Thoughts on CON having Sodium Hydroxide (lye)...

I havent used it on my hair, however my sister used in my daughters hair and after she ranted and raved about it I bought it, then noticed it has Sodium Hydroxide (lye) in it

I want to take it back but would like some feed back from others on this first, please.

Thank you in advance

I bumped a thread for you explaining this , its IS THIS SAFE or NOT A GOOD IDEA

Okay...I will check it out.

Thank you very much

I'm always leery about that. I know that the soaps and lotions I have used that had it in it was always drying, even though there was a minisque(sp) amount.

I personally stay away from products with that in it.

If you just love cream of nature (I do love it too), the professional forumla which, is the one your mom probably used back in the day,is sold in Sally's and other asian owned black hair supply stores doesn't have Sodium Hydroxide in it.

The bottle you have is their new formula. This is the one that I see in walmart, target, etc. So check out the Cream of Nature Professional version (without sodium hydroxide, found in Sally's or other beauty supply stores for the professional version. I grew up on the professional version, and by mistake my boyfriend bought the new one. I have found they work basically the same. But I do think, and maybe it is just me not wanting to use something different, that the professioanl formula is more moisturizing. Try this link to see the bottle I am talking about.
http://www.sallybeauty.com/shop/product.asp?dept%5Fid=1191&pf%5Fid=105125

Hope this helps if you want to use CON.
Tracy

All soaps, dish detergents and shampoos have lye in it, some conditioners also. My favorite lotion Nivea also has lye on the ingredient list.

Lye is not an ingredient, it is something that is used in the beginning processes of making all soaps, some conditioners, and some hand lotions. Lye is an alkaline chemical that is added to chemically split the oils. Chemically when lye and fats are mixed together a process called saponification happens. Saponification causes the lye to join the fats. After the lye is added all soaps and shampoos are cured for a few weeks. By the time they reach the store shelf there is no harmful lye left in the product. They only list lye on the label because it is used to make the product. They don't list lye on the label because it is in the product.

Boy am I glad I paid attention in chemistry class!!!

Not all.

And that's not true. Lye is a definite ingredient

sodium hydroxide


chemical compound, NaOH, a white crystalline substance that readily absorbs carbon dioxide and moisture from the air. It is very soluble in water, alcohol, and glycerin. It is a caustic and a strong base (see acids and bases). Commonly known as caustic soda, lye, or sodium hydrate, it is available commercially in various solid forms, e.g., pellets, sticks, or chips, and in water solutions of various concentrations; both solid and liquid forms vary in purity. The major use of sodium hydroxide is as a chemical and in the manufacture of other chemicals; because it is inexpensive, it is widely used wherever a strong base is needed. It is also used in producing rayon and other textiles, in making paper, in etching aluminum, in making soaps and detergents, and in a wide variety of other uses. The principal method for its manufacture is electrolytic dissociation of sodium chloride; chlorine gas is a coproduct. Small amounts of sodium hydroxide are produced by the soda-lime process in which a concentrated solution of sodium carbonate (soda) is reacted with calcium hydroxide (slaked lime); calcium carbonate precipitates, leaving a sodium hydroxide solution

You go girl ! Thanks for the very informative post. I was wondering about this as I notice my E45 lotion has sodium hydroxide listed as well.

Doh! Just when I read the other info . I can't say I've noticed my skin getting dryer after using E45 lotion though (just started using this recently, it's got sodium hydroxide listed).

When I went looking for shampoos, a lot had sodium hydroxide listed, and I did avoid them. If my skin gets dry it's back to the cocoa butter!

Thanks for your post too

gIRRRRL, Coco Butter is the Best..

Mindymouse,

What about hand soaps, and baby lotions? What does the lye that these products are made with do to our skin and hair? Since you know more about the chemistry of lye than I do, please explain the effects.

My information about lye is partly based on my personal experience with the product. I make my own homeade soap that is much more gentle than any store bought soap I have ever used. In my soaps lye is used to split the fats.

What kind of harm do these products cause?

What does the lye in beauty products do to us?

Please take a look at this link. You guys are really worrying about the wrong thing. Lye chemcally changes when it is added to lipids or fats. The process is called saponification. I am not just making up this information. I am telling you that it is OK to use your normal shampoos and conditioners even if sodium hydroxide is listed on the label.
Here is a link about saponification:
http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/blsapon.htm
It explains what happens to lye when it is added to fat.

What about the yellow and green bottle? I read mine and didnt see SH listed....

Could you counteract the effects of any trace amounts by doing a vinegar rinse during the wash cycle? If its a trace amount (it'd have to be) it'd certainly be neutralized.

AFashinonSlave is correct. I make soaps at home myself and when lye goes through the saponificaiton process it is eliminated. However, it must be included in the label b/c it is used in the begining of the soap process and all ingrediants must be listed. There should be no remainder of the actual lye by the time you pu it on your head.

-monique

Wow, this is spooky. I just posted on a different site about still wanting to use this product as it detangled like no other brand I've ever used. I guess I will start looking for the professional one. Thanks ladies.

bump

but do u guys know if the sodium hydroxide is an ACTIVE ingredient? if not, why worry?

has anyone tried the CON with sodium hydroxide? if so, what did it do to your hair???

I love CON, sodium hydroxide and all. I've been using this shampoo and conditioner every five days, and all it does to my hair is make it beautiful

I haven't experienced any of the ill effects (build-up, et cetera).

What puzzles me is that since there are products on the market (namely relaxers) that do in fact use sodium hydroxide as an ingredient, how would you differentiate between lye as an ingredient and lye as a starter product?

Off topic - in class we made some soap using fat and concentrated sodium hydroxide, and were supposed to test it. You couldn't pay me enough to rub that crap on my skin LOL! If some stuff that I had a hand in making burned holes in my skin from bad lab techniques, then who would I sue?

well...they can pry my CON outta my cold dead hand cause i aint letting it go -- jainygirl