Recs for a good gentle sulfate shampoo?

[Curlsgirl]

I know some think anything with sulfates is anything but gentle but I have tried going without sulfates in my shampoo and I just seem to need them to ward off the scalp greasies. I had a huge bottle of Paul Mitchell color protect that I am almost out of and I need to buy more of something but not sure whether to get the same thing or try something different that perhaps would be better.

I have tried all the sulfate free shampoos and also CV bars and those are off the table. I do CWC (diluted shampoo) with Giovanni 50/50 and/or VO5 strawberries and cream as the conditioners.

Thanks for any suggestions or comments!

[Babyfine]

I'm in the same boat. I have to shampoo- I was trying CO and it wasn't working.
I have some non-sulfate shampoo's but they weren't getting my scalp clean.
For the health of my length I was stretching my shampoos to 2X a week with a non-sulfate.
It worked great for a while, about a year.
For some odd reason- I started breaking out on my scalp and face with pimples-maybe peri-menopause? And My face and scalp have gotten much oilier of late.
I also started a daily 45 min workout at the gym since Sept so maybe that's it-who knows?- when I went in for my first trim since 5 month ago- my stylist said there was a bit of cradle cap(Dermatitis) on my scalp!!Yikes!
She recommended I shampoo every other day with something like Nioxin, which I used to use and love. it very gently cleans buildup,DHT, ect without stripping. But I only wash the scalp every other day, not my length which I only do once a week or so.
So now I CWC with Nioxin step 3 every other day, using a heavier condtioner only from the ears down. My scalp does feel much cleaner and better.!
Nioxin is a very good gentle sulfate- TEA Lauryl sulfate.
There are others, though,too- Elucence is one I've heard.

[teela1978]

I've found that it doesn't really matter what sulfate shampoo I use, as long as I dilute it a lot. I've been purchasing suave shampoos because they're cheap, and keeping an old yogurt container in the shower that gets filled with water,and then gets a small dollop of shampoo stirred in with my finger. I get a little bit of suds, but not too much, and my hair isn't greasy but isn't all dried out either.

[intothemist1999]

I know some think anything with sulfates is anything but gentle but I have tried going without sulfates in my shampoo and I just seem to need them to ward off the scalp greasies. I had a huge bottle of Paul Mitchell color protect that I am almost out of and I need to buy more of something but not sure whether to get the same thing or try something different that perhaps would be better.

I have tried all the sulfate free shampoos and also CV bars and those are off the table. I do CWC (diluted shampoo) with Giovanni 50/50 and/or VO5 strawberries and cream as the conditioners.

Thanks for any suggestions or comments!


I use Live Clean (http://www.live-clean.com)'s shampoos and conditioners. Although the bottle says it has no SLS, the ingredients list includes "sodium laurel sulfocetate" (that last word might be "sulfoacetate"....the writing is incredibly small and I'm not entirely awake, and my Google seach wanted to adjust it. There were websites that include my spelling, but maybe we were all mispelling it :) ) it's very far down the list. I prone to problem scalp and greasy scalp hair if I don't use SLS.

I find this shampoo very effective. I wash my hair every other day (usually a CWC, but sometimes a shampoo then cond.).

ETA:

I checked the search with the adjusted spelling and I found this info from the Alba website. It makes me feel better about this ingredient:



Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate
Derived from coconut and palm oils; a safe, skin-friendly surfactant (foaming agent) for both skin and hair. This mild plant derived surfactant creates a rich, luxurious lather that effectively removes surface oil, dirt and bacteria, without stripping or drying sensitive skin. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is also hydrophilic. This means it is attracted to water, which enables it to dissolve more readily in water, thus providing superior rinseablility.



Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate vs. Sodium lauryl sulfate
Although an ingredient's name may sound similar to another, it does not mean that the molecules are similar with respect to shape, size, performance or even function. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate sounds similar to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, however, the two molecules are quite different from each other. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is a large molecule ingredient. Large molecule ingredients are considered to be mild, gentle, and non-irritating, as they cannot penetrate the skin. In contrast, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a small molecule ingredient, and is capable of penetrating the skin, which can increase the occurrence of skin irritation.


(source: http://www.albabotanica.com/?id=151&show=S)

[Leisha]

I use Urtekram shampoo, it has Sodium coco sulfate. I don't know if Urtekram is sold where you live...

I also used to have shampoos that had (I think) Magnesium sulfate (?). Very good, mild, cleansing. I'm not sure of the brand name of those... would like to know because I'd like to buy them again.

[missy60]

Ursula had an excellant article about sulfates and which ones to use with which type of water you have. I used Vive color protect shampoo yesterday and it did a great job my hair didnt feel stripped at all and was very shiney. I normally dont use sulfates unless my ends are feeling stick like then I will use one to clarify. It seems thats all my hair really needs to get the build up off and it is less drying for my hair then a regular clarifying shampoo. I guess I did it backwards though I used my regular shampoo on my scalp and the sulfates on my length. I didnt want to take a chance of my scalp getting irrated. i have allergic reactions to some shampoo on my scalp.

[Ursula]

Do you have any preference on the type of sufate? (ALS, ALES, SLS, SLES?) I haven't had a chance to get my detergent article up again, but there are significant differences in how these perform, and depending on your needs, you might find one better than another.

To my mind, conditioner has far more of an overall effect on hair than shampoo - for shampoo, you want something that takes away what you don't want, and doesn't leave much behind, while the conditioner is the stuff that will stay on your hair until the next wash.

I suggest you read the backs of the bottles of cheap shampoo at your drugstore, and find one that has the same detergent combination as your old shampoo, and doesn't have any ingredients you're avoiding.

[tomm]

I have two recommendations: If you feel that you need a sulfate, but want to avoid the stronger lauryl sulfates, then some of the new Dove shampoos might work. The GO Fresh Therapy - Cool Moisture formula contains sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) but no lauryl sulfates. The nice thing about this shampoo is that I tend to use less than I do of other sulfate shampoos.

If you live in an area with hard water, you might need to use an ammonium sulfate shampoo (ALS or ALES). They are more drying, but they rinse cleaner.

I hope this helps.

[justgreen]

I have tried gentle sulfate and sulfate free and my hair tangled and matted horribly with either. I finally gave up and went back to Nature's Gate and just dilute it. I've also been playing around with all the new 'blonde' stuff from Pantenne and I dilute it as well.

[akurah]

I believe Trader Joe's sulfate shampoos (at least one, possibly two, are sulfates of some sort) have their sulfates lower on the ingredient list than most sulfate shampoos, and tends to be milder/more diluted.

BTW- Sodium coco sulfate is sodium lauryl sulfate. The *only* difference is that coco sulfate has a bit more coconut oil particles left over in it and sodium lauryl sulfate tends to have those removed for efficiency's sake. They're the same, but you may find sodium coco sulfate gentler due to the dilution from the coconut oil particles.

[Leisha]

BTW- Sodium coco sulfate is sodium lauryl sulfate. The *only* difference is that coco sulfate has a bit more coconut oil particles left over in it and sodium lauryl sulfate tends to have those removed for efficiency's sake. They're the same, but you may find sodium coco sulfate gentler due to the dilution from the coconut oil particles.
Oh yeah that's right! I remember reading about it on the old forum, and then forgot about it :o
I do find it gentler. But also, it's a bit down on the ingredient list of the Urtekram shampoo I mentioned, like 4th or 5th place so that may contribute to it being gentler too.

[Curlsgirl]

Thanks everybody! I do have somewhat hard water. You have all been very helpful!!!

[Mahars]

I used to absolutely LOVE Nexxus Therappe before I switched to natural products. It's very moisturizing and gentle, at least for me. I'm pretty sure it has sodium laureth sulfate, which is supposed to be one of the more gentle ones, not to be confused with sodium lauryl sulfate. I think there are a couple of reviews for it here, and I totally agree with what they say. Smells yummy nummy mmm too. Kinda coconutty but not too strong. Hmm, now I want to use it again. :)

[missy60]

I used to absolutely LOVE Nexxus Therappe before I switched to natural products. It's very moisturizing and gentle, at least for me. I'm pretty sure it has sodium laureth sulfate, which is supposed to be one of the more gentle ones, not to be confused with sodium lauryl sulfate. I think there are a couple of reviews for it here, and I totally agree with what they say. Smells yummy nummy mmm too. Kinda coconutty but not too strong. Hmm, now I want to use it again. :)

I guess I should of checked the ingredients out because this is one of the shampoos I have been using on my scalp. I have been using this one and Mastey thinking all the time that I had read on the old board this was sulfate free. I got a sample in the mail of this and the conditioner and just used it with out checking. I have been getting really good results with it.

[CopperHead]

The only sulfate shampoos I use now are the Back to Basics brand. Their Jasmine Curl Refresher and the Vanilla Plum smell great and are very gentle. They have quite a few formulas to choose from, but you have to buy them at a Beauty Supply store or on Ebay. Ebay is much cheaper. :) I don't think I have seem them sold anywhere else for a long time now.

[rossjen]

Sally Beauty Supply has the Aura Sensitive Shampoo that I think some LHC members use. I was looking at it the other day, and it does have ALS, but no other sulfates that I can recall...