Formaldehyde In My Shampoo and Conditioner

A friend brought my attention to the Formaldehyde content of my shampoo and conditioner, Sunsilk and Creamsilk, respectively. The first thing that came to my mind was that my shampoo and conditioner has Formalin! Dammit, Unilever!

My first affair with the formalin was when I was in second year high biology class. I dissected a lonely unfortunate frog and injected some formalin all over its body. That would have been enough but I went a bit too far out of my mind and put the helpless frog in a jar and soaked it with formalin. My teacher made a little tongue lashing and said my frog is not a human fetus and soaking it with formalin was cruel. Hehehehe! Sorry. She suggested I try preserving a mollusk – to which I did.

Imagine my horror when read the back label of my Sunsilk and Creamsilk and realized I got a daily dose of formalin in my hair. The unfortunate frog must have been screaming “Karma” wherever it is. Dammit, Unilever!

My horror brought me to my knight in shining armor, Mr. Google. Mr. Google said, formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable gas that has a distinct, pungent smell. It is also known as methanal, methylene oxide, oxymethyline, methylaldehyde, and oxomethane. Formaldehyde is naturally produced in small amounts in our bodies.
It is used in the production of fertilizer, paper, plywood, and urea-formaldehyde resins. It is also used as a preservative in some foods and in many products used around the house, such as antiseptics, medicines, and cosmetics. Formaldehyde can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. High levels of exposure may cause some types of cancers. Also, Formaldehyde is well known as a preservative in medical laboratories, as an embalming fluid, and as a sterilizer.

Beat this, I stupidly embalmed myself everyday, I mean, my hair. I got the privilege of embalming my hair before I die. Thank you very much, Unilever. I expect a long, straight and shiny black hair when I am in my coffin.

And thanks for the cancer, too. High level of exposure to formaldehyde causes cancer. With my daily use of Sunsilk and Creamsilk, I wouldn’t be surprised if I will be diagnosed with cancer of the hair! There goes my crowning glory! So, I die of cancer and I’m tucked inside a coffin hairless! Dammit, Unilever!

Moral lesson of the story : Check the labels. Always be conscious of the chemical contents of every products we put our hands into. I read the contents of formaldehyde in Sunsilk’s Summer Fresh product. I checked the other shampoos and conditioners and saw no similar contents. I have long since abandoned using Sunsilk and Creamsilk. Unilever has got to do some explaining.

And Guys, sorry I informed you about it this late.

Peace.