I switched to sulfate and silicone free and my hair seems completely different...

[Hatsumomo]

Long time no post! I've been sort of hovering at varying lengths between the bottom of my ribcage and tailbone length for about seven years and after a cut that was rather shorter than I intended a couple of years back (to bsl), I've been growing it again ever since and I'm determined to keep going and take as good care of my hair as possible.

I was previously following the benign neglect route with fairly good shampoo, occasional oiling, rare heat styling, no dying it etc and I had fairly straight, thick hair that didn't damage easily, so this was fine. Recently I decided to take a bit more care of my hair and invested in Calia shampoos and a silk pillow case (silk scarves seemed to be messing with my hairline).

My hair was straight with a very slight wave (having been wavier when I was younger). Every time I wash it now, it has more wave and more texture, to the point where it looks like I've had braids in overnight. I've also had crazy hair growth (over an inch a month) since stopping sulphates and I'm suddenly past tailbone when I had estimated that I'd get there in September! I also have a few new hairs in my hairline.

Is this normal? Have sulfates really been messing with my hair that much?

[lapushka]

This is a very individual thing. Maybe participate in the poll (sulfates or more natural):
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148893

Some people fare well with sulfate-free or sulfate-mild and other people just have to use sulfates. I am glad the market caters to both consumers, still as it is.

I'm glad it's going so well for you. :flower:

If it ain't broken don't fix it, right? ;)

[spidermom]

Your hair may be growing faster right now because it's spring. The increase in light tells nature to "grow now!"

[lapushka]

Your hair may be growing faster right now because it's spring. The increase in light tells nature to "grow now!"

Yes, our lawn must be thinking the same thing. LOL ;)

[Hatsumomo]

I live in Scotland...what is this Spring you speak of :eek:

That's a fair point though! Certainly not complaining either way. I do wish the waves were more consistent.

[littlestarface]

Long time no post! I've been sort of hovering at varying lengths between the bottom of my ribcage and tailbone length for about seven years and after a cut that was rather shorter than I intended a couple of years back (to bsl), I've been growing it again ever since and I'm determined to keep going and take as good care of my hair as possible.

I was previously following the benign neglect route with fairly good shampoo, occasional oiling, rare heat styling, no dying it etc and I had fairly straight, thick hair that didn't damage easily, so this was fine. Recently I decided to take a bit more care of my hair and invested in Calia shampoos and a silk pillow case (silk scarves seemed to be messing with my hairline).

My hair was straight with a very slight wave (having been wavier when I was younger). Every time I wash it now, it has more wave and more texture, to the point where it looks like I've had braids in overnight. I've also had crazy hair growth (over an inch a month) since stopping sulphates and I'm suddenly past tailbone when I had estimated that I'd get there in September! I also have a few new hairs in my hairline.

Is this normal? Have sulfates really been messing with my hair that much?

To actually answer you, yes the sulfates could have been messing with your hair and now that your using sulfate free your hair and scalp like it more. I guess your hair loves this new way your treating it.

My hair loves certain products and when I use those it looks better acts better but once I switch it up it goes full mega tsunami mode. So I say stick to what you been doing.

[Milkchocolate]

I switched to sulfate free about 7 months ago and not a day goes by where I don’t realize my hair is happier and better than ever :) My hair seems so much more moisturized, (due to the non stripping properties in regular sulfate shampoos). Thus more moisture and less stripping of sebum means an increased speed of hair growth, for me personally :)

I couldn’t put a finger on it for years..but sulfate shampoos (particularly the sodium lauryl sulfates) made my hair feel so wispy, staticky, bone dry, lifeless etc.. and I would try to over-compensate by adding lots of conditioner.. but upon trying sulfate-free, it was really such a life-changer because my hair felt so much stronger and luscious. That in combo with my deep conditioners..amazing.

And yes! It also made my hair look more wavier due to the increase in moisture :)

[lapushka]

For me it is the exact opposite (but YMMV).

If I don't use sulfates, my scalp will take its sweet revenge on me (itch, flakes, redness & irritation). And I think scalp health trumps the way my hair looks. For sure. I don't want to have to drag out the Nizoral 2% each time, and so I sulfate wash every time to keep it balanced and nice looking (ooooh those flakes).

[Begemot]

My hair also prefers sulfate free products, I relate a lot to what Milkchocolate commented :) Years ago I tried some sulfate free products that didn't work for me, so I thought my hair needed sulfates. Now I tried again with different products and my hair is so much happier. SLS is too harsh for me and makes my hair dry and stringy. I always wondered why my hair was so stringy/clumped together easily, even when it was dye and heat damage free. I thought I just couldn't hydrate my hair properly. Now my hair is not stringy at all, so much less static and just feels and looks way better compared to my hair last year.

[MusicalSpoons]

Sulphates mess with my scalp and silicones weighed down my hair - though I do now use some water-soluble cones for a bit easier detangling, but I'm mostly silicone-free.

I have also found a more moisturising routine has given my hair more body and life than it ever had, so I can't solely attribute it to silicone-free, but I remember noticing a huge difference to start with before I settled into my current routine anyway.

[Hatsumomo]

I love that there are so many variables and it's a case of finding out what suits your own hair :) I've tried silicone-free in the past, but never sulfate-free and I feel like that's where I went wrong as I needed the silicone to make up for the sulfates stripping everything. Now that there's no sulfates involved either, it seems to be working. I just need to figure out how to tackle it when I do occasionally heat style, although this only happens once or twice a year, so it's not a huge issue.