Shampoos are such a staple in our hygiene that we need experts to tell us not to shampoo every day. Even then, it was still hard to skip shampoo every shower time.
Unless we had a strenuous activity that involved a lot of sweating and exposure to pollution, we know we are not really dirty after just one day without reaching for that bottle. But we can’t help that we all want clean and healthy hair.
Perhaps what ultimately convinced us to skip wash day is the fact that we would have stripped away the natural oils, making our hair dry and damaged. Then we would have to resort to heat styling our hair, making matters worse.
Now that would be counterintuitive to achieving gorgeous, healthy locks.
But if the shampoo causes more harm than good, even after we did everything else right, it’s an easy break up with the product. Why must you or your hair suffer further?
So when it was circulated in social media that TRESemmé results in scalp irritation and hair loss, many of us were ready to throw away the bottles we own for fear of the alleged TRESemmé shampoo side effects.
After all, we still have a myriad of shampoo choices in the grocery aisle. It won’t be hard to find the next product to love which will not torture your hair and scalp.
But before you toss that bottle in the bin, let’s find out if you have every reason to discard the same.
Why is TRESemmé so bad for your hair?
This question arose in 2020 when several persons have instituted a lawsuit against Unilever after experiencing hair loss and scalp irritation. They attributed the adverse reactions to the company’s TRESemmé Keratin Hair shampoo.
Plaintiffs claimed that an ingredient in the shampoo — DMDM Hydantoin — caused the bad side effects. DMDM Hydantoin was also involved in a previous class-action suit against Unilever’s Suave Professional Keratin Infusion with similar adverse effects.
In both suits, Unilever was accused of misleading consumers about the safety of its hair products. And after the Suave lawsuit in 2012, the company should have known better than to keep using and marketing DMDM Hydantoin as a safe ingredient in hair care products.
Unilever argued that their products followed safety standards and that the chemical is safe and effective in their shampoos.
What is DMDM Hydantoin?
It is the reason why you’re more likely to throw away unfinished shampoo bottles than find expired shampoo in your bathroom. DMDM Hydantoin is a preservative added to shampoos so that they will have a longer shelf life.
It releases formaldehyde into the product over time. Formaldehyde has antibacterial properties, which slows the growth of harmful microbes in shampoos, conditioners, and other cosmetic products.
While formaldehyde occurs naturally in the environment, it is still generally a cause for concern. Prolonged exposure from a significant source of the chemical is harmful as it’s a well-known human carcinogen.
The government extensively regulates it. Like the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), government agencies made sure that workers whose jobs need exposure to formaldehyde would be protected.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also imposed standards to regulate the chemical in manufactured houses.
CHECK OUT: Best DHT Blocker For Women’s Hair Loss
Are TRESemme products safe to use?
Since it contains DMDM Hydantoin, is TRESemmé shampoo harmful?
Experts answered in the negative. There is no scientific evidence showing that using DMDM hydantoin would induce hair loss. As it has been long and widely used in the cosmetics industry, the claimed problems should have already surfaced a long time ago.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) program Expert Panel affirmed that the use of DMDM Hydantoin is safe. The chemical was added to 115 cosmetic products in 1981. The number rose to 963 by 2002. The industry has even been using a lower concentration of the product than in the early years.
Formaldehyde also does not accumulate in the body. So, the use of shampoos with formaldehyde-releasers will not cause a build-up of the chemical.
Thus, the amount of formaldehyde that you would be exposed to in TRESemmé shampoos will generally not cause irritation and hair loss. The shampoo is not a significant source of formaldehyde. The concentration of this chemical is so regulated that the most it would do is keep your shampoos clean.
DMDM Hydantoin in shampoos will induce reactions, like irritation, in people already sensitive to formaldehyde. Still, the patch tests conducted on persons with suspected allergic contact dermatitis revealed that the allergic reactions to this chemical have not increased over time, according to the CIR report.
The adverse effects that some consumers have experienced may not be solely caused by TRESemmé shampoo. They may have existing allergies to the ingredients, which caused the fury of effects that their hair and scalp suffered.
In a move to affirm the safety of their products, TRESemmé promised its consumers that by July 2021, all of their products would be free from DMDM Hydantoin. With the departure of the chemical from shampoos and other items, the company is looking into using alternative preservatives.
Is TRESemmé shampoo and conditioner good for your hair?
With the discontinuance of DMDM Hydantoin from TRESemmé’s hair line, we are left with hair products that just work. But what works for one person with thick, curly hair may not work for another with thin and straight hair. Hence, there are mixed reviews for the products.
The hair care industry has yet to create a hair product that solves all and every hair problem of everyone. What a company can do for now is offer varieties of their products aimed to address different hair concerns.
And TRESemmé did not skimp on their variety. Not only is TRESemmé good for hair growth, but the company also offers a long line-up of shampoos and conditioners to suit different hair types and problems.
Is TRESemmé 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner good?
While shampoos and conditioners work well individually, 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner products tell a different story.
At their core, shampoo and conditioner serve different purposes. The former is meant to cleanse your scalp, so it contains surfactants that remove dirt. While shampoo cleans our hair, it also disturbs the hair’s cuticle layer. This is where hair conditioning comes in and restores the cuticle layer, and keeps our hair moisturized.
With 2-in-1 shampoos, you are attempting to do the two processes simultaneously. For both to work, they have to be less effective than when you use shampoo and conditioner separately. After frequent use of 2-in-1s, the product will cause a build-up. Your hair would feel heavy and limp.
If you’re not pressed for time or traveling, it’s better to keep the cleansing and moisturizing steps in the shower separate.
Is TRESemmé good for colored hair?
As mentioned earlier, TRESemmé products can work wonders for your tresses when you use the right product for your hair type and concern.
Picking the correct shampoo or conditioner according to your needs has an essential role in getting your dream hair. For colored hair, the goal is to keep the color look alive and vibrant longer.
Ordinary shampoos would fail at this job. The wrong shampoo will strip the strands of the dye after only several washes.
It’s a good thing that TRESemmé also has products formulated to pamper your colored mane. From just protecting the color from fading too fast to depositing a hair gloss that revives faded shades, TRESemmé has what you need.
The fact that TRESemmé is still around when other shampoos made later have bid the industry goodbye is a good indicator that something about the company’s hair products works. To have thrived and remained competitive even with newer and popular brands entering the market, TRESemmé is indeed good for the hair. The only question left would be which of its products is perfect for you.
CHECK OUT: Is Pantene Good or Bad for your hair