OGX? More like OMG! As I was reading about the latest hair-troversy involving Johnson & Johnson’s OGX brand shampoo, it hit me that I’ve had a client in the recent past ask me if it was a safe brand to use, and it embarrasses me to admit it. But I told her I honestly wasn’t entirely sure. So, I got busy researching, and today we’re going to talk about brands with a questionable past that you probably shouldn’t trust.

We’ll start with the most recent, shall we? According to Cosmetics and Toiletries and About Lawsuits, OGX shampoos and conditioners contain an ingredient called DMDM Hydantoin, which is a formaldehyde donor. When this chemical makes contact with water, a reaction occurs that releases formaldehyde. Which, in turn, can result in allergic reactions, hair loss, and irritation. I’ll go more in-depth about good and bad ingredients soon! J&J made claims sometime in 2015 to remove the element from their products and then failed to correctly recall the line after gaining popularity in Vogue International, thus, resulting in the current catastrophe.

Deva, don’t! Just in case y’all don’t remember, back in the spring of 2020, after approximately ten class-action lawsuits, the DevaCurl empire fell! According to the New York Times and Forbes their cult following started claiming that their products caused damage to their curl patterns, hair loss, and severe dryness. According to the scientists interviewed in these articles, multiple ingredients in the product could have caused these reactions. Yikes. These Devas don’t do chemistry very well.

No more Monat. I remember when Monat was taking the internet by storm! All my friends from beauty school were selling it on their Instagrams to make a quick buck. And then the brand’s promise to give you thick luscious hair fell apart just as quickly! This lawsuit’s a bit more complicated than the others because, according to Health Line there is no scientific reason that the ingredients are causing said problems. But, it’s a bit sketchy that they funded their independent clinical trial. And additionally, this wasn’t just a “few bad reviews on Yelp” type of scenario. There were hundreds of complaints sent to the Better Business Bureau that consumers’ hairs were falling out in CLUMPS. So, all in all, I don’t fully trust them. There aren’t supposed to be dangerous ingredients in the product, but it’s hard to believe the packaging when young and older women alike report the same side effects.

Stay tuned for my next piece on ingredients to keep an eye on!