Sheep placenta is believed to coat the hair and make it shinier.
Placental shampoo is a type of shampoo that may contain plant or animal products. Manufacturers claim that the protein added to the shampoo will make hair shinier, but there is no substantive evidence for this claim. Placenta shampoo, although it has had occasional revivals since the 1980s, is popular primarily in Spanish-speaking countries. Some large retail stores market placental shampoo to the US Hispanic market.
A placental conditioning shampoo is ideal for those with dry, dull hair.
Many people can get sick from reading the word “placenta” on a shampoo bottle. Some people wonder if the human placenta was used to make the shampoo. Actually, it is the sheep’s placenta that is used in some brands of shampoo; In general, it is believed that the placental protein can help coat the hair and make it shinier, which some believe also occurs when a woman is pregnant. La Bella is one of the leading manufacturers of placenta-containing shampoos.
Using placenta shampoo can help relieve a dry scalp.
Other types of placenta shampoo contain plant extracts. The placenta of a plant sits below the pistil and provides the nutrients from which the fruit develops. Other times, the language on product labels is unclear and it appears that a plant’s “afterbirth” is any kind of plant essence that will help hair look thicker and shinier. There is little evidence that animal or plant-derived placenta shampoos actually help hair more than any other product intended to add shine to hair, such as oil. Beauty experts who have researched the chemistry behind many cosmetics say that while placenta shampoo can help, there are many other products that can have the same effect.
Manufacturers of placental shampoo believe that the protein in the shampoo may be beneficial to hair.
The use of placentas in cosmetics dates back to the 1940s, when it became a common additive in the then unregulated cosmetic industry. It was used as an additive to heal everything from wrinkles to damaged hair. Subsequent regulation sees manufacturers limit claims to only include that products can add protein to hair.
There has been some concern that placenta-based shampoos may cause cancer. This theory, however, has been refuted. Others worry about the general “cleanliness” of putting the essence of an animal’s placenta on the hair. However, the sheep placenta in commercially manufactured shampoos must undergo a rigorous sterilization process before being placed in any product.