Can Shampoo Cause Hair Loss? Toxic Ingredient List

How then do you treat hair loss for both women and men?

What are the causes?

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Can Shampoo Cause Hair Loss?

Sometimes the shampoo is the cause. But not always.

👉 Shampoo with too much keratin can cause hair loss.

👉 Shampoos with filler ingredients such as silicone and wax will buildup on the hair and scalp and clog the follicles.

👉 Some shampoos contain formaldehyde chemicals in their ingredients which can slow and even stop hair growth as well as compromise the endocrine system (hormones) in the body.

What Else Can Cause Hair Loss?

There are innumerable reasons a person can be experiencing slight thinning or hair loss.

Often times my clients will message me panicking because they have what they say are handfuls of hair coming out after a wash.

Many times true hair loss has to do with medical conditions or changes in medication. Oftentimes these changes can be associated with heart and thyroid medications.

DO NOT STOP TAKING A DOCTOR PRESCRIBED MEDICATION BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES IN YOUR BODY

2 in 1 Shampoo is it Bad?

45 Ideas, Causes, Solutions, & Hairstyles for Thinning Hair

Other times hair loss can be due to –

Stress
Big life changes
Illness
Surgery or other medical treatments
Skin conditions
Hormone fluctuations
Nutritional deficiencies
Some medications
Genetics
Sudden weight loss or weight gain

However, more often than not, it is just a part of the fallout stage of the hair growth cycle. Not all of the hairs on your head are on the same cycle.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re losing hair.

Follicles go through 3 stages (cycles), growth, stagnant waiting, and fall out. Every several years your hair goes through these stages and continues to grow.

But before we get into the 3 stages of hair growth be sure that the hair that you see in the shower drain or in your hair brush IS NOT-

Broken hair due to damage
Torn hair due to tight ponytails
Melted hair due to too many chemicals
Tension due to cornrows or dreadlocks
Heat damage due to curling iron or flat iron being too hot

The 3 Phases of Hair Growth

Phase 1 – Anagen

Hair growth is a cyclical process. It begins with the anagen phase, which is the period of active hair growth.

During this phase, cells in the hair follicle divide rapidly, causing the hair to grow approximately half an inch per month. This phase can last anywhere from two to seven years.

Phase 2 – Catagen

Next is the catagen phase, which is a transitional phase lasting approximately two weeks. During this phase, hair growth slows and the hair follicle begins to shrink.

Phase 3 – Telogen

The third phase is the telogen phase, which is the resting phase. During this phase, the hair follicle remains inactive and the existing hair falls out. This phase lasts approximately three months.

Finally, the cycle begins again with the anagen phase, beginning the cycle again, when the hair follicle reactivates and a new hair begins to grow. This process repeats itself throughout the lifetime of the hair.

Parts of Hair Structure – Everything You Need to Know

can shampoo cause hair loss? Ingredients

Which Bad Shampoos Potentially Cause Hair Loss?

Sometimes, unfortunately, hair loss can be due to bad products (specifically shampoos and conditioners, or whatever soap is being used on the scalp) depositing toxic and filler products into the follicles and either killing them or clogging the follicles until they die.

Once a follicle dies on the inside there is no reviving it.

Generic products usually found at the grocery store I would rate 3/10 because of the filler products, silicone, formaldehydes, and plastics that are put in them. They cause buildup not only on the hair strands but the scalp as well.

🚩 Johnson&Johnson shampoos contain formaldehyde chemicals that have led to hair loss for some.

🚩 WEN products have caused hair loss due to dangerous ingredients. The FDA began an ongoing investigation after users reported hair loss and filed lawsuits against the company, though the exact ingredients that caused the issues have not been released.

🚩 Mane & Tail Straight Arrow products have contained DMDM hydantoin, which led to a lawsuit after users complained of hair loss.

🚩 TREseme Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner have been found to contain DMDM hyndatoin, which led to lawsuits after hair loss.

🚩 DevaCurl though it has not been reported what ingredients may have led to hair loss or thinning, many reported having issues after using the DevaCurl products.

Don’t use bad products. It’s not worth it.

I had a client once, that told me he used bar soap on his hair. And you know what? It was disgusting. His scalp was never clean, and the buildup was awful. And his hair was thinning… I wonder why!?!?

🚩 What Ingredients can Increase Hair Loss? 🚩

Silicones, sulfates, alcohols, formaldehydes, and waxes are commonly added to generic shampoos and other hair products as filler ingredients.

Silicone – Added as a stabilizer for the consistency of the product.

Wax – Added to products to make the hair sleek and smooth.

Alcohol – Dries out the hair and ends up destroying the follicles over time. Most commonly added as a filler ingredient and preservative in cheaper products.

Formaldehyde – A strong chemical preservative not just used in funeral homes but put in shampoos as well and can damage the follicle to the point of dying.

Sulfate – Sulfates are used in shampoo products to help the shampoo lather and become more bubbly. However some sulfates are damaging to the hair and scalp, and can lead to hair loss in the end.

Ingredients to Avoid in Shampoo that Cause Hair Loss

But you won’t see ‘silicone’ or ‘formaldehyde’ on the ingredient list. Or any of the others really.

So, here is a list of the scientific names for the silicone, wax, sulfates, alcohols, and formaldehyde ingredients that you can check the bottle to avoid –

❌ Dimethicone

❌ Cetyl dimethicone

❌ Cetearyl methicone

❌ Dimethiconol

❌ Stearyl dimethicone

❌ DMDM 5-dimethyl hydantoin

❌ 3-dimethylol-5

❌ Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)

❌ Diethanolamine

❌ Isopropanol

❌ Phthalates (a type of artificial fragrance or perfume)

❌ Cyclomethicone

❌ Amodimethicone

❌Trimethylsilylamodimethicone

❌ Cyclopentasiloxane

❌ Formalin

❌ Methylene glycol

❌ Quaternium-15

❌ Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS)

❌ Propylene glycol

❌ Propanol

Even if the bottle says that it is ” X ingredient – Free” read the ingredient list anyway. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

What Shampoo Can Help Prevent Hair Loss?

In professional shops, Nioxin is the most professional and reliable product out there for hair loss.

Nioxin

The Nioxin product line was originally designed for chemo patients, it’s a medicated product, which is why it can not be found in grocery stores with generic products.

It does not regrow hair but encourages a healthy environment for the hair to grow back.

Sometimes it unclogs pores and follicles that have been clogged, that had been preventing hair from continuing to grow. If a clogged follicle is cleaned out and is still alive, some hair will regrow!

How to choose which Nioxin Treatment is for you –

Nioxin has a system by number based on a person’s level of hair loss.

Nioxin 1– Is for lightly thinning hair

Nioxin 2– Is for progressively thinning hair

Nioxin 3– Is for chemically treated, lightly thinning hair. It’s the same as Nioxin 1, except for colored or permed hair.

Nioxin 4– Is for chemically treated, progressively thinning hair

Nioxin 5– Is for bleached, lightly thinning hair

Nioxin 6– Is for bleached, progressively thinning hair

As a professional barber and cosmetologist, I highly recommend Nioxin for your preventative needs as well as your concerns for thinning in general.

Nioxin

When do I start using Nioxin?

How I like to describe the need for Nioxin is like this; you don’t wait until you have issues with skin damage before deciding to use sunscreen, right? If you use sunscreen regularly, then later on in life you will not have wished you had used sunscreen as a preventative measure.

In the same way, using Nioxin is my personal and professional recommendation.

If you have a concern now about your hair, start using this product line. Just remember that Nioxin is medicated, so don’t go overboard and use a number that is too high for your stage.

Nioxin 1 is enough for lightly thinning hair as well as preventative levels.

When to Contact a Doctor for Hair Loss

If the hair fall out comes to a point when you can see through the hair or have patches of scalp showing, this can indicate that there is a different underlying issue in the body.

Hair is an afterthought when it comes to overall health within the body. If the body is healthy the hair is healthy.

When you should contact the doctor for hair fall out is if you went from thick hair, when you can’t see the scalp, to seeing the scalp and having bald patches within a short period of time (8 weeks or less).

What Can You do to Help Prevent Hair Loss at Home?

However, there are a few things you can try to stimulate the scalp and encourage blood flow, which is a huge factor in hair growth.

Hair care at home is a big deal when preventing hair loss at home, here are a few tips to help you keep your hair in the healthiest condition possible.

👉 Wash less frequently to prevent drying out the scalp

How to Wash Hair to Prevent Hair Loss

👏 Always use conditioner hydrate the scalp *bonus points if you take a few minutes to massage the scalp to stimulate blood flow, which increases hair growth*

🛑 Never use a curling iron or flat iron without heat protectant

👌 Get regular hair trims to keep the split ends at bay

👍 Eat a balanced meal to nourish the body

🛑 Do not brush your hair while wet, only use a wide-toothed comb to avoid tearing the hair

👏 Exercise regularly to stimulate blood flow and detox the body from hair-growth-slowing radicals within the body

Does Exercise Help Hair Growth?

🛑 Stop perming, bleaching, or coloring your hair too frequently

FAQs for Can Shampoo Cause Hair Loss?

What are some foods to help less hair fallout?

Fruits and veggies
Legumes and beans
Proteins
Dairy products

If some of these foods are not available to you or you have intolerances, vitamins or supplements such as Collagen and Multivitamins can help your intake of the right nutrients and vitamins to help prevent hair loss and help your hair grow.

But definitely get as many of these foods to help less hair fall out as you can!

Worst shampoos that cause hair loss

Obviously the cheaper the product the more filler ingredients it will contain.

In my experience in the hair salon over the past 10 years I have noticed that frequent users of the brands Pantene, Suave, and V05 (often found at the dollar store) have the most buidup and greasy, unbalanced hair. This doesn’t mean that these brands are the plague and avoid them as such but I don’t recommend anyone using these products on their skin or hair.

V05 shampoo and conditioner
Suave
Pantene

Does NOT using shampoo cause hair loss?

Not necessarily.

Again, there are many factors that can come into play when dealing with sudden hair loss such as stress, rapid weight changes, health, and so on.

But if you choose to co-wash your hair (using conditioner as the main cleanser) or choose to just wash your hair with water, eventually the scalp will rebalance the pH and won’t look greasy or oily so quickly.

If you don’t use shampoo ever, be sure that you are at least rinsing your scalp and hair at least once per week so that the oil and dirt buildup doesn’t seep into the follicles (gravity tends to draw matter downwards over time) and eventually clog and slow hair growth.

Sulfate-free shampoo cause hair loss?

Sulfate-free shampoo does not cause hair loss. But again, be sure to refer to the dangerous ingredient list above when checking your products.

Even if the bottle says ‘sulfate-free’ it doesn’t mean that other sulfates or sulfides are contained inside.

Why does SO MUCH hair fall out when I shampoo?

Inbetween 7 and 100 hairs fall out every single day. And that’s normal!

If you do not wash your hair every day, and your scalp is letting roughly 100 hairs go daily, by the time you wash your hair you might have several hundred hairs in the shower drain.

Do not worry! There is nothing to be concerned about unless you can see patches or suddenly can see through the hair to the scalp when you couldn’t before. In that case it would be time to see a doctor.

How do you stop hair loss from shampoo

4 Tips to help stop hair loss from shampoo –

Check the quality of your product and consult the hazardous ingredient list above to ensure that the product doesn’t contain any of the dangerous or toxic ingredients that can cause hair loss
Wash less frequently to prevent drying out the hair and scalp to the point when the hairs are being let go
Don’t tie the hair in braids, buns, or ponytails so tightly that the hairs can break from the tension
Use Nioxin to prevent further hair loss

Does washing hair often cause hair loss?

No. But washing too frequently with the wrong products can.

If you are a daily washer and use shampoo and conditioner that any or several of the ingredients listed in the dangerous ingredient list above, it can lead to hair loss.

Is hair falling out during shampoo normal?

Yes. It is normal for the scalp to let up to 100 hairs go per day. So when you are scrubbing and stimulating the scalp, some of the hairs that have been let go but are tangled up with the rest of the hair are then coming out in the drain.

There is no need to be alarmed, your hair might be in a telogen or exogen (when the hair is being let go to make room for new hair) stage.

Not all hairs are in the same phases of the hair growth cycle at once.

What are some myths about hair loss?

Washing too frequently can cause hair loss

No, but using the wrong products containing toxic ingredients can.

Using shampoo can cause hair loss

Again, no. But if the product is building up and clogging the follicle, yes, it can cause hair loss.

Changing shampoo when the hair ‘gets used to’ a certain product can cause hair loss

No. The scalp can become accustomed to a certain product but more likely the hair has had a recent change (such as coloring, bleaching, perming, or hormonal fluctuations) that can cause it to react differently to the product.

Can changing shampoo frequently cause hair loss?

No. It might take a while to find a product that is safe and does not contain any of the toxic and hazardous ingredients and your hair likes and responds well to the product. But the experiment phase of trying to find a product that you and your hair like will not cause hair loss.