Howdy Girls,
How are you today? My shampoo does not suit me anymore and I thought of opting a new one this time just for experimenting a bit. If you are a regular reader of HairCareSquare, then you might know I just love experimenting with my hair and different hair care products. While I was a bit confused as to which one I should go for I was pretty sure that I wanted a shampoo which is free of Sulphates a.k.a SLS, Silicone and Parabens.
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If you are new to this term SLS then let me just tell you about it in brief. SLS stands for Sodium Lauryl Sulphate). This is actually the ingredient that helps your shampoo to lather. If your shampoo lathers too much then it means it has high content of SLS. It actually gives you the feeling that it is effectively cleansing your scalp and hair but in reality it is actually washing off all the necessary oils and moisture from your scalp and hair. This results in dry and irritating scalp, fading of the color of your hair, drying of your hair, hair loss and slower hair growth. SLS is the base ingredients in the detergents. Now you can imagine the harsh results that it can leave on your hair. 
How can you determine whether your Shampoo has SLS or not?
Its pretty easy.
- Just check through the ingredients list, SLS is probably listed on top.
- If you aren’t sure check for the ingredients ammonium laureth sulphate, ammonium lauryl sulphate or sodium lauryl sulphate.
- If your shampoo lathers too much then it might contain SLS.
Does this mean that if you use SLS free shampoo then all your hair problems are gone?
Using sulphate free shampoo might reduce the hair problems but it will not solve all your problems. But definitely you will see a lot more improvement.
Notes
- You should always opt for Sulphate free shampoos which are now easily available in the market.
- Try opting for the one that uses natural fruit of a vegetable as its main cleansing agent.
- Sulphate free shampoo is not the guarantee to solve all your problems.
- If you are habitual of using the shampoo that contains SLS then it might take some time for you to adopt yourself with the new Sulphate free shampoo as it does not lather that much. Try rinsing it twice if you feel one wash is not enough.
Hope this article helped you. If you have used any SLS free shampoo do share your experience with us. See you soon
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Have a lovely day!
are u serious? can shampoo really give me hair fall
An academic post that has a scientific angle to hair care.I have been washing my hair ever since I started bathing on my own and have been a stickler for oil- coconut and mustard, depending on the weather conditions.Thankfully, there has been negligible hair loss and the colour is still black.I have shared this post with my other women friends and relatives.
This is very informative. I do not like using non-lathering shampoos because I feel like it doesn’t clean my hair well. Now I know. Thanks for sharing!
That was my main reason behind writing this post to make people aware about the ingredients in the shampoo that can actually ruin their hair. Thank you for taking time to leave a comment Jen !!! 🙂
Thank you for your encouraging words Robert. That is a very good point. Will definitely incorporate links to such studies soon. 🙂
That might be the reason Renata. SLS shampoos actually strips off natural oils from hair. This in turn results in hair fall. You know you can try hair rinse for controlling hair fall. https://www.haircaresquare.com/hair-rinse/
That’s awesome… I know what a pain it can be to find that perfect shampoo. Cheers to that… 😉
Learned only about this last year when I had my first hair cut after giving birth to my son. The stylist mentioned that I should use sLS free shampoo. When I checked some leading shampoos, they contain SLS. Luckily though I have found my match.
I’ve been hearing for years now that SLS free shampoos are better for you, but never really understood or researched why. In fact, I’ve even switched to SLS free shampoos years ago, but I couldn’t really tell the benefit (I mean, my hair didn’t look different or healthier). Now I’m back on a regular shampoo, but have been noticing increasing hair loss. Maybe that’s related?
Very nice post and educational, as we all do use shampoo. Reading and understanding the ingredients is important not only for posterity but health too. It would also be nice if you provide links to clinical studies.
thank you for sharing this post. I didn’t really have an idea about SLS on shampoos. Whenever I buy shampoo, all I just want is something that can make my hair soft and smooth. I don’t really look at the ingredients or whatsoever.
I agree with this! I avoid SLS, because it caused my scalp to itch badly the day after. Now, I try to go naturally as possible.
I was a big lover of Wen for a long time when my hair was really damaged, but the price was outrageous. Now I use a cleansing conditioner from Matrix that is designed for fine hair so it doesn’t leave my scalp as greasy as the Wen does now that my hair is healthy again. Great post/reminder on SLS!
Excellent article! My favorite shampoo was a non-lathering shampoo, but it was very expensive. I did not know about SLS. Now that I know what to look for, I can experiment with other options that might not be as expensive. Do you have any recommendations?
I had to read your post because I just got some color added to my hair. I even went to the extremes as my hair is black and got the color stripped in order to get the color. When she was done coloring my hair she had mentioned the salon products best for maintaining it. She mentioned that the sulfate would strip the color of my hair. After spending the time and money on it that of course is the last thing you want. I have washed it a couple times and depending on the shampoo I have rinsed out some color. It makes me very concerned for the health of my hair. If I can see the color run; what can’t I see that is happening to my hair? Thank you!
Thank you for this info. Will start looking for SLS on shampoo labels going forward.
Switching to sulphate free shampoo literally changed my life! I had to dye my hair ALL the time because it kept washing out… I am saving so much money and my hair is so much healthier since the change!