Hair scare

Don't ignore headlines about a chemical in shampoos causing brain damage, but don't wig out either. Found in Head & Shoulders, Clairol, Pantene and Revlon products, the ingredient--methylisothiazoline (MIT)--has been linked to neurological damage in lab tests, according to findings presented to the December 5, 2004 meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology.

But no one knows what effect MIT might have in everyday use by humans. "Many 'rinse-off' and 'leave-on' products contain it," researcher Elias Aizenman, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, tells VT. "The actual concentration is probably quite low."

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