question about sulfates

[firefly42]

I was in the shampoo aisle today (drooling, lol) and i noticed that several different shampoos (inc. Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship) have Ammonium lauryl and laureth sulfates instead of sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates.

My question is, are the ALS gentler than the SLS? i can't use anything with SLS in it because it eats my head and i've been using 365 shampoo from whole foods for a long time but i've moved and the nearest whole foods is now an hr away (insert sad face here), so i'm looking for an alternative.

Thanks!

[allnaturalboy]

I'm not exactly sure, but from what I've heard, ALS and ALeS sulfates are harsher then their SLS and SLeS counterparts. I tend to stick with SLeS or sulfate free shampoos.

[Aliped]

I use Tresemme naturals shampoo, which is labeled as"lower sulfate". It contains Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. I find it nice and gentle, compared to some SLS shampoos, but that's just my personal experience. I also dilute it 50/50 with water, which might be why I find it gentler. If you have difficulty getting to a store that stocks the brand you want, have you tried ordering online?

[KajiKodomo]

Ammonium sulfates are indeed harsher than sodium sulfates. I use the L'Oreal Ever Strong or Ever Pure. These shampoos are sulfate-free, and are very gentle from my experience. I've been using them for about 6 months at this point. :) They are sold in Wal-Mart and I've seen them at CVS. I'm not sure what stores are around you, but it seems to be sold in most of the chain stores.

[christine1989]

They are a bit harsher actually. It is best to stay away from anything with the word "sulfate". Even non sulfate shampoos give me extra shedding so I try to avoid shampoo use in general. I like the Hugo Naturals brand since it dilutes well and has no sulfates. Unfortunatly I get them at Whole Foods :(. I would reccomend that you just order non sulfate shampoos online. It is better than buying harsh name brands.

[nytquill]

Really? I thought I read somewhere that laurETH is gentler than laurYL, and that ammonium is gentler than sodium? so like ALeS is the gentler option among the standard sulfates.

Now I'm wondering where I picked that up from, to have had it backwards all this time! (well on the A vs. S bit anyway)

[Kaijah]

Too be completely blunt, ALS and SLS are identical surfactants, aside from the one ion (ammonium vs sodium). Neither one is going to be gentle.

CurlChemist article on surfactants (http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-surfactants-sulfates-and-you) if anyone wants to read more.

[sukhi_v1023]

I found a couple of articles on the Beauty Brains website and thought this was one of the better (i.e. more concise) ones. It might help answer your question(s).

http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/06/30/sulfates-in-shampoos-what-are-they/