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View Full Version : hey guys :) Has anyone had any trouble with sulphate free shampoos ?



stephy190
September 3rd, 2014, 04:31 PM
I tried two new sulphate free moisturising shampoos recently and oh my.. the buildup and greasiness and waxy coating through all my hair was horrific! Literally had to clarify twice in the space of three days. Theres only been one sulphate free shampoo that has done the same job as any other shampoo - the loreal sulphate free range. Has anyone else had this problem ? My hair is super soft, clean, healthy feeling and smooth now its been clarified though! Are sulphates good in shampoo ? I usually do the cwc method so the shampoo doesn't usually get my ends anyways!

Nadine <3
September 3rd, 2014, 04:50 PM
Do you have hard water? I had a lot of build up when I first started trying sulfate free shampoos because our water was really hard. Once I moved to a place with softer water I tried them again and they worked very well.

Yenn
September 3rd, 2014, 04:58 PM
I'm currently using Loreal sulfate-free as well and I never had any problems with it. So yeah, it might be hard water..?

lapushka
September 3rd, 2014, 05:12 PM
I tried two new sulphate free moisturising shampoos recently and oh my.. the buildup and greasiness and waxy coating through all my hair was horrific! Literally had to clarify twice in the space of three days. Theres only been one sulphate free shampoo that has done the same job as any other shampoo - the loreal sulphate free range. Has anyone else had this problem ? My hair is super soft, clean, healthy feeling and smooth now its been clarified though! Are sulphates good in shampoo ? I usually do the cwc method so the shampoo doesn't usually get my ends anyways!

Me. I can't use them, or the CO-washing method because of sebborheic dermatitis. I need a good (harsher) cleanser to get all the gunk off my scalp.

Don't be scared of sulfates. Don't let anyone scare you. There's nothing wrong with them. If your scalp can deal with sulfates, then it's absolutely fine!

Yenn
September 3rd, 2014, 05:23 PM
so what's a whole deal with sulfates? Why are they viewed as such a devil??? are they just sadly misunderstood? :violin:

lilin
September 3rd, 2014, 05:29 PM
I tried two new sulphate free moisturising shampoos recently and oh my.. the buildup and greasiness and waxy coating through all my hair was horrific! Literally had to clarify twice in the space of three days. Theres only been one sulphate free shampoo that has done the same job as any other shampoo - the loreal sulphate free range. Has anyone else had this problem ? My hair is super soft, clean, healthy feeling and smooth now its been clarified though! Are sulphates good in shampoo ? I usually do the cwc method so the shampoo doesn't usually get my ends anyways!

Depends on looots of factors.

Are you still using cones? If so, weaker cleaners will have a hard time getting rid of them. I had to abandon cones completely when I ditched sulphates.

Is your water hard? Some cleansers will have a hard time dealing with mineral build-up.

Are these particular substitutes perhaps not quite right for your hair? I like DIY'ing, and for me, the only DIY solution that works for my grabby hair is a pretty strong concentration of soap nut liquid, which contains a large amount of saponin, a nonionic cleanser.

Are sulphates good? Well, depends. Some sulphates are actually fairly gentle, like SLES. If someone has problems, it will likely be with SLS, which is a fairly common skin irritant, and allows a little more expansion of the hair than other sulphates, and thus a little more protein loss (but only slightly more than water alone).

So I would say, try a cone-free conditioner and see if that helps.

If you're not into DIY, and that isn't enough, look for a shampoo that either has nonionic cleansers, or SLES.

If neither of those work, and you don't get irritation from SLS, there's no reason not to go back to SLS. Try diluting it and pre-oiling to cut down on hair expansion a bit.

Aurum
September 3rd, 2014, 06:04 PM
so what's a whole deal with sulfates? Why are they viewed as such a devil??? are they just sadly misunderstood? :violin:

They aren't misunderstood by those who understand them. :) Cruising the board, one might come to the conclusion that they are the root of all evil... when in reality, sulfates are just harsher cleansers. They aren't as bad as some potential ingredients like waxes.
Whether you use cones and/or sulfates or not really just depend on your own personal experience. Some hair loves them, others hate them.

Rhoward
September 3rd, 2014, 06:12 PM
Can anyone tell me if the loreal sulphate free range has cones in it? :confused:

Yenn
September 3rd, 2014, 08:50 PM
the whole loreal EverStrong range is sulface and cone free. Aurum , I guess it's just another case of try it and see how your hair behaves >.<

kganihanova
September 3rd, 2014, 09:36 PM
Me. I can't use them unless I wash 2-3 times. Sulfates for life!!

Lyv
September 4th, 2014, 02:48 AM
I was sulfate free for almost 2 years until I used a sample of shampoo last week that had SLS and my hair and scalp felt sooo much better, I may be going back to them for a while. I think it all depends on you and your hair. Some people can't tolerate SLS or cones and some need one or both to get their hair to behave.

Katlette
September 4th, 2014, 02:53 AM
I have an SLS-free shampoo I love, but it only works when I'm visiting my parents. They have the softest possible water. At home we have hard water and without SLS (or SLES) my hair is limp and sticky. I have yet to discover anything that makes my hair feel as nice as it does when I get to shower at my parents'.

Marika
September 4th, 2014, 03:50 AM
Sulphates aren't the evil :evil:. People have used sulphates for decades without having problems with them. I don't get why some people refuse to put sulphates on top of their skin/hair for a couple of seconds before rinsing them out but at the same time, they use toothpaste containing the same sulphates? Of course, there are people who really can't tolerate sulphates but in general, I feel like people hate sulphates because that's what you're supposed to do at the moment. I've been following hair care business actively for 15 years and once in a while they have to come up with something new. And like a lot of us know, sulphate-free is often more harsher than a product containing sulphates. In my experience, it isn't the sulphate which makes a product drying/harsh. It's other ingredients or combination of ingredients. But if sulphate-free works for you: :thumbsup:

Monsoonu
September 4th, 2014, 06:19 AM
I ran into the same issues when I first started using SLS free shampoos (in hard chalky water).

My issues all came down to not massaging my scalp enough while I was washing - with SLS it took seconds and no effort, with SLS free I have to massage my scalp with just water and then add the shampoo and massage again.

sarahthegemini
September 4th, 2014, 11:40 AM
Sulphates aren't terrible. My scalp is okay with them. They dry the hell out of my hair though.

picklepie
September 4th, 2014, 12:48 PM
For me they're a major irritant, on skin and in toothpaste as well (canker sores!), so I avoid them in shampoo. When I do occasionally clarify with SLS my hair is so silky and soft and not-tangly. I wish I could use SLS all the time! But canker sores. And hives.

Akville
September 4th, 2014, 01:04 PM
Ive used a lot of stuff and always coming back to sulfates... Not very often but at least once a month I have to wash my hair with sulfate to feel like a human again.

lapushka
September 4th, 2014, 01:53 PM
I have to use sulfates in my shampoo, because of sebborheic dermatitis (need the harsh cleanse) but I take the utmost care to avoid it in anything else (such as toothpaste). I don't particularly think it should be in toothpaste - at all!