Ginger shampoo is made from the ginger flower or “shampoo ginger.”  The ginger flower looks like a bright yellow pine cone, and liquid can be found in the cups.  Also known as pine cone ginger or pine cone lily, the ginger flower is attractive to natives of tropical regions such as Costa Rica.  The locals extract the sap and mix it with water to create a healthy hair rinse.  The sap of the ginger flower is naturally fragrant, so it already smells like shampoo.

In the U.S., sap from the ginger flower may be used along with several other all- natural vegan and vegetarian friendly ingredients to create ginger flower shampoo and conditioners.  Ginger flower shampoo and conditioners may also include grapefruit, banana flower, kiwi, sunflower, fig, aloe vera, sunflower, shea and kumquat. Special ginger shampoos, such as low-lather shampoos, may contain ingredients such as liquid African black soap (purified water, saponified shea butter and virgin palm kernel oil), African wild honey, vanilla extract, willowbark, oakmoss and essential oils (nutmeg, clove, patchouli, cinnamon leaf). In addition to containing ingredients that are safe for both vegans and vegetarians, just about every ginger shampoo on the market today is cruelty free meaning, they are not tested on animals.

If you are wondering where you can find this amazing shampoo and conditioner, start by checking Whole Foods or your local health food store.  Look for shampoos such as Herbal Choice Shampoo with Lemongrass & Ginger, Body Shop Ginger Shampoo, Natures Gate Grapefruit Wild Ginger Fortifying Shampoo, Rusk Sensories Calm Guarana & Ginger Shampoo or Desert Essence Organics Green Apple & Ginger Shampoo.  You can also shop online at Amazon.com, eVitamins.com, iherb.com or Rusk.com, to name a few.

Dangerous Shampoo Ingredients

Depending on the manufacturer, shampoos can contain any number of ingredients, from hair nourishing vitamins such as biotin to surfactants such as Xylenesulfonates.  Xylenesulfonates are probably best avoided, as well as many other ingredients that are harmful to the environment and to your hair and skin.

Shampoo’s main purpose is to clean the hair, not strip it of all its natural, protective oils.  Some shampoos contain so many harsh chemicals, that they are too powerful for hair.  In fact, many of these same chemicals are used in products that call for powerful detergents and cleaning agents.  Some of the most common ingredients in shampoos include ammonium Lauryl Sulfate or ammonium lauryl ether sulfate (ammonium laureth sulfate).

Other common shampoo ingredients include cocamide (MEA or TEA) – a foaming agent, glycol distearate (wax, non-vegan), table salt, cellulose – a thickener, animal glycerin (non-vegan, non vegetarian, not cruelty free) and preservatives.  Two of the most common preservatives include DMDM hydantion ad imidazolidinyl urea.  These preservatives help prevent fungus and bacteria.  They also release formaldehyde to kill germs.  Sodium benzoate is also used as a preservative in shampoos.  It kills yeasts, bacteria and fungi.  Citric acid and sodium citrate (a buffering agent) are used in shampoo as well.

Shampoos may contain a number of other chemicals and harsh ingredients as well.  According to Savvy Skin (www.savvyskin.com), there are a number of top ingredients to avoid.  Keep this list in mind when shopping for shampoo at your local drugstore or beauty supply house.

Extremely common ingredients to avoid

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate
TEA Lauryl Sulfate
Sulfur (in dandruff shampoos)
Selenium Sulfide (in dandruff shampoos)

Less common ingredients to avoid

Magnesium Sulfate
Sodium Thiosulfate
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Alkyl Sodium Sulfate
Alkyl Benzene Sulfonate
TEA-Dodecylbenzene
Sodium C12-15 Alkyl Sulfate
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfonate

Ingredients in Vegan /Vegetarian Shampoo

When it comes to vegan and vegetarian friendly shampoos most do not contain wheat, gluten, parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, phthalates, artificial fragrances or colors, animal ingredients, phosphates, silicones, EDTA, glycol or petroleum-based ingredients.  What these shampoos do contain ranges from fruit and vegetable extracts and essential oils to herbs, vitamins, and minerals.  Just a few top ingredients used in vegan/vegetarian shampoos include aloe vera, black elderberry flower, shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut, grape, apple, comfrey, elder flower, avocado, lemongrass, rosehip, bark, sage, lavender, nettle, kelp, hemp seed oil, chamomile, peppermint, fennel seed, rosemary, ginger, raspberry leaf, tea tree oil, burdock root, olive leaf and pro-vitamin B5.

These are just a few ingredients contained in many vegan and vegetarian shampoos.  It is important to note that these ingredients may also be used in shampoos that contain many of the harsh ingredients mentioned in this article.  If you do not have access to stores such as Whole Foods, Mother’s Market or any other health food store and you would like to minimize your exposure to harsh shampoo ingredients, at the very least, read the labels in an effort to choose shampoos with the least amount of these chemicals.  Fortunately, many drug stores do carry brands that contain a minimal amount of harsh shampoo ingredients.

Vegan and Vegetarian Friendly Shampoo Brands

-Beauty Without Cruelty
-Chagrin Valley
-Desert Essence Organics
-Gear Head
-Jason Natural Cosmetics
-Max Green Alchemy
-Nature’s Style
-Nature’s Gate
-Organix

Top Tea Tree Shampoos

-America Crew Tea Tree Shampoo
-Knotty Boy Dreadlock Shampoo
-Rusk Sensories Purify Cucurbita and Tea Tree