Sulfates in conditioners, your opinions please :) (And a couple other ingredients)

[lovinglocks]

Hi all!

So, I've made a point of not buying products with sulfates in them. But, I adore the smell of Lush's American Cream conditioner. It contains Sodium Laryl Sulfate, which to me, in a conditioner, seems pointless! I emailed them about this and the response basically was that it creates a lather and that's why they use it in their products. From my understanding, sulfates are bad for you. But, I was wondering, if it's just going on the lengths of my hair, would that be bad for my health? And if I'm completely wrong with my understanding of sulfates, please correct me.

And, do people find sulfates in their conditioners to be drying to their hair? I want something that is moisturizing. Also, it contains Cetearyl Alcohol... doesn't alcohol dry you out more? And silicones... I stopped using those a long time ago, thinking it made my hair go out of control, but maybe I was using conditioners with sulfates and that's what did it. Any preferences on silicones in your products?

Thanks for any input. I think I'm just trying to find any excuse to buy this conditioner... or any other conditioner that smells super yummy. I've been using the same conditioners for years and I just want something... different.

[furnival]

The only conditioners I have ever come across that contain sulphates are those from Lush. I've emailed them about it too, and the response I received seemed to be written by somebody with less idea about hair care than me... Sulphates are most definitely not a conditioning ingredient, and I can't understand why anyone would want their conditioner to foam. Enquiries to Lush about any of their ingredients are usually met with "Our products are made by very clever people and our customers love them jut the way they are".
Cetearyl alcohol is not a drying alcohol- it is one of the fatty alcohols and a pretty standard conditioning ingredient.

[lovinglocks]

Yeah, a chunk of the response informing me as to why they use sodium lauryl sulfate:

"Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or SLS, is a surfactant that is naturally derived from coconut or palm kernel oil. It is used in many household products ranging from toothpaste and shampoos/conditioners to some dissolvable aspirins and bubble baths. SLS can be found in many of our products, particularly those that are designed to lather up and then be rinsed off. It acts as a foaming and cleansing agent and is used to remove oils and dirt. SLS is not the only foaming or dispersal agent available, but it is the best choice due to its decades-long history of safe use."

My thought, was.... just because it's been used for years, doesn't mean it should continue to be used. Especially by a company that wants to be natural and a company that does things like donate money and etc.

And thanks for the bit about the Cetearyl Alcohol.

[In2wishin]

I also don't understand the use of SLS in a conditioner. Many conditioning agents and emulsifiers are also mild surfactants which is why people are able to do conditioner only washing, but SLS really seems too harsh for that.

FYI, here is a list of other fatty alcohols which provide an emollient effect, lubricity, and emulsion stabilization:
Behenyl alcohol
Cetearyl alcohol
Cetyl alcohol
Isocetyl alcohol
Isostearyl alcohol
Lauryl alcohol
Myristyl alcohol
Stearyl alcohol
C30-50 Alcohols
Lanolin alcohol

[Becky9679]

I used to be a massive fan of Lush and have spent a huge amount of money on their products over the years, however I think that mostly phasing them out was one of the best decisions I have ever made, helped in no small part by being a member of LHC. Noticing that they use SLS in all of their conditioners was the first thing that made me think "oh now, hang on a minute" - as others have said, that ingredient has no place in a conditioner, and no other cosmetics company that I've come across uses it. Another was the quality of their henna - I've never used it myself but I've known many people who have with little or no results.

I do still use Lush for certain things, their Handy Gurugu cream is the only moisturiser that doesn't upset my eczema, and I like their bath bombs, fresh face masks and makeup, but for haircare I've found that I can do a lot better with other products.

All that said, their American Cream conditioner DOES smell incredible!

[EtherealDoll]

If sulphates don't work for your hair, then better don't risk. I'm in totally opposite position from you: I have to use sulphate shampoos and conditioners because sulphate-free stuff makes my scalp and hair very very nasty(I have dry scalp and sulphate-free made it even dryer and also flaky and my hair became frizzier than ever), and I will never again buy a sulphate-free shampoo or conditioner no matter how good it smells. Really, smell of the product isn't worth it if it's going to wreck your hair.

[MegaMystery]

I've never seen sulphates in conditioners other than Lush conditioners. It made me wonder if they were any good to do CO with, but then I figured they were too expensive..

[In2wishin]

I've never seen sulphates in conditioners other than Lush conditioners. It made me wonder if they were any good to do CO with, but then I figured they were too expensive..

The conditioners that work well for CO will have either nonionic or cationic surfactants which condition and emulsify in addition to mild cleansing. The anionic surfactants (including all of the various sulfates) are the ones that cleanse and foam without conditioning. This is a great list of ingredients and what they do, which helps picking out a haircare product a little easier: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/ingredients-commonly-found-in-hair-care-products

[Carolyn]

I love American Cream and the sulfates don't bother me a bit. From my rudimentary understanding of chemicals I don't know why they use them but I don't really care. I like LUSH hair products and will continue to use them. I don't use anything consistently. I swap my products around every wash so it's not like repeated use would damage me or my hair. I just can't get my panties in a twist over things like this :shrug: Sulfates in a conditioner I use maybe once a month is nothing for me to worry about.

[Long_hair_bear]

If it works for your hair, use it anyway is what I say! I tried going cone free for a few months..... It didn't end well. My hair loves cones and not SLS. A few people on here however, say that sls works wonderfully for their hair. Its all about your hairs preferences.

[In2wishin]

If it works for your hair, use it anyway is what I say! I tried going cone free for a few months..... It didn't end well. My hairloves ones and not SLS. A few people on here however, say that sls works wonderfully for their hair. Its all about your hairs preferences.

Ultimately, this is what is important. It just seems counter-intuitive to put the strongest ingredient meant to take things off the surface of the hair into something meant to coat the surface of the hair.

[MaryO]

I enjoyed reading the posts in this thread as I know nothing about SLS and whether my hair likes them or not. I will do an experiment to figure out whether the hair problems that I have might not be due to that. Thanks for sharing the info! :-)

[Suze2012]

I enjoyed reading the posts in this thread as I know nothing about SLS and whether my hair likes them or not. I will do an experiment to figure out whether the hair problems that I have might not be due to that. Thanks for sharing the info! :-)

My hair doesn't like SLS.
Nor does it like regular oiling.
Nor does it like hair dryers on even low heat/cold.
Nor does it like Aloe Gel.

if you want to try an SLS free life then start buy SLS'ing and then try conditioner washing or SLS free shampoo washing.

I wish I had pics..but this year compared to last year and giving up SLS and all the coney products....has made the world of difference to me, my happiness and my hair.

We all have 'bad hair days' and they do get to you.
I had one today from trying out a diffuser...the never did work for me..they still don't!

Fighting frizz was my main gripe (with fairly badly damaged hair)...I did it..(the hair is still damaged but it's growing out and 'looks' tonnes better) thanks to the lovely people on here. :)

[Suze2012]

oh...and I wouldn't go near to a conditioner with sulphates even if they smelt fantastic...for me Lush was great for room fresheners when i had pet rats..spray with water, manipulate a bit and bob is your teapot.
Aside from that it's a fun shop to visit.

[Rosetta]

I've never seen sulphates in conditioners other than Lush conditioners.
I have, in this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-Classic-Henna-Treatment-Conditioner/dp/B0099PMSHA :)

Agree they seem kind of pointless in a conditioner, but who can tell, maybe they serve some purpose :shrug: ;)