Sunday, 29 June 2014

Redken Signature look Fashion Waves 07 Texturizing Sea Spray

My parents and I have a tradition.  Every week my daughter and I go over to their house for dinner.  It gives them a chance to see their granddaughter, and play with her for a few hours.  As is customary, I get to take home and peruse the magazines that my Mom buys and has finished reading... reduce, reuse and recycle! When I got home and the house was quiet, I scanned through them.  I read a few of the articles, what exercise is best for killer arms and so forth, than I came across a picture of a woman with a great haircut.  It was a short cut, a bit edgy, and what I had been looking for in a style.  It was providence, so of course I tore out the page and made an appointment with my hair stylist, and bought the necessary hair product to continue with the style on my own.  I was feeling pretty good about myself, (and a bit worried about what my spouse would say when he got home and found out I had razored half my hair off!) Besides that I was feeling youthful, vivacious and a bit punky, and definitely had a new spring to my step.  I went about my day and figured I would use my new hair product for my blog.  I had scanned the ingredients and the store and figured it was a pretty good (or bad) one to write about.  
However one thing passed my attention at the hair salon, and that was the fact that it had salt from the Dead Sea  in it.  I generally try to stay away from Redken products because they are pretty heavily laced with nasty ingredients.  I broke that rule this time, in response to the excitement of my new look I suppose.  I really have no excuse.  Beyond that however, had I realised at the time it contained ingredients for the Dead Sea, I would have politely declined.  I made the pact with myself a long time ago that I would boycott anything with Dead Sea salt in it.  
This is why:  The Dead Sea is depleting approximately 1 meter or 3.3 feet per year.  It is believed that it will no longer exist by 2050.  There are some people say that water is not extracted from the Dead Sea but that is in fact untrue. The Ein Bokek hotel pumps water out of the Dead Sea to fill up the artificial sea in front of it where the Dead Sea once lay but has now dried up. It is in a terrible state and is an environmental disaster.  Water's have been needlessly redirected away from the Dead Sea via the Jordan River.  It is being used recklessly by all parties and companies are exploiting it continually for their own financial gain.  There are a few groups that are trying to gain cooperation between the countries that encase it.  
Until the Dead Sea is protected and people are working together to save it, I refuse to endorse, encourage, promote or support products containing ingredients from the dead sea.  Even beyond that, Redken is known for using some harsh chemicals in their products. When there are so many alternatives that use less toxic ingredients, why settle? To prove my point, in this particular product, 13 out of 19 ingredients are considered to be toxic. Another reason to find an alternative.  
Here are a few for those that are interested in what alternatives are available.

To read more about the Dead Sea, check out this great article from the Smithsonian. 

Redken Signature look Fashion Waves 07 Texturizing Sea Spray


Magnesium Sulfate
Sodium Chloride
MarisSal/Sea Salt
Polysorbate 20
Potassium Sorbate
Benzyl Salicylate
Benzyl Alcohol
Citric Acid
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Algae/Algae Extract 


 is water and pretty self explanatory.

Magnesium Sulfate: is also known as Epson Salts.  It is a mineral, and is used as a hair conditioning agent and bulking agent.  It is considered to be safe for humans and the environment.

Sodium Chloride:

Maris Sal/Sea Salt:  Is salt from the dead sea.  The water in the dead sea is said to contain 27% of different types of salt, whereas the oceans contain only 3%.  It is also higher in minerals.  The dead sea is also being depleted at astronomical rates due to companies using the special water in products.  There are sink holes that could swallow you whole. But don't worry if it does they will name the sink hole after you.  Anything that contains water from the dead sea should be baned.  It is an environmental catastrophe.

: Is a fairly new ingredient, it is a glycol either and is used as a bactericide.  It is generally considered safer then the traditional formaldehyde releasing agents, however the FDA has stated that it can depress the central nervous system which could cause vomiting, diarrhoea and can cause dehydration in infants.  There have been concerns of this product being carcinogenic due to the ingredients it is derived from.

Polysorbate 20:
 is a sorbitol that has been treated with ethylene oxide.  It is used as an emulsifier, a fragrance and a surfactant.  In most studies it is defined as being of low toxicity.  However ethylene oxide is a known carcinogen.  Other concerns related to ethylene oxide are endocrine disruption, organ toxicity, skin irritation and in high doses reproductive and developmental toxicity.


Isoceteth-20: is a polyethylene ether of isocetyl alcohol.  It is used as an emulsifying agent a surfactant. This ingredient does not appear to have been detected in human tissue or urine.  From my research it appears to be of low toxicity, does not appear to be an environmental toxin, and is not bioaccumulative or persistent.

Potassium Sorbate: this ingredient is a postassium salt  of sorbic acid it is a naturally occurring compound.  It is used as a preservative.  It is a known human allergen.  It is also thought to be a non-reproductive organ system toxin.  It is deemed safe to use in food however in limited concentration.

Benzyl Salicylate: This ingredient is an ester of benzyl alcohol and salicylic acid.  It is used as an ultraviolet light absorber and a fragrance ingredient.  It is a known human skin allergen and immune system toxin.  It is a known hormone disruptor, and an environmental toxin.

Benzyl Alcohol:  is both a naturally occurring, as well as a synthetic compound.  It is used as a preservative and a solvent.  It is considered to be a workplace hazard, an immunotoxin, contact allergen, and an organ system toxin.  An ingredient best to avoid.

Citric acid: This is in many skin care products especially in the anti-ageing products as an alpha hydroxy.  It acts as a chelating agent, fragrance ingredient, a pH adjuster, buffer and masking.  It is not considered to be an environmental toxin, but there are concerns with broad systemic toxicity and skin irritation.


Geraniol: is a lipid and an alcohol.  It is derived from citronella oil, rose oil and palmarosa oil.  It is used in cosmetics and personal care products as a fragrance ingredient. It is a known human immune system toxicant and is one of the EU's Banned and Restricted Fragrances.  Now as I write this I want to make it clear that the information surrounding this seems pretty limited.  The most information I have found against this ingredient is that it is an allergen for those who suffer from perfumes.  I am not sure who it was that funded the banned list and why citronella was on it.  However I will keep looking.  As far as my research has lead, it appears to be a fairly good ingredient, unlike a lot of the chemical ones that appear on most labels.  If anyone has any other thoughts, enlightenment or information on this ingredient, please leave a comment.

Hydroxycitronellal:  Is a perfume ingredient providing a floral scent.  It is considered to be a skin irritant and toxin causing dermatitis.  It is also considered to be an organ toxin.

Citral:  Is present in many plants including lemon mertyle.  Although it is naturally occurring it is manufactured synthetically to sell in mass quantities.  It is used as a fragrance ingredient.  It is considered to be an allergen and an irritant.  It is not considered to be an environmental toxin.


Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone:  This is a synthetic compound and is used as a fragrance ingredient.  However it has been banned from fragrances/colognes by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA).  It is a known irritant and human allergen.  It is also thought to be an environmental toxin.

Algae/Algae Extract:  This ingredient can contain a variety of different types of species of algae and may even differ between manufacturers.  It is used as a skin-conditioning agent and a humectant.  It is considered to be safe for both humans and the environment.