Sulphate Free Shampoo?

[abribun]

Hello everyone. I am curious as to what exactly sulphate in shampoo does to your hair, and if anyone has had good experience removing it from their hair care routine? I just bought some coconut sulphate free shampoo and conditioner so I'd love to know more about it!

[lapushka]

Sulfates have more and heavier detergents than sulfate-free (it still has some cleansing properties, they're just different ones).

You can't but try it. Just keep a close eye on your scalp health. If you get flakes or something of the like, that means sulfate-free is much too mild, but if all goes well, more power to you! :thumbsup:

[MoonRabbit]

Sulfates remove the build up on your hair and scalp. From natural oil production to cones and daily product usage. I didn't have success with sulfate free shampoo because I love using tons of cones, and my hair is prone to easy build up. I never had a problem with SLS stripping my hair a lot or causing damage. As long as I add the moisture back with a good hydrating conditioner, all is well.

[Monsoonu]

I use an SLS free shampoo, but once a week i use a shampoo containing SLS to do a deeper clean otherwise my scalp can get a little irritated. My hair loves SLS free but my scalp does not so i found a balance.

[tiffxcii]

Hmmm I don't know why I never thought of this. My hair also loves SLS free shampoo but I tend to get build up on my scalp. I'm going to try your technique 👍🏼

[lapushka]

I even know some who CO-wash during the week, and weekly or bi-weekly shampoo.

[Synester]

I dont think Sulfate free is working for me as great as i'd hoped either, my build up and dust and tangles are becoming way too much and its due to not removing that buildup im sure. Can you tell me your favorite products with lots of cones (shampoo, conditioner, ect) idk what brands have lots of cones.

[ravenreed]

Sulfates upset my scalp and skin and I get a form of dermatitis. Unfortunately my hair prefers sulfate shampoos, as most sulfate free shampoos have ingredients that actually damage my hair or don't get it clean. For some reason sulfate free shampoos tend to be pretty heavy on the proteins and my hair absolutely hates protein. I try to limit my sulfate use to only a few times a month, and only use it on my scalp right before I dye my hair to give the dye a good chance to adhere. I have been using T/Sal, which my scalp tolerates well, but it doesn't quite clean enough for me to completely ditch the occasional sulfate shampooing.

[Phalaenopsis]

I have successfully removed sulfate shampoos out of my hair care routine. :) I only very rarily use one to clarify (like once every 2 months). When I still constantly used sulfate shampoos, my scalp was flaky. That problem went away with using sulfate free shampoos and in return I also got an incredible shine to my hair that had never been there in my entire life.

[Dark40]

Shampoos that have sulfates in them mostly dry your hair out, and can cause damage or breakage if used daily. Me, I don't totally cut them out of my hair care routine. I just only use them once or twice a week, and use conditioner throughout the rest of the times.

[animetor7]

Some can experience drying and breakage as a result of using sulfates as they can be harsh depending on hair type. Others need them to treat SD or similar scalp maladies. And some just like to use them and it works for them. I am sulfate free for most of the time only using sulfates to clarify, but this is because of my skin. I have extremely sensitive skin and eczema so I have to be careful not to use harsh detergents to cleanse my skin or scalp or I'll get redness, sometimes swelling, and very itchy patches. It gets worse and worse with continued use of sulfates or many other harsh detergents it gets even worse. So I only use them once a month or so to clarify and this doesn't aggravate my scalp. Sulfate-free has been very successful for me, but as always YMMV. I suggest trying both ways and seeing which way your hair and scalp like better. Good luck!! :)

[pili]

I can't use sulfates at all. They are horrible for my scalp.

[leayellena]

I think I will alternate between a sulfate, sulfate free shampoo and co-wash.

[NV]

I love my sulfate free shampoos as they are milder on my sensitive scalp, but I do wash with a sulfate shampoo every thirD or so wash to get rid of buildup. I also use sulfate shampoos to remove jot oil treatments from my hair because without sulfates I find it nearly impossible to get rid of the oil.

[Jo Ann]

I'm trying non-SLS shampoos right now, but I'm keeping my SLS shampoos on hand to use once in a while. I read about going non-SLS on some of the threads here, and learned of some of the pitfalls of going non-SLS, such as scalp build-up and the itchies. It's only been a few days, but so far so good! My trick was finding non-SLS with minimal or no protein, as my hair is not a fan of proteins.

[lapushka]

I dont think Sulfate free is working for me as great as i'd hoped either, my build up and dust and tangles are becoming way too much and its due to not removing that buildup im sure. Can you tell me your favorite products with lots of cones (shampoo, conditioner, ect) idk what brands have lots of cones.

If you get gunk or flakes, I'd go back to sulfates, TBH. Maybe you can find a regimen to cleanse with a sulfate every x-amount of washes and for the remainder go sulfate-free or sulfate-mild. But I'd first use the sulfates until the gunk is all gone, and then set-off on the new regimen.

[lapushka]

I can't use sulfates at all. They are horrible for my scalp.

It's the same for me but the other way round. I can't do sulfate-free.

I'm glad the market caters to us all and that sulfates still exist. I wouldn't know what I'd do without them! :D :thumbsup:

[Dendra]

I tried a good sulphate free shampoo recently - L'oreal ever pure, the volume one. It's really cleansing, you wouldn't know it doesn't contain sulphates. I like quite a stripping shampoo so it was perfect for me but I can imagine it would be too drying for every day use.

[esfand]

IME it doesn't matter whether shampoo is sulfate free or not. Detergent is detergent. It depends on the formula of the shampoo itself. I think the only time it would make a difference is if you're specifically sensitive to the sulfate type detergents themselves, or dislike sulfur-based chemicals for some reason.

A sulfate free shampoo I really like is Broo beer shampoo, but it's likely the beer itself that gives it a nice creamy feel.

[Natalia_A00]

I have never had problems with my scalp, and my hair is not specially dry, so I can't find a reason to cut off sulfates. I have read a study which says that sulfates are safe in hair products because they are used briefly and then rinsed. I can try a sulfate free shampoo just out of curiosity, but I don't really need it.
I only want to find a shampoo which is good to my hair

[Obsidian]

I've been switching back and forth between sulfate and sulfate free. I've found sulfate free formulas to be really different. Live clean is quite cleansing, not much different then regular sulfates but it won't wash out cones. The acure shampoo is much milder, does a good job cleaning IF you have no build up. I do keep a sls shampoo on hand for the days I use a coney conditioner or serum.
I'm trying to limit the amount of conditioner I use and I was hoping sulfate free would be gentler. Not noticed any difference in that aspect unless I use my kirkland sulfate free but it has cones in it and it makes a huge difference. Unfortunately, it also builds up badly.

[illicitlizard]

IME it doesn't matter whether shampoo is sulfate free or not. Detergent is detergent. It depends on the formula of the shampoo itself. I think the only time it would make a difference is if you're specifically sensitive to the sulfate type detergents themselves, or dislike sulfur-based chemicals for some reason.

Ok this is from a while back but I completely agree tbh. I only stopped using sulphates because they made my scalp itch so badly and increased flakiness and dryness. It's just a case of finding what works for you. Sulphates aren't evil, just strong.

[Dark40]

Some can experience drying and breakage as a result of using sulfates as they can be harsh depending on hair type. Others need them to treat SD or similar scalp maladies. And some just like to use them and it works for them. I am sulfate free for most of the time only using sulfates to clarify, but this is because of my skin. I have extremely sensitive skin and eczema so I have to be careful not to use harsh detergents to cleanse my skin or scalp or I'll get redness, sometimes swelling, and very itchy patches. It gets worse and worse with continued use of sulfates or many other harsh detergents it gets even worse. So I only use them once a month or so to clarify and this doesn't aggravate my scalp. Sulfate-free has been very successful for me, but as always YMMV. I suggest trying both ways and seeing which way your hair and scalp like better. Good luck!! :)

Awww, I'm so sorry you go through the itchy and redness if you use the sulfates too much. Yeah, some people can't use sulfates or too much sulfates at all.

[Kaoria]

Not sure if it’s been mentioned before but if you remove sulphate shampoos make sure you also stop using silicone conditioners. Low poo doesn’t remove silicone and you’ll end up with buildup problems.

[elfynity]

Hi Abribun, I had a very good experience removing sulphates - my hair stopped falling out and many new hairs started growing which is thickening my hair, my scalp doesn't feel so tender anymore as well.