Ambarian asks…What exactly are Sodium Laureth Sulphate , Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Ammonium Lareth Sulphate and Myreth Sulphate . What is their main purposes in a shampoo? Is it true if you buy a shampoo that contains ALS it is not as harsh on you hair . Is it true that these will strip hair of natural oil and moisture hence if you have dry / curly hair it is best not to use shampoo containing these?
The Left Brain responds…We’ve talked about Sulfates in your shampoo before and we encourage you to read this first.
In the industry, these compounds are known by acronyms such as SLS, SLES, ALS, etc. While we cosmetic chemists like to say really long words to describe chemicals, they can hamper conversations. These sulfates are all primary detergents that make shampoos, body washes and other cleansers clean and foam. Without these ingredients cleansing products wouldn’t work nearly as well as they do.
Practically speaking, ALS is just as harsh on your hair as SLS. ALS is the main detergent of brans like Pantene, Herbalessences, Dove and Suave. SLS is used in Paul Mitchell, VO5 and lots of other brands. Of the ones you listed Myreth sulphate would be least harsh (although it is still more harsh than the things you’d find in a baby shampoo).
These ingredients will not strip your hair of oil any worse than other surfactant bases. All shampoos strip your hair of natural oil. That’s how they clean. In this regard, avoiding these ingredients will not be helpful to you. Some people find these surfactants a bit more irritating than others so you might take this into consideration when buying a product with them in it.
If you have dry/curly hair than you can use any shampoo but make sure you use a conditioner afterwards. This will help replenish the oils that are lost.
If you are concerned about stripping natural oils, the only thing you can do is stop washing your hair. But remember the natural oils help capture dirt, dust and pollution that you walk through every day. For clean hair you really don’t want natural oils.
Beauty Brains bottom line
Sulfates are used in many personal care products and are some of the most effective ingredients you can use for cleaning. They often get bad press and the Natural crowd hates them, but they are perfectly fine ingredients. They’re what all of the Beauty Brains use.
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It is interesting to listen to all the clucking about evil chemicals from those who are a bit misguided in their fears and prejudices, but I digress.
One of the best things to do, which was mentioned in this blog in another entry, is to use either olive oil or coconut oil to condition your hair. Sometimes just a teaspoon’s worth on the ends of long hair is all it takes to restore some of the oil that is stripped during shampooing. This is especially necessary for those of us who are Women of Color and have our hair chemically straightened. These oils are natural and easier to apply without creating that heavy, greasy look.
It’s good to know that there is really no reason to worry about some of the ingredients that have bad press. People should really learn about the products they use on their hair and skin. I always try to give good information on my site and am glad to see you doing the same!
There’s one other really important point that the anti-sulfate people in the world continue to skip right over…there are other ingredients in shampoos and bodywashes and complex and/or interact with the sulfate-surfactants and your skin, thus reducing the irritation potential of these key ingredients.
Thank you for this insight. SLS/SLES has been the subject of many a name calling and it’s refreshing to see another point of view regarding this matter. I personally have no problem with products containing SLS/SLES, but am very much aware that others are more mindful about avoiding this ingredient.
There is one flaw to the information in the article. Sulfates, no matter which one, are not used “alone” in a shampoo or bath formula. Many other ingredients are added, some of which eliminate (couteract) the irritation of sulfates. It’s just like baking a cake. Baking soda alone may be caustic, but when you add the flour, sugar, etc. it provides a function without a negative. Go for the performance in shampoo, it’s perfectly safe. And other ingredients add luster, shine, body, anti-static etc. that you can’t get from soap.
We didn’t say that these things were used alone. We just suggested that all things being equal, some people will find formulas with sulfates in them more irritating than those without.
It is true about the rumors that dishwashing liquid is composed also of sulfates, if yes what kind of sulfate does it compose?
I totally disagree. SLS is very drying to your hair. At least for wavy or curly hair. I stopped using it about a year ago and now I have absolutely no frizz. I could never just go out of the house after letting my hair dry without doing anything to it. Now I can. It is like a miracle. Sulfates strip hair. Maybe straight hair can handle it but I know by my own hair that is was very damaging.
plz somebody tell me about sls free shampoos selling in pakistan….
….It’s not about stripping your hair, it’s about causing irritation to your scalp and skin…as a manufacturer, when you order sulfates, what accompanies the material is a report – use, precautions, etc….even on THOSE documents sulfates are warned to cause skin irritation when exposed. Bottom line: ALL sulfates are a KNOWN skin IRRITANT and a common cause of contact dermatitis. If you don’t trust me, look it up for yourself: the American Journal of Toxicology has linked sulfates with skin irritation, hair loss and impaired hair growth. It’s a cheap foaming agent…and most know that foaming has nothing to do with CLEANSING…it’s just an association we have been making with formulas for a long time.
We don’t disagree that sulfates can be irritating. In fact, it’s typically used as the positive control for irritation in skin studies. However, it can be used safely in shampoos & other cleansing products that are quickly rinsed off. If it irritates someone, then they should avoid them. If not, there is no reason to avoid them.
Please provide a link to research that shows sulfates have been linked to hair loss and impaired hair growth.
I’m a 24 year old male and I have (or used to have) soft, straight, silky hair that I could easily tame. I use ordinary shampoos.
. When I scratch me head, there’s some dandruff-like thing that sticks into my nails. I also had some scabs in very limited areas coming off.
In december 2008, I put on some spray gel and mousse to style my hair and didn’t wash for 3 days! :/ In mid January 2009, my hair grew sort of frizzy, wavy and started falling out. I switched my shampoo and it the falling out stopped. But in July (like last month)something terrible happened…my hair was all sticky, uneven textured, wavy, ‘non-style-able’, frizzy and it even started falling out again. My scalp also hurts sometimes in different patched. It’s like a constant burning sensation in random sections of the scalp. It’s even hurting now
I’m sooo confused! I don’t know what to do. Is it SLS? Well whatever it is, it hurts and it makes me look horrible!:(…..I need help…
oops…i was so depressed that i made some typos above. Please ignore any typing mistakes..thanks.
It is about stripping the hair. I’ve been using WEN, also featured on this site, for about 3 years and my hair (kinky/negroid) is not hard and tangly as it would be after shampoo. I believe this perspective is based more on straighter hair types than mine. Kinky hair needs as much moisture as possible. My hair has been far more manageable since eliminating the sulfates, but reading this, I guess I feel a little less intimidated about using regular shampoo; I’d just condition before and after. And only shampoo if without a choice.
Hi Help Me, how’s it going for you now? Reading your symptoms I am inclined to think that it is likely to be SLS. Sulfates are known to be an scalp irritant. I certainly suggest using a sulfate free shampoo but to get full benefit from it please stick with it and only use natural hair care products in the future. Lots of people who use a natural shmapoo continue to use silicon laden gels, conditioners and other hair products that strip their hair of it’s natural moisture – they may as well use a conventional shampoo as well if they do not switch the rest of their products too!The reason why I say to stick with it is that if you switch to using a natural SLS free shampoo from having previously used a conventional shampoo it will take a little while to remove the chemical residues. Persevere with it and I wish you all the best!
Well thank you all for the usefull info.I have query related to skin.a few days ago I came back from K2 expidition and got sun burn!now my face,neck and hands are very dark and two different shades are clearly visible in my skin! Kindly help me out!
Hello again and thanks Hal. I’m now using raw ingredients for a natural shampoo and atleast the pain is almost gone. As for the looks, its still wavy and bad…not what I used to be. You’re right, the residual effects will take some time to wear of. I don’t know what the new growth of hair would be like…straight as it was or again wavy and frizzy. Time will tell I think.
i’ve been coloring and highlighting my hair for years. I have seen that since I have been using Sulfate free shampoos, which my colorist recommends, my color has lasted much longer, and is more vibrant. I have extremely oily hair, and I have found that some sulfate free brands have lathered and cleaned my hair just as well and those with the sulfates. My opinion, no need to use that harsh stuff on your hair.
You forgot the biggest reason us “Naturals” (people that don’t want cancer, presumably?) don’t like sulfates: they are bad for you! They are absorbed by the body and mimic the hormone Oestrogen (estrogen). Estrogen is a key hormone in many physiological processes in the body (males and females). Also, sulfates are really bad for the environment. How do they get there? By water. Thus, when you use them in shampoos, shower gels, etc., they can then get into our natural waterways and hurt other organisms, many of whom are more vulnerable to these chemicals (read: nasty morphologic abnormalites). Next time, do your research and present an unbiased article, instead of just saying hippies are wackos and there is really nothing harmful about chemicals.
I am a cosmetologist and have seen and studied the differences in shampoos and ingredients. In the article it stated “These ingredients will not strip your hair of oil any worse than other surfactant bases. All shampoos strip your hair of natural oil”. A key word here is surfactant based. There are shampoo’s that are not surfactant based. There are shampoos that strip everything out of the hair. I have found that shampoo’s that do not contain surfactants or sulfates are typically healthier for the hair. You do not want to strip all of the natural oils out. Many shampoo’s are water based and water can also be damaging. There are shampoo’s that are Aloe based and healthier for the hair.
I’m really sad that person told “help me” that the problem was SLS. It sounds like a bad case of seborrheic dermatitis or eczema to me.
Okay great comments. So what are some alternative products for natural hair. Please name some.
In its final report on the safety of sodium lauryl sulfate, the Journal of the American College of Toxicology notes that this ingredient has a “degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties.” What’s more, the journal adds, “high levels of skin penetration may occur at even low use concentration.”
Interestingly, sodium lauryl sulfate “is used around the world in clinical studies as a skin irritant,” notes the journal. The publication expressed additional concerns:
– Carcinogenic nitrosamines can form in the manufacturing of sodium lauryl sulfate or by its inter-reaction with other nitrogen-bearing ingredients within a formulation utilizing this ingredient. Other studies have indicated that sodium lauryl sulfate enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and brain from skin contact. This poses the question whether it could be a serious potential health threat from its use in shampoos, cleansers, and toothpastes.
-Still other research has indicated sodium lauryl sulfate may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties.
– Although sodium lauryl sulfate is not carcinogenic in experimental studies, it has been shown that it causes severe epidermal changes in the area it is applied, indicating a need for tumor-enhancing assays.
– Additional studies have found that sodium lauryl sulfate is heavily deposited on the skin surface and in the hair follicles. Damage to
the hair follicle could result from such deposition.
@bobby – If you are really interested in the truth and want to review all the evidence, consider the following points in this post. Does SLS cause cancer?
If there is no information you could learn that would change your mind about SLS or SLES, then you’ve come to your conclusion for irrational, emotional reasons and there is nothing I could say to dissuade you.
Show me some evidence that sulfates are causing problems and I’ll believe you. (a reference for your cited article would also help). Answer the points raised in the post above.
Why do you guys have such a hard on for sulfates? They’re so unnecessary and make curly hair frizz like crazy. Sure, the research that’s been done hasn’t made a direct link to cancer. But it has come to the conclusion that sulfates irritate the skin enough to alter it’s natural ability to protect.
I just don’t understand why someone would choose to use a product that MIGHT be detrimental to your health in any way. Why not just be safe and use natural products that make you and your hair feel and look better?
Don’t get me started on risk free and “be safe and use natural products.” Nothing is risk free. Least of all natural products. Lead is a natural product. Radon is a natural product. Water is toxic in overdose, not risk free. Nothing is risk free, it’s all about dose and manner of exposure. Sure, detergents are irritating–if you use enough and don’t rinse, your skin might get chapped and eventually crack. That’s why when I shampoo, I tend to prefer to rinse it out.
I think it’s worth mentioning that Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sodium dodecyl sulfate/Palmate/Palmitate/Palm Oil Kernal can and often are derived from Palm Oil. Currently Palm Oil is currently being farmed in a non-sustainable way and contributing hugely to deforestation of the rainforest and to global warming.
SLS and other sulfates have been shown to cause scalp irritation and inflammation. Inflammation to the scalp can disrupt the hair growth cycle thus leading to premature hair loss. (Published in the Journal of the American College of Toxicology, Volume 2, Number 7, pp. 127-181, 1983) Properly rinsing after shampooing is very crucial to reducing sulfates residues from depositing into the hair follicles. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I’d rather take precaution now than to regret later if studies confirmed that sulfates did in fact caused health problems and hair loss.
I do not notice much color preserving benefit in sulfate free vs sulfate but I do notice using sulfate free i have no hair loss what so ever in the tub
I recently had to purchase a hairpiece (real hair) to the tune of $1500 to cover up my hair loss. Beauticians always loved my gorgeous, naturally wavy, red-gold mane, and frequently told me I had enough hair for three people. Well, thank God for THAT or I’d have been bald by now! Most of my hair loss over the past six years has been due to medical issues, but the professional colorist at the wig boutique was firm about NEVER using sulfate-inclusive products on hair (your own or your “rug’s” – LOL – sorry, but I’m trying to maintain some levity rather than crying over my hair loss). Is it really true that sulfate-free shampoos can keep you from having your hair come out in wads while shampooing and conditioning your hair? Also, my hair is so parched, no matter what conditioning products I’ve used (although living in the desert climate of southern California certainly does not help this any). Please advise. Thank you.
@Janelle: Shampoo (either sulfate or sulfate free) does not cause hair loss like you described. You might find sulfate free is less irritating to you scalp but there should be no difference in hair loss. If regular conditioners don’t work for you, you might try deep conditioning with coconut oil which is one of the few oils that actually penetrates and strengthens hair. Good luck!
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