. Batiste is the product that I have relied upon over the past few years. As more news comes out about this, it does seem like some of the brands are releasing statements.
What dry shampoos can we use?
Some of the dry shampoos that I am going to be looking to in place of my batiste is the Living Proof, Orbie and DryBar. There does seem to be quite a few others on the market that are benzene free. However these are the brands that I have heard of before and that seem to have good reviews. I am actually excited to see what difference some of these products might make to my hair. Plus, it will just be a bonus that I wont be breathing in a dangerous chemical!
When I first saw the news about dry shampoo, it did scare me. Like I mentioned, I have used one of the unsafe dry shampoos for many years and gone through countless cans. The current can of Batiste that I had open, I did finish using despite the news. At the end of the day, after using it for a decade, another half a can isn’t going to make that much difference. But from now on, I am going to switch to a new dry shampoo which is deemed safe. You never know, I might kick dry shampoo to the curb completely. I could just wash my hair a little more… who am I kidding? That isn’t going to happen.
As always, I will pop some links below to the items which are deemed safe. If you do have any of the other questionable brands in your collection, kick them to the curb and use something that isn’t questionable!