Sulfates can be very confusing. We constantly here that sulfates are bad for your hair, and to opt for sulfate free shampoos and haircare. But on the flip-side some people have fine hair and don’t want to use heavy products that weigh their hair down. You also don’t want to use products that cause a lot of buildup and don’t cleanse your hair well. So what’s a person to do? Sulfates? Sulfate Free? It seems like all hair care products have some form of sulfate ingredient even when they say they don’t. Who do you trust? And why are some sulfates bad, but others are okay? I hope to answer all of these questions today.
I am going to try to give you some clarity on this topic today. Sulfates are in of themselves fine. They are what we call a surfactant (which is a product that creates lather and separates dirt/oil from solid surfaces). However like everything else there are some high quality, gentle sulfates that don’t strip your hair or skin, and some that are very cheap and harsh and drying.
So which sulfates are bad and why? This is a short list of sulfates I won’t ever use. They are hash and drying and they harm the scalp and hair. Most of these sulfates derive from palm oil which is a cheap resource that has a lot of controversy surrounding it. You can read more about the controversy of palm oil here. Regardless they are all made from cheap ingredients and are harsh on your scalp and skin.
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
- Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
- Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
This is the reason you won’t see me review a lot of inexpensive shampoos and conditioners. Some of the ones I have been asked to review include the Lush Godiva Bar (which has Sodium Lauryl Sulfate listed as it’s FIRST ingredient), Pantene Pro-V (which lists Sodium Laureth Sulfate as it’s second ingredient) and the Garnier Wholeblends (which listed Sodium Laureth Sulfate as it’s third ingredient AND Sodium Lauryl Sulfate as it’s fifth ingredient). Most shampoos have some form of sulfate in them, and they are typically within the first 5 ingredients (usually the first 3 even). But I am not going to spend my money on something that will strip my hair and dry it out.
So here is the reason why – Conditioner. What cheap brands do is they have harsh surfactants in their shampoos and then you use conditioner. The conditioner usually has a lot of wax and silicone in it which creates a nice little coating on your hair that makes it look shiny and feel soft. But underneath that shiny wax coating is dry damaged hair. However this coating doesn’t buildup over time usually because the shampoo is harsh enough to cut through that coating. Some conditioners don’t have that wax in it, but they instead have a lot of oil. Usually these oils are a selling feature. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me some hair oil. But after dousing your hair in oil it’s going to feel shiny and soft, even if it’s damaged underneath the oil. As the oil absorbs fully throughout the day your hair will feel more and more dry and frizzy. The only combination that works is a good quality shampoo with gentle surfactants and a wax free conditioner that won’t coat the hair, but instead smooth and hydrate.
So now onto part two, good sulfates. These sulfates are higher end.
- Sodium Cocyl Isethionate
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
- Sodium Socoyl (or lauryl/lauroyl) Sarcosinate
- Ethyl PEG-15 Cocamine Sulfate
- Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
- Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
- Methyl Cocoyl or Lauryl Taurate
- Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
- Framesi
- Joico
- Sexy Hair
- AG
- Living Proof
- Phyto
- Alterna