subject: Why You Must Ditch Sulfate Hair Products Immediately? [print this page] Sulfate-free is the buzz word while looking for the best shampoo and conditioner. What is the big deal about this? Can a sulfate-free shampoo give you lovely hair? Can this shampoo help people suffering from hair loss?
Since the day you started washing hair, you hardly cared about the ingredients that your shampoo contained. Most of the times, you went with the commercials and bought the shampoo. If your hair felt silky and soft after using it, you thought it was the best one. You continued using it.
Then came a fresh wave of Keranique free trial offers that swept all the hair products off the shelves. These products are sulfate free. Reviews show that users are happy with the astounding results of these products. Their hair never felt so healthy and full of life.
Why are sulfate-laden shampoos harmful?
Sulfate shampoos contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). This is a cheaper, but potent detergent that fights grease. It also produces foam. Most of the bath soaps, face washes, and hair shampoos contain it. Mechanics use them as heavy degreasing agents.
To put in most simplest words, SLS is used to make your soap or shampoo more foamy, which impresses most of us, as we associate lather or foam with cleanliness. According to a common belief, the more lather is formed, the better cleaning is done. We wrongly perceive that the best shampoo and conditioner duo is the one that produces the most foam.
It all sounds good. It could have been good, if SLS only formed lather and removed the oily, greasy dirt. However, SLS irritates the scalp and skin. You might have noticed that when a shampoo or soap comes in contact with your eyes, you feel a burning sensation. Well, it is because of SLS. This is not all. SLS is known to shrink the hair follicles with time. This can weaken your hair structure and cause hair fall.
Medical researchers are also linking SLS to cancer, skin damage, and damage to the immune system. Many experts claim that shampoos can cause cancer, due to the presence of sulfates.
Some people even like to switch their shampoos. They like to try every hair product launched in the market. Those fancy-looking bottles and glossy advertisements tempt them to experiment with products. This is the worst you can do to your hair. It exposes your hair to different kinds of chemicals, giving your follicles a shock. With time, your scalp gets a build-up of various chemicals, blocking your follicles and creating all sorts of hair and scalp problems. One of the most common problems is hair loss.
Certain brands have caught the whiff in the air about the diminishing reputation of SLS. They have started producing shampoos without sulfates. Today, you can get a collection of products for thinning hair in women, color treated hair, and more.
Although sulfates have not yet been banned from bath products, you need to be aware of its harmful reactions. Why wait for FDAs ban? Your hair would already be damaged by then. Switch to the best shampoo and conditioner devoid of sulfate and save your hair on time.