Is Eco Styler Gel Cancelled?
I went natural just over six years ago, and learning what works for my hair has also taken six years.
I watched every YouTube (YT) video available at the time and made several errors buying every recommend product despite the YT gurus curl type and hair porosity not necessarily aligning with mine. After years of living life as a product junkie, I found what works for my curls, one of which is a regular in my hair care regimen: Eco Styler Gel. And through thick and thin, it has laid every edge life's tried to snatch.
Low manipulation styles like buns and wash and go's work best for me and all looks were secured with my Eco Styler Gel at hand. Eco Styler Gel was the major key for me, and for so many other naturals - from your 3A to 4C girls - this was one of few unifying products that worked for everyone. (And it is alcohol-free, so we were all in agreement that this product is everything.) So you can imagine the outrage when allegations dropped all over YouTube, and subsequently Twitter and hair forums, about the alleged negative side effects of Eco Styler Gel!
Naturalistas everywhere were divided.
YT guru, Bri Hall spilled all the tea whilst referencing AlopeciaFreeWithJass, who breaks down the ingredients and possible side effects.
Ingredients
Olive Oil Eco Styler Gel - Water (Aqua), Carbomer, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glycerin, Amino-2-Methyl-1-Propano, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium EDTA, Olive Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), CI 19140 Yellow 5 - Love and Pride.
Potential Side Effects
In short, my understanding is that some of these ingredients can be harmful in itself or combined with other toxic chemicals, which make them easier to be absorbed into the skin. The chemicals most concerning in Eco Styler Gel are said to be Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium EDTA, CI 19140 Yellow 5, and the unlisted ingredient Triethanolamine (TEA). YT gurus reference trials that found side effects of these chemicals that include but are not limited to dry and brittle hair, hair loss, hair, and skin and eye irritation.
The literal and figurative nail in the coffin was that long term exposure can affect the respiratory system, damage organs, and can cause cancer. I did further research and found other YT gurus making similar claims.
Suffice to say, I took my Eco Styler tub, threw it in the trash, and began rigorously looking for less toxic alternatives because as far as I was concerned, my former holy grail product was officially cancelled.
A month later, and the dust has settled and follow up videos have emerged on YouTube, saying that Eco Styler Gel is no longer cancelled. I guess this is following Ecocoinc, the company that produces the gel's clap back in response to the backlash on social media and by updating their website to include an "About Our Ingredients" section, which provides some clarifications for some of the concerns consumers brought to light.
So is Eco Styler Gel still cancelled? I am still undecided.
Pros
- Affordable price point
- Lays every edge
- Works on different curl patterns
- Provides medium-strong hold without crunch or flakiness
- Great curl definition
- If these ingredients are in several products we use daily, what difference does it really make if I stop using Eco Styler?
Cons
- Use of chemicals within the ingredients are alleged to have short- and long-term effects on the body, varying from skin irritation to cancer.
- Use of the gel combined with other products with other chemicals can make those chemicals easier to absorb into the skin over time, exacerbating the products' harmful capabilities.
So if these ingredients, especially TEA, can be found in several hair and skin care products we use daily, what difference does it make if you stop using Eco-Styler Gels? If we follow the #CancelEcoStylerGel move, surely there are other brands that can afford to go for a similar ingredients list. Arguably, the only way to ensure we are not exposing ourselves to these chemicals is by getting your DIY on like Naptural85 taught us with her homemade flaxseed gel:
But, if you're like me and don't have time or patience to flex like a DIY Queen, hunt for brands that use more natural ingredients. For now, I'm taking a break from Eco Styler Gel and trying out more naturally sourced brands. I started with Mielle Organics Honey and Ginger Styling Gel (Amazon, $15), which smells amazing but has a low to medium hold so I've resorted to using it for wash and gos.
My absolute must-have as of late has been Aunt Jackie's Don't Shrink Elongating Flaxseed Gel (Amazon, $10) and let me tell you, this has my waves on swim!
Let me know what you're using in the comments! Please no more cancellations in this 2018, I can't deal.
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Featured image by Shutterstock
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images