New Delhi: Hair products such as sprays might seem like a convenient way to keep your mane from going all haywire. But little do people realise that the chemicals in it could do way more harm in the course – turns out, inhaling the substances released by such sprays can cause a great deal of damage to the nervous system, lungs and liver.
This happens in case of using heat styling techniques like curling and straightening along with sprays that help fix the treatment.
According to experts from the Purdue University, US, it was noted that there were significant emissions of chemical mixtures from hair care products that are used in daily routines which many people perform every day. These people are likely to inhale up to 17mg of harmful chemicals daily which can be incredibly harmful – including chemicals such as decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5 siloxane).
What is D5 siloxane?
D5 siloxane is usually the first or the second ingredient found in several hair smoothening products. And according to research, it is seen to be potentially harmful for health, especially for the nervous system, respiratory tract and liver of lab animals. Experts also discovered that when heat is applied through curling and straightening irons, the emission of such products can increase by up to 310 per cent.
Earlier, research showed that hair products such as relaxers and perms can be particularly harmful for pregnant women, and may spike the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart diseases in regular users. The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, evaluated the effects of chemical hair care products on health, especially when released in the air.
For this, 46 adults aged 18 to 65 years volunteered and they were asked to replicate hteir hair care routine with the products in controlled environments. Once finished, they were all asked to leave and air was tested for chemical levels – it was discovered that an individual can inhale up to 17mg of the chemicals in a single hair care session at home.
