Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Protecting Your Hair From SULFATES



Sulfates..now that's a term that we have heard over and over on many natural hair care forums and blogs. So, what exactly are sulfates? Sulfates are harsh foaming cleansing agents that are found in many traditional shampoos. Many naturals find sulfates extremely drying because they steal the moisture that our hair so desperately need. This is why most times, hair feels dry after it is dry when shampooing.

Now, let's distinguish the difference between harsh sulfates and mild sulfates, if you choose to use a shampoo that do contain sulfates.

Harsh Sulfates to avoid in cleansers:
  • Sodium Laureth, Myreth, Lauryl Sulfate
  • Ammonium Lauryl and Laureth Sulfate
  • Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
  • TEA Lauryl Sulfate
  • TEA-dodecylbenzenesulfonate
  • Sodium Alkylbenzene Sulfonate
  • Ammonium or Sodium Xylenesulfonate

Mild Sulfates in cleansers:


  • Sodium Cocyl Isethionate







  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate







  • Sodium Socoyl (or lauryl/lauroyl) Sarcosinate







  • Ethyl PEG-15 Cocamine Sulfate







  • Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate







  • Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate







  • Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate







  • Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate/Disodium Sulfolaurate – (synonym) Sodium







  • Methyl Cocoyl or Lauryl Taurate – mild, derived from coconut fatty acids







  • Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate





  • Sulfate free shampoos under $10
    • Giovanni Shampoos (Target, Whole Foods)
    • Avalon Organics shampoos (Trader Joes, Health food stores, Sally's Beauty Supply)
    • Shea Moisture (Target or http://www.target.com/)
    • Dr. Woods Castille Soaps (Dr. Woods, Health Food Stores, Amazon.com)
    • Trader Joes Shampoos (Trader Joe Stores)
    • Creme of Nature (Walgreens, Walmart)
    • AfroVeda Carrot Shampoo Bar (www.afroveda.com)
    • Jason shampoos (health food stores)
    • L'Oreal Hair Expertise Everstrong (Walmart, Target)
    • Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo (Sally's Beauty Supply)
    Happy Healthy Hair

    8 comments:

    1. Thank you, this article was soooo helpful..looks like I need to go through my products and do some exit strategies and try some of your suggestions

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    2. It's nice to see that there are some products that are accessible at a local store because it seems that many store bought shampoos contain sulfates..thanks for the info!

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    3. Thank you so much for this post...I am going to try a few of your suggestions that I can readily get from the store..Great info!

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    4. @ Everyone...thank you ladies for your comments..@ HappilyNappyNatural..girl, I had to do some exit strategies as well when I first did my BC in August..lol

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    5. Ava Anderson Non Toxic products are also Sulfate Free :-D avaandersonnontoxic.com/Luegger

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    6. Please check you list. Several of the products you have listed do contain sulfates. I recently contacted Avalon and asked them to verify that their products are sulfate free, and they said they are NOT and that they plan to stop advertising that they are. Several of the others also contain sulfates. The next product I will try that is sulfate free is made by Alaffia. The cheapest place I have found to buy it is LuckyVitamin.com.

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    7. 3 Researches PROVE Why Coconut Oil Kills Waist Fat.

      The meaning of this is that you literally burn fat by eating Coconut Fats (also coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

      These 3 studies from big medicinal magazines are sure to turn the traditional nutrition world around!

      ReplyDelete