Eufora Hair Care Line Creates Beautiful Hair. Naturally?

A few weeks back I was planning to color my hair as I usually do and Matt remarked that this was my number one environmental impact. I defended myself at the time but it really got me thinking about what products I use, how many of them have unnatural ingredients and what percentage of these products go directly onto my head. I was blown away by the actual number (7!) as I always try my best to be a lower maintenance kind of gal.

I started wondering what could be done, what I could change and where I could find it.

So when I received some hair care products from Eufora boasting natural based ingredients, my split ends came together and cheered!

Eufora’s hair care line consists of twenty four products under just four categories: shampoo, conditioner, styling & finishing. Because I do color my hair, use product just about every day, but only wash it a couple times a week, I am using the products featured in the photo above (Urgent Repair Shampoo, Fortifi Strengthening Spray, Piece Works Defining Paste and Elevate Finishing Spray).

Right away I notice the smell. The shampoo is vibrant with peppermint and the paste has almost a bubblegum undertone but is not a little girl product at all. The strengthening and finishing sprays did not have a uniquely defining aroma.

One of the boasts of the company is that they do not use any “fluff” ingredients. The first difference is that water is not the main ingredient, Aloe Vera gel is. Known for its healing properties, this gel is going to benefit the hair and skin. Per their website, additional ingredients include essential oils and botanicals but do not include “synthetic fragrances, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, carcinogenic or suspected carcinogenic ingredients”. Nice!

So I grabbed the shampoo bottle to verify their claims by checking out the list of ingredients. I must admit I was a little overwhelmed with the list; upon reading the information online I imagined this list would be considerably shorter and contain mostly things I recognized.

The first ingredient was indeed aloe but the second (sodium cocoyl isethionate) was something I had never heard of. The fourth ingredient made me sit up and take notice -- sodium lauryl sulfoacetate. Now I was confused, had they not claimed this was a missing ingredient from their products? I figured perhaps it was different as many times similarly named ingredients can be confused with each other so I began some research.

In looking up Sodium Laureth Sulfate (the ingredient claimed not to be found in Eufora’s products) on Wikipedia I discovered that it is deemed a detergent and foaming agent but that its alternate names did not include sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (the ingredient that is in the shampoo).

In looking up sodium lauryl sulfoacetate Wiki asked if I meant sodium lauryl sulfonate, so I clicked it and was then asked if I meant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Upon clicking on this link I was brought to a page describing an “anionic surfactant” commonly used in car wash soap or engine degreaser.

Now I was really confused and continued reading where I was told that although SLS has not been proven to be carcinogenic when used in this manner (shampoo as an example), health concerns have been published regarding this powerful surfactant such as skin hypersensitivity.

Were these the same ingredient or was there simply no information anywhere online regarding sodium lauryl sulfoacetate?

I began to question the validity of the “no fluff” claim and wondered just what ingredients would be a benefit to my head or scalp? There were a total of 47 ingredients in the shampoo.

As a comparison I grabbed my Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo to review the list of their ingredients. Sodium Laureth Sulfate and SLS were both ingredients this shampoo as well.

I am hesitant to grant a Leaf Rating to Eufora or the products I have tested here simply because I feel that a whole slew more research needs to be done with regard to each and every ingredient in their products and I know that will take a rather lengthy time. I will be reaching out as well as doing my own independent research on this concern and will be back with more information, and hopefully a review, later.

In the meantime, this was a great lesson learned that I should be far more cognizant of the products I am shopping for and that a little time spent researching can mean decades of benefit to not only the planet but myself and my family as well.