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44 Comments

  1. My husband is very sensitive to chemical and to fragrance so I am trying to find a shampoo that I can use. My hair tends to be on the greasy side. Do you have any recommendations?

  2. Thanks for the article and thank readers responses. I’m having a 2nd round of “eczema” flaring up right now. I have the unbearable itchy rashes on my face and arms and upper body. I use Honest Face and Body wash. I’ve never doubted about the product and thought it was save until now. I thought it might be the fabric softener. I thought about food too. I’ll stop using it right away and see. I went the dermatologist and allergist when I first had this without much help. It went on for months. I might be allergic to a combination of things. It’s hard to tell.

  3. Thank you for helping to make the tricky task of buying safe products easier for families!

    I recently joined with Beautycounter, a company dedicated to getting safe, clean products in the hands of everyone. They have strong values with what they will not include in their products, and have banned more than 1500 harmful chemicals from use in their products!

    I’d love to know what you think about their products and their mission to change the unregulated beauty industry! Check out the products and mission.

    Thanks!
    Vanessa

  4. I have been researching for days for a good shampoo. I came across Honest shampoo. But you left out one ingredient in your post, Honest uses sodium chloride (table salt) which is a thickener but also causes dryness and hair loss. I have had little luck finding one shampoo and conditioner which doesn’t have at least one bad ingredient. Honest was close but the table salt added makes it not good either (at least makes me skeptical of buying it).

  5. I recently bought the Honest sweet orange and vanilla and used it on my 4 month old. The first day we used it to bath him we noticed that his eyes got irritated but didn’t pay to much mind to it considering that it says tear free on the bottle. By the third day one of his eyes got red and really irritated. I stopped using it on him and the irritation in his eyes cleared up. I wanted to give the wash the benefit of a doubt and used it on my special needs kid who is 12 and the same exact thing happened to him too. I’ve since stopped using the product and have gone back to using Aveno.

  6. Thank you for such a wonderful article dear and from my side I want to say that i am using multivitamin shampoo for my hair Because this antioxident rich shampoo helps to perfect and renew vibrancy to dull, lackluster hair. When used in our 10-IN-1 RENEWAL SYSTEM it provides Sulfate-free cleansing, anti-aging benefits, color protection, hydration, nourishment, rejuvenation, anti-stress, manageability and softness without build up.

  7. Hi Irina

    Thanks for your helpful reviews. Do you have a list of products you recommend for use during pregnancy? I need shampoo,conditioner, body wash and moisturiser and face wash and face moisturiser. Thank you

  8. Thank you for this insightful post. I’ve ised the Honest Company shampoo/body wash on my one year old daughter since she was born. I recently bought a new bottle and she has developed an irritating rash since using it. I will be purchasing the Valenti True Castille bar soap for her, but am wondering if you have any recommendations for a safe shampoo to use on her? Thanks so much!

  9. Thank you for the in depth review! Even for someone like me who has researched body product ingredients a lot, I always learn something new from your reviews. I agree with your recommendation that we should not use adult products for babies and children. Their skin is more sensitive and we should try to limit exposure to toxins as much as possible. I am very careful about the products we use on our toddler. We stick with natural soap for our son’s hair and body. He is clean and his hair looks great!

    One thought that came to mind when reading your assessment of the ingredients is the “processing” method for extractives. The process to come up with the extractives or derivations of plants/herbs/etc. could include toxic chemicals that might be left over in the final product. Do you have any insight on how the extracts above are manufactured?

    1. Nice to hear from you, Katie! You are absolutely right about the fact some extractions are done with solvents and thus their trace amounts may remain in the products. I wish I had more information about that. Unfortunately, my communication with Honest co. is limited. For that reason I prefer to buy from smaller business where I can get in touch with people who make products directly.

      1. Thanks Irina! I always make a note about the extractions with solvents in my reviews of beauty products, so I thought I would mentioned it.

        I prefer to buy from smaller businesses also! 🙂

  10. Hi dear
    What is you opinion on the honest co multipurpose cleaner? How many bad ingredients? It works well thouhg on everything

    1. Hi Mehnaz, I like that there is glucoside cleanser and that there are no artificial fragrances in it. My concern is that there are two ingredients that are concerning to me: PPG-4 Laureth/Myreth-5 and Methylisothiazolinone. PPG-4 Laureth/Myreth-5 is a cleanser initially derived from coconut oil, somewhere in a chain of chemical reactions carcinogenic ethylene oxide is added, which means that if the company does not use vacuum process the by-product of this reaction – carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane – may remain in the product. The other concerning Methylisothiazolinone is banned in the European Union from the use in cosmetics. What’s interesting to me that the EPA says that the only uses of methylisothiazolinone that come in contact with food they tolerate and regulate are paper, paper products, and adhesives. So I would not use the Honest company multi-purpose cleaner on the surfaces that come in contact in food. Most cleaning products have some concerns about them. I recommend using homemade cleaners if possible. And use commercial cleaners only if you have to. Here is a post where you can find some of my recipes.

  11. I’ve been doing it for about 6 months. I only wash my hair once a week or twice maximum if it’s hot out or if I workout hard. I haven’t found it to be drying even though I have dey skin to begin with. I use trader joes tea tree hair shampoo once in a while. Seems to work ok.

  12. Have you ever analyzed the ingredients in the Whole Foods brand shampoo, 365? I love the big jugs that it comes in. Thank you for analyzing and recommending John Masters. It’s easy to find. I’m switching to that based on your recommendation.

  13. I really enjoy reading your blog and have gotten quite a few products thanks to your research.
    Currently I use baking soda to wash my hair and although it doesn’t suds the way shampoo does it seems to leave my hair clean. Have you ever tried this method? I still use shampoo once in a blue moon but the baking soda just seems to work.
    Would love your input

    1. Hi Batya, yes – I have tried this method and I really wanted it to work. Unfortunately, baking soda has high pH, which means that it is drying for the hair. After a month of use, my hair got dry and brittle. How long have you been using it?

      1. I did it for about 6 months and my hair started to fall out. I am not sure if it was my thyroid or the baking soda but my hair got dry at the ends as well. The fullness has now returned yet but the falling out has stopped.
        I am now using herbaliz shampoo.
        I will see how it goes.
        Thanks

  14. We recently switched to this shampoo/body wash for our two year old. She has been dealing with a irritating rash for the past week and a half and I think I finally realized it could be this soap. I feel terrible for using a product that has made her so uncomfortable. Do you have any recommendations for baby wash?

    1. Hi, Amanda! I would switch to true castile bar soap by Valenti Organics. How do you feel about using bar soap instead of liquid wash? This is what I have been using for my son and never had to use any moisturizer. You can read about the soap here as well as about other options. I hope your daughter will feel better soon! ~Irina

      1. Thank you so much for your quick response! I’m totally up to trying bar soap for her body wash, but what about shampoo? Do you use it as shampoo as well for your son?

      2. Irina…been having terrible dr, ichy ski esp o farms. Dermatologist suggested an oatmeal body wash. Found HONEst ad there was no Aveeno. Was disappointed to see there is aloe in it. I am allergic to aloe. Do you know the percentage? It’s listed 13th…kind of in the middle of the list. 🤔

  15. I started using this about a week or so ago and I really love this product, however, I have started to develop itchiness all over my body and even rash like redness where I have not been itching and I am not sure if it is from this product or not. I have not changed anything else like my laundry detergent or anything so I am sadly going to have to stop using this product to see if my itchiness/rash subsides..Any suggestions? I was using Dove unscented body wash for years up until this product, should I just go back to that?

    1. Hi Jes, how do you feel about bar soap? In my research, I found that they are the best for your health and for the environment. The ones I use and recommend are made with organic plant oil – so good for your skin! Check out my list here. Let me know what you think.

  16. Oleic acid is a fatty acid, also known as Omega 9. Not harmful at all, it is found in oils like olive oil. If you have ever gotten oil in your eyes, you know it is definitely an eye irritant! I cant imagine why it would be considered an environmental toxin, though….