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Post in Best Hair Ever
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Anonymous Insider

When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I've been in cosmetology school for a month (a redken salon) and a lot of my instructors seem to have mixed feelings on the subject. Personally I lean towards sulfate-free because I've noticed the change in my hair (good ones). I heard sulfates strips your hair of it's natural moisture, which depending on how often you wash your hair can be damaging. Some people say though it's just a gimmick to make you buy something you believe is better for your hair. Opinions?

 

Also what do you use at home for your shampoo and conditioner.

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

Personally, I WANT sulfates. After a year and a half of doing strict curly-girl method, my hair was in horrible shape. I was spending a lot of money on different products trying to balance it. My scalp was full of sores and acne, and my hair which had previously been shiny and manageable was tangled, breaking, thinning, and lifeless. Finally, I went back to the sulfate and silicone shampoo/conditioner I had been using pre-CGM and my scalp healed and my hair has been slowly growing back and getting better. 

 

Sulfate-free is automatically touted as superior, partly due to an appeal to nature fallacy. For some people, it may work great. For others, like myself, sulfate-free caused severe damage. 

 

I know it was sulfate-free formulations and not a particular product as the scalp sores happened with multiple brands: Carol's Daughter, DevaCurl (yes, I am aware of the DC controversy), Oribe, Redken sulfate-free formulations, LUS, and more. 

 

After having healed my scalp with sulfates and silicones, I accidentally grabbed a shampoo without realizing it was sulfate-free and the scalp scabs returned almost instantly. 

 

I understand why Sephora offers a filter for sulfate-free products, because it's what people are looking for, but I also wish there was a filter for people who ARE looking for sulfates. 

 

I also suspect I may be sensitive to coconut-derived ingredients which may be part of the reason for the reaction to sulfate/silicone free products as coconut is typically a focal ingredient in these types of products, so my request to Sephora is to include 2 additional filters:

 

- Includes sulfates

- Coconut-Free (Or even low-coconut, where it's not one of the top ingredients as it's SUPER hard to find stuff without coconut)

 

I share this not to put down those who use sulfate-free products — if it's working for you, that's great! — but simply to show that sulfates are not the devil and using them can be beneficial for a percentage of people. If you're struggling and not seeing the benefits you expected or your hair conditioned has worsened from sulfate-free products, it's ok to go back to sulfates. Not everything works for everyone.

 

 

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I can only speak for my hair but when I used sulfates I absolutely had to shower daily and I would have to use a clarifying shampoo a couple times a week. Since switching to sulfate free my hair doesn't get weighed down or greasy nearly as much. I can even go two days with one wash, something I could never do when using sulfates. I also noticed that my hair dye doesn't fade as quickly.

 

Right now I use the Organix Kukui Nut Oil shampoo and conditioner. They work quite will on my fine, curly hair.

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I don't care if mine is sulfate-free or not.  I haven't had problems using either.

Anonymous Insider

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I have a very sensitive scalp, and gets some kind of reaction from some shampoos, but has little to do with the sulfates, so I just went through trial and error, some were good on my scalp but terrible on my hair and vice versa, but right now I'm using Agave, which seems gentle on both my scalp and hair.

 

For conditioners I need the silicones because my hair is curly and gets in really bad shape without the silicones weight, so the Agave conditioner and serum work fine for me. But I only wash my hair two times a week, so maybe someone who washes on the daily would have a different experience.

 

I don't discriminate with products, as hair shows easily what works and what not, so I guess everyone should try until they find their HG.

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

when my hair is not colored i don't really care about sulfate free or not but when its colored esp with the semi permanent colors i need the sulfate free 

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I prefer sulfate free. My scalp is pretty sensitive and I have found that if I use a sulfate, it will irritate my scalp and make it itchy.

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

After using sulfate free for a while now, I don't think I'll ever go back to regular shampoo. My hair is healthier, my color stays more vibrant, I don't have to wash it as often & no more dry scalp! 

I use a purple sulfate-free (redken) once a week to keep my blonde in check, but other than that I don't have a strong preference to which sulfate-free I use. Giovanni (found at target) is a nice, decent priced sulfate-free option. 

I only wash it 2x a week, and use an apple cider vinegar rinse every other week to get rid of build-up before I shampoo. 

 

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I started using sulfate free shampoo at the beginning of January when I noticed that my already thin, fine hair was getting extremely thin. I have used a couple different brands because I get bored easily and like having a variety. I have been using Max Green Alchemy Scalp Rescue Shampoo and Conditioner which has helped so much with my itchy scalp, and Ojon Rare Blend makes my hair super soft but the best I have used is Josh Rosebrook Shampoo and Conditioner. It makes my hair look so much fuller and keeps it cleaner longer than any of the rest. The point I was trying to get to though is that I now have a bunch of new hair growth that I completely contribute to the sulfate free shampoo. I'm never going back...

Anonymous Insider

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I've used both for long periods and I tend to be happier with sulfate shampoo but silicone free (or very low silicone) conditioner. I was my hair every third day or so on average (sometimes less often) and I find that because I'm so lazy about that, sulfates make it easier to really clean my hair properly. I stay away from major silicone amounts because I have lots of very fine hair so silicones weigh it down. I also have coloured hair (copper), and I don't find any difference in colour retention whether I use sulfates or not. My current favourites are the Joico K-Pak Color Therapy range, which doesn't smell the best but does a really good job keep my hair well balanced and keeping my colour looking good.

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I personally dont like shampoos that have sulfates and conditioners that dont have silicones, because i noticed with my mixed race curly hair it would be super dry, once i switched from products that did have sulfates and silicones to products that didnt my curls are very healthy looking and mosterized
i use devacare noo poo and one conditioner (:

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I honestly already have oily hair so using a sulfate free one alone tends to weigh my hair down. i switched to LP no frizz back in May, and i use the matrix color xl which is a lower sulfate to clarify. Idk if it makes a huge difference. i wash my hair 3xs a week

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I have tried to steer away from shampoos that contain sulfate, and noticed a huge difference after a week or so.

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I use Ouidad curl recovery cleansing oil which is sulfate free because I needed something for a drier scalp.  I have color treated, curly hair and this line works well for me especially when I don't straighten it.  However, when I get my hair colored once a month and the stylist straightens it, it looks awesome and the salon uses Redken products, which do have sulfates. 

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

When my hair was permed I didn't care what went in my hair. But since making the decision to go natural in November and actually chopping off my permed ends in June, yes I care! My curls don't like sulfates. Sulfates kill them, sulfate free shampoos on the other hand bring them to life and give them more definition.  

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I try to stay free of sulfates because I have seen a difference in my hair color. I never used to pay attention to my shampoos, but now that I am using some high end, sulfate free shampoos and conditioners (thank you Sephora for all the samples), I've found a huge difference in my hair color - it stays vibrant and has more staying power!

Anonymous Insider

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I know right?! I can't believe all those years I went without high quality sulfate-free shampoos. It changed my hair, I just wish I found it sooner!

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

 

I color my hair every 7 weeks. It's also very long and quite fine. I find that sulfate free (I go paraben free too) helps my hair keep its color better. I go between WEN Pomegranate and L'Anza healing strength.

Anonymous Insider

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I love Wen hair care! I use it every day and about once a week I use sexy hair volumizing shampoo just to switch it up and prevent any build-up.

Anonymous Insider

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

How do you like wen? 

Anonymous Insider

Re: When it comes to shampooing your hair, do you care if it's sulfate-free or not?

I wash every day and use sulfates and have no problem whatsoever.

The problem isn't about whether a product contains sulfates, but what types of sulfates and the concentration of them. Obviously a shampoo with a high concentration of ammonium lauryl sulfate is going to be much harsher than a shampoo with low levels of sodium myreth sulfate.

It also depends on the balance of other cleansing ingredients.

But really what it comes down to is budget and personal preference.

 

The only time I would ever recommend sulfate-free is if someone had sulfate allergies.

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