The aspiration of the human being, especially in the decades, is to lead as healthy a life as possible. This implies, in addition to other considerations, not using harmful elements in daily personal hygiene. That’s where sulfate-free shampoos come in. Obviously, this requires an explanation and it involves knowing what sulfates are and why they are bad for your hair
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What are sulfates
Anyone who has cared, at least once, to look at the composition of their shampoos, will have seen sulfates among the ingredients. As it happens in this type of product, ordinary humans have no idea what each element is. Hence the importance of knowing what sulfates are and, above all, why they are bad for your hair.
Sulphates are chemical compounds with a powerful cleaning capacity. They are not only used for hair, but also for cleaning the body. In fact, 9 out of 10 personal hygiene products are present, which gives an idea of the dimension of the matter.
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To understand it better, sulfates are responsible for generating foam on contact with water, which is why they are known as surfactants or surfactants. On a hygienic level, it is undeniable that its cleaning capacity is overwhelming. The problem arises when we talk about the consequences of this cleansing power. Irritations, dehydration or dryness are just some of the side effects of using shampoos with sulfates.
Obviously, almost everyone has ever used a sulfate shampoo. What’s more, the usual thing, having a market share of 90%, is that most people continue to use them. In addition, they are the most economical, since sulfate is a very cheap product to obtain. This does not mean that its effects on capillary and general health remain questionable.
Among the sulfates, the most common is sodium lauryl sulfate. However, there are other types of sulfates that we can find:
- Ammonium lauryl sulfate
- Sodium laureth sulfate
- Ammonium laureth sulfate
The difference between lauryl and laureth is that the latter have an extra amount of oxygen that makes them more soluble in water. That is, they generate more foam but are just as abrasive.
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All of them, to a greater or lesser extent, not only clean the hair, but also adhere to the skin and do not go away when rinsed. That’s when irritation problems begin, even allergies. In the end, the soap and foam generated by the sulfates is given by the detergent they incorporate and this is noticeable in drier and duller hair.
What is the solution? As simple as switching to a sulfate-free and natural shampoo that does not contain dangerous elements for the scalp. If we don’t know which one suits us, we can always ask an expert. However, more and more sulfate-free shampoos are available in large stores.
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Of course, these shampoos are somewhat more expensive than the usual ones with sulfates. The differences, despite not being very large, weigh heavily on the consumer. In such a situation, it should be very clear why sulfates are bad for hair. The long list of potential dangers of sulfate-free shampoos will help more than one doubtful person to opt for an option without sulfates and, by the way, without parabens, preservatives, or dyes.
Why sulfates are bad for hair
It is the question that everyone should ask themselves before buying a new shampoo: why are sulfates bad for hair? Taking a look at the long list of answers, all negative, that the question has, surely the alternatives without sulfates begin to be habitually chosen.
Obviously, you need to know why sulfates are bad for your hair:
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- Dryness, dandruff and irritation – Sulfates leave hair clean but also dry, making wash cycles shorter and shorter. This leads to dry, lifeless hair and an irritated scalp
- Itching and redness on the skin – The abrasive effect of sulfates is not limited to the hair, but also affects the skin, causing itching, redness, and even eczema. What’s more, you run the risk that it ends up reaching the bloodstream through the dermis, putting your health at serious risk, in case you have an allergy to any element of the shampoo.
- Appearance of dandruff – With dry hair, it is very normal for the dreaded dandruff to appear
- Greasy hair – Another effect of sulfates on the hair is the increase in fat in it. We will notice that shortly after washing it, it already looks dirty, requiring a new wash
- Hair loss – The natural reaction of damaged hair is to fall out. If the hair follicles are filled with sulphate remains, they will end up corroding the follicle and rendering it useless. At that time, you will be one step closer to baldness.
- Eliminates natural oils – The scalp and hair have their own oils to repel malicious external agents, thanks to the hair follicles. If we use shampoos with sulfates, these oils will gradually be lost, losing the body’s own natural defense.
- Problems for the liver – The chemical elements that a shampoo with sulfates has can end up reaching the body through the scalp. If so, the one in charge of expelling them will be the liver. But of course, it is an organ that is not used to such abrasive and aggressive elements, so it can have many derived problems.
- Goodbye to the dye – If you have dyed hair, you will notice that the application of shampoos with sulfates makes the color fade much earlier than usual.
We already warned you that there were many reasons to start using a sulfate-free shampoo. The good thing is that, once we start with a natural shampoo, the hair will gradually recover from the damage suffered. Of course, it will need an adaptation period, since the change from conventional to natural shampoo is shocking for the hair.
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