The title says it all. I need to know what ingredients that I should look to avoid when choosing styling products. Thanks guys!!!!

Hi American Jambo,
Good question. Ingredients to avoid are:

1. Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
2. Amodimethicone
3. Cyclopentasiloxane
4. Cyclomethicone

These products deposit silicones and cause build-up over an extended period of time.
Also the following cause an even more rapid build-up:

1. Dimethicone
2. Cetyl Dimethicone
3. Cetearyl Methicone
4. Dimethiconol
5. Stearyl Dimethicone
Look for natural ingredients or:
1. Stearoxy Dimethicone
2. Behenoxy Dimethicone

Regards,
John

You get lots of water based styling products these days which I think would be kinder on a system.
Some of these harsher products are designed to control hair and more or less 'fight' the direction hair might naturally want to grow in.
But remember our hair isn't held in place with roots and follicles and so probably doesn't need that amount of controlling.
On the other hand, the fact that its not embedded in our scalps means that without some sort of product, its free to go anywhere it wants.

I once tried to explain this to a non hair wearer who couldn't see the problem.
The only way I found I could explain it was to compare it to trying to standup a few flowers in a wide necked vase. They just kind of fall anywhere they want.
But natural hair is more like flowers in a narrow necked vase, because the scalp follicle holds it in place.