Pregnant & New Moms – Avoid These 4 Ingredients In Your Shampoo!

Yes, you heard it right – a little self-care with shampoos can cause serious harm to your child if you’re not careful. Fortunately, we just need to check for four things before buying a shampoo to keep our children – and ourselves – from harm’s way!

Harmful Shampoos & Hair-Washing Habits Mothers MUST Avoid

Read on about the four major ingredients in shampoos and hair-washing habits that might cause harm to you/your baby. Strictly avoid shampoos that contain these ingredients both for yourself and for your baby.

1. Quats or Chemicals Likes ADBAC & DDAC Can Cause Birth Defects

As per a recent study, certain types of chemicals called quats (quaternary ammonium compounds) that are commonly found in shampoos, detergents and disinfectants can result in developmental defects in unborn babies when used by pregnant women. Two commonly-used quats are:

• alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC)
• didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC)

Both have been linked to birth defects of the brain, spine or spinal cord! As per the study, the effect of these chemicals was seen in both males and females. However, the more astonishing part was that the chemicals affected the newborn even when used only by the father.

What You Can Do: A mother-to-be needs to not only skip the shampoo containing these ingredients but also switch to baby-safe disinfectants and detergents. Watch out for these chemicals,  listed as Quats or ADBAC/DDAC, on the ingredients list.

2. Sulfates Strip Your Child’s Hair of Its Natural Oils

As moms, we love to lather up our kids’ hair when shampooing. Lather generally equates to cleanliness, right? This is NOT the case. These types of sulphates are commonly used in shampoos to create lather but can actually destroy your child’s healthy hair development:

• ammonium lauryl sulfate
• sodium laureth sulfate

In the long run, these ingredients can strip hair of its natural oils and halt hair growth.

What You Can Do: Sulfate-free shampoos are your best option for clean hair – despite the lack of foaming lather! There are a variety of Sulfate-free shampoos that you can choose from, but you’ll be surprised just how many popular shampoos contain sulfates.

Watch: How To Check Shampoo For Sulfates

3. Parabens Cause Hair Loss

Parabens are chemicals used to increase the shelf life of products, but they are toxic in nature. Not only do they harm your skin – in this case, your scalp – but they also affect your hormones and can cause a hormonal imbalance that results in hair loss.

What You Can Do: Use Paraben free shampoos for your little one and make sure his hair stays healthy! These chemicals are also found in soaps, lotions and scrubs. So make sure that baby care products you use for your little one are paraben-free!

4. Alcohol Can Dry Out Your Hair

Alcohol is a commonly found ingredient in hair-care products. However, high quantity of alcohol as an ingredient can cause dry hair and make it brittle. This can be particularly damaging for new mothers who are already undergoing hair problems such as dryness and hair loss.

What You Can Do: Make sure to check the ingredients label of the shampoo and buy it only if alcohol is not listed in the first four ingredients.

While ensuring that you choose the right shampoo to protect your kids’ health, you can help nourish his hair and counter the harmful effects of the environment by using home-made hair masks on a regular basis!

3 More Personal Care Items You Need to be Careful About

In addition to shampoos, there are some other products that can affect your little one’s health:

1. Conditioners

Some conditioners are known to be harmful as they can cause excess deposits of chemicals in the pores of your scalp and affect the health and quality of your hair! Avoid using for sensitive baby scalp and hair, and discuss with your doctor if you do feel the need to use one.

2. Detergents

In addition to chemicals like quats, certain detergents are harsh not only on your clothes – but on your baby’s skin as well. Detergents often leave behind a residue and when your child wears the clothes containing this residue – his sensitive skin can be affected by the harsh chemicals! Wash your baby’s clothes in a baby-friendly detergent to keep his skin rash – free!

3. Disinfectants

Certain household products like disinfectants contain ammonia – an irritant that has been linked to liver and kidney damage! Use non-toxic and natural cleaners to avoid any harm to your child’s health.

We want the best for our children and do everything in our power to maintain their health. A little bit of care when buying personal care products can go a long way to ensure our little ones’ health and happiness!