Gone are the days where natural hair products are relegated to a tiny section on the bottom shelf of the drugstore beauty aisle. As more women begin to embrace their natural hair, there are more products than ever for our coils and curls. But, not all products are created equal. That’s why it’s so important to understand how to read a natural hair product ingredients label.
Brands know it’s important for their product to stand out on a crowded shelf. In a lot of cases, more effort and money is put into the marketing of a product than the actual development of the product itself. New natural hair products will boast of ingredients like aloe, rice water, moringa, sea moss and other exotic ingredients to draw consumers in. These brands will also charge a premium for said ingredient.
@aisleonebeauty How to tell if that natueal hair product is a gimmick: read the label! #grwm #naturalhair #beautyhacks #curlyhair #cosmetics #blackgirltiktok #blackhair #naturalhairtips #naturalhairproducts ♬ original sound – Ashley
But, before you buy the product, carefully read the natural hair product ingredients label to see if that new product is all it’s claiming to be or is just a clever marketing gimmick.
The FDA requires that ingredients on cosmetic labels to be listed in descending order of predominance, meaning, ingredients will be listed from highest to lowest concentration (with a few exceptions). Water is typically the first and more prominent ingredient in hair products.
Ingredients lists can be overwhelming, so start by paying attention to the first five ingredients on the label. If the ingredient the marketing is pushing is not within the first five ingredients, there is likely not enough of that ingredient in the product to really do much for your hair. It’s not to say the product won’t work for your hair but that if it does, it’s likely not the fancy ingredient that’s doing it.
For example, Mielle has a whole sea moss line that I’ve been seeing everywhere. Sea moss is one of the trendy ingredients for hair on social media, though its health benefits for overall health have been well documented. Sea moss is rich in many vitamins and minerals and may help improve the immune system, among many other benefits. But for hair, the claim is sea moss will be deeply moisturizing to strands.
When looking at the label for the Mielle Sea Moss Curl Pudding, the top five ingredients are water, coconut oil, Isopropyl Myristate (a synthetic oil, commonly used in cosmetics), Polyquaternium-11(a common commonly used in shampoos, conditioners, and styling products) and glycerin. Sea moss, or Chondrus Crispus (Irish Crispus) Extract, isn’t listed until 14 ingredients down on the list.
By contrast, the first five ingredients of one of my favorite products, Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in conditioner, are organic mango fruit extract, organic slippery elm, organic marshmallow root, organic lemongrass, and cetyl alcohol. My hair loves marshmallow root, which is a natural moisturizer and detangler that leaves hair soft and smooth.
At the end of the day, brands are trying to a sell you a product. Always read product labels to be aware of what you’re buying. One of the best natural hair products, the African Pride pre poo, is just $5. The price of a natural hair product doesn’t always equate to its quality. Get into the habit of reading labels to avoid wasting your hard earned money!
Have unused natural hair products that don’t work for you? Join my natural hair product swap group on Geneva!
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