Sulfates and silicones????

[Gmcfashionista]

I was wondering what are your thoughts on sulfates and silicones
please let me know what hair type do you have
i have curly hair and always hear curly girls say to stay away from both ingredients so I’m a little confused

[LittleHealthy]

I can’t speak for curly haired people, my hair is fine and thin, dead straight. But I can’t go without silicones!! I’ve tried and my hair just needs the extra coating.

[lapushka]

I was wondering what are your thoughts on sulfates and silicones
please let me know what hair type do you have
i have curly hair and always hear curly girls say to stay away from both ingredients so I’m a little confused

I use both. I no longer look at whether or not my conditioner is + or - silicones.

I do need to have shampoos around that are + sulfates but - silicones, because I have SD (seborrheic dermatitis) on the scalp and the silicones sometimes (not always) irritate. Dimethicone for some reason is OK.

I tried going CG, and TBH, it's a load of cr*p to me. I use whatever I want interchangeably.

Also, because I had to use sulfates and still wanted my wavy texture to remain, I decided to double condition after my wash (hence the WCC method in my signature). It works especially if your shampoo is quite drying!

You can always work with sulfates or silicones, IMMHO.

But you do you, if you want to avoid them (I did that too - I experimented a lot with varying products), then it's up to you!

[Ylva]

I have slightly wavy hair. I use sulfates maybe once in two weeks to get rid of any possible buildup. Other than that I use sulfate free shampoo. It doesn't dry out my scalp (or hair for that matter, but I usually just use shampoo on my scalp). Silicones I stay away from. They just don't work for me personally. Every time I wash off silicones, my hair feels super dry and I just can't keep up with my hydration routine using silicones.

[TatsuOni]

I have straight hair and neither my hair or scalp likes silicones or sulfates, so I stay away from both. Both my hair and scalp is on the dry and sensitive side.

I don't think that there's a universal way for either curlies or straighties to care for their hair. I think that everyone have to try and see what works best for them :blossom:

[Wendyp]

Can’t use sulfates but my hair needs cones. Currently loving the ouidad line and it has cones.

[illicitlizard]

I don't use either... Used to use silicones but accidentally let them build up and when I went to bleach my hair it was Bad, so I don't anymore. Try to stay away from sulfates, mostly SLS because it breaks me out in hives and I don't like being itchy :P May go back to cones at some point if I decide to never dye it again, they do make my hair feel really nice, but this time I'm planning to damage it less in the first place so it needs less help to stay soft.

Edit: I have really straight fine hair

[nycelle]

Have wavy hair.

Went sulfate free back in January as they irritate my scalp. But I didn't notice a difference in my hair.
Then about 4 months ago, I went silicone free.

First, I have not found a silicone free conditioner that has slip as good as the ones with silicone. So if detangling is very important to you, I'd consider that. Also, finding the right combo to use can be tricky. I'm still looking for the right shampoo as the one I was using was too heavy and along with my conditioner, caused product build-up. It also may have caused a protein issue (too much). So It's a lot of trial and error, at least for me.

With all that said, I have noticed that my hair is in better shape overall. Just the fact that it seems to be retaining moisture on a consistent basis is huge- much less frizz, even on the most humid day.. and that's very important to me.

[Panthera]

My hair is very thick, coarse and wavy/curly. I get an itchy scalp from sulfates, silicones turn my hair into a massive cotton ball, soft frizzy mess. I do recommend trying sulfate and silicone free products for a month or so but they don't work for everyone. Try and see what happens. :) Keep in mind you usually won't see a difference immediately and your scalp can be a bit greasy for a while.

[missmelaniem]

I use both. Straight hair. I'm really not that particular overall about the products that I use on my hair, they just have to clean reasonably well and condition. I experimented with lots of different things early on, and in the end my hair care routine didnt change that much. The only thing I added was a Tangle Genie (or whatever its called exactly!!) and I use that to brush my hair daily so I dont shed all over.. Other than that, I will use almost anything made for hair care.

[blushy]

I absolutely hate silicones! I use a sulfate shampoo every other week, though, because my hair ends up needing it, but NO to silicones.

I have extremely bleach damaged hair and silicones make my hair even more dry and crusty feeling after a few days. When they build up they block all the moisture from getting into my hair. They also make me breakout on my scalp (I know, gross!)

My hair has been amazing and so much more wavy and healthy since I gave up silicones, I would definitely recommend it. However, I'm not against other people using silicones. I understand it can be very nice for slip and making the hair look silky smooth. It's basically just what you prefer, so experimenting is good!

I am silicone free on my skin as well because I believe I have a sensitivity to silicones, so I'm a little biased.

[MusicalSpoons]

I stopped using silicones after reading the bad hype about them. Now I realise they're not an evil ingredient :grin: but my hair actually had more life and volume without them. Then I stopped using sulphates to try to reduce sebum production; it didn't work as drastically as I had hoped but it definitely did help; previously my head looked like an oil slick by the end of day 1, now I can get to the end of day 2 and it will sometimes only just need a freshen up. (Generally speaking, that is - it's currently not working so well for me but I think that's to do with changing shampoo rather than no sulphates.) Regardless of sebum production, my scalp is SO much happier now, far less dry (dehydrated, not 'doesn't-produce-oil' dry) and flaky than it ever was with sulphates. On the odd occasion I have used a sulphate shampoo since making the switch, my hair had gone back to being a greaseball so there's no way I'm going back.

Silicones definitely gave my hair more slip, but I've enjoyed finding different ways of dealing with my hair. Currently the rinse-out-oil method (ROO) provides enough ease of detangling, and keeps my hair more moisturised than silicones did :) I'm a 1b/M with tons of frizz when my hair air-dries worn down.

HOWEVER! You should go with what your hair and scalp need/like best. Even people with the same texture as you will have different optimal hair routines, because every head of hair is different.

[Kake]

Have wavy hair.

Went sulfate free back in January as they irritate my scalp. But I didn't notice a difference in my hair.
Then about 4 months ago, I went silicone free.

First, I have not found a silicone free conditioner that has slip as good as the ones with silicone. So if detangling is very important to you, I'd consider that. Also, finding the right combo to use can be tricky. I'm still looking for the right shampoo as the one I was using was too heavy and along with my conditioner, caused product build-up. It also may have caused a protein issue (too much). So It's a lot of trial and error, at least for me.

With all that said, I have noticed that my hair is in better shape overall. Just the fact that it seems to be retaining moisture on a consistent basis is huge- much less frizz, even on the most humid day.. and that's very important to me.

I went silicone and sulfate free a couple of month ago and I've also had much less frizz. I can't believe how well it works for my really frizzy hair.

[TashaW78]

I never see anyone talk about live clean shampoos and conditioners on here, but for me they're absolutely amazing for sulfate and silicone free girlies like myself

[lithostoic]

I don't use either, EVER unless it's an emergency. Sulfates give me itchy, oily, flaky scalp acne. The only time I use sulfates is if I've gone a week or longer without washing or I've swam in the ocean. I can usually get away with one shampoo of it as long as I rinse it off immediately.

Silicones weigh down my hair making it look greasy fast though it feels super dry at the ends. Silicones only happen rarely in the form of a serum that has a water soluble cone. If I have impossible tangles it can be really helpful to remove them without damage.

[TheCurlyMermaid]

3b/c curls here!

So I tried the whole cutting out the silicones thing before and let me tell you- my hair just wasn't here for it. Some of the Suave conditioners are silicone free and gave enough slip to detangle my hair (I do it in the shower while conditioning), but the amount I had to use? Literally a whole palm/hand full of conditioner. I like my silicones. When I look back at how long my hair was as a kid (waist-length while curly), my mom was using silicones and sulfates in my hair. I prefer cones to detangle, and I need them on my ends while styling to give them slip so they don't snag on each other or break as easily. Btw, I'm a huge fan of OGX's Coconut Miracle Oil Penetrating Oil (https://www.ogxbeauty.com/shop/coconut-miracle-oil/penetrating-oil-2/). I use it very sparingly, but it does a great job, and smells like a dream vacation. I live in The Bahamas where these products aren't available to buy in stores on my island, so when I went over to the states a few weeks ago, I bought four bottles of the penetrating oil. I love it so much. It'd be my desert island hair product (not counting DIY treatments).

So, usually, I use a sulfate-free shampoo, ORS Curls Unleashed Rosemary & Coconut (https://www.orshaircare.com/product/rosemary-coconut-sulfate-free-shampoo/), ~75% of the time (Kinky Curly's shampoo Come Clean (https://www.amazon.com/Kinky-Curly-Natural-Moisturizing-Shampoo/dp/B0012EF9NQ/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1534013512&sr=8-2&keywords=kinky+curly+come+clean) is great too- a bit more powerful than the ORS), but once a month I use a sulfate shampoo (haven't found one I love enough to recommend, I just use whatever's there) to clarify my hair and wash out any stubborn cones. On wash day, I do a hot oil treatment and DC my hair. While my hair is still wet, I put in my leave-in, either Kinky Curly's Knot Today (https://www.amazon.com/Kinky-Curly-Today-Leave-Conditioner-Detangler/dp/B00128WK4I/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1534013407&sr=8-2&keywords=kinkys+curly+knot+today), or TGIN's Green Tea Moisturizing Leave-In (https://www.amazon.com/tgin-Green-Tea-Leave-Conditioner/dp/B00V73BZSU/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1534013439&sr=8-3&keywords=tgin+green+tea), put a little bit of grapeseed oil in my hair (my hair is pretty fine, so this light oil works well for me), and then, once it's at least half dry, I put on the OGX penetrating 'oil'. Really of course it's a serum, not an oil as the first ingredient is a silicone. Then every day I spritz some water with the tiniest but of leave-in mixed in onto my curls to wake 'em up a bit.

I think that as long as you don't use sulfates every day, you should be fine. I only use them once a month. I'd say experiment and see what your hair does and doesn't like. Just because mine loves certain products doesn't mean yours will. Let me know how it works out!

[Reservechic]

I've gone back and forth throughout my hair journey using sulfates and silicones and not. Right now, I currently don't use sulfates or silicones on my hair. It's just what I'm finding is best for me to use on my hair and scalp at this period in time within my hair journey, and yes, I will continue on doing such, because I am finding that this new route that I have taken product wise is providing lots of positive benefits to my hair and scalp, so I will continue to stick with what is working best for my hair and scalp and it's special needs. However, I must say that everyone's hair journey will definitely be different, so if a person has no problems with using sulfates and/or silicones within their hair care regimen, then I see no reason for them to stop, as long as something is working well for them. I'm all about embracing whatever works for anyone, because there's no 1 specific method that works best when it comes to taking care of any type of hair, whether it's straight or naturally textured.

[esfand]

It doesn't matter between curly or straight hair when it comes to sulfates and silicones, because not even two curlies will be the same when it comes to these ingredients.

Sulfates or not doesn't make a difference IMO, it depends on the shampoo formula. A well formulated sulfate shampoo is better than badly formulated, high pH sulfate-free shampoo.

Silicones are awesome for many hair types, though some will hate it (just like some people's hair becomes dry from coconut oil).

I have tailbone length, course straight/wavy hair.

[Duchess Fuzzy Buns]

I use sulfates because not using them makes my scalp itchy and irritated. :shrug: And I use silicones because it's just so much easier to detangle my hair with them. Neither of these things are inherently bad. They work for some people and not for others.

[lakhesis]

I am fine with sulfates, because otherwise my hair starts getting greasy already one day after wash. I avoid silicones, because I have seen huge difference after clarifying wash and I generally don't like the idea of something coating my hair.

[lapushka]

I use sulfates because not using them makes my scalp itchy and irritated. :shrug: And I use silicones because it's just so much easier to detangle my hair with them. Neither of these things are inherently bad. They work for some people and not for others.

True, and well said, IMMHO! :D :thumbsup:

And there is always something for everybody. I like how varied the products are out there. Thank goodness they haven't done away with sulfates, because it's about the only thing that keeps my medicated (expensive) shampoo away. My medicated shampoo is around 12 euro for 100ml, and that doesn't go far if you have classic+ length hair, 3 to 4 uses and the bottle is empty, and I can't see me buying this every month (I weekly wash), that's like 12 euro a month.

No thank God for sulfates! LOL!

[Dee94]

Are there any ''bad'' sulfates? I know not all sulfates are bad but was just wondering, if there are bad sulfates, could someone tell me which ones those would be?

[Arciela]

I've used sulfates for a while now. It keeps my scalp calm and less oily. It gives it tons of volume too :D Sulfate free doesn't feel clean enough for me, and my hair gets back oily less than a day. My hair is low porosity so it needs something strong to clean it really well.

Silicones are okay for me to use once in a while but if I use them more than once in a row then my hair gets crispy and weird.

[Ylva]

Are there any ''bad'' sulfates? I know not all sulfates are bad but was just wondering, if there are bad sulfates, could someone tell me which ones those would be?

No such thing as a bad sulfate, per se. Ammonium lauryl sulfate is supposedly less irritating than, say, sodium lauryl sulfate, but that only applies if one is sensitive to sulfates in the first place.

[Dee94]

No such thing as a bad sulfate, per se. Ammonium lauryl sulfate is supposedly less irritating than, say, sodium lauryl sulfate, but that only applies if one is sensitive to sulfates in the first place.

Oh, ok. Well, that's good to hear! Thank you.

[Groovy Granny]

I am F/ii with 1c wurls to 2c curls depending on the humidity ~ my silver/white is very fine and wispy and it loves sulfates and cones.

It detested cone and sulfate free products when I started the Curly Girl method and was flat, dry, and lifeless :tmi:

[tekla]

Love 'em both! I use sulfate shampoo because I love the feeling I get in my hair and scalp. I have to blowdry after wash so I don't want to wash too often. Using ALS shampoo cleanses my scalp and gives the hair just enough volume and flow so that I need to wash only twice a week.

I like silicones in conditioners and styling products. I don't want to have silicone near my scalp or roots as they tend to weigh the roots down and make scalp oily faster but in conditioners they work wonders. I especially like amodimethicone because it doesn't build up the way many other -cones might do.

[lapushka]

Are there any ''bad'' sulfates? I know not all sulfates are bad but was just wondering, if there are bad sulfates, could someone tell me which ones those would be?

It comes in steps; there's SLS (sodium lauRYL sylfate) and that is by far the harshest, milder is SLES (sodium lauRETH sulfate), and then there's CB (cocamidopropylbetaine) which is super mild and is in some CO-washes on its own.

I know Pantene, and Herbal Essences use SLS + SLES + CB
Then Garnier Whole Blends (Ultra Doux) uses SLES + CB mostly

There's also ALS & ALES, which I know not much about to be frank, but I think it might be milder as well.

Nothing is as mild as CB (on its own) though.

[tekla]

It comes in steps; there's SLS (sodium lauRYL sylfate) and that is by far the harshest, milder is SLES (sodium lauRETH sulfate), and then there's CB (cocamidopropylbetaine) which is super mild and is in some CO-washes on its own.

I know Pantene, and Herbal Essences use SLS + SLES + CB
Then Garnier Whole Blends (Ultra Doux) uses SLES + CB mostly

There's also ALS & ALES, which I know not much about to be frank, but I think it might be milder as well.

Nothing is as mild as CB (on its own) though.

Yeah, it's all about personal preference. The mechanism behind sulfates is that they're surfactants, which means that the molecules bind both oils and water and thus remove oil from scalp and hair. In addition to sulfates, there are also other types of surfactants like cocamidopropylbetaine lapushka mentioned above but the basic mechanism is the same. Sulfates aren't inherently bad or dangerous, they just might not work for you or they work better than other surfactants. There are also other factors in play whether some shampoo works or not.

[Sparkles122]

Prior to 4 months ago I was silicone free. The craziest thing was that I knew nothing about silicones and did not intentionally choose silicone free products, it just so happened that the products my hair responded best to were silicone free. Then the bleach damage occurred and I could barely get my hands through the crown of my hair very very close to my roots. I came on here seeking advice and that is when I discovered silicones. So for now I use both silicone and silicone free products. I suspect that I will eventually go back to entirely silicone free. As for sulfates, I always have and always will use them

[lapushka]

Prior to 4 months ago I was silicone free. The craziest thing was that I knew nothing about silicones and did not intentionally choose silicone free products, it just so happened that the products my hair responded best to were silicone free. Then the bleach damage occurred and I could barely get my hands through the crown of my hair very very close to my roots. I came on here seeking advice and that is when I discovered silicones. So for now I use both silicone and silicone free products. I suspect that I will eventually go back to entirely silicone free. As for sulfates, I always have and always will use them

I hope you can grow out the damage nice and easy. :flower:

It seems to be going better than when you first came to us on LHC, no? :)

[Sparkles122]

I hope you can grow out the damage nice and easy. :flower:

It seems to be going better than when you first came to us on LHC, no? :)

Its going soooo much better. I can’t believe it will be 4 months this coming Thursday already. Thank you for all your help and encouragement

[lapushka]

Its going soooo much better. I can’t believe it will be 4 months this coming Thursday already. Thank you for all your help and encouragement

That is nice to hear! :D 4 months is quite a bit, I can't believe it's been that long already! Boy, time flies!

[browntatis]

I have straight hair and I use sulfate free shampoos because I use keratin Treatments (Brazilian blow out) every 2-3 months, and I use a clarifying shampoo every 2 or 3 weeks... but before I started using keratin treatments I normally used shampoos with sulfates and I didn't have a problem with them.
For the conditioner and hair mask, I dont even look if they have silicones or nor, but I am sure most of them have them and honestly I couldn't tell the difference :)

[The Lizard Wife]

The sulfates and silicones debate seems to vary widely between people; everyone's hair likes something different!

I have straight hair, and for me personally, ditching sulfates (which dried out my hair way too much) and silicones (which never coated my dried-out hairs enough on day one, and then mixed nastily with my natural sebum by day two) was a life-changer! My hair is beautiful and soft after being washed, and (until I let it get really dirty) the oil in my hair, while still looking oily, feels nice under my fingers instead of gross and doesn't get stringy like it used to with silicones. Up until I made the switch, I never realized that my hair could actually be sleek and manageable...

[RottenMango]

I have curly and I love and use both. My hair hates silicone and sulfate free products. I tried so hard to stick to sulfate free and silicone free hair products, but my hair despised it and I decided to stop trying to make fetch happen and just do what my hair likes.