Say NO to ‘Just for Me Shampoo’

The picture on the box shows a little girl, smiling.  Her skin is brown and her hair dark. This product is an over-the-counter conditioner. It is a partner for 'Just for Me Shampoo' which has made the 10 TOP Dangerous list from the BCPP report (Breast Cancer Prevention).It means that it contains the highest number of hazardous chemicals that are linked to cancer, hormone disruption, developmental or reproductive toxicity and respiratory effects.

And we buy this for our children. This 'Just for Me Shampoo' is toxic. It is marketed by Strength of Nature, owned by Godrej Consumer Products out of India. And often marketed to children of colour. There is no picture on the shampoo bottle, unlike the conditioner,  but it is colourful and child luring.

This ingredient listing* (see below) for Just for Me Shampoo was not easy to find. We, as consumers, are not encouraged to look beyond the alluring pictures and colorful ads. 

It took me several tries on a google search to finally identify the full listing.  It was shown on BSW Beauty Canada website (thank you BSW).  Everywhere else (especially Amazon), either did not list them at all, or simply highlighted the KEY ones, like coconut, shea butter, oatmeal, honey…you know, the names we recognize. The products we eat. The ingredients we see as being good and nutritious.  

But what about the rest?  Not displaying the full ingredient listing is a direct insult to our intelligence, and also very deceptive.

Imagine if the law required a warning, like the one I wrote below, on the bottle of a child's chemcial laden shampoo and or conditioner.

Warning: This product contains hazardous chemicals that can greatly affect the health of your child.
May cause eye and lung irritation, allergies, dermatitis. 
Certain ingredients listed are known to cause cancer in humans as well as being environmentally toxic.
Use with caution and wear gloves when washing or conditioning your child’s hair. 

Our children trust us. We are their sleuths. Not all is rosy out there in the commercial world and we must teach them to choose their skin care products wisely.  

It is true that real soap bars do contain lye** and if you wash your hair with your eyes open it can sting. So, we learn to close our eyes. A real soap and shampoo bar, can make an incredible shampoo experience. Just takes getting used to. If one is going to suffer hair loss in the future, due to chemicals in hair products, why not start off with a chemical free, nutritious alternative. Conditioning with apple cider vinegar is a wise follow-up.

Do make it a Me Day for your child. Choose a shampoo bar and an organic apple cider vinegar rinse.Teach them to close their eyes when needed. Play a game.  Congratulate them when they succeed, as a child rarely gets the ‘sting’ twice. They learn quickly and are proud to master the ‘real soap’ experience.

There are natural options out there. Children love our Basic or the Original Shampoo bar. And if you choose not to make your own vinegar rinse (which is very easy BTW) choose ours.  The parsley, rosemary and sage make a delicious and nutritious blend.

INGREDIENTS: Just for Me Shampoo

*WATER (AQUA, EAU), COCO-BETAINE, SODIUM COCOYL ISETHIONATE, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, POLYQUATERNIUM-10, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL, TETRASODIUM EDTA, CITRIC ACID, PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS (SWEET ALMOND) OIL, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER, HONEY (MEL, MIEL), COLLOIDAL OATMEAL, HYDROLYZED MILK PROTEIN, SOYMILK, METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE, METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, PPG-9, PEG-150 PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRASTEARATE, PPG-2 HYDROXYETHYL COCAMIDE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, HEXYL CINNAMAL, LIMONENE

** Re lye: Do not be afraid of a lye soap.  Once the saponification (curing) process is completed, the lye is perfectly safe.