Thank you SOOO much for reading our very FIRST blog! We decided that this would be a great way to connect with our customers, keep everyone up to date with what we are working on at any given time, and help us get our name out on the web!
Jenn and I (Amy) starting Knotty & Nice because we were generally unhappy with the dreadlock products that were available on the market. Jenn has super sensitive skin that gets easily irritated and we BOTH have little kids around our homes and we didn't like the idea of having anything in our homes (sometimes accessible by our children) that could be potential harmful to them. Lest you should think we are bad parents for letting our kids get into this stuff, usually we store it up and out of the kids' reach, BUT, we both do dreadlock work on other people and when working we have to keep our stuff within our reach. And usually within OUR reach is within THEIR reach (especially if we get distracted and they take advantage of it), LOL.
In addition to issues with sensitive skin, many dreadheads in the online community have expressed a dislike of any product containing anything ‘chemical’ and prefer to keep their dreadlocks and dreadlock products as natural as possible. When dreadlock products DO contain chemical ingredients, it will ultimately end up in our water supply. Think about that for a few minutes.
Here is a list of some potentially harmful ingredients that can found in many of the dreadlock products that are widely available on the market today.
- Zinc oxide is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Zinc oxide is commonly used and found in many cosmetics available on the market, tooth pastes, AND sun screen. Zinc oxide is harmful if inhaled, or absorbed through skin. Causes irritaiton to eyes, skin, upper respiratory tract and mucous membranes.People who have existing issues with their skin, eyes, or respiratory systems may be especially susceptible to experiencing problems with it.
- Silicon dioxide is really a fancy, chemical name for sand. Like zinc oxide it is only dangerous if inhaled. Depending on the particle size, it can build up in the lungs causing lesions know as silicosis. Usually this disease is found among miners and quarry workers, so it's unlikely you will develop any problems with it yourself. HOWEVER, with children or pets around with potentially sensitive respiratory tracts, this could pose a small problem. Silicon dioxide helps to absorb moisture, drying the hair and making it knot easier. It is insoluble in water, though.
- Methyl salicylate is most frequently found in medical preparation for the relief of aches and pains related to the musculo-skeletal system. It is basically oil of wintergreen. However, in topical applications on the skin can be irritating and cause contact dermatitis, especially for those with sensitive skin. In children less than 6 years of age, a teaspoon (5 mL) or less of oil of wintergreen has been implicated in several well-documented deaths. It is also a mild irritant to the skin, eyes, and, again, respiratory tract.
- Rosin is pretty much tree sap. It’s sticky and it makes the hair stick together. Rosin should neither be ingested or be used topically on the skin according to every Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) I have been able to locate. It, too, is an irritant and can cause problems especially with sensitive skin.
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium Laureth Sulphate - This is another product that isn’t inherently dangerous, but some people have an allergy to it without even knowing. SLS/SLES is found in toothpastes to hand soap, to shampoo and is basically used to create the foaming lather we all like to see and feel represents cleanliness. If you have an allergy to SLS or to other commercial products containing it, be careful! There is a lot of controversy out on the web as far as the detrimental effects SLS/SLES can have on our health. I am copying and pasting the below text from http://www.health-report.co.uk/sodium_lauryl_sulphate.html for your viewing pleasure:
Studies on SLS have shown that: (Judi Vance, Beauty To Die For, Promotion Publishing, 1998)
- "Shampoos with SLS could retard healing and keep children's eyes from developing properly. Children under six years old are especially vulnerable to improper eye development. (Summary of Report of Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. conference."
- "SLS can cause cataracts in adults and delays the healing of wounds in the surface of the cornea."
- "SLS has a low molecular weight and so is easily absorbed by the body. It builds up in the heart, liver and brain and can cause major problems in these areas."
- "SLS causes skin to flake and to separate and causes roughness on the skin."
- "SLS causes dysfunction of the biological systems of the skin."
- "SLS is such a caustic cleanser that it actually corrodes the hair follicle and impairs the ability to grow hair."
- "SLS is routinely used in clinical studies deliberately to irritate the skin so that the effects of other substances can be tested." (Study cited by the Wall St Journal, 1st November 1998)
These facts should cause you to not only re-examine what you use on your dreadlocks but on the rest of your body. SLS is an ingredient found in SO many products. Thankfully, there are many companies out there dedicated to making SLS-free products. SLES is a very similar compound and many sources say it's known to have similar effects as SLS, however, there seems to be very little to no official studies out to compare the risks and effects of SLES vs. SLS. If it’s a concern of yours check it out.
Regardless of whether or not you put any stock into the supposed detrimental health effects of SLS, it is a known and verifiable fact that SLS is VERY drying. (Which is why it is used in dreadlock product ingredients). For some those poses no issue, but for others (again those with sensitive skin) SLS/SLES can cause a lot of skin/scalp irritation. For those with a textured hair type (ethnic hair in particular) SLS/SLES products should be avoided with dreadlocks since they can cause the hair to be particularly dry and break.
- Sea Salt - AGAIN not an inherently dangerous ingredient, but many people are unaware that any salt-based dreadlock products, while having the desired effect of roughening and drying the hair, can have the same detrimental effect on the scalp. In people who are already prone to dandruff getting sea salt-based products on the scalp are a BAD idea. I, personally, prefer the use of an aloe spray mixed with lemon juice to get the same effect while moisturizing at the same time.
Now that you've read the whole list I want to share a very special secret with you about it. Knotty & Nice doesn't use ANY OF THESE ingredients in our products! NONE of them! You read right. These ingredients are one of the main reason that we created our product line. If you have ever had or have any issues with any of the things listed above, Knotty & Nice All-Natural Dreadlock Products might be for you! We encourage you to check out our Etsy and Facebook pages linked over here ------------------------->
Peace and Blessings
~ Jenn & Amy
