Opinions on sulfates and follicle damage?

[GracieRae]

Good morning!
Obviously I love reading and researching about HAIR :) I've read several articles lately that say sulfates can damage the follicle and lead to hair loss over time. These aren't companies pushing a product that have written these articles. What do you think???

[irisheyes]

Well, I used sulfate shampoos for my entire life and always had thick hair, even when I had an episode of shedding while I was dieting several years ago. I lost a huge amount of hair recently when I was using non sulfate shampoo! The unusual shedding stopped when I went back to sulfates.

[GracieRae]

I was hoping for responses like this! Thank you

[jeanniet]

I used sulfate shampoos up until a few years ago (so 50ish years) and my hair has always been thick. It could have an effect on those with especially sensitive scalps, but in general I don't think it makes much difference--my problem with sulfates has always been with excessive drying of my hair and scalp. There are some here with very long hair (thigh+) who use sulfates.

[raingirl]

I quit shampoos with SLS in them a year ago due to thinning/balding on my scalp. I haven't noticed a difference though, but I didn't change other bad habits.

Now that I'm a member here, I'm going to see if I can stop the thinning in other ways too.

[hyettf16]

The same thing happened to me. I've read something about the sulphate free shampoos throwing off your scalp's pH balance and causing shedding.

About the follicle damage, I think most people (hair long and short) wash their hair every day with sulphates and their hair is ok (besides the dryness).

[LadyLongLocks]

Sulfates are bad and I think the more you wash your hair, the worse your hair will be with the sulfates. Daily washers should at least alternate to non sulfate sometimes.
I have read many articles saying the sls can corrode the follicle in a newly shed hair leading to damaged follicles and eventual hair loss.
Sulfates also strip too much oil.I quit using sulfates 2 years ago. I only use sles to clarify once a month.I also only wash my hair once a week. I wish I would have known about these evil sulfates years ago.

[Silverbrumby]

Sulfates are bad and I think the more you wash your hair, the worse your hair will be with the sulfates. Daily washers should at least alternate to non sulfate sometimes.
I have read many articles saying the sls can corrode the follicle in a newly shed hair leading to damaged follicles and eventual hair loss.
Sulfates also strip too much oil.I quit using sulfates 2 years ago. I only use sles to clarify once a month.I also only wash my hair once a week. I wish I would have known about these evil sulfates years ago.

Your hair is amazing and I'm wondering if the quality of the hair really changed that much going sulfate free? Did you have to use less oil on the ends? Or was there less static? More shine? Anyway I'm curious and I'm also trying Sulfate free shampoos now. I think they are better.

[TheMechaGinger]

I tried sulfate free shampoos and didn't notice much a difference except they tend to be a little bit more expensive. I think it all depends on the person, people with sulfate sensitivities or allergies are definitely gonna respond a lot worse to them than people without

[Sunny_side_up]

I think it depends on the individual, since going back to an ammonium LS shampoo im a bit conscious that my shedding is very heavy.
But that may be the season, my hormones, changes in eating habits or other factors. Being summer im not bothere about getting in a cool shower & washing my hair in these warmer months, i use AmLS shampoo because i like the lather, its got cones & the big thing was last year i was reacting to SLS, hand skin, not hair/scalp.
My hair feels thicker/better volume when i use SLS free (jason) but noticed their bottle (and i fear recipe) has changed, my hair feels quite weighty and clumpy round the back when i used that one, so gave my sister the bottle. She loves it. The thought of winter makes me shudder.
Im considering cutting back in a few months. Can get quite mucky at work and i look forward to going home and showering, even if i did wash my hair the night before. I have to do it. Otherwise wash every other day suits me fine.

[StephanieP3]

I used sulfate shampoos up until a few years ago (so 50ish years) and my hair has always been thick. It could have an effect on those with especially sensitive scalps, but in general I don't think it makes much difference--my problem with sulfates has always been with excessive drying of my hair and scalp. There are some here with very long hair (thigh+) who use sulfates.

That's strange, I am using a sulphate and phosphate free shampoo and conditioner and my dry scalp and frizz has gotten worse. I'll be going back to my Saninique s+c or CO soon.

[teela1978]

I get scalp pimples that turn to bloody scabby bumps if I use anything WITHOUT sulfates. Sulfates aren't for everyone, but they are for me :)

[jojo]

I don't think sulfates are damaging to hair as such, like they wouldn't add them to hair products if they was but some people are sensitive to them. I use sulfates and have pretty thick hair and don't notice no damage from them!

[spidermom]

Really?
I used sulfates most of my life, and my hair was crazy thick. Now it's only normal thick, but I think that's more likely to be due to my age/being post-menopause than to my shampoo.

[cmg]

I could never go past shoulder length for decades with conventional products containing sulfates and cones. I didnt understand how bad they were back then. I stopped using them about three years ago and my hair is gaining length again. It both feels and looks better than ever before. *Jiihaa*

/ CMG

[sparrowswing]

I definitely shed a lot more when using sulfates than when I don't. It doesn't make a huge difference short-term, as far as I've seen, but I know that my ponytail thickness has drastically decreased over time and that's the only thing that I've found so far that could have caused it.

As a kid, my hair was so thick that my dad was the only one whose hand was big enough to wrap completely around it to put it in a ponytail. In my teens, it was still pretty thick - probably close to 5 inches around but at least 4 - but we'd been using the less harsh sulfates most of my life.

My first year of college, I had a roommate who was in beauty school. She swore that I was using the "worst" shampoo possible, and that I should switch to something better like Garnier Fructis. I took her advice and used it right up until the beginning of this year. Over those 8 years, my ponytail thickness dropped to 2.5 inches, and that change is what brought me to LHC in search of answers.

Switching to sulfate-free shampoo results in maybe a quarter of the shed I was seeing before, probably less. I'm still trying to find one that makes my hair feel as clean as sulfates did, but I'm willing to sacrifice that squeaky clean feeling for keeping more hair on my head.

[Iolanthe13]

I think I shed a little more with sulfates, too. They also make my scalp sort of itchy and dry out my hair if I'm not careful. However, not all sulfate-free shampoos work for me, either - some of the "extra gentle" ones don't clean my scalp well enough, and I get dandruff and itches. Some people do very well without any shampoo, though. I think it's generally worth experimenting with sulfate-free shampoos to see if you tolerate them well or better.

[Sunny_side_up]

This thread has got me thinking, i had some really good growth a few years ago,
when i used SLS free for a few months in summer, but im aware that the summer months and me being out catching the rays could have resulted in good growth then, also reducing the amount of sugar i was consuming! There's a few factors to take into consideration.
Must say with my usage of the sulfate shampoo my hair has small white particles on the roots, with SLS free nothing like that. Also i could leave it longer between washes.. Think im going to go for a SLS free period and try sticking with it through the cold months! Like another poster said, its not all about the foaming up, cleansing still takes place when lather is minimal:).

[Intransigentia]

Like Teela1978, I find I break out in nasty scalp-pimples unless I use sulphate-type shampoo. I've tried other things, but in the end I always go back to sulphate every second or third day. As long as I do that, and use /some/ kind of conditioner, whether it's oil, fancy schmancy or cheapo, coney or proteiny or both or neither, my hair and scalp are happy.

My hair is currently the longest and thickest it's ever been (past my waist and just shy of iii thickness). I have to really look hard to find any split ends, and my last trim was early spring.

[jeanniet]

That's strange, I am using a sulphate and phosphate free shampoo and conditioner and my dry scalp and frizz has gotten worse. I'll be going back to my Saninique s+c or CO soon.
I think that's just a personal thing. Some people have the expernce I do, some have your experience. It could also be that the citric acid rinses I do also help.

[ravenreed]

I definitely shed badly when using SLS shampoos. That was one of the surprises to going CO for me. However, others have the opposite experience. I think it is yet another example of YMMV.

[ladylowtide]

My hair is a lot less oily between washes now that I am sulphate free.... I do have a sensitive scalp though.

[bunnylake]

I notice no difference at all in my hair when I use or don't use sulfates. So I don't use them, just to be on the safe side I guess!

[renia22]

I'm still undecided even though I am currently sulfate free. Sometimes I think I have a sensitivity to sulfates, but my hair does okay with a couple of shampoos that contain them. For example I can use Lush's Antiphilitron, but any other shampoo I have tried from this brand made my hair shed like crazy. So maybe it's another ingredient or combination of ingredients (I wonder about sea salt & sodium chloride)? Usually if the ingredient list is a mile long, I stay away from it. Chances are something in it will irritate me & cause me to shed more. Also some of the worst shampoos I tried were "natural" and "sulfate free", so that label doesn't necessarily help me. However, gentle & sulfate/ silicone free with a short ingredient list is what I look for these days (preferably without fragrance or a zillion essential oils).

[Dang3rousB3auty]

I personally haven't seen any huge problems using either type of shampoo. My hair seems to be ok with sulfates and it seems to be ok with out them. I would prefer to use sulfate free though, just because I don't enjoy constantly putting so many chemicals anywhere on my body. If I can avoid harsh chemicals as well as I can and my hair is just fine then I don't know why I should have to use sulfates. I used sulfate shampoos all growing up and never had any problems, but I also had no knowledge on what sulfates even were.

[henné]

My scalp absolutely abhors sulphates. I'm one of those whose scalp just can't take them. It's just extremely drying and irritating. I don't know about follicular damage, I'd hope it would take more to damage follicles.

Others have written about how their scalp hates non-sls shampoos. Well, there are many just plan sh***y, so it takes a while before you find some or one that are decent. I find Aubrey Organics and Dessert Essence and Jason as the best in the non-sls-shampoo camp. Here in Europe it is Alverde, Weleda and UrteKram. I bet that your scalp can easily take non-sls shampoo, it's just about finding the right one.

[ravenreed]

I tried a couple of AO shampoos and they did bad, bad things to my hair. The "natural" lines don't work for my hair (or me) at all. They either put a lot of herbal things in there that I am allergic to, protein that will make my hair go nuts, use a synthetic fragrance I am allergic to, or just don't work well as a shampoo. I have given up. Give me my chemical-laden conditioner and I and my hair are both happy.



My scalp absolutely abhors sulphates. I'm one of those whose scalp just can't take them. It's just extremely drying and irritating. I don't know about follicular damage, I'd hope it would take more to damage follicles.

Others have written about how their scalp hates non-sls shampoos. Well, there are many just plan sh***y, so it takes a while before you find some or one that are decent. I find Aubrey Organics and Dessert Essence and Jason as the best in the non-sls-shampoo camp. Here in Europe it is Alverde, Weleda and UrteKram. I bet that your scalp can easily take non-sls shampoo, it's just about finding the right one.

[MonicaJean]

I don't know about it's effect on the follicle or shedding, but I do know that sulfates really dry out my hair and make it behave less desirably, and that's even with just using it on my roots since I never (except if I have really bad buildup) apply any shampoo to my length. My hair also feels lighter weight and thinner/finer when I used sulfates. I'm guessing that's from it stripping my hair. Personally, that is not the effect I want. lol
I have WAY less split ends since I went sulfate-free years ago, and I don't get staticy hair anymore either. I used to have a big problem with that.

ETA: I use the shampoos from this company (http://www.renpure.com/). They are my absolute favorites.