100% Natural Shampoo

Zest's Natural Shampoo with no Synthetic Compounds or Chemicals and containing only natural plant extracts means no more exposure to harsh chemicals and possible carcinogenic and toxic materials but still leaves you with squeaky-clean hair.

Zest's truly natural shampoo is also concentrated, so you use much less and save money.

Made from natural plant extracts it contains Apricot, Macadamia, Burdock, Horsetail, Yarrow, Raspberry, Nettle, Walnut and Sunflower extracts, Rosemary, Sage and Peppermint Oils and also Natural Plant Based Soya Bean & Vitamin E.

We are so confident that you will be over the moon with this new Truly Natural Shampoo that we are offering it to you with a ‘Money Back Guarantee’ if you are not completely happy with the product.

An important question to you, but perhaps not the most important agenda for the shampoo manufacturers. Convincing the public that their shampoos will make your hair shiny and give you the ‘Hollywood’ look sells shampoo, toxicity does not. Hair shampoo is big business and everyone is always using some sort of gimmick and a lot of clever marketing to lure users. Unbelievable claims and mysterious ingredients stems from the basic dilemma faced by shampoo manufacturers: How to convince the general public that a simple hair-cleaning product is also a magical lotion that can beautify you and increase your sex appeal? What is the newest "miracle" ingredient? Bark from Peru or some exotic extract? Shampoos do not feed, resuscitate, enliven or revive hair. They can't, for the simple reason that hair is not alive. So what can shampoos do? They can clean hair, all that is required is removal of the thin layer of oily material known as sebum that coats and protects the hair. Unfortunately, sebum also acts as a virtual magnet for dirt and residue from hair treatment products.

Common to most synthetic chemical shampoos is an ingredient called a surfactant, that is the same used in your washing-up liquid, and it has the ability to reduce surface tension of water so that a droplet of water will spread out rather than stay in the raised dome shape, i.e. it makes water wet. Other surfactants are repelled by water, but show great attraction for oily substances. The result is that as the hair is rinsed, the soiled sebum is washed away.

Lathering of a shampoo is the main activity of surfactants. Foam is nothing more than dispersion of a gas, in this case air, in a liquid. But there is no clear link between a surfactant's ability to clean and to produce foam. Indeed, a very effective shampoo that does not lather well can be formulated. But would you buy one? Somehow, in consumers' minds, suds and cleaning go together. So most shampoo manufactures incorporate surfactants with strong lathering properties although they may not be ideal in terms of conditioning or irritant potential.

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS): Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES): Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate (ALS), and more.
Most regular shampoos and most of the "natural" shampoo you see advertised will contain one of these chemical additives as one of its top ingredients: Also DEA or Diethanolamine and Propylene Glycol. These compounds are used as detergents, surfactants, and foaming agents and can be found in almost any kind of industrial cleaning product. They are also widely used as major ingredients in cosmetics, hair conditioners, toothpaste and shampoos.

There has been a lot of industry publicity about the safety of SLS, SLES, and ALS. Here are the facts from several sources including the "Alert Bulletin: by the CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review), the expert panel used by the CTFA (Cosmetics, Toiletries, & Fragrance Association):

Skin & Eye Irritant - "The Panel wishes to point out that these two ingredients (SLS & ALS) produce eye and/or skin irritation in experimental animals and in some human test subjects ...." The panel then quotes from the 1983 JACT report ("Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate", Journal of the American College of Toxicology, Vol. 2 #7, 1983)..."the longer the ingredients stay in contact with the skin, the greater the likelihood of irritation, which may or may not be evident to the user ... (SLS).... causes severe epidermal changes to the area of the skin of mice to which it was applied. The two problems - possible hair loss -- along with proven irritancy should be considered in the formulation of cosmetic products. "SLS is rapidly absorbed and retained in the eyes, brain, heart, and liver, which may result in harmful long-term effects. SLS could retard healing, cause cataracts in adults, and keep children’s eyes from developing properly. In fact, studies have shown that washing your hair one time with a shampoo containing Sodium Lauryl Sulphate could put as many nitrates into your bloodstream as eating a whole pound of bacon. And that is just ONE application. SLES is "Contaminated with a very potent carcinogen Dioxane, and is very easily absorbed through the skin", states Dr. Epstein. SLES is the alcohol form (ethoxylated) of SLS. It is slightly less irritating than SLS, but may cause more drying. Both SLS and SLES may cause potentially carcinogenic formations of nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with other product ingredients.

Ulcers and More - Another research paper shows that SLS has protein-denaturing properties, causing skin to separate and become inflamed. ("Denaturation of Epidermal Keratin by Surface Active Agents", Journal Invest Dermatology, 32-81; 1959. It is this property that may leave mucous membranes in the mouth open to microscopic damage. SLS has been shown to contribute to mouth and gastrointestinal ulcers ("Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and recurrent aphthous ulcers- a Preliminary Study" - ACTA Odontol Scan, 52, 1994: pp 257-259 and "The Effect of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate on Recurrent Aphthous Ulcers").

Shampoos contain far more components than surfactants. There are usually other synthetic chemicals used as preservatives, emulsifiers, thickeners, and colour additives, foam boosters. In some cases, a residue may accumulate, referred to in the trade as "build-up”. This has resulted in introduction of specialty shampoos claiming to eliminate the social horror of limp, sticky and dull hair.

Ideally, a shampoo should smooth down the cuticle. This is achieved by the inclusion of other ingredients such as Glycerol or Propylene glycol, which are also used as the active ingredients in antifreeze for radiators. Propylene glycol [PG] is also used as a solvent in acrylics, stains, inks and dyes, and in cellophane and brake fluid. Propylene glycol can penetrate into the skin and cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage according to Material Safety Data Sheets. PG can have an anaesthetic effect. Other side effects on animals exposed to PG include heart arrhythmia, stunted growth, decreased blood pressure, and even death. Propylene glycol is a highly toxic substance and is a cause of a significant number of reactions and a primary irritant to the skin even in low levels of concentrations. Some of its adverse effects include dermatitis, kidney and liver abnormalities and it has been shown to inhibit skin cell growth and damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage to the skin.

Because of the many unhealthy side effects of the chemical shampoos a number of companies realized that "natural" had a good ring to it and it has become a buzzword used by the companies trying to exploit the niche market of natural products. ‘Natural’ implies wholesomeness and environmental friendliness. Yet, major companies anxious to tap into the natural products market are now scrambling to produce "natural" shampoos, hair dyes, and skincare products. These so-called "natural" products are primarily composed of synthetic chemicals mixed with some natural ingredients.

The result is that many shampoos, including "natural" shampoos, sold today, are potentially harmful to the body, skin, and hair. Your best chances of protecting yourself today are to educate yourself about the products you use, to keep informed, and especially to READ LABELS and ingredient lists. Play it safe.

You may now wonder what to do about washing your own and the family’s hair in future. We have the answer: Use the new Zest Hair Shampoo, truly free of synthetic chemicals, made entirely from selected botanical oils, extracts and essences. It has taken a long time for us to get the product to our liking. Initially producing a shampoo that could lather reasonably well was a problem, but it has been solved and we think you’ll be delighted with the result. No more exposure to harsh chemicals and possible carcinogenic and toxic materials, yet squeaky-clean hair can be yours from now onwards.

Zest's truly natural shampoo is concentrated, so you use much less and save money.